Quote:
Originally Posted by bniu
I had one of those scrimmage games yesterday where two teams were playing mostly to work on their game and they didn't really bother keeping score. Anyways, towards the end of the game, one of the pitchers was crow-hopping continuously and I could tell her pitch velocity was hurting b/c of it and also her control was really wild b/c she wasn't getting the good push off due to the hop...
I talked to her coach a bit about it and since it was a scrimmage game and given that we'd call the game on time in about a few minutes, I told him I wasn't going to bother calling it since the pitcher is really only punishing herself and it'd drag the game on unnecessarily too...but i did tell him that he may run into umpires who are more strict about that rule.
the coach responded that umpires have told him that no one really calls the crow hop unless they really have to, kinda like the base coach being out of the box call...
what's y'alls take on the crow hop? yeah, it's technically an illegal pitch but what advantage is the pitcher gaining? the hop IMO is terrible for their control and also kills their velocity. yeah sure they gain a few inches on the batter but in the grand scheme of things, it looks more like Advantage Batter. do any of y'all call it?
and if a pitcher has uncorked like 3-4 wild pitches/passed balls in a short time span, i like to tell the catcher quietly to go visit with her pitcher to give them a chance to get their communication straight and hopefully get the pitcher a chance to settle down and throw strikes or at least so the catcher doesn't miss a pitch that ends up hitting me...keep in mind i do mostly lower levels of PONY and in these developmental leagues, it's more important for the kids to develop their softball skills...
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Are you really asking if we should call the IP or not? Of course. Whenever you see it you should call it.
Now, are you sure you are seeing a "crow-hop?" Or is it just a leap? Somewhere out there, I believe on the NFHS site, there are videos that show the difference. Either way, if it is an illegal action, then call it.