Mechanics for the 2b/1b Double Play

A relatively common play in softball is the attempt to turn a double play involving a runner on first base and the batter-runner. The use of the word “attempt” is deliberate as it is often more difficult to turn this infield hit into a double play in softball than in baseball. We will focus on the play at 2b as

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What is “Crewness”

Some material from Referee.com, June 1, 2022 article – 9 Points To Grade Your Officiating Crew Crewness As defined in the 2023 CCA Manual, crewness is: the essential and fundamental ability of the umpire team to work together to serve the game of softball. • Crewness requires planning, communication, game management tools, the ability to learn from others, leadership, and

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Pitch-Related Infractions by Catcher and Fielders

There is more to the Pitching rule in the NCAA Rule Book than the pitcher’s actions before the pitch and while throwing the pitch. These are all well covered in the first sections of this rule. Also included in this rule are the regulations to which the defense must adhere as part of this whole process. These regulations are covered

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Pre-Pitch Preparation

With each batter and before every pitch, umpires must do pre-pitch preparation. The CCA Manual has a checklist of the topics to review. It is a long list and requires all umpires to know it well and be able to review it in their minds quickly between pitches. We will address topics listed in the CCA Manual, but umpires must

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Mechanics for Plate Umpire – HBP, IBB, Batted ball near plate

Read the article Strike Zone Mechanics in this same section of the Locker Room website for detailed mechanics for calling balls and strikes. This article covers other situations involving the plate umpire but not related to the strike zone – hit by pitch, illegally batted ball, batted ball near the plate. Batter hit by pitch This can be a difficult

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Strike Zone Mechanics

Basic strike zone mechanics Should the word “basic” be included in any article posted to this college umpire website? Are not college umpires expected to know the basics? Yes, but the strike zone mechanics for college umpires are different than other codes; perhaps some of us do not realize this, especially if you are new to umpiring at the college

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Here Comes the Pitch

The pitch officially begins and cannot be discontinued once the hands have separated after coming together. The pitching motion consists of the start of the pitch, windup, step/stride, and delivery. See the companion article Pitching Procedures Before Pitch Starts for the proper procedures before the hands separate. Start of the Pitch and Windup There is a slight anomaly between the

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CCSUA Two-Umpire Manual

https://collegesoftballumpires.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CCSUA-Two-Umpire-Manual.pdf

Defense Initiated “Interference”

Reprinted with written permission from Referee magazine. For subscription information contact Referee magazine at 800-733-6100 When it comes to interference, there are a couple of myths that have permeated the sport: • There must be contact in order for there to be interference. • If there is contact then it is automatically interference. Because of this last myth, there is

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Rotation Mechanic for 3-umpire System

In a three-umpire system, umpires generally have a more confined and defined area of responsibility and thus have some working luxuries not available in a system with fewer umpires. One of the exceptions to having confined areas is when the opportunity for a full rotation arises. U1 must hustle toward the plate area as the plate umpire moves toward third

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When in Doubt, Call Them Out or…Sell It as a Safe?

Reference: article in Referee magazine, Baseball section, March 2023 We cannot always attain the perfect distance and angle on close safe-or-out plays. This is especially true in the 2-umpire system. What should you do when you did your best to get the correct distance/angle but could not see the entire play as it unfolded? Many umpires will state emphatically that

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NCAA meeting – Coaches Q & A

Thanks to Rob Penticoff for taking notes from the 2023 NCAA meeting video and creating this PDF for the Coaches Q&A portion of the meeting. This may help our umpires understand what coaches look for in a great collegiate official. NCAA meeting – Coaches Q & A

New NCAA Approved Softball Bat List (December 12, 2022)

A new NCAA Approved Softball Bat List (December 12, 2022) and Summary of Changes (December 12, 2022) have been posted. The link to the current bat list on our Locker Room Links page has been updated. You can access this new bat list by going to the Locker Room (select the Links button on the Dashboard page) or by using

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Interference Call Mechanics

Preparing for the interference call Interference is one of the toughest calls to make during a game. The entire crew must prepare for this by including it as a topic during all umpire pre-games and as part of their pre-pitch preparation. Base umpires – on every batted ball be watching for interference and give it even more focus with runners

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Normal Advancing; Returning and Unusual Situations

Be sure to read the other articles which relate to a runner advancing which can be viewed in this same section – Rules Corner/Runners. There are additional related articles in the Rules Corner/Defense/Appeals section-  College Appeal Plays; and in the Rules Corner/The Game/Umpires section – Scoring Runs. Normal Advancing Touching bases Running the bases encompasses both advancing and returning to the

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Batting Out of Order

  The Rule A player is batting out of order when they fail to bat in proper sequence as listed on the official lineup card. To understand the Batting Out of Order rule it is important to know these terms: • Proper batter is the player who should have batted. • Improper batter is the player who batted out of

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College Field Requirements 2020-2023

These changes were made to the field requirements in the 2020-2021 Rule Book: Fence height – for all new construction, including Institutional fields, the minimum height is 6 feet. These changes were made to the field requirements in the 2022-2023 Rule Book. • Fence distance – the distance in left and right fields shall be a minimum of 190 feet

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Scoring Runs

See the article in the section: Rules Corner/The Game/Umpires.

Changing the Count

  The plate umpire may correct a wrong ball/strike count as long as the batter has not completed her turn at bat. There are other situations for which the count may or may not be changed. The NCAA 2022 and 2023 Softball Case Book has rulings for some of these. Batter is still up Play: The batter has a 3-1

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Giving the Count

  One of the most important jobs for softball umpires is game management. And one of the most overlooked aspects of game management is giving the count. Regardless of the level you work, giving the count is part of your repertoire. While some levels require giving the count more than others, when and how you give the count can save

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Community Colleges exceptions to NCAA Rule Book

The California Community College Athletics Association has approved the following exceptions to the NCAA rules. Barrel Compression Testing (BCT) NCAA – BCT required for all games (5.2) Community College – this rule is waived for 2022. Softballs provided for games NCAA – host team shall provide a minimum of 12 game softballs of the same specifications and manufacturer (3.2.2) Community

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Ejections – Administrative and Behavioral

Umpires are empowered to remove a player and/or other team personnel from further participation in a game for rule violations, unsporting acts, or behavioral or verbal misconduct. This is one of the tools in an umpire’s bag of tools, but it should never be taken lightly. It should be used only after all efforts have been made to keep the

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Notes from the Training Staff – January 2022

CCSUA Meeting On Sunday, January 16, 2022, CCSUA conducted its annual CCSUA Assigners and Training Staff meeting. This meeting has been held for many years in January to prepare our CCSUA umpires for the upcoming season. This year’s meeting was attended by 165 CCSUA umpires, as well a couple of college coaches and visitors from northern California who are considering

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Detailed Analysis of the 2022-2023 Rule Book

Contents (page 3) New: Significant Editorial Changes and Appendix G Video Review Appendixes should be spelled Appendices (plural Appendixes is for anatomical meaning) Combined previous Appendix C and D into new Appendix C: Barrel Compression Testing Major Rule Changes 17 listed; 9 listed in 2020-21 Significant Editorial Changes 8 listed; did not have any listed in 2020-21. See page 7

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Notes from the Training Staff – December 2021

From our Chairperson Rich Kollen, your assigners, and the CCSUA Training Staff: We wish our umpires and their families a wonderful Holiday Season. It has been a rough two years with COVID, but we seem to be back on track starting in late January with college softball. Let us not forget Roger Denny and Vince Rojas, who passed away this

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Summary of Major Rule Changes 2022-2023

Overall contents • Major Rule Changes – 17 listed (2020-21 had 9) • Significant Editorial Changes -8 listed (2020-21 had none) • Inserted new Appendix G for Video Review • No changes in rules 1, 4, 7, or 14. Major Rule Changes BCT before every game • Umpires reconcile total number of stickered bats with number of bats indicated on

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Between Innings Management

Game Management Umpires must be aware that when a half-inning ends, it is not time to “take a break.” There is a lot happening on the field between innings. If the crew needs to hold a quick meeting for something germane to the game that must be discussed, this meeting must be quick and the crew should still be watching

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Notes from the Training Staff – November 2021

Rule changes 2022 There are some significant rule changes incorporated into the 2022-2023 NCAA Softball Rules Book. Subsequent changes and/or clarifications to these rule changes are usually posted before the season. For this reason, the articles on the Locker Room which are affected by these new rules will be updated closer to the beginning of the season. John Bennett is

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Conference Tracking Template

One of the new rules introduced for the 2022-2023 season limits the number of times each team can hold charged player-to-player conferences per regulation game and per inning. In addition, the rules regarding charged conferences have been changed – all games will now follow the previous media format rules. These changes make it even more imperative that we keep a

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Notes from the Training Staff – October 2021

Now is the time to start reviewing the Rules Book, including the new rule changes for the 2021/2022 Season. Currently, there are three study groups formed in the Southern California area and one study group in Central California, with the possibility of a fourth study group being formed in Southern California. Study groups traditionally meet one night a week (in-person,

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Notes from the Training Staff – September 2021

From the Assigners The NCAA has announced a new college softball uniform for the 2022 season. For those of you registered in the NCAA Central Hub, you have seen their announcement. There are 2 options for the 2022 season because the manufacturer (Smitty) states the uniforms will not be available until late 2021 and early 2022. • Option #1 Conferences

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Zoned Out – Techniques for Rough Days Behind the Plate

Every umpire has had a rough game behind the plate. We have all had moments, or games, where we are struggling to decipher the balls and strikes. It happens at all levels and to veterans and rookies alike. External factors – bad pitching, catchers who shift late, etc. – may be a factor, but often our problems are our own

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No Right or Wrong Call?

  As college softball umpires, we study the rule book, case book and other resources in the hopes of getting all of our rule decisions correct. We do not just read the rule book; we study the rules, learn complex situations, review video, and get feedback from our fellow umpires. All that work does not ensure perfection. Nor does it

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Notes from the Training Staff – July 2021

From the Training Staff The first NCAA Approved Softball Bat List for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year has been posted. It is dated July 12, 2021. You can find a link to it on the Links page of the Locker Room, on the NCAA Softball Home Plate at www.sup.arbitersports.com, and on NCAA Softball Rules of the Game website. From the

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Rules Related to Ejections

This article discusses only the rules related to ejections. There are articles in the other Corners which cover the how to deal with ejections: Mechanics – The Mechanics for Ejections Game Management – Handling Ejections Protocols Corner – The Protocols for Ejections ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION Types of ejections There are two categories of ejections in college softball: • An administrative ejection

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Notes from the Training Staff – June 2021

From our CCSUA Assignors For the upcoming 2021/22 fall & spring softball seasons, we may see many conferences adopting the policy that only vaccinated officials can be on the roster for the upcoming season(s). Both the CCAA/D2 and the Pac-12 have already adopted this policy. Proof of completion of COVID vaccinations will be required. We expect other NCAA conferences to

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Illegal Player Rules

Criteria For college softball, the definition of an illegal player is a player who competes in the game in a way in which they are not entitled to play: • Player who is not listed on the lineup card/roster. • Starter who has entered or reenter the game to which she is not entitled. • Nonstarter who has entered the

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3 Crew Mechanics Quick Checklist

Thanks to Dan Cowan for this article. Its intent to help umpires who bounce back and forth between 2 Crew games and 3 crew games. Plate Umpire • Checked swing Request help from the open umpire. • Fly ball coverage area All fly balls when no base umpire covers. Left fielder to left field dead ball line when rotated. Right

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Community College Incident Report

Select the link below. It will give you the option to download the report form to your computer. See the instructions on the form for completing the report and sending it to the appropriate people. Community College Incident Report 2022 blank  

Notes from the Training Staff – May 2021

Schedule updates Community College play continues through June 9th. Accolades The GSAC Championship Tournament was held recently. Congratulations to Kent Jacobsen & Darren Deckard for their selection. The Commissioner & coaches were pleased with their professionalism. The SCIAC Championship Tournament will be held May 7-8-9 weekend: Crew: Leighton Hickman (crew chief), Tim Kohut, Danny Winders, Arturo Quinonez ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE

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Preventive Umpiring versus Coaching

Parts of this article are taken from excerpts from Referee.com, 4/30/2021 Once in a while umpires will get into a debate about what should and should not be brought to the attention of coaches when it comes to certain situations whereby there may be a nuance between preventive umpiring in a situation which may be helping a team who could

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Notes from the Training Staff – April 2021

The 2021 softball season is in full swing. Community College games have started, NAIA as been playing for a while, and all three NCAA Divisions are well into their Conference games. New articles CCSUA/Play ball: SCIAC COVID Policies & Testing CCSUA/Play ball: Community College Covid Testing Protocols Updated articles and links Protocols Corner/Responsibilities: The Protocols for Ejections. A new link

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Community College Covid Testing Protocols

The following protocols have been sent to the assigners. We will update this document when we receive protocols from other schools or conferences. CCSUA recommends that you look for a free test site. Regardless of any school’s information, the CCSUA assigners have stated that masks are mandatory for umpires. If you have had your vaccines, it does not preclude you

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SCIAC COVID Policies & Testing

Health and Safety is a core value of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and the well-being of our student-athletes and athletics department personnel including officials is a top priority. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all officials working SCIAC contests will be required to daily symptom check themselves and should expect to have their temperature taken prior to entering

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Notes from the Training Staff – March 2021

From the Assignors UPDATES TO ASSIGNMENTS The community college conferences will be up and running, but not all the colleges will participate. Here are a few updates: Scheduling and games Coast Conference – Terry Ching Still awaiting information at this writing. Western State Conference – Joanne Venditto/Tony Cooper Teams playing are Moorpark – Oxnard – Ventura – Cuesta – Bakersfield

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Topic and Focus Pre-games

Crew chiefs should consider starting the pre-game with their partners a few days before your game. Use the Rule Book, the CCA Manual and this article as your sources for material. Choose one of the pre-games below. Send an email to your crew and divide up the topics, with each member of the crew taking one or two items and

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Connecting with Coaches

Are you on their list? What does it take improve our relationships with coaches? Are you on the list when the coaches tell the assigner which umpires they would like to see umpiring their games? Let us admit it – there are some officials who gel with some coaches and, statistically, the ones who get along get further ahead. What’s

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Notes from the Training Staff – February 2021

From the training staff NCAA – Rule changes, revised rules, clarifications and interpretations for 2021 Most of these were presented during the CCSUA Annual Meeting (Zoom meeting). Uniforms (3.10.3) 3.10.3. Commemorative/memorial patches allowed if authorized by institution or conference (e.g. names, mascots, nicknames, logos, and those intended to celebrate or memorialize persons, events or causes). See Locker Room (LR) article

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Player substitution rules

Reporting substitutions Player substitutions Any player may be substituted for at any time when the ball is dead. Any coach may notify the umpire of a substitution; it must be a coach, not a player. Substitutes are considered officially in the game when all of the following is completed: • Reported and accepted by the plate umpire by his/her recording

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Video Review

Video review was successfully experimented with during the 2019 and 2021 softball seasons. NCAA will now allow video review for all games; it is not mandatory. This is one of the major rule changes for 2022-2023. Rule 5.9.9 and Appendix G have the details for this new rule. This article is a summary of the key components of video review.

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What You Do Not Say to Coaches

In today’s situation with social media and other venues, anything and everything an umpire says may be heard, whether on the field or off the field. Never make any off-handed comments about a person that may be construed to affect an individual’s reputation. This becomes even more important when umpires are on the field. Umpires may use many different words

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2021 CCA Manual Major Changes

Overview The 2021 CCA Manual has undergone some major changes from the 2020 manual. This article will cover most of the changes, but you are strongly encouraged to read the Manual in detail, especially the all-new sections. The 2021 CCSUA Annual Meeting – Mechanics Presentation is also available to view. You can locate it by selecting the Training Information button

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Slap-Hitters – Think Outside The Box

Softball has a unique “play” that is not part of the baseball world – slap hitters. With first base only 60 feet away from home plate in softball compared to 90 in baseball, the left-handed slap hit is a major offensive tool used in softball. The slap hit has placed great scrutiny on the batter’s feet in relationship to the

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Sample EMAIL to Coach 2023

SAMPLE EMAIL FOR YOU TO UPDATE & SEND TO EVENT STAFF/A.DIRECTOR/COACHES DELETE ALL THIS BEFORE YOU SEND Bold highlighted areas need to be REPLACED for each game/series. Use single or DH BUT ERASE THE ONE YOU DON’T USE Email Subject Line: (School Name) Softball Game/Series on (Date/Dates) Event Manager/Coach, (USE THIS FOR SERIES/DOUBLE HEADER) This is (Crew Chief Name/Plate Umpire)

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Notes from the Training Staff – January 2021

Reminder – the annual CCSUA/Assignors meeting will be held on January 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You must register for this meeting. You have been sent emails with the link to register and the link to this on-line Zoom meeting. You can also find these links in an article posted to the Locker Room – CCSUA/Assignors annual meeting

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CCSUA/Assignors annual meeting 2021

The CCSUA/Assignors annual meeting will be held on January 24, 2021, from 9am to 1pm. This will be an on-line Zoom meeting. You must register in advance for this meeting PLEASE before Thursday, January 21st: Here is the link to register: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrcuyqrjwiGNT_Xdty8kM1AmDxj3EpzWpQ  Please register immediately. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Here

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The Wedge

Optimal Positioning for Tag Plays The evolution of the mechanics for calling plays at home plate has been fascinating to observe. Plate umpires can make decisions on 250 to 300 pitches in a game, but one call at the plate might decide the outcome of the game. For many decades, umpires approached plays at the plate using the first-base line

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Notes from the Training Staff – December 2020

A new NCAA Approved Softball Bat List (December 14, 2020) and Summary of Changes (December 14, 2020) have been posted. The link to the current bat list on our Locker Room Links page has been updated. You can access this new bat list by going to the Locker Room (select the Links button on the Dashboard page) or by using

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Notes from the Training Staff – November 2020

From the training staff The CCSUA training staff welcomes questions on rules, mechanics, game management and protocols…basically anything related to college softball umpiring. We use these questions as teaching moments. To accomplish this, we need the communications to be sent in emails – much easier to copy/paste the questions and have a record of the answers. Send your questions to

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College Appeal Plays

An appeal play is a play or rule violation on which the umpire responsible for the play does not make a ruling until requested by a coach or player. Let’s get this notion out of the way now…despite how some coaches will ask for you to “appeal your call” to another umpire, that is not an appeal – it is

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Appeal Plays Advanced Topics

The basics for appeal plays are covered in this companion article – College Appeal Plays. It would be wise to read that article before reading this one. PROPER APPEAL PROCEDURE TO AVOID CONFUSION The two runners on base both appear to have left their bases before the batted ball was first touched by the outfielder who catches the fly ball.

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Batter Hit by Pitch

A batter is awarded first base when a pitch, neither swung at nor called a strike, is entirely within the batter’s box and it contacts the batter or her clothing. No attempt to avoid the pitch is required. It does not matter if the ball hits the ground before hitting the batter; it is still ruled a hit-by-pitch. A batter

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Batter Actions

On-deck Batter The college rule, unlike other codes, does not require a player to be occupying the on-deck circle. If it is occupied, it is restricted to the next batter only in the circle nearest her dugout. Warmup swings may be taken with not more than two bats: • One or two official softball bats or • One approved warmup

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Interference by On-Deck batter, Batter and Retired batter

Note: The batter-runner interference article is in the Runners/Batter-Runner section of this Rules Corner. Also read these articles for more batter regulations – Batter/Bat Hitting the Ball a Second Time and Batted ball hits batter. On-Deck Batter Interference An on-deck batter can be the interference perpetrator in a number of ways. The on-deck circles are much like the coaches’ boxes

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Notes from the Training Staff – October 2020

From Referee Magazine Barry Mano You all receive Referee Magazine every month as part of your CCSUA/NASO membership. Are you using this resource? In each issue Barry Mano, founder of NASO and Referee Magazine publisher, has a column Publisher’s Memo. This is always good reading. In the current issue (November 2020), Barry discusses the impact the pandemic has taken on

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