Charged Conference
 

NFHS game, catcher asks for time and goes out to talk with her pitcher. At the same time the offensive coach at 3rd calls his batter and runner who was at 2nd over for a conference.

Question?
Since the catcher-pitcher meeting is not a charged conference, would/could you charge the offensive coach a charged conference, since it was between a coach and players?

This was discussed at a SB meeting. Could not find any reference to this situation in the rule book or case book.

I have never charged a coach for this.

Follow up: Rule 3-7-3..."When either team has a charged conference, the other team may also have a conference which is not charged...."
As I said the defensive meeting was not a charged conference.

As long as the offensive team does not delay the game once the defense has finished, no it is not a charged conference.

In HS/USA softball, this is not an offensive conference as the defense requested the timeout. In NCAA, runners may not leave the vicinity of their bases during an uncharged timeout.

The primary purpose for limiting conferences in amateur baseball and softball is to minimize delays in the flow of the game. So if there's already going to be an appreciable delay because the umpires have granted Time to the defense for a discussion, or to take a substitution, or to deal with an injury, etc., etc., then there is no problem for the offense to have meet as well.

As teebob mentioned, the NCAA won't allow runners to vacate their bases for delays involving player-only meetings by the defense, or when the PU is taking a substitution from either team. In those cases should the runners go to meet with a coach in the coach's box, it is an offensive conference. I've been told the reason why is because runners tend to still be trotting back to their bases when play is about to be resumed. But that only applies to base runners. There is no problem when the batter goes to talk to a base coach in these cases.

No it would not be a charged time out on the offense because you granted time out for the defense.

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Charge a offensive conference any time a coach meets with more than just the batter it’s a conference


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Citations, please

Who the coach meets with is irrelevant, batters can have conferences, too.
Regardless of who called the time out, the other team can meet, as long as the timing coincides.

3-7art3
We can’t let the offense conference (players off base)every time the catcher goes to the mound with out a charge.



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3-7-3 says nothing about restricting runners to a base during a defensive timeout. It also explicitly permits the offense to hold a conference during a charged defensive conference.

There is no charged defensive conference that’s what we’re debating.



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There is nothing in the rule restricting runners to their bases during any time out. And no, it is not a charged conference if they do meet during a defensive timeout. I'm pretty sure there is even a test question on the subject.

That's just part of the rule that grants the other team a conference. Before you get to that point, read the definition of a charged conference (under rule 2).

It says that a charged conference is when a team "asks for and is granted time out to meet with team personnel".

In the scenario being debated, which team asked for time out? Which team did not? Which one of those meets the charged conference definition?

Not really. The rule has a quantifier that notes it is when a coach or bench/dugout personnel request and is granted time. That did not happen in this caseBeing granted time doesn't make a conference. In this case, there was no charged conference to be had.

So the batter strokes a foul ball deep into the left field corner. As F7 goes down there to retrieve the ball, the first base coach calls the runner from second over to near first base to tell her something. Then she heads back to second base and is standing on it well before the ball is returned to F1 in the circle. Should that be an offensive conference?

F8 is having trouble with the setting sun, so she requests Time to run over to the dugout to get a visor and/or some sunglasses. During that time, the third base coach calls the batter up to her to whisper a few words into her ear. By the time F8 is back in position, the batter is in the box ready for the next pitch.

Runner at third breaks for home on an attempted squeeze, but the batter swings away and fouls the ball over the backstop, and the PU has no replacements in his/her bag. As he/she goes to the home dugout to get a new ball, the runner at third returns and stands in the third base box to talk to the coach about signals. She stays there until the PU hands a new ball to F2, and F2 throws it to F1. F1 goes to the back of the circle to make a quick grab of the rosin bag, and as she heads toward the pitcher's plate, the runner returns to third base.

Don't get hung up on the fact that a runner vacates her base or a batter leaves the area of the batter's box when there's a significant delay in the game or the defense requests Time to do something that doesn't meet the definition of a defensive conference. When there is a delay or Time is granted to the defense, nothing in the rules (with the exception of NCAA) states that offensive players cannot talk to coaches.