Warming Up
 

Question in ASA..
Can a pitcher warm up on the mound before the game begins?

Sure, if she is playing baseball :)

If the defense has access to the field for warm-up, yes unless there is cause to keep them of the field.

What is ASA? What is a mound?

There's no rule against it allowing them to pitch from the circle before a game ... but if both teams are there it's probably a good idea to keep both teams out of the infield unless you can ensure that both teams will have the infield for an equal amount of time before it's time to start the official warmups.

Welcome to the forum, MT73! You will learn which wise cracks to ignore. :p

I may have "cracked wise" regarding ASA (which no longer exists) and the mention of a mound (our sport does not have a mound... this sport is not just a watered down female version of baseball ... terminology matters)

But I did also answer his question.

In baseball the home team is not allowed to use the rubber to warm up before a game.
I wondered if it was the same in USA softball.
I guess not.

It is not.

But again... if you really want to understand this sport you should begin with a clean slate and not think of it in terms of how it differs from baseball. Making assumptions based on what you know of baseball will often be wrong. Different governing bodies entirely, with different priorities. Softball is MUCH faster than baseball, necessitating a very different approach by the rulesmakers.

I'm glad you appreciated the humor, no matter how weak. :D

And I am also very much with you on "this sport is not just a watered down female version of baseball " :eek:

^^ Any one who thinks it is should watch international men's FP. Good Lord is that fun to watch. The only similarity to baseball would be the fact that there are balls, bats, gloves, and four umpires on the field.

I coached travel softball for many years and never forgot the words of wisdom that a former D1 player shared with me when I first took on a 4th grade CYO team,:
" Sofball is not baseball. We hit differently, we lead off differently, we run differently and our strategy is different"
I took those words to heart an learned all that I could from those in the know.
I coached most of those same girls from ages 9-18 and am proud to say that out of my core 9 players seven went on to play in college--including my daughter.
But forgive me if I occasionally get a brain freeze on the rules.

^^ Happens to the best of us.

This sport needs more good officials...doesn't matter whether they come from baseball, from former players, or from the coaching box. Next year is my 20th year, and I am 33 years old. I love the game and want to see it continue to grow at all levels, but in order to do so, we need people to work the games and commit to learning the rules and mechanics and strive to get better every game, every play, every pitch. Welcome aboard.

Thanks.
I will definitely have more questions as the season progresses.

I enforce this etiquette in baseball but it is rarely necessary. Do you have cites that enforce this other than PBUC/MLBUM.

No. Those are the only sources where I have seen it.

FWIW, unless it's very early, well before game time, I don't think I've ever seen a pitcher even try to go warm up from the actual circle. By the time I arrive on the field, there is nobody on the infield dirt other than the grounds crew doing the finishing touches. So it's really a non-issue.

First time I ever saw this.
Since I was not 100% sure I should have ignored it.

So here's what hasn't been said, even though you only asked for a rule cite.

Most tournaments and most home/host teams do not allow the infield to be used at all pregame once it has been "dressed" and made game ready, because they do not have the staff (or choose not) to redrag and reline the infield. Even in NCAA, where they DO have the staff available, they generally only allow "lines" in the back of the infield cuts, rather than an actual "infield", then rake out or drag only those areas.

By tradition, what you stopped is generally not allowed by game administration for the reasons I have stated; but there is no "RULE" in the book, just what the game administration allows (or doesn't).

Thanks.

A number of leagues and tournaments specify in their local rules that neither team can use the infield to warm-up before the game. It makes a mess of the infield and makes it hard to keep games on track when there is a tight schedule.