Glossary

Dropball

A dropball is a fastpitch softball pitch thrown with topspin so it falls at the bottom of the strike zone, getting the batter to hit the top of the ball for a ground ball or swing over it.

The pitcher releases the dropball with the hand coming over the top of the ball or with a short snap of the wrist, so the ball spins forward and dives as it reaches the plate. Some pitchers throw a 'peel' drop, rolling the ball off the fingertips, and others turn the hand over at release; both put topspin on the ball, and the coaching choice is which one the pitcher can repeat.

It is the ground-ball pitch in fastpitch. A batter who swings at a dropball at the knees meets the top half of the ball and beats it into the ground, and a dropball that finishes below the knees gets swings over the top. It works best paired with the riseball: the two leave the hand on similar lines and go opposite ways, so a hitter who has seen one cannot sit on the other.

On a pitch calling card it is its own call, with the location almost always low, and the catcher sets up at the knees ready to block a ball in the dirt. It is often the first movement pitch a young fastpitch pitcher learns after the fastball and change-up.

When to call it

A runner on first and fewer than two outs, for a double-play ground ball.
After a riseball at the letters, to change the batter's eye level.
A hitter who uppercuts, who will top a ball that sinks at the end.

Put it on a card: Pitch calling cards.

Sample wristband and cheat sheet

Sample dropball wristband card in a wristband: a numbered grid of signs with the Dropball and Riseball signs highlighted — A wristband card with the Dropball and Riseball signs in color. The coach calls a row and a number, and the player reads the play in that cell.

Sample dropball cheat sheet in a wristband: the key to the wristband's abbreviations, including Dropball and Riseball — The cheat sheet for the same wristband: what each abbreviation on the card means.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a peel drop?

A dropball thrown by rolling the ball off the fingertips at release, without turning the hand over. The fingers pull up the back of the ball, giving it forward spin.

Is there a dropball in baseball?

Not by that name. A baseball sinker or two-seam fastball also moves down, but it is thrown overhand and moves down from a high release; the dropball is an underhand pitch released below the zone.

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