Daily trivia (ASA)

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

Perfect example of the OP. I would not rule this an attempt to bunt - and if there were 2 strikes before that, I would not rule her out.

I'm curious to hear Mike's or Steve's opinion on exactly this situation though.

OK, my $.02.

Assume initially that you are ruling in a ruleset that requires you to pull the bat back to be judged "not a bunt" (NCAA or NFHS), the batter does whatever she does, and the ball DOESN'T hit the bat.

Now, in any given description of what the batter did, did she remove the bat sufficiently to NOT be a bunt attempt in that ruleset? If yes, then it isn't a bunt attempt, either, if the ball DOES accidentally hits the bat. But, if you consider that the batter, irrespective of any intent, still left the bat in the hitting area and insufficiently or belatedly pulled it back, then you still have a bunt attempt. And this, in my mind, applies in the rulesets (ASA) where it isn't necessary to pull back, too (just using that judgment process); if the bat is left in the hitting area and contacts the ball, it is a bunt attempt.

I won't/don't use intent at all in my judgment. After all, then every attempted checked swing means the batter's intent was to unswing!! And once she did, she did, and cannot unswing. Cannot unbunt, either, once attempted to bunt; can only "unsquare" prior to bunting.