Girls Slow Pitch Softball
NHAA offers girls slow pitch softball for ages 5 through 18. Teams are formed for the Beginners (5 & 6 yr olds), Instructional (7 & 8 yr olds), 10U, 12U, 15U, and 18U age divisions. The number of teams in each age division is a function of the number of players who sign up.
The NHAA Slow Pitch Beginner (5-6) and Instructional (7-8) Divisions are in-house leagues where the teams only play games against other NHAA teams. This limits the travel for these younger players and affords more control over instruction, rules, and scheduling.
The NHAA slow pitch teams in the 10U, 12U, 15U and 18U age divisions participate in the Greater Pittsburgh Girls Softball League (GPGSL). The GPGSL brings together girls softball teams from athletic associations throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. The GPGSL tries to group together teams of similar geographic areas to schedule regular season games.
Slow pitch softball is offered during the Spring and Fall seasons. Typically more players sign-up to play in the Spring than in the Fall.
The Spring Season for slow pitch softball begins with practices in the gym near the end of March and continues outdoors in early April. The regular season starts the third week in April and runs through the third week of June. The season for the Beginner and Instructional Divisions start slightly later and concludes about the same time as the older divisions. During the Spring season, typically one game is scheduled during the week and one on Saturday. Make-up games may be scheduled any day, including Sundays. At the conclusion of the regular season, all teams from the 10U division and up will participate in the GPGSL playoffs in a two-tiered format. Following the conclusion of the Spring regular season and playoffs, NHAA will sponsor tournament teams in each age division depending on the level of interest. For additional information, see the Tournament Team Overview.
The Fall slow pitch softball games start the first weekend after Labor Day and concludes the final weekend of October. The Fall regular season games are scheduled for Saturdays with make-up games typically scheduled for Sundays. No playoffs are scheduled at the conclusion of the Fall season. The Fall season is shorter in duration and in the younger age divisions more attention is paid to individualized instruction. The Fall season affords a good opportunity for girls who qualified as 8 years olds in the Spring to play in the 10U Division in the Fall. This will allow an early introduction for these girls to batting against higher arc pitching and from fellow players instead of coaches. For the older girls, the Western PA High School Slow Pitch Boosters Organization and the GPGSL have organized fall slow pitch softball through the schools and the girls can play slow pitch softball as a club sport at the junior high and high school level.
The teams' practices and home games will be played at a NHAA field designated for each age division. The team’s away games (except for the Beginner and Instructional Divisions) will be played at a GPGSL member team’s field. This will require some travel within the northern portion of the Pittsburgh area during the Spring season and possibly further travel throughout southwestern Pa in the Fall.
The NHAA slow pitch softball program is an opportunity for girls to learn and play softball in a fun and not too competitive atmosphere.