12 U bunt cover

[CM Swarm]

Hello. Looking for opinions on bunt cover defense for 12 u team. Currently we are useing 2b to cover the bag at first. With 1b,3b, P, C defending the bunt. Travel ball team, but our new Varsity HS coach isn't using his 1b to crash bunt. She is staying at the bag to take the throw. I will say we have pretty quick catchers and fast 3b girls.

Thanks.

 

[chinamigarden]

Last year in 12u depending on the game situation we would have the 1st baseman stay home to cover the bag, If there was a force at 3rd, 3rd would stay home and 1st would defend the bunt, with 2nd base moving over to cover 1st.

 

[Coach JV]

We always have 1B crash w/ 2b on cover. I have seen teams that use P to
cover bunts up 1B. We get lots of bunt singles against those teams

 

[Lozza]

1b and 3b to cover the bunt (catcher if she's closer) 2b to cover first. I'd be teaching 1b and 3b to be charging down the second the girls hands turn, as it is incredibly distracting for the batter to have two girls running at her.

 

[Greenmonsters]

1b and 3b to cover the bunt (catcher if she's closer) 2b to cover first. I'd be teaching 1b and 3b to be charging down the second the girls hands turn, as it is incredibly distracting for the batter to have two girls running at her.

But not quite as terrifying as when the batter pulls the bat back and swings away as they're charging!

 

[Lozza]

But not quite as terrifying as when the batter pulls the bat back and swings away as they're charging!

I've never had that scare me. And I've been doing it since I was 11 years old. When that happens my hand is in front of my face and I start slowing up. I've never been hit.

 

[quincy]

It is a hard play for the 1st baseperson so if no one is on base or a runner just on 1st she stays on her base. Pitcher is responsible for the right side of the field. Runner on 2nd and, no one on 3rd, 3rd baseperson stays home and the pitcher is responsible for left side of the field, 1st baseperson changes the ball.

Only when we need an out at home do they all charge the ball, catcher stays at home.

 

[quincy]

But not quite as terrifying as when the batter pulls the bat back and swings away as they're charging!

That is illegal in LL, maybe a local rule have not looked in a few years. Should be illegal in softball too. I would not allow our DD to do it.

 

[mkral]

We always crash with 1B and 3B on bunt defense. Let 2B take 1 and have SS do what is needed depending on the runner situation. I don't want my pitcher to get to far out of her comfort zone. I want my 3B to be the general in all bunt situations calling the shots. She should call "Got it" or "One One One" so the first baseman knows she needs to get it, or "Catch Catch" , you get the idea. But for the most part we encourage her to take the vast majority of the bunts unless they get down the first base line or past her to the pitcher. That is just what we do. We work on it all the time and it takes time to get it and it does not always work but it seems to do OK for us. Our slap defense is all together different.
Quincy I don't know about LL but at the Babe Ruth Regional tournament they were allowed to pull back and swing away.

 

[Greenmonsters]

We always crash with 1B and 3B on bunt defense. Let 2B take 1 and have SS do what is needed depending on the runner situation. I don't want my pitcher to get to far out of her comfort zone. I want my 3B to be the general in all bunt situations calling the shots. She should call "Got it" or "One One One" so the first baseman knows she needs to get it, or "Catch Catch" , you get the idea. But for the most part we encourage her to take the vast majority of the bunts unless they get down the first base line or past her to the pitcher. That is just what we do. We work on it all the time and it takes time to get it and it does not always work but it seems to do OK for us. Our slap defense is all together different.
Quincy I don't know about LL but at the Babe Ruth Regional tournament they were allowed to pull back and swing away.

The catcher is the only one who has the ball, the fielders, and the runners in full frontal view and therefor should be the one directing the play. This is the reason its uniformly done this way at older levels so its the way I would start teaching at younger levels. Hardest thing to teach about this actually is having the coaches keep quiet DURING the play!