verbalize a fly ball out?

[Tru_in_Blu]

Originally Posted by Manny A

FWIW, my verbals on fly balls to the outfield are more for my partner's sake than that of the players. I'll either say, "Catch!" or "On the ground!" to let him/her know the ball's status. I don't like saying, "No Catch!" to avoid my partner missing the "No" in that.

USA and NFHS mechanics are almost identical as far as I can tell. If you're being evaluated by our HS Umpire's association and say "Catch!" on a caught fly ball, you will be marked down. The call is "Out!"

I've done at least 2 games during evaluations where my plate partner called outs by "Catch!" and they were both dinged. If I remember, I think they were both baseball officials as well as softball.

I do also use the "on the ground" verbal for my partners when I do the plate. I've had some people tell me that's not a proper mechanic. But I still do it and usually pre-game that when working with a new partner.