Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitching lane rule

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This question pertains to Ohio High School rules.

In Ohio high school a pitcher is permitted to either step back prior to moving towards the plate or start her motion towards the plate with her foot behind the rubber. If the plant foot is behind the rubber at the start, must it be within the confines of the 24" pitching lane?

 

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Yes...and no!

Both feet need to start, as the rule puts it, "within, or partially within" the width of the pitcher's plate.

So the feet don't have to be "entirely within the confines of the pitching plate". They can be partially outside the width of the plate, so long as some portion of the foot is touching the line.

 

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This question pertains to Ohio High School rules.

In Ohio high school a pitcher is permitted to either step back prior to moving towards the plate or start her motion towards the plate with her foot behind the rubber. If the plant foot is behind the rubber at the start, must it be within the confines of the 24" pitching lane?

Your not allowed to step back are you?

 

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I believe in high school (and maybe USSSA) both feet do not need to be in contact with pitchers plate. So yes it is legal to step back.

 

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Sure, in high school rules you can step back. They're about the only one left that still allows it. You can't in ASA or NSA. You could in USSSA up until this year. They changed their rule and now you can't.

 

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Could've swore the 2011 NFHS rule book says your only allowed one step and that step must be forward, that would negate a backward step....Also I know it says that both feet dont have to be on the rubber, but does have to be within some confines of the rubber even if it is the side of their foot no matter how slight. But I was referring to actual step back.

 

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But I was referring to actual step back.

So was I!

It's still in there, under rule 6-1-2(b). You may only take one step forward...but you can take a step backwards before you do that.

 

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In a couple years, this will probably be a moot point - I'm betting OHSAA gets in line with every other sanction.

Bret, I think I see what is being asked. Seems the rules you clarified only refer to the START position of the feet:

"Both feet need to start, as the rule puts it, "within, or partially within" the width of the pitcher's plate.

So the feet don't have to be "entirely within the confines of the pitching plate". They can be partially outside the width of the plate, so long as some portion of the foot is touching the line."

But after the pitcher begins her pitching motion, and executes a step-back with her stride foot, must that "back step" foot follow the same rules as when stepping forward? In other words, is she allowed to step back and have the foot fully outside the pitching lane - if the lane were to extend behind the pitcher's plate? (I'm not even sure it does, because that was a non-issue with my DD)

Honestly, I don't really see where confining the step-back to the lane would make any real difference. A pitcher who's stepping back is not using higher level mechanics anyway, so I don't think she's going to overpower the hitting. On that note, I would think this is a "no call" and let it go.

 

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Sammy, I'm sure you might remember that strange diagram they have in the high school rule book, the one that shows all the different legal or illegal positions that the pitcher's feet can be in. Looks kind of like a Fred Astaire dance step chart...

The last diagram on that chart shows the backward step being totally outside the width of the pitching plate...and noted that this is illegal.

Whether or not stepping back is a sound mechanic or not, stepping back outside of the "lane" is not permitted.

 

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Nope, I've never seen that - but I'll take your word that it's there! And chalk up another little tidbit I learned today!

 

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I appreciate the feedback. I have a 12 year old pitcher who starts with her drive foot on the edge of the left side of the plate and plant foot 6 inches behind the plate, completely outside of the lane. She plays summer rec with high school students as umps so it hasn't been a problem. But, we're going to a tournament next weekend with sanctioned umps so I wanted to be prepared. It should be an easy adjustment to move her to the right 6 inches. Since her current positioning causes an awkward cross-over step I planned to work on that with her in the off season anyway.

 

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So was I!

We had OHSAA umps this past high school year tell our pitcher she couldnt step back after another coach talked with them. Hopefully they change this rule to no step back at all soon.

 

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Well, you would hope that OHSAA umpires would have read their rule book somewhere along the line before stepping on the field...

...and that they understand the pitching rules...

...and that a coach wouldn't argue for a "non-rule" to be enforced...

...and that umpires couldn't be talked into enforcing a "non-rule" based on a coach's argument.

But it happens...