Your theory about who covers 2nd base on a steal.

[_MIA_]

I would like to hear why and in what situations do you have the SS cover 2nd base on a steal vs the 2nd baseman covering 2nd on a steal. What do you do when there are no runners on base vs a runner on 1st. Why do you choose to have that person cover 2nd base?

It seems in softball you have the SS cover the bag more often than the 2nd baseman, certainly not always but more often than baseball IMO. In baseball the the 2nd baseman covers the bag more than softball. I remember back in highschool we just had the SS cover 2nd base vs lefties, and the 2nd baseman covered 2nd base vs. righties. There is more to it than righty and lefty batters in softball because the 2nd baseman has to cover 1st base on a lot plays.

So far we have just been having the SS cover on all steals. One reason is that are SS is very good, definitely the best defensive player on the team by a lot. Very rarely does the ball get past her, and she is pretty good at applying the tag. Our 2nd baseman are pretty far behind in skill level compared to the SS. The SS also has much better field awareness and knows situations better. The downside to this is that the SS does get caught out of position due to covering 2nd base on a ball that would normally be an out occasionally. Leaves a big hole on that side of the field.

If it makes any difference we are playing 10u travel ball as a B team.

On my college baseball team the SS would signal to the 2nd baseman who was covering after the pitch was called. Batter, pitch type and location would dictate what was decided. I am sure this is the case for
many college and pro baseball teams but am not sure how it works in softball. The SS and 2nd baseman would also give signals to the outfielders regarding the pitch type and location. I am willing to bet if you see communication after a pitch between SS and 2B with a runner on 1st this is what is going on. That is why I like to watch games live as opposed to on television because you won't see that type of stuff on TV. Of course nowadays coaches seem to do everything with those James Bond type wristbands so that may not happen anymore either. In general it is a bit easier for the SS to get into the proper position to receive the ball as the second baseman will need to turn their bodies 90 degrees.

 

[TMoney]

So many variables to consider, but I am in favor of the SS covering in most cases. Biggest reason being, they are travelling toward the play, not against it.