At a recent game, players were squared to bunt. They never pulled the bat back. When I asked the umpire what the call was, he said that they could square to bunt and as long as they did not attempt to bunt the ball it was not a strike. My thought was that when they squared and put the bat over the plate that that was an attempt. He said, No. If that is right, why do coaches tell the players to pull the bat back??

The umpire was right. Good luck at finding out why coaches do what they do.

The bat is not pulled back to cause hinderance to the catcher who is trying to pick off the steal to 2nd .
It doesnt take long for the bat to be pulled back after calling batters interference a couple of times .

cjs,

Welcome to the board.

Although in most levels of softbal (FP) the mere holding of the bat in the strike zone is not to be considered an attempt at a bunt, in baseball and NCAA softball the holding of the bat in the zone is considered a strike.

The coaches are either prepping the girls for NCAA, or maybe baseball!

Please show me in the NFHS, NCAA, ASA (including ISF), and USSSA fastpitch rules books, where this is interference by the batter.

MTD, Sr.

I have never seen an interference call made because the bat was not pulled back when a batter squares to bunt and a catcher attempts to throw to any base.
My understanding is that if the batter does not "offer" at the pitch and does not cross the front of the plate with the barrell of the bat then it is not a strike, unless of course the pitch is in the strike zone.

[Edited by U of M Sam on Nov 6th, 2005 at 08:49 AM]

Which to me, is somewhat inconsistant with other NCAA rulings. For example, a batter cannot hang a bat out across the plate without costing them a strike, BUT the same batter can step out of the box in front of the plate and get hit by a pitch that very well may have been a strike and it's called "no pitch".

If the bats in the way or the batter is in the way while throwing to get a steal from 1st to 2nd then this has hindered the catcher from making a play , therefore interference .
Note : This is a judgement decision but is different from the batter just standing in the box as the batter has made a decision to move forward therefore deliberatly hindering the catcher making a play .

The request still remains: Please site rule from book (NFHS or any other)
Thank you

Squaring to Bunt
 

NFHS 7-4-5
A batter shall not interfere with the catcher's fielding or throwing by leaning over home plate, stepping out of the batter's box, by making any other movement which hinders action at home or the catcher's attempt to play on a runner, . . .

Cannot provide something that doesn't exist

I can't speak for NCAA softball, but it is *not* true that the mere holding of the bat over the plate in baseball is considered a strike. The ONLY criteria in baseball as to whether a pitch is considered a "swinging strike" is if the batter "offered" at the ball. That's it. It is completely umpire judgment as to what constitutes "offering".

* * *

And to the other poster - the REASON coaches teach batters to pull their bat back on a bunt attempt is so the umpire will not be tempted to call it a strike. Once the batter has made the decision *not* to bunt the ball, it simply makes no sense to keep your bat hanging out over the plate. Despite the fact that there is no rule that makes it an automatic strike, it often *will* be called a strike, nonetheless.

The umpire is not going to give much latitude to a batter who holds their bat out over the plate, and it's a very rare call to NOT call it a strike although their is no rule requiring it. The batter pulls the bat back to "sell" the fact that they are not offering at the ball.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN

When I'm behind the plate and the batter squares to bunt, holding the bat at the face of the plate and she doesn't take the bat back as the ball crosses the face of the plate and the bat, it's a strike.

Booker, if you are calling by ASA, USSSA, or NFHS rules, then this is incorrect. All of these sanctioning bodies clearly state that the batter must offer at the pitch. The mere act of holding the bat stationary is not an offer. There must be some sort of a push, or movement in the direction of the ball.

Whose rules?

You are correct for NCAA, incorrect for most others. Here is a sentence from ASA POE #10, IOW, merely holding the bat over the plate as the pitch arrives is NOT a strike in ASA. The batter must make an attempt at the ball.