Bunting direction

[SCflashes]

Any thoughts on placement of sacrifice bunt with person on 1B? 2B? Thanks.

 

[Texarkana]

10U here, but I have just as much success with 3rd base side. At our level, I'd just as soon give them the better chance at getting on. 0 outs and runners on first and second is better than 1 out with the runner on second. This same question came up last night at a final. I just told her to get it down. She fouled one off to each side and then whiffed for the out. We mostly practice bunting off a machine of some sort, but starting to think of doing nothing but live arm. Anybody bunt with the TCB's?

 

[starsnuffer]

I don't bunt with TCB's, because I think they're too easy to bunt when the bunt would be foul if it were a real ball. What I do in pre-game warm-ups is have 2-3 stations of TCB balls for hitting and 1-2 stations of real softballs for bunting. I usually give each batter 5 sacrafice bunts, 5 sneaky bunts, and then 5 of whatever bunt they're working on, usually drag bunt for lefties and push bunt for righties before rotating stations.

For sacrafice bunts, it's not so much "location" as making sure the bunt doesn't roll more then 8 feet past home plate. Sometimes it even makes sense to bunt towards the pitcher, especially if the pitcher is a lefty or if she is tall (or just a slow/weak fielder). What you're trying to do here is make the fielders take as long as possible to get to the ball so their only option is to throw to first.

-W