NCAA Pitching Rule Proposal

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sluggers

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May 26, 2008
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Dallas, Texas
Actually it appears they are proposing to allow the back foot toe to be behind the rubber as much as desired making things easier for the pitcher.

"While the pitcher takes the signal, her stride foot may be on or behind the pitcher’s plate as far back as desired. Once the pitcher initially sets the toe of her stride foot, she cannot move it to increase the distance behind the pitcher’s plate. In addition, the pitcher must take or appear to take a signal while in the pitching and signal-taking positions."

That would be more like high school rules, right?
 
Apr 28, 2019
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https://www.ncaa.com/news/softball/article/2019-06-27/change-pitching-procedures-proposed-softball

New proposal to require pitchers to take their signs on the rubber, then deliver their pitch without any backwards step. It's intended to stop pitchers from checking their armbands behind the rubber, then getting an effective walk-through on the pitch.

DD does this (steps to the rubber and starts her motion immediately), time to start practicing taking signs from the rubber?
It sounds unnecessary. Just another rule to enforce nothing. Will it speed up the game? Does it give the pitcher an advantage over the hitter? Sure doesn’t sound like it. Leave the rule as is. Who cares when he pitcher receives the pitch call?
How about we actually let the pitchers call their own game instead of being micro managed.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
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Orlando, FL
It sounds unnecessary. Just another rule to enforce nothing. Will it speed up the game? Does it give the pitcher an advantage over the hitter? Sure doesn’t sound like it. Leave the rule as is. Who cares when he pitcher receives the pitch call?
How about we actually let the pitchers call their own game instead of being micro managed.

It has nothing to do with where they receive the signal. It is supposed to prevent an walk through. But having the stride foot back provides the same effect, I think a 2-3 mph difference cannot be discounted as not providing an advantage to the pitcher. As written this is a significant game changer. The question is will PC's understand how to turn it to their advantage?
 
Apr 28, 2019
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That, that, that ... a million times THAT.
Blue-Question for you. Ump tonight very small strike zone. Was not giving pitches high or low in the zone. If it wasn’t right down the middle it was a ball.
This was only a Jr’s rec ball game but still I would think you would want to maybe expand the zone a little never mind call legit strikes balls.
I think at this level you want to encourage girls to swing and try and get on base rather than turn it into a walk fest.
Anyway the kicker was we are up by six with two outs and it’s a pop-up in foul territory down the 1st base line. The 1st baseperson gets under it and proceeds to drop the ball in foul territory. The ump calls the batter out. Both the 1st & 3rd base coach complain the ball was in foul territory and you can’t end the game like that. Ump stands his ground game over.
I was standing behind the back stop chatting with a Mom from the other team and we both said that’s not an out she’s in foul territory. It should have been a strike not an out.
The Mom says to the Ump I guess you had enough for tonight. Ump responds nobody’s perfect.
My daughter came over to me after the 4th inning and was asking me what to do because she wasn’t getting any calls.
I made sure I was in earshot of the ump and told her he wasn’t calling strikes high or low in the zone. They were strikes but the ump was consistently bad for both teams in not calling these pitches strikes. I told her she needs to adjust to the ump and put the ball where he is calling strikes.
It was a hot & humid night and I would think the ump would be more liberal with the zone to speed things along just a little.
He’s a good guy and maybe just having a bad day but a strike is a strike and a dropped popout isn’t an out.
 
Apr 28, 2019
1,423
83
It has nothing to do with where they receive the signal. It is supposed to prevent an walk through. But having the stride foot back provides the same effect, I think a 2-3 mph difference cannot be discounted as not providing an advantage to the pitcher. As written this is a significant game changer. The question is will PC's understand how to turn it to their advantage?
I’ve never seen a pitcher walk through other than warming-up between innings.
The pitcher checks wrist band before or while she is on the rubber. Regardless she then sets to deliver a pitch. By sets I mean comes to a complete stop and then behinds her wind-up. It may happen but I’ve never seen a pitcher not set after getting the pitch call.
 
May 29, 2015
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I’ve never seen a pitcher walk through other than warming-up between innings.
The pitcher checks wrist band before or while she is on the rubber. Regardless she then sets to deliver a pitch. By sets I mean comes to a complete stop and then behinds her wind-up. It may happen but I’ve never seen a pitcher not set after getting the pitch call.


I’ll admit I am a little perplexed by the reference to a walkthrough. It is more commonly seen as a “quick-pitch” than an actual walkthrough. I’ve seen girls (not NCAA) do this. They get the sign behind the rubber, step up, and immediately go into their motion. I don’t think I have ever seen a girl use the forward momentum of stepping up (a walkthrough) for an advantage.

Every code has different verbiage and slight tweaks, but typically taking the sign works in this manner: the pitcher can take her sign either on or off the rubber; if she takes the sign on the rubber, the hands must still be separated when she takes the sign; if she takes the sign behind the rubber, she must still pause and “simulate taking a sign” after engaging. This latter part seems to be what the NCAA is going after.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
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I didn’t want to quote that whole thing MadBandit ... :)

I’m a little stumped on what to tell you. I don’t know what strange logic he was basing the out call on ... foul or fair, the ball was dropped. Or did the fielder make the (air quotes) force out (air quotes)?

You probably know it doesn’t matter where the fielder is standing, it is where the ball is. But you still describe that as being foul. 🤔

As far as the strike zone ... a smaller zone is not the quicker way to get out of there. So again, no idea what he was thinking.

If this is a tendency of his to call games this way, I would suggest talking to the UIC, person who schedules your umpires, or league President. Unfortunately the shortage of officials across the country has allowed poorly skilled/poorly behaved officials to keep going. I don’t expect a neighborhood volunteer to be a pro, but he still should act professionally.
 
Apr 28, 2019
1,423
83
I didn’t want to quote that whole thing MadBandit ... :)

I’m a little stumped on what to tell you. I don’t know what strange logic he was basing the out call on ... foul or fair, the ball was dropped. Or did the fielder make the (air quotes) force out (air quotes)?

You probably know it doesn’t matter where the fielder is standing, it is where the ball is. But you still describe that as being foul. 🤔

As far as the strike zone ... a smaller zone is not the quicker way to get out of there. So again, no idea what he was thinking.

If this is a tendency of his to call games this way, I would suggest talking to the UIC, person who schedules your umpires, or league President. Unfortunately the shortage of officials across the country has allowed poorly skilled/poorly behaved officials to keep going. I don’t expect a neighborhood volunteer to be a pro, but he still should act professionally.
No force out. Ball was about 3/4 down the 1st base line and maybe 5 feet in foul territory. Ump was in full uniform and BSing with both sides before & during the game. He actually stopped the game for 15 minutes to let the sun set. Never saw that before.
 

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