Pitching Rule Question

[playa4life]

Is there ANY fastpitch rule that states pitches are supposed to be called from the dugout, IF the coach is calling pitches?? OR can anyone call pitches from anywhere?? such as from the stands.. backstop..OR anywhere else but the dugout???

[Lefty's Dad]

I don't know the rulebook inside and out (honestly I've seen a rulebook once, lol) but I feel pretty confident that there is no such rule. I've seen pitches being called from outside the fence before but usually that's because the coach wasn't allowed to sit on a bucket on the field and there wasn't room in the dugout.

[twinsmom]

Glancing through my book, I don't see any rule about where the pitch is called from. The only stipulation is the pitcher must pause and take the signal from the catcher or appear to take the call from the catcher before delivering the pitch. Someone may have done a more in depth look or be an umpire who can be more specific. Our battery calls their own pitches at this point, but previously we have had coaches who have called pitches from the stands instead of sitting in the dugout. At some tournaments the blues refused to let them sit on their bucket outside the dugout to call pitches and our catchers couldn't see the pitch call with the coach behind the chain link fence. Easier seen behind a net next to stands while they were sitting in a chair.

[Laces_Out]

I've briefly looked into this and haven't found any exact wording that states the catcher must take the signal from a coach that is in the dugout. As the pitch caller for my teams, I'm always in the dugout and in the best line of sight for the catcher. There have been times when the line of sight to the dugout has been terrible and on those fields, I always ask the umpire if I can call pitches behind the fence closer to the plate. Basically from the stands. Permission for this has always been granted.

[playa4life]

So if a coach notices that pitches are being called from anywhere but the dugout can he "protest" OR get this guy to stop calling pitches?? Wouldn't that leave the catcher wandering what pitch is being called and where she should be??

[playa4life]

Sorry!.. Let me rephrase my question... It's a DAD/coach calling the pitches to his dd (whose the pitcher) and not relaying it to the catcher??

[twinsmom]

Now that can be a problem. The catcher MUST know where and what pitch is called or you can end up with a complete mess. Now granted if we are talking strictly in/out fastballs (10U) then catcher is probably fine. But once you start with drops, rises, curves, screw balls and actually to my daughter the most important one - change up, you can make a catcher look really foolish if they don't know how to adjust. Now many will say the catcher should be prepared regardless as you don't know where a pitch will end up, but it really helps a catcher frame a pitch to get the favorable call if she is positioned correctly. I have seen a case where pitcher got call and relayed it to catcher rather than the other way around. Worked fine for that team, but seems that it would be easier if both pitcher and catcher could get the call (if you are going to give it to the pitcher primarily). But again, there is no rule I see regarding where the pitch is called from (dugout, stands, etc).

[Comp]

There is no rule that states where the pitches can and cannot be called from. But, there is a rule that states no team personel are allowed in the stands during the game.