Typically 2 in high school/travel games unless championship. If it’s brought to the attention by a coach just like leaping etc. than it needs to be addressed monitored and called. Doesn’t help the runner if it’s not called and puts the middle infielder/catcher at a disadvantage.Agree that it is seldom called. First question PapaBear, how many umpires working the game? If it is fewer than 3, than with a runner on 1B is very hard to see to call the infraction. I would say it is not being intentionally overlooked, but it is being prioritized lower in the scheme of things umpires can/are looking at.
See it as people pick and choose what they want to complain about.So, we can pick and choose which rules to enforce. When it comes to leaping/crow hop etc it’s all about doing it the right way and developing kids at young age to do it right. But having a kid leave early is overlooked as no big deal. Leaving early puts a disadvantage to the catcher making the play or the middle infielder who now has to make a bang bang best case.
As @EdLovrich said, it's not as easy to see as you might think when it is close at all due to everything else you also have to watch. Add to that, the girls who have one foot behind the base and use a rocker start and it's even harder. Sometimes you really need to see it more than once to be sure, and if they are smart they don't leave early more than once. Another factor that makes it difficult for the umpire is that if you hesitate to think about it at all it's pretty much too late to call it without appearing to have waited on the outcome of the play to make your call. It's supposed to be an immediate dead ball and if you don't call it that way it looks like you weren't sure of your call. It's a tough penalty to erase a baserunner, so I have to be certain she left early to call it. I DO call it, but I'll admit if I had instant replay for each runner I'd probably get 2 or 3 more per game in a high level game.
That is amazingly weird to have choices on the outcome of a play/broken rule.Just to clarify, NCAA softball leaving early is no longer an immediate dead ball. It is now an delayed dead ball, and the defense gets to choose the result of the play or the runner can be declared out.