Double base Fed.
 

B1 hits a sinking liner to right field and runs to 1st. There may be a play and the runner runs to the orange base. Just as she approches the base the ball skips past the right fielder and the runner uses the orange and procedes to 3rd. The defense appeals thet she missed 1st base. The interp for ASA is in this months Referee magazine. What is the call for high school?

NFHS - if no play at 1B then B-R can touch either base the first time past, but then must return to the white base. Casebook 8.10.1

Deny the appeal.


WMB

runner using orange on her run to first ?

what's the problem ??

No play is being made on the batter runner so she is not required to use orange in your scenario. Fed rulebook 8-10-1, as well as casebook 8-10-1 cover this.

The umps in our high school game called the runner out for missing the base. I just thought I'd throw it on here since I have not posted in awhile.

Based on what? There is obviously no rule supporting their call.

Yes, there is, Mike. This is high school ball. Using the safety base rule is by state association adoption. So far as I know, Rachel, MSHSL has not formally adopted the safety base rule, so technically, the orange base is dirt.

However, quite a number of varsity / JV fields here in the metro area include the orange base. These are school property fields, not public park fields. While they may inlcude the orange base because the fields are shared by the travel teams, since the MSHSL has not (to my knowledge) adopted the rule, it leads to this kind of call. Technically correct, but not what would be the normal expectation.

Again, the cowardly act of allowing state options. Is there no courage? For an organization which touts it's ability to manage the sports of the high schools throughout the country, they are not too good with decision making or asserting their authority. :mad:

You are correct, but Rachel didn't note whether it was adopted or not, so since she raised the question of a double-base, I took it that it was accepted.

This is from the MSHSL website.

TO: Athletic Directors / Softball Coaches
FROM: Lisa Lissimore
RE: Softball Double First Base Requirement

This notice is to inform you that beginning with the 2004-05 softball season, the double-first base will be required for all regular season softball games including B-squad, Junior Varsity and Varsity. This change comes as a recommendation from the Softball Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee meets annually with League staff to review rules/policies that govern high school softball and to make recommendations to the MSHSL Board of Directors. Following reviews by the MSHSL Region Committees and the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee, the MSHSL Board of Directors approved the recommendation on October 7, 2004.

Minnesota has indeed opted for using the double first base.

If you're in a state where the double base is not required, but present, I'd recommend coerving this in ground rules so that both coaches know how to proceed.

We had this come up last year, and both coaches agreed at the pre-game conference to use the double base as laid-out on the field.

Not pregaming this in the given scenario is a recipe for disaster. :eek:

Notice who that is addressed to. Unless I missed it, (and I looked just days ago), it is not included in the officials manual nor in any other written material from the MSHSL for officials. I guess they figured we would just know what to do when we saw the base.

Besided, HAVING the base does not determine the rule. The NFHS had a very vague "rule" in the appendix up until this year, when they moved it into the playing rules section under state association adoption.

The MSHSL needs to firm up their communications with officials if, indeed, they have adopted the rule - and explain WHAT rule. Otherwise, you get what Rachel saw.

Agreed - just look at the date of approval. The state had approved the requirement of the double base for all of last year, and at least one official was not aware of it. It makes a person wonder what other recommended rules that the state has adopted (or not) that the officials have not been made aware. The MSHSL definitely does not communicate adequetely with their officials.

In NYS the orange bag is now legal for the runner any time there's a play being made on them after they've reached the base. Meaning they can touch either side. They still must hit the orange portion on the intial play as a B/R

If a State is abandoning NFHS, the least they could do is follow some other existing rule set. Sounds like the commissioner's daughter was called out for using the wrong half.