Fastpitch Masters Blog

Softball has changed and evolved so much over the years. We’re beginning to see players training with more advanced equipment at younger ages. Training requires an abundance of time commitment and the expected time for practices and games. When watching high-level softball, people always discuss how good players are but rarely realize what players go through before and during college to play at that level. 

Travel and college softball take up a player’s time and energy. Some travel ball teams will play up to 100 (timed) games in a year and will go to college to play 40+ (7 inning games) in only 4-5 months. The physical demand for practice, workouts, and games has a toll on players, and on top of that, they are students. Players will spend long nights and travel time completing their college degrees while playing. 

With all this softball and school going on, when do players have a social life? During travel ball, we’ve seen many players miss out on school dances and hang out with their friends on the weekends for softball. There isn’t much off time for these student-athletes during college once the season starts, so it’s easy to understand how everything can be overwhelming for anyone. Staying healthy mentally is something we’ve now seen many D1 players struggle with. This isn’t to deter you from being a college athlete because, with hard work, anyone can be a college softball player. Still, next time you see top athletes, it’s better to understand their sacrifices to get to where they are rather than their title.