Don’t Pitch to Alo

[Gambler Bob]

Haven't been following along, but why has hardly any pitchers I've watch pitch her up in the zone. It's like pitchers are just laying meat ball out there to devour. Seems like majority of the homers she has hit have been middle, middle in, or low in the zone.

This is my theory. The strike zone is too small in collegiate softball. You can't pitch up in the zone because umpires don't call anything above the belly button. From almost every NCAA game I watch, the pitcher has to put entire ball over the plate to get a called strike.

If you are in the camp of people that think the offensive side of the game needs to be slowed down, the easiest way to fix that is to open up the strike zone a little bit. Start calling high strikes, give the pitcher the inside and outside corners. If umpires are forcing pitchers to throw the entire ball over the plate to get a strike there is 4" on both sides of the plate that could still be called a strike the way the rules are written. If any part of the ball is over the plate on the inside or outside corners that is still a strike.

It would be nearly impossible or just cost too much money to justify moving the fences back at many colleges stadiums.

 

[BillyB]

Moving the fences back is impossible.

There isn’t room at too many schools, it ain’t going to happen.

Talking or posting about it is pointless.

But it's the correct answer. 200 down the line is laughable.

 

[BillyB]

This is my theory. The strike zone is too small in collegiate softball. You can't pitch up in the zone because umpires don't call anything above the belly button. From almost every NCAA game I watch, the pitcher has to put entire ball over the plate to get a called strike.

If you are in the camp of people that think the offensive side of the game needs to be slowed down, the easiest way to fix that is to open up the strike zone a little bit. Start calling high strikes, give the pitcher the inside and outside corners. If umpires are forcing pitchers to throw the entire ball over the plate to get a strike there is 4" on both sides of the plate that could still be called a strike the way the rules are written. If any part of the ball is over the plate on the inside or outside corners that is still a strike.

It would be nearly impossible or just cost too much money to justify moving the fences back at many colleges stadiums.

Yet all tourney long, the majority of Homers were left dead center of the plate. I've never seen so many games where pitches were left over the plate.

 

[CoachJD]

The strike zone is too small in collegiate softball. You can't pitch up in the zone because umpires don't call anything above the belly button.

I didn't know until this WCWS what the college strike zone actually was, and this is a huge part of it.

As is always the case, the NCAA has to do their own dumb thing. The NCAA strike zone ends at the bottom of the sternum, and the top of the ball has to be at the bottom of the sternum. The difference between what's a high strike in NCAA and high school ball is 2-2.5 balls. It's insane.

 

[radness]

Moving the fences back is impossible.

There isn’t room at too many schools, it ain’t going to happen.

Talking or posting about it is pointless.

This is why commenting to other Solutions is important. Exactly why I brought up how they are considering less restrictions on the pitchers feet. And why brought up the suggestion of moving the pitching plate.


***Changing the ball is another easy solution too reduce some of the flight on the ball.

 

[CoachJD]

Moving the fences back is impossible.

There isn’t room at too many schools, it ain’t going to happen.

Talking or posting about it is pointless.

I'm positive you're right that some schools back that fence right up to something else, but we're talking 10 feet. Gotta think a lot of places can manage that (you can help manage it by moving home plate back 2-3 feet since there is usually plenty of room to the backstop).

If NCAA wanted it to be done, it could probably be done in most places. But I don't think there's any real concern about the home runs.

 

[_MIA_]

Alo is done playing..time to start a new thread titled "Fixing a problem which doesn't exist"

 

[radness]

I'm positive you're right that some schools back that fence right up to something else, but we're talking 10 feet. Gotta think a lot of places can manage that (you can help manage it by moving home plate back 2-3 feet since there is usually plenty of room to the backstop).

If NCAA wanted it to be done, it could probably be done in most places. But I don't think there's any real concern about the home runs.

Change the ball is easy!


That is what created many feet of extra flight!

 

[CoachJD]

Change the ball is easy!


That is what created many feet of extra flight!

That is true.

I like the idea of moving fences back because it will give us more balls in play. More great defense, more singles/doubles/triples. I think it will make the game more exciting.

 

[schwabach]

When it comes to home runs, a very small number of teams are hitting multiple home runs every game. Why change the rules for a problem that isn't really a problem?