Why not 43 ?

Chase is close to 250 but downhill all the way... a gapper is a homerun material.

This sport is evolving very fast. Move the mound back to 43, but that's it.

Look how slapping has changed the face of the sport in the last couple years. Dont you think that evolution has occurred to counter the dominant pitchers? It is too early to make any major adjustments to the sport until it settles down. It will take another 5 years for this sport to really show where it is going. The pitching has advanced faster than the hitting, the hitting will catch up.

 

Safety? UHH change bats, move back to 43.....

....feet? Look, you can police this game to death and someone will bitch because this change or that alteration did not suit a particular segment of the fastpitch players. If its 43 ft. then the pitchers bitch, if its the bases or the bats being changed, the offense bitches. Next thing we'll hear is that a team can't bunt if the 3rd baseman gets too close. PHLGHHHHH, If it aint broke don't try to fix it. I think the game is awesome as it is now. I do, however, recognize, that not only the bats are hot, so are the batters. Yr after Yr we are seeing kids get stronger and stronger. I think a first step in the right direction is to move the mound to 43 ft. The bat gig is a manufacturer sales driven entity. Whats hot sells. That marketing stuff is for another thread, but for now, it does exist. No easy answer or fix here folks. I guess I'll move over to the basketball spot on TBR and put my 2 cents in on raising the basket to 12 ft.!!!!!

 

If and I say IF you wanted to make the game more offensive simply deepen center field 50 feet keep it 200 (or 250 down the lines). This makes the area much much larger in the outfield and puts a premium on who you have in CF.

The problem with not scoring enough runs isnt about pitching distance or base distance its about the inability to hit an extra base hit. Athletic CFers who get good jumps and who have great arms make it practically impossible to get doubles and triples. There simply is not much ground to cover out in CF compared to what a baseball CFer has to cover. You have to string together numerous hits to get a run.

IMHO you'd be amazed out how this would change the game... again assuming you want to change it. And of course it doesnt address the safety issue

However, in the end this is will not happen because its too expensive a solution.. new fencing, grading, not enough room etc etc

 

very good

very good...........agree that CF has small area to cover when all dimensions are 200'. and this will not be changed due to impracticality to move all the fences.

girl at UNC pitched a perfect game yesterday in ACC tourn. game.

 

I know all of the suggestions could make the games more exciting but my purpose for this thread was first and foremost the safety of our pitchers. I had a girl on my TB team who was pitching in a HS game and took a shot in the face last May 07. She has another round of reconstructive surgery this summer. Could those extra 3 feet have given her enough reaction time? I think so because she was the best 3rd baseman I have ever had on my 18u TB team. Played up close and reaction time at 3b was absolutely incredible. If the NCHSAA is serious about safety then there are 2 options

A Move the pitching rubber to 43 feet or
B Mandate pitchers wear game masks (most girls are not going to voluntarily wear them)

This is a no brainer. What is there to lose ? Better yet let the decision makers that are against the change get on the rubber at 40 ' and pitch to some of these hosses. I bet that would change some minds. Come on TBR members let this be an issue that we push through to the NCHSAA. It is my understanding that the state can enact a trial period for a few years.

 

Safety first

I agree with the 43 feet. I also feel like every parent should have to sign that they have been informed of the danger and acknowledge that they were given the opportunity to require their DD to wear the mask.

Wearing of helmet masks was resisted but they have been accepted. I know of at least one very serious injury that was avoided because the player was wearing a mask. The mask was so badly bent it could not be straightened.

Maybe we should consider girls' baseball instead of softball. Does anyone know of a good reason girls wouldn't flourish having their own baseball programs. At all levels.

 

with all respect to the safety of our kids.....

....and personally, I think 43 is best, I'll play devils advocate here and ask you this, with respect, if the kid, the best 3rd base kid you've seen and i have no reason to doubt your opinion of the talent level of this player....as I understand, this cool kid took heater back to the mound, right? OK lets say, for example, that she was at 3rd and the mound was back at 43........I'd figure that ball maybe would have been slammed down the line at 3rd. And being the stud player that she is, I'm sure she would be creeping in close.....YA'LL CAN HAVE 43 FT, BUT 3RD BASE SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME!!!!!!!!!

 

A 3rd baseman focus is to be in position to field the ball, expecting the ball and never surprised by it. That is all she has to do, be ready for the ball. Glove down, right hand up (Alligator Position) A pitchers focuses her entire concentration on delivering the called pitch using the proper mechanics for that pitch. Watch a pitcher throw a rise ball or a screwball and see what a vulnerable position she is in due to the mechanics of that pitch. If her focus is on being prepared to field the ball she must sacrifice the total concentration needed to execute the pitch.

 

Concentration has NOTHING.....

...to do with a players distance from a batted ball be it pitcher or 3rd etc. It all comes down to reaction time period. When my DD was 7, we didn't teach much about catching a fly ball. It was Tee ball and for the 99% of all those games, balls were hit on the ground, Bam! if a kid could catch a thrown ball, she;s at 1st, the other 2 or 3 kids who could throw straight were in position to field the grounder. At 18u TB or NCAA, or for that matter ANY age where the talent swings a big stick, the factor of distance/reaction DOES come into play regardless of how hard one concentrates od alligators as you say. It amazes me that more kids are not knocked in the mouth by a batted ball than we know of. And as a 3b coach, even at 14u, I was ducking and bailing out of the box. The pitchers are at a disadvantage as they go through there motion, thats one of the reasons I'm for 43ft.

 

43 ft is a no-brainer

I have been asking for this for years. It makes sense to move the pitching distance to 43ft. I have talked to countless high school coaches who are in agreement when they have a "stud pitcher", but those that are developing a pitcher and are pleased when she throws the ball down the middle of the plate, completely disagree. At the high school level we have all seen that pitcher that you hold your breath every time she lets go of the ball. For the travel ball level, I can't find a solid pitcher that has thrown at 43 ft that wants to go back to 40ft. They complain that they have to spin their breaking pitches twices as hard at 40ft. If you remember back to around 1995- 98, the game was completely dominated by strong pitchers. All of us coaches went to work to teach our players how to hit the better pitchers. Now we have advanced the skill level at the plate and not spent as much time teaching ball movement for pitchers. Pitchers with good speed and solid ball movement even the playing field. Thats the game I have come to love.

As far as face mask for pitchers or any player on the field, it should be left to the preference of the player and the parent.

Develop the players and slow the development of the equipment.

Thats my 2 cents on this issue.