From what I have heard, the catcher in the video lost a college scholarship over it.
I don't think contact is a requirement for obstruction here. Just needs to impede the runner, force her out of her natural attempt to reach the base, if I understand correctly.
A question for me is whether the base-runner was impeded by the catcher's presence. The catcher was blocking the plate long before she was 'about' to catch it. Her mere presence can intimidate a base-runner who sees there is no way to avoid a collision. So, is a catcher allowed to intimidate a runner (cause her to be timid by putting up a road block) when not in the act of catching the ball? Couldn't an umpire judge that this is obstruction?
I'm currently going through the NECC video and in it, catchers, waiting for the throw, are instructed to line up on the inside of the line, and up a bit, thereby forcing the runner coming home to go to the outside of the plate. So, is this legal? I'll go back and look again but I'm pretty sure this is what I saw.
While both of those are certainly obstruction, neither involve a play at the plate and are more of an example of unsportsmanlike conduct that should have been addressed immediately. I actually watched the entire game and there were several questionable plays that the officiating crew never addressed. Prior to the 2 incidents in the video, there was a play at 2nd base which I dont recall the exact details of but I do remember whatever happened it should have drawn at minimum a warning from the official, and then there was a force play at the plate where the catcher had already caught the ball for the force at the plate and was stepping up the 1st base line in an attempt to double off the batter/runner and the runner coming into home came in in a full cross body block and took the catchers legs out.
From what I have heard, the catcher in the video lost a college scholarship over it.
I know the catcher in this video. In fact, she did not lose her scholly. I saw her play this weekend on my ESPN app on Roku. She plays at my Alma Mater. Good kid, bad judgement in the heat of the moment.