On slapping, is "out of box" ever called?

CHARLIE ONE OF US IS READING THIS WRONG...

IF ANY PORTION OF EITHER FOOT IS IN THE BOX ON THE LINE,ETC.... THE BATTER IS NOT OUT----INCORRECT ????

 

oKAY-- i MISSED oNE !!!

oKAY, DANG IT -5, NOW i'M STRUGGLING WITH A 95 AVERAGE IN SOFTBALL 101---STILL AN "A" THOUGH----LOL

 

WELL DANG !!!

tHEN ALL sLAPPERS ARE OUT i'VE NEVER SEEN ONE CONTACT WITHIN COMPLETELY IN THE BOX-------UMPS DON'T CALL IT !!!!

 

Yes, that defense is used a lot. Many high schools and travel teams use it. Anytime I see a normally right hand hitter switch over to the left side to slap I use this defense because I am not worried about the hitters power to pull the ball with much authority.

 

Bat control...

We use it a lot, sometimes we do not. Nobody on base & we know she will slap, we will probably go to that defense unless the slapper is average speed. Remember, there are kids out there slapping that are not under a 3.0 H-1B. With runners on, we will probably have a different defensive set up. Also, the faster a kid is, the more a second baseman may need to play in, especially on a bunt which you do not know will come till the slapper starts moving. Sara Rappe of Butler is a great example of a kid who can slap, bunt and hit away from the left side. When slapping, she can also burn the outfield in the gaps with the right pitch because she has better than average bat control for a slapper, which is key to their game. She can be very difficult to defend. I have seen switch hitter slappers gap them as well. To me that is simply knowing the hitter and what to throw her and having your OF positioned correctly. Game time is too late to be talking about this stuff. The kids need to practice the situation and if at all possible, practice it with a certain player in mind as it will help their mind set a lot if you can do this. Come game time when the game is going fast, they feel at normal speed because their mind has been there and done that. It really does help.

 

Only 1 foot needs to be out of the batter's box to make this call.

 

Actually, you play the 1st baseman 2 feet behind the bag, guarding the line... that way, their eyes and body move forward to the bag... so they never take their eyes off the play...2nd base reads and crashes..
You must have a very athletic 2nd baseman to run this.

Attack the slapper on her hands, don't let her move the ball to the left side of the infield... throw inside breaking stuff and off speed, force her hands so when she swings, she hits around the ball, or the outside of the ball....to your 2nd baseman..

Also, position your right fielder in the hole created between 1st and 2nd..just off the dirt....hard hit ball, she steps up, 5th infielder...

This is very effective agianst the one dimensional slapper...
I have run this since forever with all my teams. I don't understand why a coach positions their best fielder ( 2nd base ) receiving the throw, and the best receiver of a ball ( 1st base ) feilding a ball...
Things that make you go HUMMMM??

It is also about knowing your competition...if the kid ( slapper ) can also
hit for a little power, you have to pull the right fielder back to protect agianst the bullet in the corner...

comprende'

 

As far as I know, "breaks the plane" doesn't appear in the entire NCAA rulebook (which is available online, if you'd like to check). These announcers are not picked for their knowledge of the rules.

And, as it already has been said, it only has to be one foot on the ground outside of the box, and it must be entirely out of the box (not on the line).

 

At a coaches clinic, Larry Ray of Arizona made a point of mentioning that the foot has to be on the ground, entirely out of the box to be called out. if the foot is in the air and way over the front line of the box, you can't (or shouldn't) be called out. Along as contact is made with the foot in the air, the player shouldn't be called out for being out of the box.

I have had a few discussion with some umpires who don't understand that part of the rule.

Something else to look for (especially in summer ball) is to make sure the dimensions of the batter's box are correct for softball. You will see many boxes lined for baseball with 3' from the back corner of the plate rather than the 4' for softball.

 

Since the swing is not real hard(relatively speaking), is the change-up a more effective pitch against a slapper. Does it screw with the timing the best?
(sorry if this is slightly off topic)