1st bases crashing on a bunt

[texasck1]

Not a coach, but this is my thinking.

I only want 1B to cover bunts that are pushed up the line that are too far for C or P to cover in time for a chance at the out. She always yields to another player with a play on the ball because they are moving in a better direction.

I only want P to cover balls push out to her and straight over to towards the the middle of 1st Base Line.

C gets everything in front of the plate and about a 1/3 the way up 1st Base Line.

3B get the all the area to the left side and in front of P because she should be crashing like a maniac and already moving in a direction for the throw.

Disclaimer: My DD plays 3B.

 

[canyonjoe]

At lower levels a lot depends on how good your F4 is. It's not easy to run a full sprint and be ready for a throw with a runner coming straight at you. At 10U we were getting killed on bunts and held our 1B back about halfway through the season and we almost never had a bunter reach base after that. As you get up higher if a team sees you won't crash F3 you they will kill you bunting. I still like to keep F3 back most of the time but you need to change it up. Even more of a deal if you are in HS where you know the teams versus random tournament teams.

 

[Rick M]

A related question: does the pitcher being RHP vs LHP make a difference? In baseball, the RHP is typically ’falling’ towards the first base line so has some natural momentum that way. Softball pitchers don’t typically fall to one side or another, but an RHP still has a bunted ball on the first base line to her glove side. If the pitcher is running towards the line and F3 stays on the bag, does F1 have a better chance of making a clean throw from foul territory (as in, throwing on the run)?


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[softballparent60]

LHP has a harder time to field bunts as she or he has to get around the ball, ie get her/his back facing 1B line to throw the ball to 1B. RHP just has to get to the ball to throw. A LHP can try a backhand flip to avoid getting around the ball but it could be quite a distance for that kind of flip.

 

[Quigs10]

1/2 the 1B in college probably played somewhere else in TB.....It doesn't work at the lower levels oftentimes because they put the least athletic kid there...

HEY NOW!!! As the father of a lefty DD who plays Catcher, OF and 1B, I take offense to that insinuation! 1B's have often gotta be catlike in their ability to catch and field really BAD throws from shortstops and pitchers who aren't used to throwing OVERhand!

 

[BigSkyHi]

LHP has a harder time to field bunts as she or he has to get around the ball, ie get her/his back facing 1B line to throw the ball to 1B. RHP just has to get to the ball to throw. A LHP can try a backhand flip to avoid getting around the ball but it could be quite a distance for that kind of flip.

Maybe the LHP can learn to throw flips with the mitt.

Edit: Some just move the 2nd base in front of the 1st to 2nd baseline. Also protects the push bunt used to fill the hole vacated by 2nd base covering 1st.

 

[_MIA_]

HEY NOW!!! As the father of a lefty DD who plays Catcher, OF and 1B, I take offense to that insinuation! 1B's have often gotta be catlike in their ability to catch and field really BAD throws from shortstops and pitchers who aren't used to throwing overhand!

I said oftentimes

 

[CoachJD]

My daughter's teams from 12u and up practiced and employed both defenses. The one where the 1B stays home was called lefty defense and was typically used for left batters. For righties 1B and 3B crashed. As DD moved onto to better teams and now on an 18 Gold team, both defenses are called and it depends on game situation and who the batter is not necessarily righty or lefty.

Just curious, but how do they call out the different defenses? Do they have signs/codewords for them, or do they just know that in x situation with y batter up, they do z?

 

[softballparent60]

On her travel team, it's a sign from the coach. On her HS team, the middle infielders decide based on their experience in travel and 2B would say something to the 1B so everyone's in sync. The HS coach has no clue so MI take the initiative.

 

[MikeP]

So can someone explain the scenario where f3 runs straight to 3rd and f4 covers 1st? It was shown on here awhile back and they got the runner going from 1st to 3rd. Seems like it would be a good option anytime there is a runner at 1st and the batter bunts. By explain I mean when would you use that defense versus something else.