Softball size an added wrinkle for Manitobans

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This article was published 02/08/2024 (644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An unusual situation involving the size of the ball is one of the oddities at this week’s under-13 girls and boys western Canadian championships.

Every province in Canada except Manitoba uses the smaller 11-inch ball in the U13 age group, so with the national rules in effect at the tournament, the Manitoba teams had to stop using the larger 12-inch balls they’ve become accustomed to all season.

Softball Manitoba president Larry Giesbrecht said the move to the bigger ball was made a couple years ago to enhance development in the age group, as is done in the United States.

“The thought process was that when you go to a U.S. tournament, when they play with the 12-inch ball, it may take a bit of an advantage away from the pitcher, which allowed more hitting and a greater development in defensive play,” Giesbrecht said. “It becomes a more exciting game to participate in and watch. Talking with the majority of our athletes since we changed to the 12-inch, they really enjoy it and see no real difference.

“We see the difference defensively. We have some pretty strong defensive squads and we’re still hitting the ball pretty well.”

He said the pitching is better with the smaller ball because pitchers can grip it better, and noted the change was made in concert with both national and provincial pitching development groups.

Rule changes can only take place every second year, so the Manitoba experiment is being monitored closely.

“Since we’ve made the change, at the last Softball Canada congress I had at least two provinces come up to me and talk to me about our experiences with it, so it will interesting to see what happens at the next set of rule changes, whether or not it gains any traction or not,” Giesbrecht said. “Ultimately, at U13 there is no national play for them, so each province is on their own with what works best for them. The only time we’ve had a conflict is here.”

The tournament is under the purview of the Western Canada Softball Congress, and since it’s a multi-province event, they try to keep it close to Softball Canada regulations as possible.

Interlake Phillies head coach Karli Reimer also serves on the Softball Manitoba board as Interlake region director. She’s a big fan of the 12-inch rule, and took her team to four American tournaments instead of playing elsewhere in Canada with the 11-inch ball.

“The thing with the 12-inch ball is it’s bigger and there’s more of a chance of hitting it,” Reimer said. “You get more balls in play, and it kind of evens the playing field a little bit.”

Interlake beat the Eastman Wildcats in the final to win the provincial championship on Sunday with the bigger ball, so her group hasn’t had much of a chance to adjust. They practised just once prior to winning their opener on Thursday morning.

“The pitchers throw a little high to start,” Reimer said. “It feels a little funny in their hands but it doesn’t take them long, especially with girls with smaller hands who actually prefer that ball. There are some smaller players at this age but they have no issues with doing that adjustment.”

Reimer said it’s no surprise Manitoba is leading the developmental charge, noting how many great players it has in the sport.

“We’re really trying to encourage development here and competition and high performance athletes,” Reimer said. “We have amazing athletes in this province. Manitoba should be so proud of the athletes.”

The Magic also prepared as a group, heading to tournaments this summer in Saskatchewan where the smaller ball would be in use. Magic head coach Stewart McMillan said he understands why the 11-inch ball is used elsewhere.

“With some of them, their hand size fits it a lot better at this age,” McMillan said. “I think there is a reason Softball Canada has it as the official size for this age group because I think it’s easier for them to throw it. That’s why we did so well in Regina, because some of our pitchers can add a couple more on it because it’s lighter and it’s smaller and their hand fits better on it and you get more spin on it.

“We purposely tried to go to two tournaments in Saskatchewan that forced us to switch back and forth between the 12-inch and the 11-inch ball all season.”

His players are split on the impact.

“It’s quite different for pitching and throwing because your mechanics have to be faster so the ball can get released,” Magic pitcher Lily Wells said. “It’s not that bad but it is still an adjustment.”

She did some extra throwing with the smaller ball to prepare for this weekend.

“It’s easier to throw changeups, that’s for sure,” pitcher Quincy Haggarty of Brandon said. “I learned to throw a changeup when I was using the 11-inch ball two years ago. But fastballs are harder to throw because I have to grip the ball but it’s way smaller.”

One of her catchers agreed.

“For me, the smaller ball is easier,” Brielle McGonigal of Hamiota said. “I feel like a bigger ball, you have to open your glove wider and it’s heavier for me. I like the smaller ball a lot, to hit, to throw, to catch.”

Evie McAdam is torn between the two.

“The 11-inch is way smaller than the 12-inch,” McAdam said. “I think it’s easier to catch it because it’s easier to squeeze it in my glove, but hitting-wise, I think it’s harder to hit because it’s smaller.”

That’s a common theme among the Magic players.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Wells said. “I don’t mind it. You can throw it harder when it’s smaller but it’s harder to hit. It’s smaller and it’s coming in faster.”

Haggarty agreed.

“If you make contact it goes farther because it has a better dynamic, but it’s harder to hit because it’s smaller,” she said. Ultimately, it’s what the Magic have to play with so they made sure they were ready.

“It’s pretty different but once you get practising with them, you get used to them,” Zaree Routledge said.

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