People behind the plate calling out where the catcher is set up.

[Comp]

Best stop having your kid play ball if you are freaking out about this. It only gets worse.

 

[Corleone]

Best stop having your kid play ball if you are freaking out about this. It only gets worse.

My daughter is a junior in HS and will be playing college ball, so no stopping her now. Only saw this happen once, it was in 14u at PGF, and the umpire heard her and made her leave the backstop area. My daughters played travel since she was 9, I was a d1 athlete, I'm pretty sure I've seen much of what there is to see in sports, and I'll tell you that a parent interfering in a game like that is very rare, and definitely in the extreme of what you see by parents.

 

[RADcatchers]

🗣 what's more effective the parent yelling out hitting instructions to their kid or a pitch location?



LOL

 

[ArmWhip]

We had a 3rd base coach do this, so we had the catcher set up with her glove in one spot and her throwing hand in another spot.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I’m going to take a different approach than my brethren in blue who have weighed in so far.

True that we have no authority over fans in NFHS ball.

However, this is not a fan. If the person is coaching from behind the backstop, they are a coach. A coach cannot be back there and MUST be in the dugout. So this person has two options: be fan and stop coaching, or be a coach and get in the dugout. Staying there and continuing is not an option. Yes, we have authority over this.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Not a common occurrence, but some people are just trash.

I'd just call for an inside-and-up pitch, set up outside and then as late as possible or on pitch release I'd slide inside.

Also - and let me say this again for those who can't hear - your catcher doesn't need to setup anywhere but at the point of the plate. They can reach ANY strike from right there. There is ZERO need to setup inside or outside. I know you 'saw in MLB' but junior softball isn't MLB

And yes, the umpire has zero control authority over the crowd. That is the UIC or Tournament/Site Director. Maybe they would do something about it if told, but I doubt it. It isn't against any rules.

I was a bad kid. I’d just call for a high inside pitch. And another. And another. Eventually the message would get across. No, I am not encouraging or condoning that.

Totally agree on the catcher set up. A good catcher isn’t breaking camp every pitch.

 

[Comp]

I’m going to take a different approach than my brethren in blue who have weighed in so far.

True that we have no authority over fans in NFHS ball.

However, this is not a fan. If the person is coaching from behind the backstop, they are a coach. A coach cannot be back there and MUST be in the dugout. So this person has two options: be fan and stop coaching, or be a coach and get in the dugout. Staying there and continuing is not an option. Yes, we have authority over this.

So anyone that yells anything from the stands is a coach? You better get way bigger dugouts then because you are going to have to put them all in the dugout.

Everyone is yelling stuff from the stands, and no they are not coaches.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

🗣 what's more effective the parent yelling out hitting instructions to their kid or a pitch location?



LOL

So much this....it just doesn't matter.

Sure at the upper 1% of D1 softball, it could be helpful but for the rest of us, it just doesn't matter. You can verify this by calling the pitch verbally from the dugout and it just doesn't change the outcome most of the time if the pitcher hits their spot/spin/speed.

We called a game from the dugout one time (no numbers or codes) and the other team's coach was mad because he thought we were rubbing it in (telling the batters what pitch was coming). Go figure...

 

[earlg3]

Also - and let me say this again for those who can't hear - your catcher doesn't need to setup anywhere but at the point of the plate. They can reach ANY strike from right there. There is ZERO need to setup inside or outside. I know you 'saw in MLB' but junior softball isn't MLB

Setting up a target inside or outside for young pitchers is very advantageous for their accuracy in hitting spots.

Yes, I know ideally catchers shouldn't have a target so they can better catch the ball smoothly moving into the strike zone, but at 10U/12U, it helps pitchers.

 

[RADcatchers]

Setting up a target inside or outside for young pitchers is very advantageous for their accuracy in hitting spots.

Yes, I know ideally catchers shouldn't have a target so they can better catch the ball smoothly moving into the strike zone, but at 10U/12U, it helps pitchers.

Catchers presentation including how they set up before the pitch is proving advantageous for our 10U team.

When the catchers are setting up either to the inside or outside it is only by about 3 inches one way or the other. Almost invisible to the fans paying attention unless directly behind the plate...and really spying .

One of our pitchers while learning high location benefits from the catcher holding her glove up higher. Which is noticeably higher in the strike zone. But it helps the pitcher and the outcome thus far has been fine. Will that set up eventually change... yes, after productivity becomes consistent.