Strike Zone

[Softball Dad]

I hope there are a lot of “umpires” out there watching the College Softball World Series on television and paying close attention to what a proper strike zone really looks like.

 

[BretMan2]

The college zone doesn't match high school, USA, travel etc. The top of the college zone is quite a bit lower than the others. Their umpires are instructed to bring the top down. The other lower levels are generally taught to use that extra top zone area.

 

[Softball Dad]

Yet some take it upon themselves to take it even lower and refuse to call anything above the belt while also believing the entire ball must stay over the plate from front to back to be a strike. This is incorrect and penalizes pitchers who throw true breaking balls.

 

[BretMan2]

Well, yeah. That’s messed up. It’s not what the rule book says and it’s not what we’re taught in classes, training, clinics, etc. So, I wouldn’t recommend doing it.

 

[snoman76]

WHOA WHOA WHOA STOP THE CLOCK!!! Are you telling me that umpires have different strike zones?

 

[softballexcess]

The strike zone should not be the size of a dinner plate and the corners need to be called. I was watching Alabama and UCLA play and the umpire was squeezing Rachel Garcia on the outside corner many times before she started getting shelled. That game should have been a lot closer with the score. When you don't call the strike zone fairly with elite competition whether it's for the hitters/pitchers, it definitely damages the game. Who can forget when the 95 Braves pitchers were getting strikes 6 inches off the plate against Belle, Thome, Ramirez and the rest of the Indians. Hargrove should have had the stones to get tossed about arguing the strike zone in that World Series. Instead he didn't and the Indian's hitters were at a disadvantage throughout the series. It was disgraceful.

 

[Softball Dad]

While UCLA still had the lead the announcers made the comment that the umpire was calling the corners for Garcia but had stopped. The smaller zone forced her to throw more pitches in the yellow and red and made it easier on the Oklahoma hitters