Of all of the traditional team sports in America, fast-pitch softball is in its own unique niche — it is the only team sport that’s dominated by young girls. That certainly sets it apart for the team dealers selling what has become a consistent, almost year-round sport across the country.

The numbers certainly back that up. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) latest research, fast-pitch softball is highly skewed toward the young female participants.

• There were 2.5 million fast-pitch softball players in the U.S. in 2024, which is up from 2.3 million in 2023.  

• Of those, 69.9 percent are female; 44.6 percent are ages 6-17; and 30.1 percent are enrolled in the eighth grade or less.  

• Fast-pitch softball is one of the few sports where nearly 50 percent of the participants are actually frequent participants (those playing the sport more than 26 times per year). There were 1.2 million frequent softball players in 2023 and 83 percent are female and 58 percent are ages 6-17.

• At the high school level in the U.S., fast-pitch softball is the fourth most popular high school sport for girls with 15,635 teams and is the fifth most popular high school sport for girls with 345,541 participants.

• The top 10 states for girls high school fast-pitch softball participation are Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Florida and Minnesota.

With those kind of numbers it is no surprise fast-pitch softball remains a favorite for team dealers across America.

Start with Clarksville, IN, where Kratz Sporting Goods is selling fast-pitch softball throughout the year — it doesn’t matter if the weather in southern Indiana is dominated by sun, sleet, rain or snow.

“Fast-pitch softball has become a year-round category for us,” reports owner Allen Krebs. “But fast-pitch softball has become a niche sport. You really have to know it to sell it.  It’s important to know the sport well — and I think we do.”

Krebs points out that while they do sell softball to local youth softball leagues, those numbers are dwindling because of the growth of travel ball. Picking up the slack are middle schools, high schools, travel teams and some colleges, with uniforms sales.

According to Krebs, the high schools are buying new uniforms once every three to five years, while travel teams buy every year.

On the flip side, the number of bats, cleats, and fielding gloves/ mitts which Kratz sells is on the decline. “Our sales of bats, cleats, and fielding gloves are going the way of the Internet,” added Krebs.

Meanwhile, in Kentucky, participation in fast-pitch softball is very strong along with sales of softball gear and merchandise for H + W Dukes Sports, based in Campbellsville, KY, with satellite stores in Elizabethtown and Bowling Green.

“Our fast-pitch softball clients range from local rec girls softball leagues to NAIA colleges here in Kentucky,” says president Shaun Hord, who adds that teams are buying apparel, hard goods and accessories (backstop padding, windscreens, and pitching machines) from him.

But due to the variety of fielding gloves, bats and cleats, Hord and his associates will order any of those specific items for a player or a team on an as-needed basis, rather than attempt to keep every possible item in inventory.

Even though Zide’s Sports Shop is located in Marietta, OH, this team dealer does most of its business in the adjacent state of West Virginia, where it caters to many high school softball teams.

“We sell lots of team uniforms – from Under Armour, Adidas, and Pro Look – to high schools,” reports purchasing agent Tim Cochran, adding that they also sell practice apparel, socks, visors, softballs, catcher’s gear, batting gloves, batting tees and hitting nets. And for travel softball teams, the bulk of sales are personalized uniforms.

And, again, like many team dealers, Zide’s business of selling fielding gloves, cleats and bats has been lost to the Internet, where prices are less expensive and the inventory is larger.

Down in Jupiter, FL, selling fast-pitch softball gear, apparel, equipment and accessories is strong for Medallion Sporting Goods, which sells everything head-to-toe in girls fast-pitch softball to recreation leagues, middle schools, high schools and club/travel teams, according to manager Kevin Licata.

Business is booming because, unlike in many parts of the country, participation in Jupiter interest is on the upswing, and while many dealers are tending to stock and sell fewer fielding gloves, bats and cleats, Medallion’s business in those three categories is strong.

“We stock and sell roughly 80-100 mitts and fielding gloves, starting with gloves for T-Ball,” says Licata. “In bats, we carry three to four different brands and a wide variety of cleats from Mizuno.”

In Fort Worth, TX, many girls fast-pitch softball teams call upon Carey’s Sporting Goods for their product needs and, according to owner Dan Carey, they are a one-stop shopping destination for every one of his fast-pitch softball clients, which are mostly high school and some travel teams.

Carey reports that because participation in fast-pitch softball is strong in Texas, his fast-pitch softball business is strong, too.

Much of the strength of fast-pitch sales came be attributed to the strength of the sport at the high school level, where, according to Sandy Searcy, director of sports for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the state of girls’ high school softball remains strong and its future is promising.

“All 51 state associations currently offer state championships in fast-pitch softball, with three states also providing slow-pitch softball in addition to fast-pitch,” Searcy points out. “The sport continues to grow in popularity and participation levels are nearly back to pre-pandemic numbers.”

One of the reasons why fast-pitch softball is growing is because of more media interest.

“Increased media coverage of high school softball has helped raise awareness of the sport and its opportunities, which, in turn, positively impacts grassroots participation,” Searcy adds, with the national spotlight on the NCAA Women’s College World Series in recent years significantly expanding its fan base. “And with softball returning to the Olympics in 2028, the sport’s visibility continues to rise at every level,” he points out.

“Returning again for the 2028 Games is an exciting development for both sports, as they gain global attention and opportunities for athletes to compete on the Olympic stage once again,” adds Searcy. (Fast-pitch softball will actually be held in Oklahoma City, OK.)