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There has been very little written about women’s fast pitch softball. As we come across books, publications and films of interest, we will let you know. So here we go.
Burn the Ships is a documentary film about women's professional fastpitch softball. Women’s professional softball has spent decades fighting for survival, forcing the best players in the world to choose between their livelihood and their dreams. Burn the Ships is the story of one woman (Joey Arrietta) and her team (Akron Racers) who sacrifice it all and refuse to let those dreams slip away. The film was released in 2017. You may purchase the film on Amazon.com or on iTunes at https://itun.es/us/G4ZIkb. The official trailer can be viewed below.
Connecticut Softball Legend Joan Joyce is a book about the great Joan Joyce. Joan will always be known as the unbeatable pitcher for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Connecticut Falcons, whose numerous career records - including an incredible 150 no-hitters and 50 perfect games - made her the best in the game. She was also one of the most gifted athletes the state of Connecticut ever produced, as she also set records in basketball and later went on to a stellar career in the Ladies Professional Golf Association. A true pioneer of women's sports, Joan is currently the head softball coach at Florida Atlantic University. Join author Tony Renzoni as he profiles the multifaceted career or one the country's greatest athletes. His book may be purchased on Amazon.
Women in Softball/Women in Sports was a newsletter published by Stormy Irwin from 1957 thru 1978. This newsletter started out being devoted to women’s sports in and around Sacramento, California. Later the newsletter was devoted strictly to women’s fast pitch softball on a regional and national level. In issues of this publication you will find excellent coverage on ASA National Softball Tournaments and women’s professional softball during that period. You will find all issues of this publication on Stormy's website at http://sites.google.com/site/womeninsoftball.
Best of the Best…Women’s Fast Pitch Softball is a book about women's fast pitch softball and the very few who have risen to the top of the game. It highlights the careers of 19 of women’s fast pitch greatest players and coaches from the 1970s to the present. The people featured are Shawn Andaya, Cat Osterman, Susan Enquist, Sharron Backus, Carol Spanks, Debbie Doom, Joan Joyce, Lisa Fernandez, Cindy Bristow, Stacey Nuveman, Jennie Finch, Monica Abbott, Natasha Watley, Judi Garman, Mike Candrea, Ralph Raymond, Margie Wright, Michele Smith and Dr. Dot Richardson. Co-authors of the book are Bill Plummer and Dr. Steven Clarfield, Ph.D. Plummer, a journalist for 50 years, is the former Hall of Fame manager of the National Softball Hall of Fame. He retired from the ASA in 2009 after a career of 30 years. Clarfield is a practicing clinical psychologist for 40 years and pitched top-level men’s fast pitch for more than 30 years. As Dr. Dot Richardson said "You might be amazed at how much one can learn from Best of the Best." You may purchase this book on Amazon.
Women’s Fastpitch Softball - The Path to the Gold takes an historical look at women’s fast pitch softball in the United States. “Over a century after the suspected beginnings of softball in the United States in 1887, the U.S. women’s softball team won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. The path to that gold medal – a long, winding one with abrupt u-turns – was cleared and trampled down by the cleats of thousands of girls and women who played the game in the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Women's Fastpitch Softball – The Path to the Gold is a tribute to all those players, coaches and administrators whose lives are intertwined in the history of fastpitch softball…a history that followed the path to the gold." This book was written by Mary Littlewood, former Arizona State head coach, and she is considered one of the pioneers of women’s collegiate softball. This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of women’s fastpitch softball. You can read more about Mary Littlewood on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) website. To order the book, visit the NFCA website at https://nfca.org/publications/the-path-to-the-gold or call 502-409-4600 to place your order by phone.
A Series of Their Own: The History of the Women's College World Series chronicles the history of the Women's College World Series from 1969 thru 2012. The book, written by Bill Plummer and Larry Floyd, contains historical photos, team standings and tournament brackets. The authors used archived newspaper articles and interviews with past participants as their primary sources to weave this narrative about how women's collegiate softball started and grew its national championship to where it is now. The book provides information and facts on games from individual tournaments. The details of these competitive events are written within the larger context of the growth of women's collegiate softball following Title IX legislation in the early 1970's. The book also gives brief follow-ups on the lives of many of the players and coaches after appearances in the world series tournaments.
Fastpitch: The Untold History of Softball and the Women Who Made the Game - Told from the perspective of such influential players as Bertha Ragan Tickey, who set strikeout records and taught Lana Turner to pitch, and Joan Joyce, who struck out baseball legend Ted Williams and helped found a professional softball league with Billie Jean King, Fastpitch chronicles softball's rich history and its uncertain future (as evidenced by its controversial elimination from the 2012 Olympics and the mounting efforts to have it reinstated). A celebration of this unique American sport and the role it plays in our culture today, Fastpitch is entertaining as it is inspiring. For more information about the author Erica Westly go to http://ericawestly.com/. You may order the book on Amazon.