With the start of the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament beginning on Friday, curiosity will rise among those who don't follow the sport on an everyday basis about the rules of softball.

That doubtless will include notably smaller makeup of the diamond and the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate, as compared to baseball — and how those dimensions can affect the strategy of pitching, batting and fielding.

Among those questions: How far is the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate? How does it compare to baseball?

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Here's what you need to know about the distance between the pitchers mound and home plate in college softball ahead of the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament:

What is the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate for softball?

• Distance: 43 feet

The distance from the rubber on the pitcher's mound to home plate is 43 feet in both high school and college softball. It is 40 feet for youth softball. As noted in the NCAA's rule book, the pitcher circle has an "8-foot radius, drawn from the center of the front edge of the pitcher’s plate."

The pitcher's lane (i.e. the landing spot) has "8-foot lines drawn within the outer edges of the pitcher’s plate toward the inside edges of the inside front corners of the batter’s boxes; 24 inches wide at the pitcher’s plate and 25 inches wide where it intersects the pitcher’s circle."

The pitcher's plate is the rubber, which is 24 inches long by 6 inches wide itself.

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Why is the distance from the mound to home plate different in softball than in baseball?

• Distance from mound to plate in softball: 43 feet

• Distance from mound to plate in baseball: 60 feet

The pitcher's mound is considerably closer to home plate in softball than it is in baseball: 43 feet in softball, compared to 60 feet in baseball.

The main reason for this disparity between softball and baseball is the size distance of the field. In softball, the distance from the mound to home plate is 43 feet and the distance from home plate to first base (i.e. the base paths) is 60 feet. In baseball, it is 60 feet from the mound to the plate and 90 feet down the base paths. That is a difference of 17 feet from the mound to the plate and 30 feet on the base paths.

As noted in the MLB rule book, fields that were constructed by professional teams after June 1, 1958, must have a minimum distance of 325 feet from home plate to both the left field and right field fence and a minimum distance of 400 feet from home plate to straight away centerfield.

NCAA regulations have a minimum distances depending on the length of the outfield fence (e.g., 6 feet vs. 4 feet). Per Rule 2.15.2 of the 2024-25 NCAA Division I rulebook for college softball:

"Institutional fields with a 6-foot or taller fence shall be a minimum of 190 feet in left and right fields and 220 feet in center field. Institutional fields with a 4-foot fence shall be a minimum of 210 feet in left and right fields and 230 feet in center field. It is highly recommended municipal fields meet these same requirements."

That said, the NCAA has mandated that all new constructions have a 6-foot-tall fence and a minimum of 200 feet to the left and right fields from home plate and 220 feet to center field.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: College softball field dimensions: How far is pitching mound to home plate?