In the blink of an eye, a high school softball pitcher can fling a fastball, have it ping off a bat and boomerang back at her like a cannonball destined for a target. "If the ball averages 60 miles per hour travelling from home plate to the mound, it is travelling at 88 feet per second," said Pat Cronin, Assistant Professor of Engineering at Penn State New Kensington. "At that speed, the ball will reach the mound (40 feet away) in about 0.45 seconds." It takes more time to blow a bubble and have it pop. At the moment of impact, the pitcher's options are limited -- duck, try to bat it down or attempt to catch it. Reaction time can be all that stands between a pitcher and serious injury. "By the time the pitcher releases the ball, they're about 35 feet away, right on top of the hitter," Highlands softball coach Mike Zendarski said. "It's a cause for concern. Fortunately, none of our girls have been injured that way, but I've seen plenty of other girls get hit in the hip or leg." "When we use a pitching machine it sits about 40 feet away," said Hempfield Area softball coach Bob Kalp. "Ball after ball can come right back at you, but at least you have a screen to protect you. I always duck behind the screen. "Pitchers don't have screens." Some blame the impending danger and extra cautiousness associated with softball on the spring-effect of modern day aluminum bats. Others believe that the sharper the pitcher's reflexes, the lesser the risk of danger. But one constant in this struggle to get out of the way is the pitcher's mound, which sits a mere 40 feet away from home plate. Being so close, critics wonder if pitchers really have the time to react to a ball screaming back at them. "Technology in bats is better," Zendarski said. "I compare it to golf. Like drivers, bats are more alive and the ball jumps off the barrel." The wicked smack of an aluminum bat would make a pitcher at any level cringe. When a pitcher hears the ball hit the bat before they see it, anything can happen. "You see close calls all the time," Freeport softball coach Kathy Bender said. "I see more and more pitchers wearing mouthpieces and sliding pads. "Pitchers have to be ready to catch the ball. It's a reflex thing -- protect your face." Horror stories Coaches can tell horror stories about incidents that seemed to make time stand still on the softball diamond. "In 1999, we had a real good team," said Kalp, who has coached various levels of softball teams for the past 37 years. "We had a pretty good player, Jesse Gump, and we were playing Penn Hills. Jesse hit a shot and the pitcher never moved. The ball carromed off her and went over the second baseman's head. "I never saw a kid get hit that quickly. Fortunately, she wasn't cut and was OK." Kalp's daughter, Jaci, was a standout pitcher at Hempfield before playing for four years at Penn State. "Getting line-drived was always a concern for her," Bob Kalp said. "There are a select number of athletes who can play at that (college) level. Every batter at that level can crank it. "As a pitcher, you're in a shooting gallery." Frazier coach Bill Henderson almost had to deal with a catastrophe during his team's second nonsection game this season. "I'm telling you, if the (Carmichaels pitcher) didn't catch the ball, it may have split her head open," Henderson said. "A girl hit a shot up the middle. Luckily, (the pitcher) got it. That ball was hit on a rope. Thank God our girl caught it." Valley junior Erika Felack wasn't as fortunate. She wasn't pitching during a game when her horrific incident occurred last spring, but she said she was only about 35 feet from the batter during a practice she won't soon forget. She barely had time to finish her under-hand follow-through when the ball lasered back at her and struck her behind her right ear. She suffered bleeding on the brain and wasn't sure if she'd take the mound again. Amazingly, however, she is back pitching for the Lady Vikings. She is grateful to be back, but, understandably, is throwing with much more caution. She wears a black hockey helmet as a precaution. "I think the mound distance is more of an issue now than when I was younger," Felack said. "You have to be ready at all times. You maybe have a second to decide what to do." But it's not as if coaches can teach players how to react. "What are you doing to do?" Zendarski asked, "Hit 30-foot line drives at the pitcher in practice• That's not exactly a safe thing to do. "But the pitcher's safety is always in the back of your mind as a coach." Said Bender: "I don't think there's much more you can do to protect a pitcher then to tell her to be ready." Cronin said that while wind resistance will slow the ball to a point, a softball averaging about 60 mph thrown from a mound 40 feet away will take the same amount of time to reach the batter as a baseball thrown 90 mph from about 60 feet away. "Each ball would have to be thrown faster than 60 and 90 miles per hour (respectively)," Cronin said. Safety rules Not all of the sleek-looking, metal bats are legal. The PIAA has a "banned bat" list, which coaches must have handy at all games. The list shows 26 nonconforming bats, all of which do not have Amateur Softball Association (ASA) seals of approval. "Umpires check bats religiously," Henderson said. "As far as safety goes, kids keep their helmets on, and courtesy runners have to wear helmets." Despite its bright yellow appearance, the ball actually has been toned down in recent years. Softballs also must conform to ASA rules, with their compression not surpassing .375 pounds. The National Federation of State High School Associations recognizes the need for safety in softball, but despite yearly complaints from coaches and rumors that it may do so, the organization hasn't changed the mound distance. College pitchers are somewhat safer with their mound 43 feet away from home. But moving the mound back may not be in the best interest of high school pitchers when it comes to offense and defense. "Actually, it may have more to do with pitchers dominating the game than safety," Kalp said. "In high school, pitchers dominate. In reality, if you move the mound back, it may not make a huge difference. But pitchers who throw breaking balls may have an advantage. And it may allow the batter to hit a little more." The NFHS appears to be more concerned with the batter's safety, forcing all high school players to wear batting helmets with face shields beginning in 2006. Pitchers won't have to wear them, but Rule 1-6-6 will require all fast-pitch batters and base-runners to wear helmets with NOCSAE-approved facemasks. Picture a batting helmet with lacrosse characteristics. "I'm all for the idea," said Nikki Fajtak, coach of the defending WPIAL Class AAA softball champion Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils. "I've seen more batters get hit in the face than pitchers. I can see the safety issue there, more so than moving the mound back. "I'm not sure how much moving the mound back three feet would do." Deer Lakes athletic director Jan McDowell agreed that helmets are a good addition to the game. "The helmets shouldn't be a problem," said McDowell, who has coached softball for the Lady Lancers for nine years. "The girls can see through the bars in the face mask." Still, some say the helmets will take time to get used to for most players. "I hope the helmets don't impede their line of site," said Henderson, who also is Frazier's athletic director. "I know (the helmets) would drive me nuts." Another rule that could become more prevalent in the PIAA, much as it is at the ASA level, is the double-base rule. Kalp said teams have the option to use two first bases -- in an effort to avoid collisions since runners aren't allowed inside the foul line -- but that "most teams probably won't do it until it's mandated." Teams would use a regular, white base and a bright-colored yellow or orange base a little farther down the line. This rule also is a result of the shorter, 60-foot base paths in softball. Additional Information:

Bringing the heat

A softball averaging 60 mph from the pitcher's mound to home plate (40 feet) will take the same amount of time to reach the batter as a baseball averaging 90 mph from the pitcher's mound to home plate (60 feet). Because of wind resistance, each ball would have to be thrown just over 60 and 90 mph, respectively, to fit this calculation. Source: Pat Cronin, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Penn State New Kensington The PIAA's 'banned bat' list Manufacturer (model) Anderson (Techzilla Reborn; Rockettech Reloaded) CE Composites (B1 Da Bomb) Demarini (Dark; EVO) Easton (SCX2 Synergy; SCX23 Synergy Plus; Synthesis) Louisville Slugger (SB34 Genesis; SB 105 Catalyst; SB305 Warrior XXL Balanced; SB405 Warrior XXL End Load) Miken (Ultra, Ultra Maxload, Freak Plus) Mizuno (Blur Advanced Series) Worth (EST 9; PST 120; WIC 120; MAX 120; XEST 9X; QESTFP; SBWK; Wicked slow-pitch version; XWICKX slow-pitch version; WWSC Wicked Composite slow-pitch version).

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