Toes on the line

[PEPPERS]

A lot of batters like to crowd the plate to make sure they can cover the outside corner. This is a great opportunity for a pitcher with good velocity or a nasty screwball to bust them inside on the hands. Only downside is my DD has plunked a lot of batters on the hands/wrist because the ball is breaking inside and their hands are out over the plate because their toes are "on the line"....coaches need to make sure the umpire understands that if the batters hands are over the plate it is a strike, not a HBP!

DD has a good screw ball herself and has ran into the same problem even some hitters that wear arm pads and get hit on purpose.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

There was also a play in the world series, where a batter stuck her thigh out in front of a pitch, and started to take off for first base. She was called back and awarded a strike.

 

[riseball]

My DD threw against Florida a few weeks back. Most if not all the hitters wore elbow guards. Walton trained them well. They got up on the plate and did not flinch when they got hit. Never seen her hit that many hitters. That along with the statement from the home plate umpire that he had been instructed not to call anything on the river made for a tough day. Although it was no surprise, seen it 3 years in a row now.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

One of my favorite examples of where crowding the plate worked as a strategy was the 2012 Women's College World Series. In game 1 Alabama could do nothing against Oklahoma power pitching lefty Keilani Ricketts. She threw 70 and could either paint the outside of the black part of the plate on the first base side or throw a sweeping curve drop on the third base side of the plate that was either just on the black or slightly out of the zone.

After hitting horribly in game one Alabama used a very aggressive plan and crowded the plate with toes right up on the line and in the front of the box. Here is the way ESPN reported it:

"Alabama's hitters crowded the plate and moved up in the box to limit the lefty's pitch selection. Ricketts had never hit more than three batters with pitches in a game previously.

"My pitches were just running into them," Ricketts said.

"They were getting away from me. I'm just going to have to adjust those pitches to where they're standing in the box now."

Gasso said she thinks "a new day, new umpires, new everything, changes the whole landscape of everything."

Hunt had only been hit by pitches twice all season before getting hit on the right forearm her first two times at the plate.

"It wasn't part of the game plan, that's for sure," Hunt said.

"I'll take it, I guess. We had a game plan and I stuck with it, and I guess she just got a little too tight."

In a reversal of Game 1, which Oklahoma won 4-1, it was Alabama that roared right back after allowing the first run of the game."


Alabama went on to win the series. Fun stuff. Here is the article
2012 Women's College World Series -- Alabama beats Oklahoma, forces Game 3 - ESPN

Ricketts stated the answer. A pitcher in this situation needs to learn to pitch to the batter instead of the plate.

 

[canyonjoe]

If you ask me it's better than the kids that stand in the middle of the box and just miss outside pitches at bat after at bat.

 

[SoAZDad]

Who coaches their players to do this and why? I am not a fan of this approach, works for some girls, will destroy others, I tell my girls to use a distance from the line they feel will let them turn on an inside pitch and still extend to an outside pitch.

I'm guessing the coach of younger girls wants the stance to influence a pitcher to throw it fat or over the outside corner where the batter can get the sweet spot of the bat on those pitches more easily. I'm guessing the coach of older girls might be trying to get more HBPs.

In 12U and older divisions around here, most umps call the dead ball strike when batters get hit on the hands in the zone.

 

[SB23]

My 14yr old DD is a lefty who has had success batting for avg & power, she played 16U this fall, her team attend three large showcases here in the Northeast, she faced 16/18U pitchers at these events and I have to say most of the pitchers had a problem hitting the inside corner when she was at bat.

DD's approach when a game starts is to be up and in until a pitcher proves to her she has control of her pitches. It only takes one or two pitches for her to see what she is up against.

 

[CatchTheFever]

My DD crowds the plate quite a bit although she's not over the plate. Although still young (first year 12U), she can turn on most inside pitches we face. Also, the umps routinely call strikes 6" off the plate on the outside around here.

 

[obbay]

... a batter stuck her thigh out in front of a pitch, and started to take off for first base. She was called back and awarded a strike.

I don't see that enough! usually I see batters getting hit in the strike zone or making no attempt to avoid resulting in an award of 1B!

 

[Rocketech1]

JJ can confirm but I think he is concerned that the coach has all the players crowd the plate no matter who the batter or pitcher is and no matter the game situation. In general, each batter has their own unique batting stance that suits their swing mechanics and build/stature. One size doesn't fit all when determining where a batter should stand in the box.