My DD toes that. Her toes are back off the line, though.
Toes on the line
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My DD toes that. Her toes are back off the line, though.
I agree with Riseball, but my experience has been that most umpires are more liberal on the outside corner than they are on the inside corner of the plate.....
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!
- Mar 6, 2009
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Part of it is the natural cut a RHP will have in relation to the outside pitch which is even greater at 10U (35ft) vs. 43ft. What I did back in 10U was set up a pitching machine to hit the outside part of the plate and then have each player go through the station and attempt to hit the pitch. Once the player could hit the outside pitch with some success we would measure off where there were standing in the box (using her bat). I believe by them using their own bat to take the measurement it gave them more knowledge and ownership to the process and the "why".
I also seem to get much more away than in.
If her hands are over the plate, she's standing too close.
I have the girls lay the bat across the plate. Their front foot goes where the knob is. This gives them good plate coverage. Touching the outside of the plate, puts the sweet spot of the bat, over foul territory.
What really gripes a pitcher's folks is a batter than leans into the strike zone, gets hit and then, gets her base.
A little off topic, but do you see those girls that go up to the batter's box and pound the bat on home plate about 5 times? Why do they do that?
What really gripes a pitcher's folks is a batter than leans into the strike zone, gets hit and then, gets her base.
A little off topic, but do you see those girls that go up to the batter's box and pound the bat on home plate about 5 times? Why do they do that?
Swag...or something like that.
- Apr 1, 2010
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Yep, I've seen some long days with an opposing pitcher living a couple of ball widths off the outside corner--if blue is giving it, they'd be foolish not to take it. Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but it drives me crazy when the girls DON'T adjust and get their toes on the line. Nope, they usually just keep standing in their normal spot and striking out on balls they can't reach all game long. What the heck? :-D
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
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
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