Since it is possible for a pitcher to replant without leaping, my contention is that the replant, and subsequent repush, are more of an advantage than a leap.
Mississippi State Pitcher 2017 season
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Since it is possible for a pitcher to replant without leaping, my contention is that the replant, and subsequent repush, are more of an advantage than a leap.
Would you rather face a pitcher that leaps, but does not replant, or a pitcher that does not leap, but replants?
Assuming neither is called, the replant provides a greater advantage. But 99% of the time the replant is proceeded by a leap.
ETA - When folks lament about the lack of parity between the NPF and MLB they need look no further than this issue. If those leading the development of a sport do not take it seriously, why should anyone else? Remember what happened when the steroid scandal rocked the MLB years ago. Roger Clemmons and others were called to testify at congressional hearings. Remember deflate-gate? If this were MLB, NFL, NBA, etc. there is no way this would be happening. But since it is a low tier womens sport, and with the NCAA and others turning a blind eye to enforcing the rules, it should be no surprise that the sport suffers from a lack of respect.
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I've read this and would like to share what I hate about this. DD thru her journey of pitching leaped, questiosnable other bad habits deemed illegal. I worked with her and she did great job of correcting it. The hate part of this is the what if. What if she hadn't made these corrections, instead of being a pretty good HS pitcher with moderate success and not recruited would she have been more successful . Don't take me wrong those corrections are not all of her being normal. But for the normal pitchers and those that worked hard to become and stay legal it is frustrating when illegal pitchers make it big and the legal pitchers have their carers end with HS or related to D2 when . I know not every pitcher is good enough for college pitching. I know some illegal pitchers would still be awesome pitchers pitching legal due to being great athletes and working their butt off. But for some letting them continue pitching illegal is like giving the star QB of the football team a "grade" just for being there. If they had to play by the rules I'm sure some would not achieve the success level they were or are at.
- Feb 7, 2013
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These are from last year:
Her replant isn't what is getting her to the front of the circle, its the initial push off from the pitching plate that gets her there. The advantage the replant is it gives her a second push against the front side leg. How much advantage is up to debate. IMO, great arm whip mechanics and brush interference is what separates the good pitchers from the great pitchers.
My second point is, it has been said that if you forced someone like Silkwood to drag her pivot along the ground that she wouldn't be as an effective pitcher. Well of course not because you would be changing a style of pitching that she has done that way for probably 10+ years. And if you took another pitcher, say Jennie Finch, and told her she had to leap and replant she wouldn't be nearly as effective either since she never learned to pitch that way when she was practicing 1,000 and 1,000 of times as a youngster.
Is Silkwood breaking some pitching rules, yes. Just like Cat did her whole pitching career. Did they purposely pitch illegally in an attempt to gain an advantage? I don't think so. I just think they ingrained bad habits over the years and became effective pitchers, so they didn't see any need to change. Certainly the umpires have not made it a big deal since around 2009 or 2010 at the regionals and WCWS. Since then I have seen very few consistent calls of IPs.
As I said before, it's time to move the pitching plate back 3 feet and let the women pitch just like the men and we never have to have another thread about the "travesty" of the game.
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- Jan 25, 2011
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Rocketech1, I see your point about some of this, but here is where these leap and replant pitchers piss me off. My dd took lessons from Hillhouse. Dd had an offer from a div2 school but has committed to a div3 school because that's the school she fell in love with. Now just think if Bill could of taught her to pitch like the men or when Adam Folkhard was in town if he could of show en her somethings he does. Maybe and this just a maybe, my dd could of been looking at offers from the top ten schools, but no my dd learned to pitch according to the rules. To be honest these pitchers suck that are getting away with this crap. They didn't take the time and hard work to pitch the legal way, they are lazy cheaters and suck. Did I say they suck, yes I did. I have lost all respect for Tim Walton now, last year it was leaning into pitch to get on base and now this. I'm a ex gator fan. Tim is nothing more then a whine little league coach to me now, anything to win. The NCAA are a bunch of money grabbing pussies.
If you look at the 3 pictures in post #10 by [MENTION=2313]knightsb[/MENTION], to me the only obvious leap is the first picture. The other two she does a good job of not leaping, but the replant is obvious. In the third picture you can even see the mark in the dirt where she drags her toe before she replants.
- Jun 14, 2016
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Does anybody know what the illegal pitch on Carley Hoover was in the auburn/ LSU game? It seems strange to me how the umpires seem to pick and choose who to call for illegal pitching because the auburn pitcher is illegal just about every pitch but never gets called. If it's illegal it should be called but not on just some pitchers and then others be allowed to get away with it.
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As I have said before, be careful what you wish for. As soon as this happens it will very quickly become a pitchers game and folks will be whining about the lack of offense and how there are too many dead ball strikes.
- Feb 7, 2013
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Combine the increase in distance with a tighter strike zone and I don't see this being an issue. A few years ago they lowered the high strike zone from arm pits to below sternum which helped the batters. IMO, this is a better solution than the arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement of IPs, at all levels of the game. And this rule that you can "leap" the level of the ground if there is a hole in the front of the pitching plate is so difficult to enforce, making it a joke. Have you ever been on a softball field where a hole DOESN'T develop after the first inning?
So many young, aspiring pitchers give up the position because its a lot of work just to windmill a pitch consistently, let alone worry about having to drag your pivot foot legally along the ground like an anchor and god forbid if you have any weight on your foot as you complete the arm circle. Then you have these crazy rec parents screaming "illegal pitch" when 9 year old suzy is just trying to throw a strike. No wonder most softball players give up pitching at such a young age. There is nothing "natural" about "leap and drag" rules. I wonder how many boys/men get called for IP? Seems like its a lot easier to be in pitching compliance under the men's rules. Just my 2 cents.
