WT? Is the Strike Zone?

[Eastside]

Can someone please tell me what exactly is the strike zone. Does it have a defined space? Does it change? From watching college softball, umpires are pinching pitchers to not call strikes even when video shows ball clearly passes through the strike zone. If MLB criteria were applied to NCAA Softball Umpires they would never make it. Their accuracy is horrendous.

[video]https://youtu.be/ULR80pB87h8[/video]

Is this happening in HS softball also? NFHS defines strike zone as "Strike zone: forward arm pit to TOP of knees"...FORWARD ARMPIT to TOP OF KNEES! and then (b)) define a pitch as a strike "if any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone."....VISUALIZE this! IF ANY PART OF THE BALL PASS THROUGH THROUGH THE FORWARD ARMPIT TO THE TOP OF THE KNEES.

 

[wilsey73]

you just answered your own question...

 

[Scott_K]

It was top of 4th. Pitcher/Coaches should have already figured out ump's zone. He had to move his head to three different zones on three pitches. Personally, only one of those pitches was close to a strike at college level. If your DD is pitching, all were strikes LOL. If you DD is hitting all were balls LOL.

 

[coachjwb]

One thing my DD learned when she went from high school to college is that the strike zone is called much smaller in college, whether you're home or away. And as is always the case, some umps have smaller strike zones than others, while others have certain areas they like to call that are seemingly out of the zone. A good pitcher and catcher will try to figure that out as soon in the game as possible and take advantage of it.

But those 3 back to back pitches were tough ones for sure ...

 

[wow]

The strike zone is whatever blue thinks it should be so of course it changes subjectively. I think its something which confuses kids at earlier ages and rears its ugly head every now and again. Players have to adjust and learn to read the calls. Pitchers and hitters. First time through you have to adjust. Everyone knows the "zone" but in reality it changes from ump to ump. You can argue calls with the ump (please let us know how many calls get reversed) or you can adjust to it. Never good to argue balls and strikes.

 

[Comp]

College strike zone is defined differently than any of the other rules associations. The ball must be below the sternum in college to be a strike, so based on the video posted the first pitch was not a strike. The entire ball must be below the sternum to be a strike, as for the other 2 pitches, yes they looked pretty good.

As for other rule sets, yes any portion of the ball touching the defined strike zone should be called a strike. But, be careful what you ask for because remember, any portion of the ball touching the defined strike zone is by definition a strike. If the armpits are the upper end of the strike zone, that would put the top of the ball about chin level for a strike. Believe me, umpires call that a strike and coaches will be ending up in the parking lot.

 

[cz fastpitch fan]

Another thing to remember, and this is something that should be taught to the players, is that the zone changes throughout the count. When a batter has two strikes, she had better expand her zone by a full ball in all directions. She must do that to make sure she doesn't go down looking at strike 3.
Point to remember, "If it is close enough for the umpire to call the pitch a strike, then it is close enough to be swinging."

How many coaches teach their players how to foul off pitches? Well all want to develop those grinders, those tough outs. We want our hitters to be as tough of an out as possible for the pitcher and the defense. That means they need to know how to foul off those close pitches. I hear a lot of coaches say "foul it off if it's close to the zone." Great strategy. So now I ask you, coach....do you actually train them how to do this and practice it as well?
How many do that?
I do.

 

[AndrewGeorge]

CZ, it is funny that you mention that because I was at a tourny last year watching your team and mentioned repeatedly how amazing it was to watch your girls foul off tough pitches. I had my daughter watch and said that is a true skill that most don't think about and very likely don't practice. If you are going to play high level travel ball and then into college you are going to see pitchers that are very good. They don't give hitters more than a few "good hitable" pitches. If you can foul off a few of their tough pitches your odds of getting another driveable pitch increases.

It was probably the strangest look I even got from my dd, until she took a few minutes to watch what I was talking about.

 

[brownsfan]

How many coaches teach their players how to foul off pitches? Well all want to develop those grinders, those tough outs. We want our hitters to be as tough of an out as possible for the pitcher and the defense. That means they need to know how to foul off those close pitches. I hear a lot of coaches say "foul it off if it's close to the zone." Great strategy. So now I ask you, coach....do you actually train them how to do this and practice it as well?
How many do that?
I do.

Funny you mention that. A couple years ago I told my dd we're going to do a foul ball drill. I don't care if I bowled it in or you need a step ladder to touch it, just foul it. She struggled at first, but got the hang of it. when we do the transition from HS ball to travel, we're in the cage ding at least three of those drills before our first tourney just to prepare for the better pitching. Does she strike out, yes and had some UGLY strikeouts. Very rare when she look at strike three.

 

[FastBat]

Can someone please tell me what exactly is the strike zone.

It's where ever the ump says it is.

If one pitcher is struggling, change the pitcher. Maybe the second one will have better luck. Pitchers need to work around the ump's strike zone, not the other way around.

Once in Rec Ball, I had a dad coach remove the ump because his son, the pitcher, as was "struggling" to throw strikes. I still wonder, if it ever occurred to the dad coach, to remove his son the pitcher?