Was it a strike?

[DKDsMom]

My daughter just moved up to U12 softball this year and our first game ended in a forfeit because of the behavior of the other coach. Unfortunately, we have High School students officiating our games not professional umpires. The question I have is are there times when a pitched ball bounces on home plate is called a strike? This seemed to be the main point of disagreement between the coach and the umpire. Thank you for helping out a novice.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by DKDsMom

My daughter just moved up to U12 softball this year and our first game ended in a forfeit because of the behavior of the other coach. Unfortunately, we have High School students officiating our games not professional umpires. The question I have is are there times when a pitched ball bounces on home plate is called a strike? This seemed to be the main point of disagreement between the coach and the umpire. Thank you for helping out a novice.

If the batter swings at it.

[DKDsMom]

The batter did not swing. The umpire and several HS softball players insist that there are times when a pitched ball can hit home plate and be called a strike. I would like to know what those circumstances are.

[CLBuffalo]

If it passes through the Twilight Zone before reaching the plate.

[Dakota]

Speaking ASA fastpitch, a pitched ball which touches the ground before reaching home plate or touches home plate, and the batter does not swing, is by rule, a BALL.

Since you mentioned you had high school students as umpires, this is also true for high school softball.

If the pitched ball hits the plate, and is not swung at, it is a BALL, regardless of whether it went through the strike zone or not.

The ASA Rule is 7-5-A. The NHFS (high school) rule is 7-2-2-EFFECT.

[CLBuffalo]

ASA 7-5-A (Fast Pitch) lists 3 separate and distinct circumstances. A legally pitched ball which does not enter the strike zone, which touches the ground before reaching home plate, or which touches home plate and the batter does not swing. By this definition a pitched ball that lands on home plate has not passed through the strike zone.

ASA 1 - Definitions - Strike Zone. When a batter assumes a natural batting stance adjacent to home plate. The NFHS definition does not have the word ‘adjacent’ but I think it should be understood as such. By either definition, no matter how close together a batter’s legs may be, it is physically impossible for a pitched ball (even an arc pitch) to touch the plate and have gone over the top of both of the batter’s knees.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by DKDsMom

The batter did not swing. The umpire and several HS softball players insist that there are times when a pitched ball can hit home plate and be called a strike. I would like to know what those circumstances are.

The umpire and several HS softball players are WRONG!

As was stated earlier, the batter would have to swing at the pitch.