Adjustment in batters box to ump

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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
In the first James Madison v. Michigan game, the umpire was consistently giving the pitcher the low outside corner.

It was a close pitch....a different ump perhaps would have called it a ball. But, this umpire was calling it a strike.

Michigan's Lexi Blair (the #3 batter) struck out 3 times during the game. (She had struck out 5 times during the entire season.) Blair could literally not reach the pitch. She tried a couple of times, and she was "waiving" the bat at teh ball.

The question: Why didn't the batter move to a position where she could hit the pitch? Why didn't the coach tell her to make an adjustment?
 
May 29, 2015
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Those are million dollar questions. Let’s be honest, the strike zone is subjective and there are many factors that impact an umpire’s zone. However if the umpire is consistent (our goal) then the players should be making the necessary adjustments.

I did several rounds of a 10u USSSA tournament yesterday. By the time we were out of pool play, the quality of play improved (as it should). With that in mind, I kept my strike zone truer to what it should be rather than opening it up as one is prone to do for 10u. In short, I wasn’t giving the shoulders up top.

During my game #3 of the day (this team’s game #1) a head coach was really starting to get hot because I wasn’t giving his pitcher (or the other team’s pitcher, but that never gets pointed out by the coach) that high strike. Rather than try to have her adjust (as much as 10u can), he started riding me.

I finally told him that was enough and nobody was getting the high strike. I explained to him that it may be common practice for umps to “open up” the zone in 10u, but it wasn’t going to happen in this game because both pitchers were too good for that. He smiled, nodded, and even apologized ... then he talked to his pitcher about adjusting. (And he moved his catcher up — she was sitting so far back that the pitches were looking good to the crowd when they landed in her mitt.)

Moral of the story ... make the adjustments.

Second moral of the story ... hit the better pitches earlier in the count and you won’t put yourself in that position. ;)
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
If the ball is in the strike zone, there's really no excuse for not being able to hit it using your normal positioning.

Anyone can use a hitting stick to learn how to hit pitches anywhere over the plate. It's a 32 inch (or so) bat and a 17 inch plate (plus the 4 inch line and 6 inch gap, less 9" forearms - so these extras almost cancel out).
 
Last edited:

Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
Great advice from The Man In Blue and efastball.

Realistically, a #3 hitter for a Top 15 D1 program already should be aware of her opponent's attributes. She's had a couple of days to watch film, game day pitching warmups and game pitching action.

As efastball mentioned, her traditional batter's box positioning should already be optimized by Supers. You've got two choices; take the strikes and walk back to the dugout or as The Man In Blue suggested, adapt to the umpire's strike zone.

If the pitchers have proven they can be consistent there and the ump has opened that part of the zone and is consistent with it both ways, then it's a strike.

As far as options to the coach, I'd say that Coach Hutchins has a game's worth of opportunity to talk with the umpires. Her bench/hitting coach could use the opportunity to take live information and translate those situations with his/her batting line-up.

Division 1 Top-20 softball really isn't much different than club ball. Establish the marginal bottom half outside strike and your pitching should have mostly good days. Add a marginal top zone lifter and you're likely going to be very successful against even the best collegiate hitting lineup.

Chris
 

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