Interested in others opinions on who should be the relay on plays to home plate. Some teams are using the 1st and or 3rd baseman, and some are using they're pitchers. With softball being a fast game and smaller field than baseball I was wondering pros and cons to each. What are high level teams doing? What are 12U teams doing.?
Who should be the RELAY
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Coach-n-Dad
Crazy Daddy
- Oct 31, 2008
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Speaking 14U (first year), we generally use 2nd baseman or Shortstop, depending on where base runners are.
- Dec 3, 2008
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We use our first baseman as the cut to home, unless it is a hard base hit through the left side (5/6 hole or down the line). In that instance, our first baseman will be holding her position longer in the event the infield did stop the ball, so the third baseman will turn around and be the cut to home.
I played in a program with a similar structure of the first baseman being the cut. However, if a middle infielder dove for a ball (therefore making the first baseman hold her position) the middle infielder would jump up, drop back into a cut position, and be the cut for home. In this system, the third baseman was never the cut.
I played in a program with a similar structure of the first baseman being the cut. However, if a middle infielder dove for a ball (therefore making the first baseman hold her position) the middle infielder would jump up, drop back into a cut position, and be the cut for home. In this system, the third baseman was never the cut.
SS if ball in LF, 1B middle to right - that's just what current team is doing right now.
I've also been on teams where 1b is cut for everything.
As Softball_2 said, that's tough when it's a hard hit grounder that gets through the left side because 1b's first reaction is to get back to her bag (thinking that her SS or 3B may stop the ball and have play).
For balls that get to the LC gap or over the LF head, the SS is usually heading out toward the outfield anyway - that's why we have her just take the cut rather than have her come back to try to cover a base and have 3b get off her base to go out and get into a cut position.
I've also been on teams where 1b is cut for everything.
As Softball_2 said, that's tough when it's a hard hit grounder that gets through the left side because 1b's first reaction is to get back to her bag (thinking that her SS or 3B may stop the ball and have play).
For balls that get to the LC gap or over the LF head, the SS is usually heading out toward the outfield anyway - that's why we have her just take the cut rather than have her come back to try to cover a base and have 3b get off her base to go out and get into a cut position.
I would use ss on the left side & 1b on the right. -pitcher is always backup for every cutoff
We have SS rotate from relay to 3B and 3B become cutoff when the ball is into LF, 1B across mound for cutoff of balls to CF and RF. IF SS has to be in left field as relay, I'm not clear what the benefit for her to rotate to 3B when 3B can stay at her BASE and 1B can cut in line of the through- even to LF. (( or SS can slide back to dirt/grass line and continue to be relay/cut. (We only play on 200 foot fields and all my players can throw 100+ feet on a dime.
*** Pitcher should be across the 3B line ready to backup a throw to 3B or running ahead of a baseruner rounding 3B and going home.
*** Pitcher should be across the 3B line ready to backup a throw to 3B or running ahead of a baseruner rounding 3B and going home.
