Fastpitch is not baseball with a bigger ball — the pitch comes uphill from 43 feet, rises and drops, and arrives on a completely different timing signature. A machine bought off a baseball spec sheet trains the wrong game. Here's what actually matters in a softball pitching machine, and what the market looks like tier by tier.
Why Softball Machines Are Their Own Category
Three things separate fastpitch training needs. Ball size: 11" and 12" softballs need compatible wheels and chutes — most quality machines are sold in dedicated softball or combo configurations. Movement: the rise ball and drop ball define fastpitch hitting, and simulating them takes two counter-rotating wheels that can spin the ball's vertical axis; a single-wheel machine throws flat fastballs only. Release geometry: fastpitch releases low and drives through the zone on a flatter, climbing plane; machines positioned and angled for baseball teach hitters to read the wrong window.
The Tiers
Single-wheel softball machines ($300–$900)
Brands like JUGS and First Pitch make dedicated softball single-wheels throwing 30–60 mph. Perfect for 10U–12U rhythm and contact training. No movement, and that's fine early.
Two-wheel fastpitch machines ($1,200–$2,800)
The real fastpitch tier: rise balls, drop balls, curves, and speeds into the 60s–70s, which at 43 feet replicates elite pitching. If your athlete is 14U or older and facing movement every weekend, this tier is where training transfers.
Combo baseball/softball machines
Many two- and three-wheel machines convert between balls. For a household training both sports, combos are genuinely good now — just confirm the softball configuration throws movement, not only fastballs, before buying. Baseball-side considerations live in our baseball machine comparison.
Speed Targets by Age
10U: 30–40 mph. 12U: 40–50. 14U: 50–60. High school and travel: 55–70 with movement. Remember the distance conversion — 60 mph from 43 feet arrives like mid-70s baseball velocity. Buy the consistency, not the max number.
Rent the Movement First
Before spending $2,000 to own a rise ball, rent one: private cages on CageList list their machines, and booking an hour with a fastpitch-capable unit shows you exactly how your hitter handles movement today. If the swing itself is leaking — chopping the rise, rolling over the drop — machine velocity won't fix mechanics; our breakdown of the five most common swing flaws is the place to start, and here's how booking works if you're new to the platform. When machine sessions start, our hitting-off-a-machine guide covers the timing and setup habits that make them transfer.
Setup Details Fastpitch Machines Punish You For Skipping
Softball machines are fussier about setup than their baseball cousins, for one reason: movement pitches amplify small errors. Set the machine at true fastpitch release height — most stands default to a baseball-friendly height that makes every pitch read wrong — and measure the 43-foot distance rather than eyeballing it, because reaction-time training at 38 feet is a different (and harsher) drill than you intended. Level the tripod every session; a machine leaning half a degree turns a rise ball into a screwball. Warm the wheels with five throwaway pitches before the hitter steps in, since cold rubber grips differently and the first pitches run slow. And feed consistently: the feeder's rhythm is the hitter's timing cue, so a lazy, variable feed undoes the machine's consistency. Ten minutes of setup discipline is the difference between training fastpitch and training a strange machine-shaped sport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a baseball machine throw softballs?
Only if designed for it — softballs need wider chutes and compatible wheels. Combo machines handle both; dedicated baseball units don't.
What machine speed equals a 65 mph fastpitch pitcher?
Set the machine near the real speed and the real distance (43 ft). If your cage forces a shorter distance, reduce speed proportionally to preserve reaction time.
Is a rise ball machine necessary for 12U?
No — most 12U pitchers throw flat. Buy movement capability when your athlete starts seeing it monthly, or rent it seasonally.
Dimpled balls or real softballs in the machine?
Dimpled machine softballs for volume BP (they fly true and survive wheels); save game balls for live arms.
