Interesting thought!

[Skahtboi]

The "unwritten" rule is exactly for the reasons that Bandit illuminated. It is a safety measure of this particular complex, where they feel that the batter is more likely to be late than to be early, and will, therefore, be more likely to hit a hot shot foul in the direction that they are facing. Like many areas, fastpitch fall ball here is a focus on skills and drills, and as a result uses an amalgam of rules.

As I thought about it last weekend, I decided that I would have to treat the bat as part of the defensive equipment in the event that the ball became blocked, and therefore rule accordingly. I just thought that it would make for a topic of interesting discussion here. Any other opinions???