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
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
Managing Trick Plays
Deception is part of every sport and softball is no different in that regard. Clever coaches constantly think of ways to fool opponents and it sometimes takes a few years for rules makers to shut it down. We need to be ready for these plays and judge whether they violate a rule or not. If they do not violate any
Indicator Management
Knowing the correct count on the batter as a crew After a steal there was a question among the crew as to what the proper count is. What is the correct procedure? The plate umpire should get the crew together to ask for assistance to make sure all umpires agree on the count. Umpires must work hard to prevent
Taking Substitutions from the Coach (Lost Mechanic)
Guidelines for taking Lineup changes There are three very important steps in handling substitution requests from coaches: • Interaction with the coach to accept the substitution • Making the changes on the lineup cards • Announcing the changes Information on how to accurately record the changes on your lineup card is covered by the article on the SUP website: Players
Violations – Be 100% Sure or Due Diligence
Softball umpires make many judgment calls during a game. Some may determine the outcome of the game – a close play at the plate for the winning run. Others may be easy – batter-runner out at first base by 10 steps. And then there are the calls which seem to automatically result in a “discussion” between the calling umpire and
Warnings
EWE Process As taught by the CCSUA Training Staff, an excellent method for handling game participants who continue to argue umpire calls…use the EWE process: Enough – “Coach, that’s enough.” This may be accompanied by the umpire hold out on hand in a “stop” gesture. Warning – “Coach, that’s your warning.” This should be accompanied by a stronger gesture and
Warnings by Rule
In the 2020-2021 NCAA Softball Rules Book, there are 50 possible violations which require a warning from the umpire. See the list below.
Misconduct – Questioning Strike Zone or Umpire’s Judgment
A rule change in the 2016-2017 NCAA Rule Book gave umpires another tool to assist with game management. It was initiated by multiple coaches who were concerned/upset about other coaches being allowed to argue too long or too often. That year the rules committee made it a “Point of Emphasis” that questioning umpire’s calls based purely on their judgment would