[cewduke]

My daughter was on the 10u Allstar team in the state tourney in Wilkes county this past weekend. During the game the opposing teams pitcher would start with both feet on the pitching rubber and then take a single step back to start her pitch. My interpretation of the rule is that the only step a pitcher can make is toward home plate not toward 2nd base. Is my interpretation incorrect and if so please ellaborate as to why it is incorrect.

[wprosser]

The pitcher may shift her weight towards 2nd base, but both feet must remain in contact with the pitching plate. If during the "step back" the pitcher's foot was not touching the pitching plate, then this should have been called an illegal pitch.

A lot of experienced pitchers have perfected the art of barely having a toe touch the pitching plate, so it is difficult to pick up. It would have to be an obvious separation of the foot from the plate in order for the umpire to call the illegal pitch. This would have to be called by the field umpire as the plate umpire does not have the vantage point to see her feet.

The main reason for the illegal pitch call is to negate any unfair advantage the pitcher may gain, such as a replant (crow hop) or leap forward. I am not sure if the step back provides much of an advantage, so even if she was stepping back, probably did not matter much.

[G-MAN]

Hi,

We play by the Tar Heel rule book, Tar Heel supplement for softball and if not covered in either book then we refer to the National Federation rule book for soft ball. I will refer to that book as HS in this reply. In HS we do not require both feet to be on the pitching plate. I will also only list some of the requirements for a legal pitch. Prior to the pitch both feet must be on the ground. The pivot foot must be on or partially on the top of the pitching plate. The non-pivot may be on the plate or BEHIND the plate. Both feet must be in or partially within the 24 inch length of the pitching plate. The hands of the pitcher must be separted as a signal is taken. A pitcher may step backward before she brings her hands together to start the pitch. The step backward may end before or after the hands are brought together. Hopefully this explains what you saw.

Thanks,

Gordon Hampton
Tar Heel Leagues Inc. VP
Softball