14U to 10U..anyone else have this problem

[coachtucc]

My 8th graders all play middle school ball and I am happy for them since they love to do so. The only problem I have
is that middle school ball plays 10U rules. No leading/stealing until the ball crosses the plate, 4 OF instead of three. I then have to do some retraining when we start up again at the end of May/beginning of June. Does anyone else run across this.

 

[CoogansBluff]

My daughter plays in a middle school league that doesn't use the dropped-third-strike rule. Never heard of a middle school league that allows 4 outfielders and prohibits leaving the base until the pitch cross home.

While these are not the rules that I would endorse, I don't think it's a big deal as long as they're having fun.

As far as having to re-train them, is it really that hard for eighth-graders to return to the 'correct' way to play (ie, leaving when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand)? Maybe

Maybe so. I haven't encountered that challenge, but I'm imaging a scene where my shortstop fields a ground ball and throws and pegs a base runner in the back.

"Dang, Jessica! You could hurt somebody. Why'd you do that?''

"Sorry, coach. I've been playing kickball in P.E. all week, and I haven't been retrained.''

 

[eddieq]

I think anytime you have players "crossing levels" it's tough. My older DD played rec ball last year on a 16U team. 9 of the 12 rostered girls were members of a 14U TB team. I would see some of the girls getting confused about why an inning was over (5 run limit), why they got sent back after a steal (per inning steal limit) and some other stuff. It happens.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Our MS play by the exact rules as HS. Some MS in our "schedule" are not state sanctioned, which means they "could" play how you are describing, but I've never seen it. BUT they couldn't play with those watered down rules when they play a sanctioned MS, in theory they could use the WDR's playing another non-sanctioned school if both parties agree.

The main difference in state sanctioned and non is that the non pay less fees, administrative rules are more lax, and they can not play in the WTAC playoffs at the end of the season. ( west Tn athletic conference championships ) Some new softball programs go the non-sanctioned route the first few years to get their legs under them.

 

[PA SB Dad]

The 7th grade teams in MS around here do not allow stealing, and there is no dropped third strike. I think in 8th grade they can steal, but still no dropped third strike. If they used these modified rules for boys MS baseball, the parents heads would explode, but for softball, it is an entirely different attitude.