[Rufus]

OBR 6.08 (b) - The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when - He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (1) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched.

NFHS 7-3-4 A batter shall not permit a pitched ball to touch him. Penalty is the batter remains at bat (pitch is a ball or strike) unless pitch was third strike or ball four.

With that as the setup 13U USSSA tournament this weekend (modified OBR, nothing in USSSA rules different from the above - I included Fed just to see if there's any difference between rule sets). Batter stands still as ball is pitched and gets plunked, no attempt to move. The ball hit him on the hip so it wasn't so far behind him that he was frozen and couldn't move. As he's trotting down to 1st I say "Doesn't have to attempt to get out of the way?" HP say "No, he doesn't." I pause, then say "Oh, I must've been playing under European Baseball rules all these years."

Other than the fact I should've have been getting text updates about the game from the parking lot from that point on, and that "attempt to avoid" is a judgment call (although in this case the batter didn't even flinch), doesn't the batter have to at least attempt to get out of the way of a pitched ball?