Cut offs

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
Couple questions:
(16U) Runner on 2nd, right handed batter. Ball is lined into left field. Who is the cut for home plate? 1st base gets all cuts? Or SS peels and covers 3rd and 3rd baseman takes cut? Does it matter which side of the SS the ball traveled? I think having 1st base take all cuts simplify things. Thoughts?

Best way for catcher to direct traffic on throw home? Call Cut? No verbal means no cut? Let it go? No Cut?
 

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
We always play it that way in softball. The 2B covers 2nd, P backs up home, and SS backs up 3rd. The first baseman takes the cuts.

In baseball, it's very different. In the above scenario, the third baseman would be the cut. Screenshot_20221211_132656_Brave.jpg
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
For Simplicity can just have shortstop take cut off. First, second, third cover their own base.
No need to shuffle around positioning.

Shortstop is used to taking throws from Outfield when they have to go deeper.
They can always be in more shallow like between 3rd and home.

***But generally at your age level your ***outfielders should be making plays throwing to the bases/home plate.
That is either for an out
or holding runners at the base they are at.

If a cut off was necessary it would be farther out than between home and 3rd .
if Outfield were going to be throwing home it should be to get an out.
( consider unnecessary utilizing a cut off is a time consumer in between efficient playmaking)

No need for First base to have to run across the infield to get in position. When the outfielder is already field the ball and made the decision to throw at a spot viewing runners or listening to team calling out a base. First base running across the infield leaves first base unattended. Unnecessarily.
 
Last edited:

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
Yeah softball cuts were something I needed to wrap my head around when DD first started playing..
I'm the same way. I know baseball cuts like the back of my hand, but softball ones are different because of the shorter distances involved. When I was coaching, I used to teach the baseball way until I was told I was doing it wrong. That's a refrain I've heard a lot over the last 10 years.
 
Oct 26, 2019
1,375
113
If the ball is in front of the left fielder and there is a chance you can get the girl at third then the third baseman needs to stay home and no cut would really be necessary (as @RADcatcher said). If the ball is hit deeper and the throw is going home then I’m good with whatever as long as the cutoff is deep enough in the infield to hold the batter to a single if possible.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Couple questions:
(16U) Runner on 2nd, right handed batter. Ball is lined into left field. Who is the cut for home plate? 1st base gets all cuts? Or SS peels and covers 3rd and 3rd baseman takes cut? Does it matter which side of the SS the ball traveled? I think having 1st base take all cuts simplify things. Thoughts?

Best way for catcher to direct traffic on throw home? Call Cut? No verbal means no cut? Let it go? No Cut?
To chat more about this :)

Lined to left field
well left field is a big area 🙂 so for conversation if it's not in a gap, rather in front of the left fielder say within a 15-ft span that the left fielder is going to field,
This play is going to happen very quickly
Pending Runner on 2nd reaction off the base and running speed expect an play/out at third base
🙂👍
At least a throw to that bag too catch the runner maybe off guard rounding when they shouldn't.
A line shot that the left fielder has control of and in front of them, unless it's a very daring attempt with a speedy Runner going from second to home, would likely represent an out if attempting.

A line drive to a gap that goes to the fence would potentially need that cut off further out than nearer in the inner infield.
The runner would see the coach waving them home and would be sprinting through third without hesitation going home. In that instance the defense would need to be yelling 4-4-4 or 2-2-2 because it was a hard hit grounder to the fence it represent a double.
In this scenario with the ball at the fence I think your shortstop would be further out to be a cutoff then they would be in the inner infield.

Prefer get outs at bases!

Hope I posted that clearly I'm watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off and humor is distracting my softball posting 😂
 
Last edited:
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
No way the first baseman will get that cut on the described play. They won't get there in time if the ball is hit hard. Neither will the SS (in softball) since the ss most likely went for the ball (assuming this line drive is in the 5-6 hole). Even if the SS was the cut off, the SS will be to close to the outfield. The correct answer in this scenario is that the 3rd baseman takes the cutoff, and the SS covers 3rd base.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
No way the first baseman will get that cut on the described play. They won't get there in time if the ball is hit hard. Neither will the SS (in softball) since the ss most likely went for the ball (assuming this line drive is in the 5-6 hole). Even if the SS was the cut off, the SS will be to close to the outfield. The correct answer in this scenario is that the 3rd baseman takes the cutoff, and the SS covers 3rd base.
Like the added description of another play!
Because that could be more like a grounder to the outfielder than it would be a fly ball line shot to the Outfield.

Do think that shortstop and third base can be interchangeable on that side of the field.
Communication by the infielders necessary.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top