The batter's box

[SanDiegoSteve]

Hi there softball people,

I am a baseball only umpire, so please forgive my ignorance in this matter.

Watching the NCAA Women's Softball World Series, I notice that the batters are allowed to run completely out of the batter's box and hit the ball. Isn't this illegal, to hit the ball with their foot/feet completely outside the lines of the box, just like baseball? The commentators seem okay with it, as do the umpires, so is this really legal? I have no softball rule books, or I wouldn't have bothered y'all with this.

Thanks,

Steve

[SC Ump]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I notice that the batters are allowed to run completely out of the batter's box and hit the ball.

Not true. The batter's box in softball is one foot longer in the front than in baseball. Just like in baseball, if a batter's foot is completely out of the box when they hit it, they are out. The cross-over steps these batters are using put them right at the front of the box, perhaps even with some of their foot out of the box... but not all of it.

[debeau]

To be out the foot must be on the ground when contact with the ball occurs
A fine line and we have to be 110% sure that this is the case .

[SanDiegoSteve]

Well, they showed some replays of the one I'm talking about, and she contacted the ball and her front foot was a good 18 inches in front of the front line of the box, on the ground, when the bat and ball met. She was clearly out of the box, yet nobody seemed to think anything of it, so I thought maybe it was okay in softball. Guess not.

[debeau]

Slow motion replays are great for commentators because then they get it right and this would be the only time they do .
An ump must make a decision in this case in asplit second when the ball was connected was the foot on the ground and like I said they must be 110% correct .
Imagine the uproar and comments from the commentators if they were wrong .
Plus you would have the comments
'Wow he must have damn good eyesight and obviously wasnt looking at the ball to call that "

[mcrowder]

Most of these slappers / dragbunter have great footwork through practice, and MOST of the time their foot is not actually touching the ground out of the box (it's mid-stride) when contact is made. I did see the ONE instance where it appeared the batter messed up and it wasn't caught - but 99.9% of the time that front foot is NOT in contact with the ground.

BTW - I do baseball as well, and the rules are identical (with the exception in some jurisdictions of making ANY contact with home plate while hitting the ball being an out, where in others it's not). The foot has to be not only completely outside the box, but also in contact with the ground when the ball contacts the bat. Conceivably (in either sport), a batter could rush the pitcher 4-5 steps and if they jumped and could hit the ball, they would be legal. Conceivably.