Fastpitch: The Untold History of Softball and the Women Who Made the Game

Taking readers to a time when women had few choices to play competitive team sports, this title provides great insight into the history of this fast-paced game that evolved from a sport with two basic constants (large ball and underhand pitch) to a game with all the complexity of its parent sport, baseball. We meet a cast of players spanning decades in the pastime. Women such as Nina Korgan and Bertha Ragan Tickey—and the nation as a whole—found the game to be a much-needed distraction during World War II. Westly also details a shutout at a charity event when a legendary Boston Red Sox player could not get a hit off pitcher Joan Joyce. The evolution of the sport has been influenced by the important legislation of the Title IX amendment, which made schools provide the same opportunities to women as men, and as a result, softball programs began to grow owing to more funding. The author explores interesting details such as how the uniforms changed from the shiny satin short shorts to more modern and useful designs. Women athletes have always had to make difficult decisions regarding their sport and personal life, and decisions regarding marriage, children, and work outside of softball are all discussed with honesty and clarity.