Howard County Officials Training

2008 Changes2007 Rule

Section 1. PRELIMINARIESA.The pitcher must take a position with both feet firmly on the ground and with one or both feet in contact with the pitcher’s plate.EFFECT: Delayed Dead Ball, Illegal Pitch

Section 1. PRELIMINARIESA.The pitcher must take a position with both feet firmly on the ground and with one or both feet in contact with the pitcher’s plate.EFFECT: Delayed Dead Ball, Illegal PitchB.(Seniors) The pitcher may take a position from the front edge of the pitcher’s plate to six feet behind the pitcher’s plate within the 24 inch width of the pitcher’s plate with both feet firmly on the ground.

EFFECT: Delayed Dead Ball, Illegal Pitch

Defense

Preliminaries

Fair TerritoryCatcher

Catcher’s Box Violations

3 Feet 17”

6” 6”

3 Feet10 Feet

Not part ofcatcher’s box.

3 Feet

4 Feet

SLOW PITCH – Catcher must remain in catcher’s box until pitched ball is batted, touches the ground or plate, or reaches the catcher’s box.

R/S #8 The catcher cannot move close to the plate if the batter is at the front of the batters box.

Batter’s boxes are not a part of the catcher’s box.

DefenseFeet

Preliminaries

Delivery

Catcher Restrictions

Ball Backto Pitcher

RUNNERLEAVES

BASE

OFFICIAL TIME

RUNNEROFF

BASE

DROPPEDBALL

OFFENSETIME

No Pitch

Runner OutRunner OutLegitimateLegitimateConfusionConfusion

Other Issues

Warm-Up Pitches

Slow Pitch Softball Strike

A SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL STRIKE:1. Must have a legal arc:

a. Minimum 6-feet from the ground.b. Maximum 12-feet from the ground.

2. Must be delivered underhand at a moderate speed3. Is judged when it crosses the plate.

18”22”17”9”

Slow Pitch Softball Strike

A SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL STRIKE:1. Must have a legal arc:

a. Minimum 6-feet from the ground.b. Maximum 12-feet from the ground.

2. Must be delivered underhand at a moderate speed3. Is judged when it crosses the plate.4. Must be a pitched ball that passes through the strike zone

which is that space over any part of home plate between the batter’s back shoulder and his/her front knee when the batter assumes his/her natural batting stance.

Slow Pitch Softball Strike

Remember that the position of a batterin the batter’s box makes no difference.The plate and batter’s natural stance atthe plate are the controlling factors.

STRIKE

A pitched ball that touches homeplate and is not struck at is always a ball.

BACK SHOULDER

STRIKE

STRIKE

BALL

BALL

KNEES

BACK SHOULDER

KNEES

Some part of alegally pitchedball must passthrough thiszone to becalled a strike.