Hey Umps! Answer me this...

[Madsdad]

I have seen the strike zone opened up all year and the coaches think it is fine, of course it is because their pitchers didn't work all winter. I feel the zone is the zone. The hard part is explaining to an 11 yrd old that because she has worked hard, she has to work even harder. With the lessons that we send young kid, its no wonder that they get messed up. Now all that being said, down the road all the work will pay off, its just hard to explain to young kids and really in all fairness should not be something that has to be explained.

 

[AndyS]

Agree

Softball is like life, and life is not fair.

A pitcher has to learn to read the umpires strike zone, and then adjust what she is throwing to that zone. That is why teaching kids "how to throw strikes" is a waste of time--you teach kids how to put the ball exactly where they want the ball to go.

Many umpires use a "is the ball hittable" standard at the lower levels. So, a slow pitch at the shoulders is hittable, and therefore is a strike, while a fast pitch at the same location is a ball. The umpire is wrong, but that is the way it is. You can cry buckets about it, and it won't change a thing.

I have been a long-time reader and seldom poster here but this piece of advice is one I read early on and it has honestly made a tremendous difference. Two things: learning to throw all your pitches to a spot and understanding the umpire may give you a different zone based on skill, pitch count, late innings (looking to go home), change in weather, change in mood, whatever. Dealing with "unfair umpires", etc. is a great lesson in life in my opinion. And it makes finding that umpire that gives you "your strike" so much fun!! This weekend my DD got that low strike umpire she loves and she just kept pounding away with her drop ball (fastball). Use it as a teaching opportunity about life.

 

[Coach JV]

Some BU are consistent some are not, it is part of life.
Some have a very small zone, some large. Some call the pitch
10 feet out (before it breaks) some call the pitch at the plate.
In all instances, it is the pitcher's responsibility to make an adjustment.
It is part of the game, Blue is human too!

In my experience, the better umpires do the games later in the tournament,
the less experienced umps need games in pool play to become better umpires.

 

[T Red]

I don't think anyone here is complaining that the strike zone varies between umps. It would be fine if the zone is the same for all pitchers during a game be it large or small. But to change the zone between pitchers during the same game is the problem. I don't think we're doing the batters or the pitchers a favor.

 

[PEPPERS]

I have been a long-time reader and seldom poster here but this piece of advice is one I read early on and it has honestly made a tremendous difference. Two things: learning to throw all your pitches to a spot and understanding the umpire may give you a different zone based on skill, pitch count, late innings (looking to go home), change in weather, change in mood, whatever. Dealing with "unfair umpires", etc. is a great lesson in life in my opinion. And it makes finding that umpire that gives you "your strike" so much fun!! This weekend my DD got that low strike umpire she loves and she just kept pounding away with her drop ball (fastball). Use it as a teaching opportunity about life.

I could not have said it better myself, my daughter who is 15 has been taught to pitch to the corners and does a good job at it. The times she has to come into the middle of the plate where corners are not called is when she usually gets hit.

I’ve seen other pitchers get calls she could not get due to her good control, pitchers that are struggling get strikes on the corners where pitchers with better control are made to get their strikes over the plate it’s not suppose to happen, but it does. When you pitch to the corners and don’t get strikes, it forces pitchers to pitch behind in the count and to pitch hittable pitches to the batters.

 

[stephanie]

I don't think anyone here is complaining that the strike zone varies between umps. It would be fine if the zone is the same for all pitchers during a game be it large or small. But to change the zone between pitchers during the same game is the problem. I don't think we're doing the batters or the pitchers a favor.

Absolutely! If an ump calls a pitch at the shoulders a strike for my DD, then it should be a strike for the other coach's pitcher, too! But if shoulder high is a ball for my DD, why is the other pitcher's throw at the nose a strike?
"I'm not mad...I'm just sayin'..."

 

[Rainman]

ok have a question, Why do we need to have the pitchers adjust to blue small zone? Especially if gives advantage to the hitters. You would think that if the pitcher keeps hitting the corners and the knees that blue would call it a strike. I agree pitcher need to adjust how much of the corner or lack of that blue will give. Thoughts?

 

[Bishop]

The only time we really see dramaticly different strike zones, one team gets a huge zone the other team tight, is during those unfortunate matchups of significantly different skill levels.

We had one of those happen this year. It didn't affect the outcome of the game, it didn't even keep the other team in the game unfortunately. My only real complaint with it was that the ump was calling strikes helmet high on my batters. We spent all winter working to keep the girls from swinging at that junk and first game out of the gate the blue was calling them up there.

On the up side our head coach had a quiet word with the blue between innings and the strike zone came down to the shoulders.

 

[Illini Rick]

I've seen it many times this year. If the score is not close, the trailing pitcher gets a much bigger strike zone. I can understand it a bit, but it still drives my daughter (a pitcher) and I (a coach) absolutely crazy. A couple of games ago, I actually had an umpire come up to me in the third inning and appologize for squeezing the zone on my daughter. He told me that he was trying to make the game more interesting since the other pitcher was struggling. I had no idea how to respond to him without getting in tossed out, so I kept my mouth shut....

 

[Dadof3]

We had one of those happen this year. It didn't affect the outcome of the game, it didn't even keep the other team in the game unfortunately. My only real complaint with it was that the ump was calling strikes helmet high on my batters. We spent all winter working to keep the girls from swinging at that junk and first game out of the gate the blue was calling them up there.

On the up side our head coach had a quiet word with the blue between innings and the strike zone came down to the shoulders.

Great point on the nose high called strikes. You cannot teach a kid to lay off high pitches in the future when that happens. I prefer the umps are liberal with strike zones at my girls' age. (10U) You have to teach these kids to swing a bat once in awhile. But nose high has to be a ball every time.

To the OP, we encounter the "favor the poorer pitcher" on a regular basis. I've only questioned one ump about it in a game and pretty much already knew the answer I was going to get. "Your pitcher is more dominant and consistent". Before you think I'm bragging I have to say we have been the beneficiaries of it too! I actually agree with it to a point at this age. Even at 12U. Anything above 12U should be a consistent strike zone for both teams no matter the pitchers ability. Just my opinion.

When we face an inconsistent pitcher we tell our girls to be swinging at anything close. Walkfests are no fun for anyone. Win or lose.