Softball is becoming faster and more competitive every year. At every level, athletes are looking for an edge, whether that’s more bat speed, quicker acceleration, or simply finding a way to outperform the player across the diamond.
At this year’s Alliance Fastpitch National Showcase & Combine, we wanted to answer one question:
Can the right footwear make an immediate difference?
Athletes across the 14U, 16U, and 18U divisions completed the same hitting and sprint tests in their own cleats before immediately repeating those tests in SQAIRZ.
The results speak for themselves.
More Than 3 Out of 4 Hitters Matched or Improved Their Best Exit Velocity
The biggest takeaway wasn’t just that exit velocity increased. It was how many athletes experienced an improvement.
Exit Velocity Results
Across all three divisions:
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61.8% of hitters increased their peak exit velocity.
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14.5% matched their best swing.
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That’s 76.3% of athletes who maintained or improved their best performance after switching into SQAIRZ.
The Strongest Players Saw Some of the Biggest Gains
Performance improvements weren’t limited to younger athletes. In fact, the largest average gains came from the older showcase divisions.
Exit Velocity Results by Division
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14U: Average peak exit velocity increased +0.52 MPH, with 65% of hitters improving their best exit velocity. One athlete gained an impressive +11.0 MPH.
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16U: Athletes recorded the largest average gain at +1.90 MPH, including an individual improvement of +8.0 MPH.
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18U: Average peak exit velocity increased +1.80 MPH, and 100% of hitters either matched or exceeded their best exit velocity after switching into SQAIRZ.
Speed That Lasts
The running data may have been even more interesting. Athletes completed two all-out 60-foot sprints.
Instead of slowing down on the second run, as most athletes naturally do after a max effort sprint, many players maintained or even improved their speed.
Sprint Performance
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56.5% of athletes ran a faster second sprint.
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62.3% maintained or improved their time.
In the fast-paced world of softball, elite performance is defined by split-second decisions, the difference between tracking a deep fly ball, stopping a line drive, or beating a runner to the bag.
Every Performance Metric Moved in the Right Direction
One number can be an outlier.
Three different performance tests all moving in the same direction? That’s a trend.
Across power, consistency, and speed, athletes consistently performed better after switching to SQAIRZ.
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+0.98 MPH average increase in peak exit velocity
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+1.20 MPH improvement in three-swing average exit velocity
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0.027 seconds faster average 60-foot sprint
The Future of Softball Footwear
Rachel Garcia and Morgan Zerkle trust SQAIRZ to compete at the highest level. Now, the latest Alliance Fastpitch testing is showing why more athletes are making the same choice.
Measured gains in exit velocity. Faster sprint times. Better consistency.
When elite athletes and performance data point in the same direction, it’s worth paying attention.
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