In comparing Softball pitching to Baseball pitching, it is the batters reaction time that has to be determined. For example, at the International and College (and soon to be High School) pitching distance of 43, a batter facing a 60 mph fastball has about 0.42 seconds to react to the pitch. This reaction time is derived from the fact that Distance = Rate times Time. If we assume that the average Softball pitcher releases the ball about 6 feet (yes, superstars like Jenny Finch have a leg stride closer to 7+ feet, but most pitchers do not) from the rubber, the pitching distance equals 37 feet.