softball
Enable an AI agent to recognise softball activity, assess its playing state under an identified ruleset, and determine permitted actions and unresolved decisions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise softball activity, assess its playing state under an identified ruleset, and determine permitted actions and unresolved decisions.
Softball is a bat-and-ball team sport in the baseball family in which teams alternate batting and fielding, score runs by advancing around four bases, and deliver pitches underarm under rules that vary among fastpitch, slowpitch and modified-pitch forms.
It can be Classify a softball instance and identify which rules must be consulted.; Reconstruct the game state from pitches, plays and umpire decisions.; Evaluate proposed pitching, batting, baserunning and substitution actions against the applicable rules.; Check whether the field and equipment satisfy the selected playing conditions.; Flag disputed calls, incomplete evidence and conditions requiring an official decision.; Explain which softball-specific information is missing before an action can be judged..
Distinguishing features
Identify the activity through its declared softball discipline and governing rules; informal resemblance to baseball is insufficient.
Check the prescribed pitching delivery and pitching area against the selected softball ruleset rather than assuming baseball pitching mechanics.
Check ball specification, base layout and pitching distance together; the word softball does not imply a physically soft ball or one universal field size.
Distinguish fast pitch, slow pitch and other recognised variants through their pitching and runner restrictions rather than treating them as interchangeable.
Recognise alternating batting and fielding with base advancement and run scoring, distinguishing softball from bat-and-ball activities with different scoring structures.
Scope
+ Softball disciplines and the rulesets that govern a particular instance
+ Batting, pitching, fielding and baserunning actions
+ Innings, plate appearances, outs, runs and game completion
+ Lineups, substitutions and discipline-specific player roles
+ Field configuration, equipment admissibility and conditions affecting play
- Baseball as a separate sport
- Manufacture and material properties of balls, bats and protective equipment
- Club governance, league finances and competition administration beyond their effect on a game
- Athlete medical diagnosis and rehabilitation
- General stadium construction and facility management
Characteristics
- Softball discipline
- Fast pitch, slow pitch, modified pitch or another explicitly identified variant Determines which pitching, participation and runner provisions require verification.
- Applicable ruleset
- Governing authority, rule document, edition and adopted local modifications Provides the basis for judging actions without importing provisions from another competition.
- Playing division
- Competition-defined age, participation and competitive classifications May alter field dimensions, equipment requirements and participation rules.
- Field geometry
- Base distances, pitching distance and relevant boundary dimensions in metres or feet Supports verification that the playing area matches the selected division and discipline.
- Game phase
- Pre-game, active play, between half-innings, suspended or completed Constrains which actions and administrative decisions are currently possible.
- Inning and offensive state
- Inning number, half-inning, batting side, outs, ball-strike count and occupied bases Makes the next pitch, batting outcome and runner movement interpretable.
- Score
- Credited runs by team Supports outcome assessment while keeping pending or disallowed runs distinct.
- Ball status
- Live, dead or awaiting authoritative determination Affects whether further advances, outs or appeals can take effect.
- Active lineup
- Participants linked to batting positions, defensive assignments and substitution history Supports checks on batting order, player eligibility and permitted changes.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Discipline and rule authority Establishes which form of softball is being played and which provisions govern it.
Softball variants cannot safely share one assumed set of pitching, runner or participation rules.
Softball identity
Identifies the sport sense and distinguishes its playing variants.
Discipline identification
Record the declared discipline and supporting evidence, separating organised softball from loosely described recreational bat-and-ball play.
- Which softball discipline does the organiser identify, and what playing provisions support that classification? definition
- Does this instance fall within softball, or is it baseball or an informal derivative requiring a separate boundary decision? boundary
Applicable provisions
Connects game decisions to an identified authority and edition.
Rules and local adaptations
Record the governing document, division and authorised modifications, including how conflicts between provisions are resolved.
- Which rulebook edition and competition supplements govern this game? provenance
- Which authority resolves a conflict between the published softball rules and a local playing condition? action
Pitching and batting Models the delivery-to-batter interaction and its immediate outcomes.
Pitching requirements and pitch outcomes are central to distinguishing softball disciplines and judging each plate appearance.
Delivery legality
Captures the observable delivery features needed by the selected ruleset.
Pitching motion and constraints
Record required starting position, foot contact, delivery motion and any trajectory or timing constraints without assuming they are uniform across softball.
- Which delivery features must be observed to assess this pitch under the selected discipline? measurement
- If the delivery violates a provision, what ruling and subsequent choices does this ruleset permit? action
Plate appearance resolution
Tracks the batter's count, conduct and transition into an out or runner.
Pitch and contact outcomes
Distinguish called pitches, swings, fouls, contact and awards using the applicable strike-zone, batting and foul-ball provisions.
- What count and batter status result from the observed pitch and the official call? measurement
- How does this ruleset treat bunting, foul balls with two strikes and batter contact with a pitch? boundary
Runners, fielding and play resolution Represents how a ball in play produces advances, outs, awards and runs.
A softball play must preserve the sequence of runner and fielder actions to explain its outcome.
Runner permissions
Determines when runners may leave, advance, return or receive bases.
Base occupancy and advancement
Record each runner's base entitlement, departure timing and advancement, including discipline-specific restrictions.
- When may each runner leave the base, and are stealing or advances on an uncaught pitch permitted here? action
- Which bases were touched, missed, awarded or regained during the play, and in what order? measurement
Defensive and official resolution
Combines defensive actions with ball status and authoritative rulings.
Outs, awards and run validity
Record catches, force plays, tags and relevant infractions as ordered events, preserving the ruling that determines outs and whether runs count.
- What sequence of catches, touches, tags and plate crossings supports the recorded outs and runs? measurement
- Does interference, obstruction, an appeal or a dead-ball ruling change the apparent play outcome? action
Participants and game progression Connects the active players and batting order to innings and game completion.
A valid play sequence also depends on who may participate and whether the game should continue.
Lineup and role control
Tracks batting positions, defensive assignments and permitted player changes.
Participation and substitution
Record starters, substitutes, re-entry history and any specialised batting or running roles expressly allowed by this competition.
- Who occupies each batting position and defensive role, and which substitution or re-entry rights remain? measurement
- Does this ruleset permit the proposed designated-player, extra-player or courtesy-runner arrangement? action
Innings and completion
Determines progression between half-innings and the status of an interrupted or finished game.
Continuation and result
Record scheduled length and applicable time-limit, run-ahead, tie-breaking and interruption provisions before deciding the game result.
- Which innings, time, score or interruption conditions govern whether this game continues or ends? definition
- Given the current state, should play continue, enter a tie-breaking procedure, resume later or be declared complete? action
Playing environment and admissibility Checks the softball field, equipment and immediate conditions against the selected playing requirements.
Field geometry and admissible equipment affect both whether play can proceed and how particular events are ruled.
Field and boundaries
Records the diamond, pitching area and boundaries relevant to play.
Field configuration and ground rules
Record measured distances, marked areas, boundary features and declared ground rules relevant to fair, foul and out-of-play decisions.
- What are the measured base and pitching distances, and do they satisfy this division's requirements? measurement
- How do fences, openings, obstructions and local ground rules determine whether a ball remains playable? boundary
Equipment and readiness
Determines whether equipment and immediate conditions support authorised play.
Equipment checks and playability
Record ball and bat identification, applicable protective-equipment requirements and official decisions about unsafe or unplayable conditions.
- What inspection or approval evidence establishes that the balls, bats and required protective equipment are admissible? provenance
- Which observed equipment or field conditions require correction or suspension of play, and who makes that decision? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- The sport sense is inferred from the ACT.ACT domain; no explicit sense was supplied.
- Rulebook editions and competition-specific requirements need checking before operational use.
- Dimensions and game length describe common configurations, not every youth, recreational or adapted form.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Fastpitch softball
- Slowpitch softball
- Modified-pitch softball
- 16-inch softball
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) official fastpitch softball rules
- World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) official slowpitch softball rules
- USA Softball official rules for competitions under its jurisdiction
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) softball rules for US collegiate competition
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- International representative competition
- School and university athletics
- Community recreational leagues
- Youth sport and player development
- Club and workplace leagues
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Distance between consecutive bases - 60 in standard adult configurations - ft
- Scheduled regulation game length - 7, subject to competition rules, early termination and extra innings - innings
- Ball circumference - Common nominal sizes are 11 and 12; 16-inch softball uses a larger ball - in
- Pitching distance in adult women's fastpitch - 43 - ft
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Impact injuries from batted or thrown balls, including head and facial injuries
- Collisions between players or with fences
- Sliding injuries, including ankle and knee injuries
- Overuse injuries associated with repeated throwing and pitching
- Heat illness during play in hot conditions
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- US school and collegiate women's competition predominantly uses fastpitch, while adult recreational leagues commonly use slowpitch.
- 16-inch softball has a distinctive local tradition in the Chicago area, including play without fielding gloves.
- National federations and local leagues vary in pitching distances, ball sizes, roster composition and restrictions on equipment.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Baseball - Softball requires underarm pitching and generally uses a larger ball, shorter base paths and a shorter pitching distance; baseball permits overarm pitching.
- Rounders - Rounders has its own rules for batting, posts, scoring and dismissals; shared bat-and-ball play does not make it a softball variant.
- Softball ball - The equipment object is the ball used in play; this entry describes the sport.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of softball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Which authority and reference sources should establish the registry's definition of softball and the boundaries of its recognised variants?
- Should informal recreational adaptations be represented within this model through explicit local rules, or linked as related activities?
- Which discipline and division differences require dedicated extensions rather than values within this shared model?
- What minimum observation record is sufficient to reconstruct disputed runner timing, ball status and run validity?
- Does the existing Vercy world-model catalogue already cover softball or a broader sport model that this entry should link to or extend?