Let’s be honest. Softball pitchers are a special breed—they’ve got guts and stamina, and are super focused which helps them excel in the pitching circle. Watching my youngest daughter navigate her pitching journey leaves me in awe, observing how calm and collected she remains out there, even when facing challenging situations with all eyes are on her. I admit, I could never do that. It’s a talent well beyond my abilities and only certain players possess it.
To be a good softball pitcher, you need to have varying pitches. Most pitchers start with just a plain old fastball and then branch off into different off speed and spin pitches after mastering that. In truth, speed isn’t everything in softball pitching, but that doesn’t make it irrelevant either. Coaches and recruiters still consider speed a crucial stat among a host of others. It matters, and we all love watching those college softball pitchers who can hit near-record speeds, causing excitement as they throw fire balls past opposing batters.
To feed your fascination with speed, we’ve compiled a list of some of the fastest softball pitchers known to exist. Most are current players, but not all. Of course, we’ve probably left out plenty, but we’ve tried to find the pitchers that are routinely in the 70mph range or more. If you know of pitchers that should be on this list, feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page and let us know!
The Fastest Softball Pitchers & Their Speeds
Monica Abbott: Our first pitcher, who holds a Guinness Book of World Records from 2012 for the fastest softball pitch, stands out and deserves her place on this list. Although her college days are in the past, she is still heavily involved in the softball world. In 2016, this impressive lefty landed a $1 million contract with the Scrap Yard Dawgs of the National Pro Fastpitch League no doubt having a bit to do with her pitching abilities and that amazing speed!
Pitching Speed: 77 MPH – Source
Karlyn Pickens: This 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year is a must-have on the list of fastest softball pitchers. As a freshman for the Tennessee Vols, Karlyn came in and blew everybody away when she threw a 76 MPH rocket in the Women’s College World Series! Even if the radar gun was off by 1 or 2 MPH, this was still an impressive feat!
Pitching Speed: 76 MPH – Source
Nijaree Canady: Nijaree was one of our personal favorites to watch in 2023 Women’s College World Series as she represented Stanford. Due to her efforts, she received the National Freshman of the Year award after her WCWS visit. She throws so extremely hard and honestly her rise ball is amazing, but that’s a whole different topic. When it comes to speed, Nijaree is right up there with some of the best. It will be exciting to see what the future holds in store for Nijaree Canady.
Pitching Speed: 75 MPH – Source
Valerie Cagle: If you want to see a comeback story, read the story on Valerie Cagle having to deal with medical issues (ESPN Article). To see a pitcher go from being a top pitcher, to having almost debilitating bicep issues in her pitching arm, then back to the pitching circle for Clemson as an extreme success is awesome. Even as a homeschooled high-schooler, Valeria was pitching over 70 MPH – Source
Pitching Speed: 76 MPH – Source
Yukiko Ueno: Many people outside of the pitching community have probably never heard the name Yukiko Ueno. For those that are in the pitching community, you’ve probably not only heard of Yukiko, but you may have even studied her form. Yukiko Ueno is a pitcher who was probably most often seen in the Olympics of 2020, 2008, and 2006.
Pitching Speed: 75 MPH – Source (Some have claims of 80 MPH as well)
Paige Lowary: Paige is one of those lefties who can really bring the heat. In the 2017 WCWS, while playing for the University of Oklahoma, she was consistently throwing over 70 MPH, hitting 74 and 75 multiple times. Paige had a killer change-up that paired nicely with her speed. This made her a very formidable pitcher to go up against.
Pitching Speed: 75 MPH – Source
Montana Fouts: Montana has a big following. Throughout her college pitching career, she had so many younger pitchers looking up to her and there are so many reasons why. She made a great role model. Beyond that, her speed was lightning-quick. As long as Fouts wasn’t dealing with an injury (like her unfortunate last visit to the WCWS in 2023 with the University of Alabama), she was a slinger. It’s also of note that Montana had quite a high school career as well collecting Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 8th Grade at 13 years old, she was pitching around 66 MPH and had colleges already extending scholarships to her!
Pitching Speed: 71 – Source
Videos of Fastest Softball Pitchers
Monica Abbott:
Karlyn Pickens:
Nijaree Canady:
Valerie Cagle:
Yukiko Ueno:
Paige Lowary:
Montana Fouts:
If you would love to one day see what it feels like to be an amazing pitcher like these ladies mentioned above, then you should really check out our article on How To Learn To Pitch Fastpitch Softball . It will give you a great stepping-off point to get into the world of softball pitching!
– Softball Galaxy
