Fastpitch softball player puts sport on the map with a home run cycle

If you haven’t started watching fastpitch softball yet, it’s time to get with the game. This exciting sport showcases incredibly athletic women who know what to do between the lines.

To prove, one collegiate fastpitch softball player did what no professional MLB baseball player has ever done: hit for the HOME RUN cycle.

She joins an elite group of two players that includes a Georgetown Hoya alumna and herself. While the feat is amazing on its own, Danielle Gibson of the Arkansas Razorbacks, hit all four home runs in the first four innings. The Hoya, Alexandria Anttila, hit hers in the first, second, fourth, and seventh back in 2013.

The home run cycle includes hitting a solo home run, one with a runner on base, one with two runners on base, and a Grand Slam. A few MLB players have come close, most recently, Scooter Gennett in June 2017 who hit four home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals. Several active players have hit three home runs in one game, but never enough for the full cycle. A minor league player, Tyrone Horne, hit for the home run cycle in 1998 when he played for the Arkansas Travelers.

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Must be something about Arkansas?

Gibson’s home run cycle may be more than just a record-setting event in the NCAA. It could help put a thoroughly entertaining sport on the map. Fastpitch softball has been getting more media attention in the last couple of years, and for a good reason – it’s really fun to watch.

While baseball struggles with ways to speed up the game, fastpitch has that problem completely solved. There is nothing slow about fastpitch. The game moves. Yes, there are home runs, but there is so much more. Fastpitch players steal bases. They slap and bunt. They make bang-bang defensive plays. And, they are competitive.

What you don’t see in fastpitch are all the things that people don’t like about baseball. In fastpitch, batters don’t step out of the box and readjust their gloves between every pitch. Pitching changes don’t take forever to happen. The game is loud as the players on the field and in the dugout cheer each other on endlessly.

Fastpitch softball really does have it all. Even the pitching is entertaining and the girls can throw! It’s not uncommon to see D1 pitchers throw at speeds up to 70 MPH, all underhand. And, with movement.

If you haven’t tuned into a fastpitch softball game, it’s time to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed, especially if you watch one of the powerhouses, like Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, UCLA, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arizona State, and Washington.

If you really want to support the game, pick a local high school and watch some games. The women who play could use the support. They put in just as many hours as the boys of summer do, but with very little recognition.