Runner collides with on deck batter
 

Runner on 2nd and 1st batter hits a ball into the gap runner on second comes around 3rd and going home on deck batter thinks she needs to get the bat out of the way and goes to pick it up, the runner going home collides with the girl picking up the bat, the ball is thrown to cut off person standing at second.

Is this considered assisting the runner? I was told that I should have called the runner out and returned the runners to the base they occupied at the time of the collision.

How is getting in the way of your own runner assisting them? Assist would be to help someone, not hinder them.

I am tend to agree, I made no call on the play, but after the game was over I was told otherwise from the UIC of the conference.

I ask under what rule he felt covered this and he stated assisting the runner and my comment was she was not assisted, he didn't agree I looked in the NCAA rule book but I could not find any effects to help me out one way or the other

You were told wrong. Unless the non-runner actually provides some level of assistance, it is nothing.

Well, thank goodness no one mentioned calling obstruction on the ODB :)

I have to agree with the other posts. I don't see anything that resembles assisting a runner in what is described. The only way this is assisting a runner is if the collision knocked the runner down and then the ODB helped the runner get back up, then we could have assisting, otherwise I don't see anything to suggest assisting.

Until now! :eek: :p :p :)

I can't help myself, if the PU had Safely, and Carefully removed the bat from a dangerous location. Nothing Follows:D

the bat was about half way between home and third on the fair ground, the runner took a wide turn coming home, didn't think it was in the way

The ODB stays off the field and nothing happens or the umpire goes to move the bat and get run over by the player instead of being back where s/he belongs.

The bat was 30 feet up the 3rd base line in fair territory? I find that hard to believe. I find it even harder to believe that an on-deck batter ran 40+ feet to go get a bat that wasn't in the way and impeded her own runner. None of that makes sense.

You've never seen a batter release on contact and the bat go flying into the infield?

No one said it made any sense, but maybe this team had a policy of sorts that the ODB always cleared the bat. Using common sense doesn't seem to be a requirement for this game.

Happens more often from 3rd base dugout. 30 feet up the line is pretty close to the on deck circle.

I don't find it hard to believe that the bat ended up there - but I do find it very odd that the ODB went out there. Kind of stupid really ... just a shade stupider than the umpire trying to run out there and move it.

I'd "shade" it the other way. The PU has no business going after a bat half way to 3B with an active runner coming home.

Fair enough! :)