Coach tipping pitches to hitters

[tjintx]

Watching LSU and Georgia in the SEC Quarterfinals game on my DVR. It seems the LSU coach was giving her hitters the upcoming pitch/location so the Bulldogs responded by getting very loud in the dugout so the LSU batters couldn't hear what the coach was telling them. PU and TD are involved trying to figure a ruling on this(legality of coach relaying info to hitters). It seems the Bulldogs didn't wait for a ruling and effectively took matters into their own hands.

Question... What could that coach be telling those hitters in time for them to react?
............. Have they stolen the signs?
............. Or have they picked up on the pitchers routine?

 

[tmolina]

Catcher could be showing the signs to third base coach, pitcher could be showing the grip in glove to third base coach! Stealing signs is part of the game. If someone is doing it to your team there are several ways to defend against it! At the college level signs could be changed every inning! You can also bait the coach with false signs! I like how Georgia was getting loud! My DD club team plays a very good team that the first base coach relays signs to hitters via verbal commands. I just yell cheers for my DD team louder than him anytime he tries to say anything, it worked pretty good!! Also had a conversation with a fellow coach and I told him there was one coaches signs I could never steal or pick up, my friend told me oh you don't have to get signs from him cuz his catcher show's the signs to everybody on the field when she relay's them to the pitcher, low and behold he was right.

 

[Sweet Lou]

When I played in adult hardball league we always looked for tell tale sign of pitch tiping and found ways to relay to batter. Things like calling batters # of off speed or name for FB or something similar. Mind you if the other team picked up on you doing it the batter was likely to get one in the ear hole.

As for college, I don't know it is legal or not but if the catcher or pitcher is giving something away at that level, I personally don't see a problem with a coach relaying that info of they can pick it up from the coahes box.

Now if a coach was doing that at 12U or lower level, that's kind of bush IMO. Teach the kids to pick up on what the other team is giving away.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

We use a numerical system that NASA would have a tough time decoding, for HS and TB. It's very difficult for the girls to learn but once you get it, it sticks.

I was sitting behind the backstop for our regional playoff game Monday night, for fun I always try to figure out the signs ( cheap fun ). They were using the most basic signs, the pitcher used a CU often ( and used it well ) and by the 2nd batter you knew two fingers and a fist from the dugout coach was the CU. For a moment I thought "if I was an azzhole.............". But I never said a word besides the guy sitting next to me.

Stealing signs is part of the game, if you're inside the fence line. For me 12 and under a coach shouldn't be stealing and relaying signs to his players. 14 and above, yes, by that time the coaches and players should be teaching to hide signs or make them hard to decode.

 

[Big Dave]

That's why we went to using wristbands. There are 100+ pitch calls on the sheet so it makes it near impossible to steal signs. We never really had much of a problem with anyone stealing signs and helping batters - there are many adjustments to make during a game to fix them anyways.

I always would love when we change our signs up in the middle of a game and I hear the other teams coach yelling at his batter 'Here comes the change-up' as our pitcher blows it by her!! Teach your girls to read the pitcher and catcher and go from there!