Michigan-UCLA Delay Call
 

I have a question about the "delay" call in the Michigan-UCLA game. Betsa (Michigan Pitcher) apparently was called for delay by not pitching within the allowable time.

I am not an NCAA umpire, so I don't know the NCAA rule. What is the time limit, is it the same as NFHS (batter has 10 seconds to get ready, pitcher has 20 seconds to release)?

Also, how to umpires time this. I generally don't even worry about it unless I am seeing a pattern or "slowness". I can't recall the last time I counted on a pitcher, but I have done it on batters before.

I watched the replay, and what I counter, but using the broadcast clock and a stopwatch was about 27 seconds from when the ball entered the circle until the umpire called the dead ball "ball" for the batter.

NCAA both batter and pitcher have 10 seconds to be in position. Then the pitcher has 10 seconds to bring the hands together and then 5 seconds to deliver the pitch.

To expand further, it is not necessary to count the full allotted time.
For example, if the pitcher and the batter are both ready after five seconds, the 10 second count for the pitcher to bring her hands together starts. If she only uses three seconds, then the 5 second count for her to deliver the pitch starts.

To me that seems like a better rule than the ASA/NFHS rules which are the 10/20 rules. The NCAA's seems much easier to administer from an umpires standpoint.

Actually, I disagree. If we (correctly for NFHS, don't know about NCAA) use this as a game management rule, and apply it when necessary, it is very easy to administer. The NCAA rule breaks it up into too many time periods so it seems to me to apply it, you have to actually time it.

A few years ago in the tournament they made this a focus instead of a game management call and it was being called very regularly. I'm not sure if it is still used that way.