WMB - in NCAA, even with a real fence - whether homer or in foul territory, if the player leaps from the playing field, catches it over DBT, and lands in DBT, it is not a catch
mcrowder - please take this a little further. All I have is my reading of the catch definition and I don't see that interpretation.
Both the NCAA and NFHS rules are identical: "For a legal catch a fielder must catch and have secure possession of the ball before stepping, touching or falling into a dead-ball area." The rule does not define where the ball is at; only where the fielder ends.
Stepping or touching DBT is not a problem; the question is if the fielder leaps in the air, when is she falling into DBT?
If the body is partially over DBT but the hand (with the glove) makes the catch in live ball area and the body lands in DBT is that a catch?
If the body is partially over LBT, but the catching hand is over DBT, and the body lands in DBT, is that not a catch?
Note also that both NFHS and NCAA then say "A fielder who falls over or through the fence after making a catch shall be credited with the catch. Again, the book does not define where the ball was at the time of catch, only where the fielder ended.
WMB
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