It’s that time of the year again…softball season!

The biggest misconception about the sport is that softball is an all girls version of baseball, just played on a smaller field with a bigger ball. There are more differences than that, however.

• Baseball has 9 innings, while softball has 7.
• Baseball has a bigger bat of 42 inches, while softball has 34.
• Baseball has a 90 foot baseline, while softball has 60.
• In Softball, “stealing time” starts as soon as the ball is thrown from pitchers hand. While in baseball, “stealing time” starts whenever the ball is active.

ODA players seem to really enjoy the sport.

“I did track and I can’t run anymore, so I decided to try softball. Girls aren’t allowed to play baseball here, so I chose softball. It is really fun,” says Caroline.

The coach, ODA math teacher Ms. Bucci loves the sport too.

“I decided to coach softball because I played softball in high school, and I wanted to get involved in the school community. I have gotten to know students from outside the classroom. I like softball so much because my dad used to coach and it really inspired me,” says Ms. Bucci.

Last year, the team worked hard but didn’t do very well. Bucci is excited for a new start this season with the hopes that the team will do better.

“I think the team this year is better than last year. Hopefully our pitching skills have improved because you can’t win a game without pitching,” says Ms. Bucci.

Softball just came back to ODA last year. When they had it before, they were quite successful so the school decided to bring it back.

Softball practice has started, and it is still open to athletes who want to join. The practices are at 3:45-5:00 Monday through Thursday.

“Everyone should come play at practice, including middle school. You should bring a glove and cleats. A bat and batting gloves are optional,” says Ms. Bucci.