Fastpitch Change

A lot of people talk about moving the pitching back to 43 feet like college and some say its gives the hitter the advantage. What about moving the rubber back three feet,move the bases back three feet and all girls go to the 11 inch ball. It has never made since why girls use the big ball and men with bigger hands use a smaller ball. You would have to change the ball with the bats as hot as they are probably. Something to think about.

 

NO!!

I am for changing the distances, but going to the smaller ball, absolutely not! In Rock Hill this past weekend, a pitcher was sent to the hospital after being hit directly in the mouth with a line drive. The bigger ball is dangerous enough, that smaller ball would come off the bats even hotter. If you want to improve safety, go to a 44 cor ball.

 

11" ball, 63' bases? Nope! The way girls are hitting it these days it would need to be more like 75' to not kill someone! If you do that, why not just go ahead and make it girls baseball! We need 43' pitching, but other than that leave the game alone.

 

Agreed!
75 wouldn't be enough......Boomer's homerun last night was impressive. The shot she hit up the middle just off the pitchers left ear was scary. I can't imagine the velocity of the small ball........mask in the outfield maybe.

43 and done...too many changes and spoil a great game.

 

Leave everything the way it is.....and use WOOD BATS!
Problem(s) solved.

 

Leave everything alone, just require the game face for pitchers

 

Can someone explain how moving the rubber back to 43 feet makes it safer for the pitcher? My inclination is that this is an advantage to the batter since the ball is crossing the plate at a slower speed and the ball will be traveling at about the same speed back at the pitcher. I dont think 3 feet more gives the pitcher that much more of a reaction time. I have heard that the additional 3 feet gives a ball more breaking time, but I am not buying that argument as valid for safety. (A wider home plate would make more sense.)

The only way to make it safer - if that is the goal - is to reduce the performance of the ball - there are simply to many bats to change but balls can be changed in one day.

 

There are more baseball/softball deaths from chest hits than face hits... so why mandate a gameface and not a heart guard?

 

Death is the most serious injury, of course, but it is not the only serious injury. It is the most rare injury. The gameface does not negatively affect the pitcher's ability to pitch. Some kids won't wear them unless required; just like helmet cages. Why wait until your kid gets a serious face injury to wish she had used one?

I agree 100% that we should used wooden bats. That would solve a lot of problems and level the playing field at the same time.

 

If safety is truly the issue, then why don't we have paramedics or first responders at each tournament? A hit to the head, chest, heat stroke, cardiac arrest can all be treated and hopefully have less of a long term effect on the player/coach if they get immediate attention from a trained medical professional.
There is even an ambulance, with paramedics, sitting at each pee wee football game in our youth league.
Just something to think about..........