Some thoughts from the local D1 game I attended today...

[MsDinosaur]

I disagree.

The "Strike Zone" is pretty universally defined;
(knees to armpits...)
with room for "umpire interpretation" at the margins.

But not calling *anything* above the belt,
(eliminating 12"-16" of vertical strike zone...)
can really alter a pitcher's effectiveness;
especially if she relies on a riseball for K's.

I guess the continual squeezing of the zone is a reaction to fans enjoying a 12-10 win,
over a 3-1 win...

Sure it's defined that way, but in reality, the strike zone is whatever the plate umpire says it is.

What I can't stand is an umpire who has one zone for one team and a different zone for the other --or-- who has a strike zone that varies with the wind, where a pitch at the belt is sometimes a ball and a pitch at the letters is sometimes a strike. I'm grateful when an umpire is consistent, even if it doesn't precisely match the rulebook.

If you've got a rise ball pitcher and an ump who won't give the high strikes, maybe it's on the coaching staff to make the switch to a low ball pitcher or for the rise baller to use the rise just to set up batters, knowing she's not going to get strikes called on it. JMO.

 

[chrispots]

As long as it's a consistent strike zone, IMO it's fine--the girls need to adjust.

It was consistent IMO...CP

 

[Cannonball]

I understand the high end of the NCAA strike zone as being the sternum and not the arm pits. In fact, no portion of the ball can be above the sternum as explained to me by one umpire.

 

[riseball]

I understand the high end of the NCAA strike zone as being the sternum and not the arm pits. In fact, no portion of the ball can be above the sternum as explained to me by one umpire.

Which is why in college my DD's bread and butter pitch immediately went from a rise to a cutter.

 

[RetiredCoach]

Which is why in college my DD's bread and butter pitch immediately went from a rise to a cutter.

RB -- By cutter do you mean that 2 seam pitch that you were discussing in a previous thread?