Can the batter who receives a walk overrun 1B without liability to be put out? I thought once the batter touched 1B [LBR aside] she had received her "award". If she left the base for any reason, she would be at risk of being tagged out.

I saw a team play and when an exuberant batter received a walk, the catcher would throw the ball to F3 who had come over to the base. Often times the runner wouldn't know the ball was in F3's possession. For some reason, sometimes the younger JO girls would overrun 1B, or the BR would get there and do a little jump after toughing the base. If F3 is close enough and the runner comes off that base and is tagged, she's out.

I suppose that's the softball version of the hidden ball trick.

So I guess in the original post, other that questioning a lot of what that BR did, why would a BR overrun 1B?

Ted

You can overrun first on a walk.

If you round it (ie attempt to advance).. you are liable to be put out.

Speaking ASA, and all other softball codes I know about, once a batter becomes a BR, it doesn't matter how or why she became a BR. If she can overrun on a batted ball (and, of course, she can), she can overrun on a BOB, on a D3K... she can even overrun on a HBP! ;)

Now, once she arrives at the base and has NOT overrun, if she leaves the base (i.e. your exuberant player who jumps up), she can be tagged out while off the base.

As to why a BR would overrun on a BOB, well, the ball is live, and she may be attempting to catch the defense napping.

Can you quote (cite) a specific line in any version of the lookback rule that supports that statement?

ASA 8-7.T(2) says "Once a player stops at a base for any reason, the runner will be declared out if leaving the base."

NFHS 8-7-3 says "Once the runner stops at a base for any reason, she will be declared out if she leaves the base.

NCAA 12-21.f(3) says "The batter-runner (sic) may not step off any base after stopping at it."

NCAA 12-21.f(4) says "The batter-runner, (sic) after overrunning first base, may not retouch the base and advance toward second."
This is the call that was made in the NCAA WCWS, not the noted play.

NCAA 12-21.f(5) says "The batter-runner, (sic) must immediately return nonstop to first base (she did), or is she does not retouch first base, must make an attempt to advance to second."

I still don't see any specific clause of the LBR violated by the BR overrunning first base, making the required return (while having NOT determined a committed direction), retouching first base legally, not advancing toward second base illegally, and, without stopping or changing direction, continuing in the one direction that no rule states it is illegal to continue. She THEN makes the one and only change of direction that applies under the LBR, which she can legally make, and returns to the base.

Okay, I do now see an out where the NCAA LBR applies, but it has NOTHING to do with the retouch, which does not violate the stopping and leaving part of the rule. It is the NCAA (only; not true in ASA or NFHS) that when a runner is in motion when the pitcher receives the ball, her only legal change of direction must happen "immediately" (NCAA 12-21.b). Both ASA and NFHS allow one legal stop and change of direction, and that can happen at any "decision" moment after the pitcher receives the ball, does not have to be immediately.

So, I now agree with an out in NCAA; for the reason that the change of direction was after the allowed "immediately."

Steve, you are making this way more complicated than it needs to be.

Let's address your issue about "stopping." We will take NCAA 12.21.f (4) as issue now. If you overrun first, return to first, touch it, then break to second base, that's on out. This is a specific case of 12.21.f (3), because to change directions, you have to "stop" (technically you have an acceleration = zero as my engineer friend of mine told me). Therefore, point 4 reinforces point 3. Why didn't they write it that specific? Because that is the only direction a runner should go. Why would a runner overrun first and then decide to head back home? Does she want to hit again? The rules do not address this because it isn't suppose to happen. So I go back to may earlier response: either call her out for point 4 (and deal with the offensive coach) or call time and place her at first (and deal with the defensive coach).

Stop the abuse of physics...
 

No, to be stopped, technically, you have velocity = 0. Acceleration (rate of change of velocity) may or may not be zero, and it certainly will NOT be zero at the first instant of v=0. Also, physics only requires you to go through at least a fractional time where v=0 if you change directions from a single point. Unless a runner reverses direction, it is unlikely she stopped on a single point; more likely she did maintain some forward velocity.

Regardless, I seriously doubt the NCAA rule book meant for umpires to refer to Newtonian Physics to make a judgment. It is more likely "stop" means "visibly stop."

Yes, and that is why I suspect that #4 qualifies #3 (speaking of NCAA, ASA and NF as more strict on this rule, so no qualifier is necessary). There is different criteria for LBR when overrunning first base in all codes. If the batter walks and rounds first (heads to second), different LBR applies (may stop once, then immediately choose direction). You can continually running through second base on your way to third without "stopping."

Regardless how you want to phrase it for this specific case, the OP has the runner touching first and then leaving the bag. Either call her out; or call time and place her at first. What other choice do you have?

Yeah, most of our collegiate friends would think this is a cookie for those who are constipated ;)

Professor: I don't feel well.
Dean: Why don't you go to the Dispensary? They'll give you a Newtonian Physic. That sucker will clean you right out, figs always do that for me.

ASA and NFHS have the same issue regarding stopping on a base, even if not for the BR overrunning.

Wait for her to stop and then call her out? If she doesn't stop she'll eventually be stopped by the backstop or they might make a play on her then we'll have the LBR off.
________
Headshops

The third choice is quite obvious, to me; she isn't out, the ball remains alive, and the runner is in jeopardy. What is your basis for calling time (particularly under NCAA rules) with a runner clearly off a base?

Dakota, not the point of my post.

Here is my point: all three code have the same LBR (albeit some different language, but it is interpreted the same) when a player rounds a base (i.e. she is between first and second, second and third, or third and home).

However, the criteria for the LRB change with a runner overruns first base, meaning there are now "a secondary" or "special case" LBR. And the codes diverge at this point. ASA and NF have a very strict rule (and NF has the best phrasing). NCAA is not as strict as ASA and NF (allows for the runner to break to second as long as she has not crossed into foul territory past the "base line extended"), but it is more restrictive than the "typical" LBR from when you round the base. However all three agree that once you overrun first, come back to the base and then go to second, the runner is out.

But neither code directly addresses the OP. Basically you have three options: call her out for LBR (dead ball); call time and place her there (still a dead ball); or allow the ball to be live and chaos ensue.

And how would you get a runner out between first and home when she walked?

I know I wasn't addressing your main point; I was only addressing your sub-point that touching is the same as stopping. Touching is not a stop, unless the umpire judges that the runner did, indeed, stop. I was also correcting your claim that physics requires that she stop if she changes direction.

I tried to hint at the part I was responding to by both the subject line of my response and by the severe redaction I did when quoting you.