The fourth and final level of youth softball is middle school, the most formal and organized of all youth leagues. Umpiring middle school requires an in-depth knowledge of softball, much more so than the average weekend umpire has. Although middle school is quite similar to junior league, the players are much more developed and eager to win. Therefore, the umpire wants to be on top of his game as well.
Middle school softball has rapidly evolved from slow-pitch to fast-pitch over the last decade. Today, virtually every school-sanctioned game is fast-pitch. When fast-pitch first came around, most players were not very good, due to a combination of inexperience and bad habits that came from years of playing slow pitch. Fortunately, that trend is beginning to change. More and more girls are playing fast-pitch in the junior leagues (11-12 years) and are experienced by the time middle school play rolls around.
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