Touching All Bases. NCOA Softball NORTH 2017 Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 6 Mar. 22, 2017 LET S PLAY BALL!

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1 NCOA Softball NORTH 2017 Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 6 Mar. 22, 2017 LET S PLAY BALL! League play is upon us!! Let s be attentive to the coaches and players and hustle on every play. We can t reiterate enough the Points of Emphasis for this season. Touching All Bases Reflective Materials - Reflective materials on ribbons, bows and headbands, including glitter and rhinestones, are considered illegal and should not be permitted. Time Limit - Lastly, remember your time/run rule limits. Per CIF Sac-Joaquin Section bylaws, Junior Varsity games have a 2 hour time limit and no run rule. You do not have the option to establish a JV run rule! No new inning after the 2 hour mark! Varsity games have no time limit, rather there is a 10 run mercy rule in place along with a 7 inning limit. Most importantly, you go to tiebreaker in the top of the 10 th inning and not before! This holds true for both Varsity and Junior Varsity Elections GROUP LEADERSHIP CORNER We are pleased to announce the nominations for the open positions for the NCOA Softball Group. Below is a list of existing leaders and the nominations for each of the open positions. (Dates indicate last season of service. New season begins following CIF Playoffs.) The nominations were made by NCOA members including self nominations from the individuals. As we have done in the past election, an anonymous Survey Monkey survey will send to you by and you can submit it online. Survey Monkey tallies the votes and we will have several verify the results. Below the listings are statements provided by the nominees (if they chose to submit) regarding their background.

2 Co-Group Leaders Existing Carl Clark (17) Frank Moreno (19) Nominations for 1 position (20) Carl Clark NCOA Board Representative Existing Bob Senchy (17) Nominations for 1 position Neil Hillel Ombudsman Existing Phil Perkins (18) No position for election Rating Committee Existing members Chair, Pete Dufour (18); Al Weihe (appointed) (19) Rudy Aguillio (18) Phil Perkins (17) Gary Butler (appointed) (17) Nominations for 2 elected positions (20) Gary Butler Phil Perkins Phil Perkins, Rating Committee; Once again it s time to elect members for next year s Rating Committee. Last year the group showed its confidence in me and voted me in as one of your Rating Committee Members. The position I was elect to fill was a replacement for one of our team members that had stepped down, and only had one year remaining on his term. So once again I m asking for your support and asking you to bring me back. And start a full term as a Rating Committee Member. made fair, open, honest, understandable and accountable to All NCOA Softball Umpires. To help find a way to be sure that each Umpire is being seen, and evaluated and informed of that evaluation in a timely, fair, and helpful manner. I want to help each of you reach your goal of being a highly ranked NCOA Softball Umpire. I believe there is NO reason why every official, that desires to, and is willing to do the work, can t be a top-rated Umpire. You need the help and tools that the Rating Committee can and should provide you to help you achieve your Umpiring goals. I assure you, if elected, I will work extremely hard to see you have all the information you need to do so. I have many ideas and improvement s I would like to bring to the process. It is said, Rome was not belt in a day. I would love to have more time to help improve, simplify, add accountability, and strengthen the Rating process. I m a long-time member of the NCOA instructional staff. In that time, I have been committed to helping any official that wanted it. I have worked with numerous officials over the years. Many of those have become instructional staff members and top rated umpires. At the end of the day, when it s all said and done. I don t see myself as your superior, but as your equal and eager to help you in any way. So, I ask for your support and help so I can help and support you. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. You can find my contact info on Arbiter. Thanks, in advance for your support. I look forward in serving you in the future, and seeing you on the field. Sincerely, Phil Perkins I can assure you I have been very involved and passionate about changes in how officials are being evaluated. While I believe, the committee is moving in the right direction, there is still much to do. My main concern and goal, is that the Rating process be

3 JSS SOFTBALL ASSIGNORS First payroll for softball will be 4/14/17. Assignments through April 2, 2017 will be paid. A second payroll will be made after the season ends at the end of May. IF you show for a game and it is cancelled, rained out, etc., you MUST file a report in Arbiter to be paid. A note to Jim and Dave would be appreciated. If you do not have a picture in your Arbiter profile, please put one there. Preferably, it will be similar to a passport photo just your face, no other people or things! It helps all officials to see your picture when you are unfamiliar to them. Please accept your game assignments promptly! If you wait too long to accept/decline a game, you just might be dropped from that game! A quick accept/decline allows the assignors to be more efficient in their duties. Please help us help you! You should be filling out a game report on Arbiter after each and every game! If nothing unusual took place, just enter the score and hit save. If anything else happened, please note it in the comments section. If you have an ejection, you must contact the assignors ASAP. When you get off of the field, give us a call. You must also write up an ejection report within 24 hours and it to us. Please just state the facts this is not the place for your opinions. PLEASE check Arbiter before you depart for your game as Arbiter is currently having notification issues. When a game is changed (site/time/date/etc.), the umpires and AD's are supposed to receive notification of any change. The change is usually in bold. If you are on a game that changes dates, if you are available that day, you will remain on that game and required to re-accept that game. IF you are assigned to another game or have the day/time slot blocked; you will FALL off the re-scheduled game. IMPORTANT NEWS From the Rating Committee (by Phil Perkins) The weather has finally broken for us and has allowed us to get on the field with some consistency. Hopefully we all have gotten the opportunity to get a fair amount of games in. I would like to take some time to point out some observations I have made so far this season. They fall primarily under professionalism. It is a must for us to maintain professionalism from the minute we arrive at the school and until we leave the school. The first thing we need to remember is when we go to the field let s be sure we are 100% ready to go. You have everything you need to do the game. At times the field can be of some distance from where we

4 park. If you have forgotten something and need to go back and get it, can lead to the appearance of being late and unorganized. Even though you have been at the school for 45 minutes or more and are the most organized person on the planet, don t walk onto the field with shirt in hand and putting on as you get there. Don t walk onto to the field with your shirt untucked, again tucking it in as you take the field. Even something as simple as how you carry your mask onto the field can lead to a perception of someone who is not prepared or not taking the game seriously. Hold you mask firmly in your hand, or tuck in your armpit. You shouldn t walk on the field with it dangling as you hold it by the harness swinging like it s you lunch box! Once again, it s all about perception. These are small things, easily forgotten, but likely noticed by the coaches. The next area that we need to establish good solid professionalism is when we deal with the coaching staff, scorekeepers, and fans. We always want to be cordial, friendly, approachable and respectful. This can be challenging to those of us that have been working games for many years. At one time, many of us have been coaches ourselves and have had daughter s that played. Rarely is there a game that I do that I don t know someone, but I always make sure to maintain professionalism. When we do arrive to the field and there is someone, or several people we know at the game, we need to handle these situations professionally. It s okay to be cordial and friendly. A nod of the head, or a quick wave or smile should be the most acknowledgment or reaction you should have. You must try your best to avoid prolonged conversations at all cost. Good friends will understand. It s also best to try to avoid shaking hands. This is the most difficult for all of us. It s such a simple gesture. Especially to the coach, they believe in doing so, is paying respect to you. If you can t avoid it, then be sure you shake hands with each. Remembering the best policy is not to do it at all. Being over friendly, or spending unnecessary time with one coach will give that negative perception to the other coach. Now let s not confuse what we are saying above when it comes to necessary conversation with the coach when you arrive. The coach may have a rules questions or make you aware of ground rules. That is fine as that s the conversation we want to have. Remember, be professional about it. When the conversation is over with coach A, go over to coach B and give them the same respect and opportunity. Say to them, I was just explaining the DP / FLEX rule to coach A. Are there any rules questions you (coach B ) may have? You can also pass on the ground rule info that coach A gave you. Just remember, you need to still talk about that same ground rule info at your pre-game meeting when each coach in present. The next thing we need to remember is how we should interact with scorekeepers and fans. From time to time it may be necessary to communicate with the scorekeeper. They may have a question for you as well. In each situation, this is fine. In fact, it s good game management to check with each scorer to be sure each book is matching in regards to score and inning, remembering to keep these conversations to a minimum and on a need to know basis. Don t spend all your time talking to one scorekeeper. Spend a fair and equal

5 amount of time with each, keeping it to the minimum. Never have prolonged conversations just to kill time between innings or to catch up with a friend, even if the conversation is completely harmless. This sets a bad precedent and poor perception. Too much time spent talking with individuals on one side of the field only gives the impression of bias toward one team. It s possible that there might only be one scorekeeper close by or even at the game. That shouldn t be a problem as long as we keep contacts to a minimum. As for the fan. We should never have any interaction with them, even if it s a very good friend or close relative. Remember what our task at hand is today. Where should our focus be? What are we being paid to do? It s all about the game. Even when we have a fan that is being disruptive or abusive, do not approach or try to handle this yourself. Leave that up to the game site administrator. This could be the home school Athletic Director, Principal, or some other appointed administrator. Even if the problematic person is from the visiting school, let the site Admin handle it. There will be times when there is no on site Admin. In this case, it now becomes the responsibility of the home team Head Coach. If needed, we can ask the visiting Head Coach to help out. We may think we are having a harmless, friendly, little discussion with someone outside the game. When having these types of conversations, we make ourselves vulnerable to being misunderstood and having our comments taken out of context and used against us. If we avoid this at all cost, we should never find ourselves in this type of situation. I hope you find this information helpful. By utilizing these simple tips, it will give all those involved with the game you are working that you are a true professional. That s dedicated, committed and focused on nothing but the game before you. The amount of respect and admiration you will gain by following these simple tips will speak volumes to your ability as an Umpire, and your ability to work any game at any level. In closing, remember the most important game you will ever do, is your next one Good luck, hope to see you on the field soon. Phil Perkins. Certification Test - Opened January 8, 2017 on the NFHS Tier2 view (Group ID: ) on Arbiter. Once there, click on the TESTING tab, find softball in the Open Tests section and have at it! 105 of us have successfully completed the test to date! The official closing date is March 31, 2017, however you must successfully pass this exam (80%) before you will receive any game assignments!

6 RULES CORNER In discussing the glitter rule with some coaches, an interesting question comes up. I know the Point of Emphasis reads: Coaches and players are reminded that a uniform shall not have any reflective adornments. Reflective materials on ribbons, bows and headbands, including glitter and rhinestones, are considered illegal and should not be permitted. A team has a hair bow that has glitter embedded in the fabric. There is not much reflective activity going on from this material and the glitter does not rub off on your hands. Also, many teams have a school emblem on their hair bows that have a bit of glitter on them, as well. My take is that all of this is illegal and unacceptable according to the new rule. Can you please clarify? State Rulers Interpreter: I agree based on the rule and the POE and the interpretation set forth by NFHS, it would be illegal. Here s another one where they put the horse in front of the cart and I m not sure that they thoroughly looked at all the options. I really don t think that a ribbon or bow holding the hair into a pony tail and has some slight reflectiveness or glitter is a safety issue. I get glitter or reflective material on the front of the player or the players face, but not on the backside. That being said, we probably need to follow the book and as you see the players wearing the illegal equipment, let the coach know that they need to remove it. I would suggest that you somehow send the message to the ADs to share with their coaches. This next situation was submitted by one of our officials and reads like this: Runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, count on batter is 2 balls 1 strike. Next pitch batter swings and misses. Thinking it is a dropped third strike, she runs to 1st. Catcher also thinking dropped 3rd throws to 1st and over throws the 1st baseman. Batter-runner continues on to 2 nd. Defense tries to make a play, 2nd baseman misses ball, batter-runner continues to 3 rd. Defense makes a play at third but the third basemen doesn't catch ball. Batterrunner is on third base and steps off while fielder has tag on her. Base umpire calls her out for being off bag for third out. All runners scored. Was this the proper handling of this situation? Obviously, this is not the proper way to handle this play! I ve received input on this play from our training team, but wanted to see what your interpretation is. Looking for your guidance on this one! Training Team interpretation: When we have a runner on first with LESS than two outs and we have a true dropped THIRD, we are told to come up big and call the batter out loudly so the catcher won't be confused and make a throw. However, the ball is still live in this situation, and the book doesn't say what happens if she throws the ball to first. So I guess we let the runners go. If a batter runs to first base after ball three, and R1 moves to second base, and you feel it was behavior not in the spirit of fair play, you could warn the coach or eject the batter Case Book, B, "deceitful tactics." It doesn't say when the ball becomes dead and what to do with the runner. It does say the defensive team should always be aware of the count and number of outs. So, here's my wish... We to come up with a strong, "STRIKE TWO" call when she runs. But if she keeps running and the catcher is confused by the batter runner, we have the discretion to go with , Interference ("confuse"), or B and I would call her out, dead ball when the

7 interference occurs, which is when the confused catcher throws to first. Interference does not have to be intentional, but if she confuses the defense, you can get an out. It's the third out, so no need to place the runners is interfering with a thrown ball, but she didn't really interfere with the throw, she just confused the catcher into throwing. The travesty rule pertains to running the bases in reverse order, so that won't work. So I'm on the record, that's my call, until I hear different. State Rulers Interpreter: My first thought/questions is whether the actions of the BR was deliberate and therefore unsporting. Based on the write-up I would say no. NFHS has consistently stated that the defense is responsible to know the situation and therefore the catcher should have known the count and NOT have thrown the ball to 1st base. Now what to do. Since I ve deemed the act to be unintentional, the ball is live until some action causes it to become dead. In this case it seems that once the ball was thrown to 3rd everything basically ended. At that moment, time should be called and the BR should be brought back to the plate with a 2-2 count. The runs by R1 and R2 count. This information is shared again and again and again...! These issues will get us in trouble if we don t know the rules!! Bats Rule 1-5-2c. Holes in the taper It was noted that no bat manufacturer is now making a bat with holes in the taper. There was a bat approximately 5-6 years ago by Reebok that had holes but was not approved. o Reminder that the ASA certifications from 2013 are for slow-pitch only not past pitch. Uniforms Sweatshirts - NFHS and CIF has approved use of sweatshirts in increment weather. The umpire does not have to approve use of sweatshirts. If they are worn they do not have to have numbers and can be worn when batting. If a ball hits the sweatshirt when the ball is out of the batters box it is the judgment of the umpire if she made an attempt to get out of the way. Equipment for inspection Rule We had a question of the term ALL Equipment had to be lined up outside the dugout. The term is interpreted to mean all equipment for Umpire inspection must be placed outside the dugout in an area away from the warm up area. This can be in front of the dugout or elsewhere. HOW DO WE HANDLE EARLY SEASON NON- COMPLIANCE? o Communicate with the head coach that it needs to be corrected and come back after dealing with other team or getting balls. o If non-compliance, issue a team warning. o If non-compliance continues, banish the coach to the dugout for the duration of the game. o If non-compliance still continues, DO NOT PLAY THE GAME. They were very adamant about this due to safety concerns and issues that have arisen with umpires in the dugouts with contact with players and their personal equipment. There have been incidents with liability insurance issues. o Report the incident to the Group Leaders and Assignors by within 24 hours. Substitute Reporting A reminder was issued the penalty for an unreported substitute is: Team Warning with 2 nd incident Head coach restricted to the dugout for the duration of the game. (NO EJECTION)

8 Infractions by the Pitcher Rule Several updates were included: o Don t have to wipe off drying agent (a list is coming out about what is a drying agent) o Dirt is considered a drying agent. o It is OK for a pitcher to put their hand in the chalk (not removing the chalk line). Batter is Out Rule NOTE- There is no change in how we have administered but the NOTE was inadvertently left off in the past 2 years Rule Books. It is now back in. Pitching position Rule Step back It was pointed out that umpires must be careful and not cause an illegal pitch in NFHS when the pitcher steps back after the hands are together because the pitcher has the opportunity to step back with either foot to remove herself from the pitching rubber. Delay just a second to see if the pitcher will remove the other foot before calling illegal pitch. Pitching position Rule Signals Emphasis was made that even if the pitcher is getting a signal from coach and uses a wristband behind the rubber, the pitcher must step on with HANDS APART then SIMULATE TAKING A SIGNAL. Pitcher may look to catcher, to coach, to stands, to mom and dad, etc. in the simulation. THEN THE HANDS COME TOGETHER. WE MUST CONSISTENTLY CALL THIS! REFLECTIVE MATERIALS We received clarification that glitter was not allowed on uniform, ribbons, bows, headbands. An expansion of the language in the book was provided - NO GLITTER IS ALLOWED ON THE EYE BLACK. HOW DO WE HANDLE EARLY SEASON NON- COMPLIANCE? o Remind the head coach (not the player) that it needs to be corrected. o If non-compliance, issue a team warning. o If non-compliance continues, banish the coach to the dugout for the duration of the game. o If non-compliance still continues, DO NOT ALLOW THE PLAYER TO PLAY - DO NOT START THE GAME with players in non-compliance. They were adamant about this due to safety concerns o Report the incident to the Group Leaders and Assignors by within 24 hours. CIF POINT OF EMPHASIS BALLS - All balls must have the NFHS authenticating Mark. The other coach cannot agree to play with balls with other authorizing marks. This is a liability issue that will fall on you as an umpire since it is safety related. CIF POINT OF EMPHASIS CONSUSSION PROTOCOLBYLAW 503 H While some of are concerned regarding this subject, it is our job to administer the issue during the game being worked. After the game document with the Group Leaders and Assignors. The School and head coach are responsible for any certification of evaluation of the player by a health care provider trained in this specialty. If the coach certifies the player, we are good to go in starting another game later in the day. CIF POINT OF EMPHASIS COACH HELMET -BYLAW 2502 This Bylaw is on our website. The point is the helmet must be a protective helmet not a souvenir type of helmet. Other types of protective helmets are OK unless they make a travesty of the game in your opinion. If you are concerned, send the Group Leaders and Assignors an reporting the situation. *****************************************************

9 PLAY OF THE WEEK: (from the State Rules Interpreter) #1) R1 is on 2nd base with no outs. B2 hits a grounder directly to F5 who is about 10 feet in front of the bag. As R1 heads for 3rd, F6 obstructs her 32 feet from 2nd base. The base umpire gives the obstruction signal with his left arm. F5 is waiting for R1 to advance. After the obstruction, R1 returns to 2nd base and F5 throws to 1st base and gets B1 on a bang-bang play. After F3 has the ball, R1 steps off 2nd base and F3 throws to F4 who tags R1 while she s off the bag. As we break down the play, we do have obstruction by the shortstop and the base umpire should signal and verbalize obstruction. At that time, the base umpire should scan the field to determine where the defensive players are, where the ball is and then determine which base they believe the runner would have reached if not obstructed. We know that the runner cannot be declared out between the two bases that she was obstructed. However, as the play develops, the dynamics of the obstruction can change. What are the options at the time of the play? 1) Award the runner third base. With the 3rd baseman in possession of the ball 10 feet from the bag and the runner about 30 feet from the bag, this option would not be the right call. 2) Award the runner second base. Since she s protected, that would be the base to protect her to. As I mentioned earlier, as the play develops, so do the dynamics. The runner returned to and touched second base. During this time, the third baseman decided to throw to first and did get the out. Now for whatever reason, the runner on second decides to step off the bag and is tagged by the second baseman. The question now is, is she still protected? Once she had returned to the base that the umpire would have awarded her had the obstruction been enforced, the obstruction becomes null and void. Therefore, when she stepped off the bag, she put herself in jeopardy of being tagged out. R1 is out and so was B2 on the play at first. B3 comes to bat with two out. Rule 8-4 ART A runner is entitled to advance without liability to be put out when: b. a fielder not in possession of the ball or not making an initial play on a batted ball, impedes the progress of a runner or batter-runner who is legally running bases. Obstructed runners are still required to touch all bases in proper order, or they could be called out on a proper appeal by the defensive team. Should an act of interference occur following any obstruction, enforcement of the interference penalty would have precedence. PENALTY: (Art. 3b) When any obstruction occurs (including a rundown), the umpire will signal a delayed dead ball. The ball will remain live. o a. If the obstructed runner is put out prior to reaching the base that would have been reached had there not been obstruction, a dead ball is called and the obstructed runner and each other runner affected by the obstruction will be awarded the base or bases which would have been reached, in the umpire's judgment, had there not been obstruction. An obstructed runner may not be called out between the two bases where she was obstructed.

10 EXCEPTIONS: 1. When an obstructed runner, after the obstruction, safely obtains or returns to the base she would have been awarded, in the umpire's judgment, had there been no obstruction and there is a subsequent play on a different runner, the obstructed runner is no longer protected between the bases where she was obstructed and may be put out. ***************************************************** #2) R1 on first, ground ball up the middle F6 fields the ball near the bag, steps on second for the force and throws to first. This all happens very quickly and at the time of the throw R1 is only about halfway to second and running in the baseline normally when the throw hits her. What s your call? We re pretty much split 50/50 on this one. One side has an out referencing c and the other side has nothing because it wasn t intentional. The short answer to this play is that there is no wrong answer. This is a judgment call that has several factors involved. We also received input from NFHS on this play that I will share in the answer. This basic play, with multiple slight variations, has been discussed many, many times by umpires, coaches and players. Most of us realize it is almost impossible to rule on without seeing the play since judgment of the runners actions are the determining factor. With interference we must start with the definition of interference to determine if interference occurred. When judging interference the umpire must look at the actions of, in this case, the retired runner. As the definition describes "Interference is an act..." so the question to ask is, "what act did the retired runner perform that caused interference?" If the runner did something that caused interference, in the umpires judgment, then we would have interference and a dead ball and the runner closest to home would be called out. If the umpire judged that the fielder simply threw the ball and hit the runner and the runner did not commit an act of interference then you would have a live ball, no violation and play on. There are several factors that the umpire uses to judge if the runner committed an act of interference. Timing is an important factor in this play. Did this play happened so quickly that the runner did not have time to react and clear the path for the throw? If there was no time for them to commit an act of interference, they simply continued running as they hadn't had time to process that they were out and decide the next course of action, there would be no interference. If she would have had time and chose to stay where they were in an attempt to block the throw, this most likely would have been judged as an act of interference. Philosophically, a runner cannot disappear, so when this type of play happens, it s almost like a bang-bang play at first base. In this situation, very small differences in the runner s actions could lead one umpire to judge interference and another umpire to not judge interference. Some of the responses cited rule c. Remember, intent is not required to interfere as a retired runner, but per the definition on interference, there does need to be an act by the offense that causes the interference. When the defensive coach questions and wants interference by the retired runner your answer should be "in my judgment coach, the runner did not commit an act of interference. The coach might continue and say "well she was hit with the ball and impeded the throw to 1B. Your reply should remain the same, "again coach in my judgment the runner did not commit an act of interference. Please notice that the term

11 intentionally is not used in the explanation to the coach. In rule c there is no mention that the act has to be intentional ART 1: Interference is an act (physical or verbal) by a member of the team at bat who illegally impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder; or when a runner creates malicious contact with any fielder with or without the ball, in or out of the baseline c: After being declared out or after scoring, a runner interferes with a defensive player's opportunity to make a play on another runner. A runner continuing to run and drawing a throw may be considered a form of interference. This does not apply to the batterrunner running on the dropped third strike rule. ***************************************************** #3) In the top of the 4th inning, B1 has a 3-1 count with no outs. F1 s next pitch is in the dirt and B1 swings and misses. She immediately breaks for first base before the plate umpire can tell everyone that the pitch was only strike two. The catcher comes out from behind the plate and throws to first base with the ball beating B1 to the base. B1 thinking she has been put out goes into her dugout. What s your call? batter is the worst behaved player I'd ever come across. Even though the onus is certainly on the players for knowing the game situation, there must be some responsibility on the umpire for communicating the situation. If for some horrible reason (and everything is possible), this occurred in my game, I would bring the player back to the plate with a 3-2 count. If the opposing coach griped about it, I'd plead incompetence (which he/she would agree with) and we'd move on. I agree with the result stated above. Bring the batter back to the plate and she continues to bat with a 3-2 count. Both sides made mistakes in this play and neither side should gain an advantage. It would be similar to a pitcher that stops her motion because the batter backed out of the batter s box. Both players committed violations and we don t apply the penalties. We call a dead ball/no pitch and continue the game. ***************************************************** A little back story to this POTW. This was an actual play that occurred in a high school game. At the end of the play, the defensive coach argues that the runner has abandoned her effort and should be called out for entering the dugout and the offensive coach argues that the throw went to first when there was no play there and a ball should be called on the batter. I would like to share one of the answers sent to me by one of our colleagues. Pretty much sums up the play. Holy Toledo! The only way I'm allowing an out to occur on this play would be because the

12 WEEKLY QUIZ Each newsletter will include a question true/false quiz for your enjoyment. Answers are included in the same issue. 1. Once a game has started, if it is discovered that the pitching distance is incorrect, the correction shall be made immediately. 2. The required exterior warning label on the batting helmet may be on either side of the bill. 3. Any fielder, with or without the ball, may make a dead-ball appeal by verbally stating that the runner missed the base or left too soon. 4. It is a blocked ball when a live pitched, batted or thrown ball is touched, stopped or handled by a person not engaged in the game. 5. A runner s path is always defined as a direct line between two bases and three feet on either side of that line. 6. Lineups become official after they have been exchanged, verified and then accepted by the plate umpire during the pregame conference. 7. Players may wear plastic visors provided they are in school colors. 8. After the game starts, the umpires are sole judges as to whether conditions, including grounds, are fit for play. 9. The pivot foot may remain in contact with or may push off and drag away from the pitcher s plate prior to the front foot touching the ground. 10. When the pitcher fails to deliver the pitch within the required timeframe, a ball is called on the batter and runners are advanced one base. 11. The catcher shall be within the lines of the catcher s box when the pitcher takes a position to pitch and when the pitch is released. 12. A batter shall not hit the ball fair or foul while either foot is touching the ground completely outside the lines of the batter's box or while touching home plate. 13. If a courtesy runner fails to report, she is considered an unreported substitute. 14. While the pitcher has the ball within the 16- foot circle, a batter-runner who overruns first base toward right field and turns right is committed to second base, and must attempt to advance non-stop to second base. 15. A runner is out for interference if she intentionally contacts a fielder attempting to make the initial play on a fair-batted ball.

13 WEEKLY QUIZ ANSWERS 1. ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF:2-1-3b (1) 4. ANS: T REF: ANS: F REF:2-3-2 note 6. ANS: T REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF:6-1-2c 10. ANS: F REF:6-2-3 penalty 11. ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF:8-9-7 penalty 14. ANS: F REF:8-7-4e 15. ANS: T REF:8-6-10a; 2-47