What should the PU do?

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Today, during a JV game I notice the home school has a different pitcher pitching in the second inning compared with the first inning. (visitors scored 11 in the first inning) The head coach has said nothing to me about a substitution.

Should I a) approach the coach regarding the new pitcher being in? or b) let it go and hope there is not an illegal substitution going on?

In this case I choose a, and asked the coach if she had made a substitution. It was at this time she indicated it wasn't a substitution, but a position change and the previous pitcher was now playing 1st base.

The only place this really impacts would be the possibility of using a courtesy runner for the pitcher, since we have established that defensive switches are generally not required to be reported to the umpire.

How would you handle this as a PU?

I handle it the same way you did. Even though the coach doesn't have to report position changes, I will ask him/her who the new pitcher (or catcher) is. To me, it is a little bit of preventive umpiring, just in case this coach is in the habit of failing to report anything, including actual substitutions.