- Contrary to myth, softball is just as challenging as baseball.Softball glove image by paolanogueras from Fotolia.com
While there are a great deal of similarities between baseball and softball, there are just as many differences. Co-ed softball has further sets of rules that mostly deal with team composition. The things that make softball different from baseball are the same things that make it a more enjoyable game for adults to play recreationally. Rules in softball are strictly monitored and, for the most part, exist to keep the players safe. - Simply having one woman on an all-men team or a lone male on an all-female team doesn't classify the team as co-ed. For a team to qualify as co-ed at least half of the players must be female. This means that for a team with 10 players, five must be women. On a nine-player team, five are women and four are men (or vice versa). For a team that wants additional batters there are two options. The first is to have an extra female hitter and the second is the addition of two extra batters, one male and one female. When it comes to the actual batting lineup, it's entirely up to the coach how the batting order will be arranged.
- In softball, players are allowed to bat only once an inning. Because of this, if one team is behind by 10 or more runs after five innings the Mercy Rule is enforced and the game is ended. The game can also be ended if the home team is winning by more than 10 runs after 4 1/2 innings. In some co-ed softball leagues, if a male batter is walked he's automatically advanced to second base if a female batter follows. Depending on specific league rules, the female batter either automatically receives a walk or must take her turn at bat. In softball, unlike baseball, batters aren't allowed to bunt the ball or to make an intentional chop swing.
- Once the ball has been hit, it's important that the batter doesn't throw the bat. The first time it happens, the batter will be issued a warning. If the batter does it repeatedly, he could be ejected from the game. When running bases, it's the runner's responsibility to ensure he doesn't collide with the base player. At the same time, if the base player attempts to hinder the runner in any way as she attempts to advance, the runner is awarded another base. The only time that base players are allowed to stand within the base path is if they have the ball or are fielding a batted or thrown ball.
