43' and the playoffs

I think 225' would be the way to go.

Quite a few HS teams play on slowpitch fields with 300' fences.

How about the HR Derby in Washington last night? 5 HRs for Oklahoma off of Danielle Lawrie; 3 of those by the same batter.

 

225' . . . No way!

I've been to lots of college softball facilities . . . from San Diego to Long Island and I've never seen a 225' fence. I'm sure one exists somewhere but I've never seen it. The vast majority range from 200' symmetric to 205' down the lines to 215' in center. You will not see ANY university with 200' or greater spend the $$ to move a fence.

The idea of moving HS fences makes no sense. Why have HS deeper than college ones? If there are too many HR's talk to the pitching coaches who are teaching these girls the "high school rise ball". My DD played HS + TB in the era of the super hot bats (blue mikens & the first rocket techs) yet NEVER had a ball hit out on her . . .that's right NEVER until she got to college. Why . . . no 'high school rise ball'. Pitching is simple . . . "throw low, throw hard and keep it in the yard". There's no defense for the HR. Everything else can be dealt with.

 

Your DD's accomplishments speak for themselves!

But more and more batters are learning how to bat well. The bat technology is at least equal to the old RTs. I use my 04 RT to test against the newer bats and I can tell you there have been some even hotter than the 04.

Keeping the ball low is still very effective but batters are learning how to lift those low ones and stay on level with the risers. Judging from the posts on this board many are putting them over the fence. Our field is 210' and I believe there were several hit over this year.

As mentioned earlier, 5 were hit out on the highest ranked pitcher in the nation last night. Bottom line is hitters are hitting at a higher skill level than in the old days. And they are learning those skills at younger and younger ages.

 

I agree

That hitters are getting better. If they spent as much time hitting as pitcher do pitching they would catch up even quicker. I don't agree that the new bats are as hot. The testing standards are stricter now. The first Mikens were nuclear. The original RT's were almost as dangerous but had a lifespan of about 3 months. There's controversy in the college game about teams using 3-4 year old bats as opposed to newer ones. Check the price of some of these older models on the ebay!

As hitters con't to improve you're going to see fewer and fewer rise ballers. Only few elite rise ballers will survive (in fact, I would argue this has already happened). The emphasis will become not walking batters and keeping the ball in the park so the defense can do it's work. The game will be more about the team and less about the pitcher . . . in good thing IMHO.

 

...do not forget to throw in the umpires who...

...are not sure what a drop ball is or is supposed to do! Let alone a riseball!

 

The umpire certainly . . .

has a huge impact on the game. In the context of this discussion the question is whether increased HR's are a function of a shrinking strike zone in HS. I haven't seen near enough HS games in the past few years to know. What I do is that the zone is generally smaller in college ball, especially in D1. I had a conversation with one of the umps @ the ACC tournament who called the Arizona regional last weekend. He said that to move up you absolutely needed a tighter zone. Again, a tighter zone in HS would help the better pitchers and better prepare them for the next level.

 

....c'mon Dr.DukePal....we've been down this road before.
Most pitchers spend more time on their game as opposed to batters. But real hitters spend an equal time developing their skills...and thats why they are who they are.

Fishbuddy

 

I tried this

when I coached rec ball I tried something new for a while. told the girls instead of starting their warm-ups at practice by playing throw & catch to grab a bat and practice swinging, soft toss, anything related to hitting. just wanted to influence the mindset to promoting hitting more. Can't say that it sunk in well but it was worth a try.

 

Seems we agree

Seems like we agree! Also notice the shear size (which usually correlates to strength) of pitchers for teams in the WCWS. K Ricketts 6'2'', K Fowler 5'11', BYU P 5'11", McCloud (uga) 6'0", Refroe (ut) 5'11" and on and on. Most of these girls tower over their teammates. Finch, Osterman and Abbott were over 6'. Size matters and bigger, stronger more often become pitchers.

 

....yep, you're right on the bigger kids in the pitchers circle have an advantage...but explain to me how a 5 ft 5 inch 130 pound kid can step up to the plate and get in that big pitchers head and then dictate what pitch is thrown and be successful. It did not happen overnight, it came from astute learning hitting, not batting .......and also outsmarting the arrogant mindset of pitchers who think that they are all that ....and those who call the pitches.

No slander to you my friend....BIGTIME, your kid is without a doubt top 10 EVER in NC, and I know you're proud,,,as well as many others of us who have enjoyed watching her wax batters over and over,....but to you Doc its kids like yours that have raised the bar to make REAL hitters change a thing or two ......work hard for many hours to make that change, and then be the best that they can be.

Fish