Slowpitch Plate Umpire - Stance with a mat
 

Anyone know if there is a preferred way of setting up when using the perverbial strike mat instead of calling the zone? Remember, you're just calling balls & strikes based on whether the pitch hits the mat or not.

Now I suppose this could be a personal preference, which is what it appears to be, but is there any organization that has a preference on this?

Personally, I like to be behind the batter, kinda in the slot, but the catcher 9 times out of 10 is behind me. This gives me movement with a little cheat toward 3rd base.....where I'm supposed to go after the ball's hit.....but that's me..............guys are all over the place.

Give me some wisdom please. I'm trying to write some home league mechanics for our untrained umpires.

ASA

Set and stance same for all games

I would agree. Now, the catcher is 8 or 10 feet behind the plate behind you. You're not talking about your heel/toe stance based on where the catcher is are you? I would think you'd be closer in where you would normally set up of the catcher was actually trying to make a play in SP with stealing. We don't steal in our league.

Because our league is "seniors" with 70 being average age and players of all skill levels from none to pretty darn good......including our umpires, would you have any issues with "never" setting up for left handed batters, just setting up for righty's. This gives the slower senior umpires an advantage to going up the line for their calls at 3b.

I'm think'n that if the ump sets up behind the right handed batter with a clear view of the strike mat, in most cases in front of the catcher, it will give them all the necessary views/positions he needs to call the game.

We've got guys standing 7 to 10 feet outside the left handed batter's box on the first base side of the box calling balls & strikes. The claim is they see the plate from there better and their out of the way. Right hander comes to bat and they switch sides. I don't like this at all and it looks dumb putting it in technical terms.

Because this is a "home" league with unpaid umpires I'd like to get them closer to 3rd after the ball is hit.

Do you see any inherent problems with my scenario? I want to try and "direct" the umpires that this is the way we want it done and no other methods are acceptable...........

Thanks,

Yes - that's a GREAT place to stand if you want to get hit by a foul ball. That's a pretty important inherent problem, especially since you've said your umpires might not be that quick.

Set up behind the catcher, like you're supposed to.

Even if the catcher is 6-8 feet behind where a normal catcher would set up? That would put the umpire about 7-8 feet from his normal "slot" if the catcher was where he would play with stealing.

Yes it would. Are you trying to imply that 7-8 feet away, straight back, is too far to see the mat ... but 7-10 feet away, off to the side, is NOT too far to see the mat?

The slot is always going to be the best place to stand no matter how far back the catcher is. For that matter, if you are working pretend ball, it should be even better.

And regardless of the game, if the catcher stands in your way, adjust or ask him/her to move or just call what you see, which cannot be a strike. Pretty sure the pitcher will tell the catcher to move

(offtopic question from a disgruntled one-time rec player/umpire) In your league, is the plate "part of the mat"?

(on-topic) Also, get in the slot. Every time, trash ball, SP or FP.

hated the mat
 

Was really bad when I did some local ladies' league and had pitchers that couldn't hit it. Most catchers stood about way back in the box and caught balls on the bounce. I'd stand off to my left, judge the height of the pitch and watch to see if it hit the mat. Looking back at it all, made for some pretty boring umpiring.

In the SP league that I am associated with, if the ball hits the plate or the mat, it is a strike.

Yes...having the mat does make it easier to umpire, it also leads to lazy umpiring for some people.

Come on Andy, don't blame the mat, plenty of umpires are lazy all on their own!! No mat needed!!

It just gets worse with the mat. Especially if your trying to still enforce the arc and height requirements. And I hate the opposite side positioning as an umpire because it's the best place to get hit so you better have gear on, not to say that the normal position is safe, my dad years ago had a tooth chipped at a USSSA State tournament by a foul ball. That and most of the games here are solo games and your momentum and positioning suffers from that spot.

One trick I try to get the guys to do is not clean off the mat so much, the ball leaves a nice clean mark when it hits a slightly dirty mat.

The mat is not accurate and you lose too many strikes and it does, in fact, lead to lazy umpiring, but Dave is right There are plenty of lazy umpires out there that never used a mat.

It's 100% accurate. If one is using the mat, the rules for a strike are what they are. Not what one uses in a game without the mat.

It is accurate to pretend softball. Not at all accurate to the real game which is why I stopped doing games with mats after my first 20-some years ago