Pitchers Plate

[Six_DanO]

We have a school that just put turf in for their baseball and softball fields. They neglected to put pitchers plates in. Their question is "can we paint them on"?

Rule book says "pitchers plate is to be 24 x 6 made of molded rubber or similar material and top surface is to be even with the playing surface".

Is there an exception for turf fields? ex; painted on

[Tru_in_Blu]

Well, baseball would require a mound and a rubber. Don't think you can paint a mound on a turf field.

Softball could have a painted on pitcher's plate. I've seen them at some indoor facilities.

I also saw an outdoor multi-purpose field that used a piece of turf about 4' x 10' that had a pitcher's plate embedded. This was so the distance could be adjusted depending upon age level. It required adjusting almost every half-inning as it would slide/shift due to the pitchers landing spot. Not ideal, but allowed for games to be played on that synthetic field.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Six_DanO

We have a school that just put turf in for their baseball and softball fields. They neglected to put pitchers plates in. Their question is "can we paint them on"?

Rule book says "pitchers plate is to be 24 x 6 made of molded rubber or similar material and top surface is to be even with the playing surface".

Is there an exception for turf fields? ex; painted on

No; they need to add the pitcher's plate. In no case is paint a similar material to a rubber pitchers plate.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Six_DanO

We have a school that just put turf in for their baseball and softball fields. They neglected to put pitchers plates in. Their question is "can we paint them on"?

Rule book says "pitchers plate is to be 24 x 6 made of molded rubber or similar material and top surface is to be even with the playing surface".

Is there an exception for turf fields? ex; painted on

Assuming NFHS rules, no. They cannot paint one in. Rule 1:2:3 clearly spells out the ONLY legal and acceptable form of pitching plate for NFHS. It gives no alternatives, such as with a double first base.

[Tru_in_Blu]

I worked a HS game yesterday where the school had installed artificial turf. Home plate, bases, and pitcher's plate (with extended lines for the 24" width), foul and out of play lines were all incorporated into the turf itself.

As explained by a school employee, the pitcher's plate and home plate "actuals" were to be installed each game. Home plate was a loose plate to be placed on top of the turf plate and the pitcher's plate would have a couple of attachments.

Home plate ended up being a bit above the playing surface such that a ball could hit the front of the plate and take a strange deflection. (How many HPs have we seen that aren't perfectly level with the surrounding ground?) The pitcher's plate came loose and was simply removed.

For the game yesterday, we used the turf markings for the PP and HP and used real bases on the marked areas. This was a sub-varsity game.

I think there has been discussion about what to do going forward. The state could get involved at some point if they haven't already been notified.

We'll see how this turns out.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

I worked a HS game yesterday where the school had installed artificial turf. Home plate, bases, and pitcher's plate (with extended lines for the 24" width), foul and out of play lines were all incorporated into the turf itself.

As explained by a school employee, the pitcher's plate and home plate "actuals" were to be installed each game. Home plate was a loose plate to be placed on top of the turf plate and the pitcher's plate would have a couple of attachments.

Home plate ended up being a bit above the playing surface such that a ball could hit the front of the plate and take a strange deflection. (How many HPs have we seen that aren't perfectly level with the surrounding ground?) The pitcher's plate came loose and was simply removed.

For the game yesterday, we used the turf markings for the PP and HP and used real bases on the marked areas. This was a sub-varsity game.

I think there has been discussion about what to do going forward. The state could get involved at some point if they haven't already been notified.

We'll see how this turns out.

This sounds like a complete and total CF, not to mention an injury lawsuit waiting to happen

[Tru_in_Blu]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

This sounds like a complete and total CF, not to mention an injury lawsuit waiting to happen

Can you elaborate?

With no PP to come loose and no HP to slide around, what type of injury (beyond a rug burn) might you be referring to?

Subsequent follow up: I also worked a varsity contest on the field recently. The visitors said nothing about the PP or HP.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

Can you elaborate?

With no PP to come loose and no HP to slide around, what type of injury (beyond a rug burn) might you be referring to?

You can slip on the painted base instead of being able to push off it. Same with a painted PP.

You can slide past the base and spike the fielder instead of being able to use it to stop.

AND you an slide past and be tagged out instead of being able to use the base to stop.

[Tru_in_Blu]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

You can slip on the painted base instead of being able to push off it. Same with a painted PP.

You can slide past the base and spike the fielder instead of being able to use it to stop.

AND you an slide past and be tagged out instead of being able to use the base to stop.

To clarify: regular bases are used and placed on top of the turf markings.
I agree about pitcher's not being able to push off. But I will submit that a lot of girls, especially up here in the Northeast, spend a lot of time throwing in gyms and/or indoor facilities that don't have typical PPs. In fact, I think this contributes to issues with leaping once these girls get on a dirt field.
Yesterday I worked a game with "regular" field conditions. With a bit of rain that had fallen, the bases were slippery. On a first & third situation, R2 stole second without a throw. When she got to the base, she put one foot on the base and halted her motion but her foot slipped off the base and she ended up on her keester.
I don't believe spikes are allowed on turf fields, even the plastic variety. I'll have to check that next time I'm at that field.
A runner can slide by a base on dirt, although there probably is much more "grab" to a dirt field than a turf field. I can be a matter of experience knowing when to slide and how far that would take you.
Bases that end up out of position may be more difficult to deal with on a dirt field than on a turf field. If a base becomes dislodged on a turf field, runners know where the base should be as it's marked.

I've not had a lot of experience on turf fields so just seeing how all this plays out this year.

In the couple of games I've done on this field so far, I'd not describe it as anything close to a "CF".

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

Can you elaborate?

With no PP to come loose and no HP to slide around, what type of injury (beyond a rug burn) might you be referring to?

Subsequent follow up: I also worked a varsity contest on the field recently. The visitors said nothing about the PP or HP.

Much of what I was thinking have already been listed. However, not listed was a loose, above the ground homeplate, which by its very nature could cause a number of issues, which could cause odd hops of the ball, become a projectile on a slide, could fold up and cause a trip or an injury on a slide or play...etc.

More to the point, though, is that we live in a litgious society. People would be more prone to sue a facility that does not meet specifications as laid out in the rulebook should their child be injured, than a facility that meets those specifications.