As a umpire who does softball and baseball what do you think are the biggest diffences in calling balls and strikes between these two sports?
And if you do both sports how do you handle the differences.

I've made it clear to assignors that I am a softball umpire who will do baseball games only if absolutely needed. Very little difference in plate work. The preferred mechanics are different, but I pretty much use softball mechanics. As far as the pitches go, baseballs break down, even when they curve. Softball pitches break much more, much harder, and in more directions.

Between the 2 games, my biggest struggle is working the bases in a baseball game. I hate being inside the diamond in games where they use metal bats.

Where in Pa? I'm in district 4.

The biggest difference is the breaking pitch. If you are not "generous" with your strike zone in baseball...you will be there forever. Also I firmly believe baseball needs to remember there IS a letter high strike.

I'm in District X for baseball and softball and District IX for wrestling.

OK, so you're out near Clarion? I get out there for a college clinic each year - and I get south of you, in Cranberry for a summer tournament. Your district softball interp is a friend - I think that's Blackman.

By far, the biggest difference is that you MUST call the "high strike" in softball. They expect it!

The baseball people will simply adjust to whether you call the "high strike" or not. They seem to accept that some umpires call it and some umpires don't.

But the softball strikezone is defined differently, allowing for a considerably higher strike.

Take a pitch thrown at the level of a batter's solarplex. In baseball, that could be a strike or not. Just be consistent and the teams will adjust.

In softball, call that a ball and there will be an uprising. And you should even go HIGHER which, in baseball, is getting close to unreasonable.

You have to call it the high strike in softball.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN

I guess what is tough for me is knowing I'm calling the front of the batter for the strike zone for softball.It's a little bit easier in my opinion doing baseball.What I have a BLAST doing is trying to keep my strike zones consitant while switching back and forth between both sports. Sometimes doing it a couple of times a week.

What does " calling the front of the batter for the strike zone for softball" mean?

Around here, at the higher levels of FP (HS Varsity and College), you call a strike any higher and then you will have your uprising. Most accept that the top of the ball hitting just below the letters is the top end of the strike zone.

All the more reason to call the high one in the REAL zone. :)