[AtlUmpSteve]

To the original post:

It is an absolute no-no in NCAA, and highly discouraged in ASA to advise a new pitcher anything beyond what is reasonably required (outs if the board is wrong, count if any) unless asked. In the simplest terms, all pitching changes are made by a defensive coach, right? Well, if that coach doesn't think the new pitcher needs additional information, why do you?

When a batter is hit by the batted ball, the mechanic strongly urged is to first kill the play with "Dead ball!!". That allows you an added second or two to replay in your head what you just saw, and confirm in your mind what you will rule. Then, you can declare the batter out, OR still add "Foul ball" in addition to the dead ball; perhaps redundant, but not contradictory, and it serves a purpose (slow down, think about it, get it right, all while not seeming to take too long).

I no longer say "Hit her in the box"; instead, I point to a spot and say "Right there". True story, it did happen to me. Working an ASA Women's A National, and said "Hit her in the box". The batter looks up at me, and says matter-of-factly "No, it hit my leg." After biting my tongue, and swallowing it twice, I worked on keeping a straight face, and answered "So it did." And vowed to never put myself in that position again. But, that's just me.