batting cage for all?
 

Home team has built a batting cage on their side of the field, about 20 feet away from their bench. They have started using it between innings for batting warm up. Would the visitors have any legitimate gripe about the home team using it, but not them? I ask because it's playoff time, the stakes are higher, and teams from other areas may be coming in. Any thoughts?

No, if that team wants such a set up, they can provide it.

What ruleset? I know of nothing like this for HS, but NCAA rule 5.1.1 specifies that the visiting team shall be granted equal access or equal facilities (for example, batting cages, field space) as are available to the home team for pregame warmups. And yes, I know that's not quite applicable to the scenario presented, but it is the closest I can come up with.

Check with your state or section rules or bylaws. In the section I work the rule paraphrased : "All facilities available to the home team must be available to the visiting team."

I should have said Fed rules.

As I read the book a little more (always a good thing to do), how about Fed 3-6-6 not allowing any use of the cage during the game. It's not really in the bench/dugout area. I could see that particular rule allowing an on deck batter to potentially use the cage before coming on the field, but no one else. Maybe?

Could be argued that the cage is a "designated warm-up area"

Assuming HS ball...

If they are using it to hit - prohibited.
If they are using it to throw - it must be made available to the visitors as well.

Their are teams in So. CAL. That have built over sized dugouts so that they can do soft toss or tee work into nets without leaving the dugout.

Since it is in the dugout we are told it is legal.

LJ, some clarification, please.

Was this batting cage a permanent structure, or a temporary structure assembled for this game/tournament?

Permanent structure. Big enough to hold two batters with netting in between. They started building it at the beginning of the season and began using it toward the end.

If that is the case, I would change my response. If it is part of the facility, both teams should have access to it.

Should we really deal with this as game officials? Access to facilities at the game site should all be prearranged between the schools involved, and if not, the teams can come to a mutual agreement then and there.

I'm not going to rule on batting cage access rights or locker room assignments or whatever. That's what school administrators are for.

Where is equal access to batting cages covered in the rules?

Could make the case with 10-2-3g "make final decision on points not covered by the rules."

I just want to be prepared. It's the Boy Scout in me.

Note: I'm fortunate enough not to have to work high school games under the awfully constructed, out of date and out of touch with reality NFHS rule set.

The equal access to warm-up facilities is generally focused on pre-game warm ups, even at the NCAA level. You don't have a member of the offense team walk 200 feet around the backstop to get to a warm-up cage for practice.

I think that things are changing as more and more softball fields get these types of structures. The issue I have is whether it is going outside the bounds of the rules to use them once the game starts. I would never allow softball behind the dugout, as this area really isn't the team area, nothing by rule allows it, multiple rules prohibit it and it is a significant safety issue. It amazes me how many people lack enough common sense to realize that you can't have three players swinging at whiffle balls and parents walk by to get to the bleachers.

Fully structured and safe batting-cages are a different story. They are built as an extension of the team area and are much safer.

I would have to do some digging to see what NFHS actually says though.