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Online now: 4 members: Apps, Double Dee, JayPar, colone; 6 anonymousDiscussion: Golden Eagle Batters Boxes
| Posted | Discussion |
| May 23 4x4 Men's 65 601 posts | It has been a constant at Golden Eagle that more hitters are called out for stepping out of the batters box more than at any other venues (turf or otherwise) with many players complaining. Spoke with Dave Dowell about this and he stated that the box sizes are correct at GE. I went online and found diagrams of batters boxes but with conflicting measurements as to how far the box should extend frontward. I find the batters boxes at GE to be short on the front side - some diagrams show 3 feet forward from the plate center (at the taper) and some show 4 feet forward from the center line of the plate. That is a huge difference as far as hitting approach goes. It's possible that the box dimensions are correct - or possibly placed too far back. Can anyone clear this up? |
| May 23 LP 317 posts | you use the regular home plate not the senior mat, go from the middle of the plate four feet to the front and three feet to the back ,with six inches from the edge of the plate and the box three feet wide and thats the batters box . |
| May 23 SSUSA Staff 3497 posts | The outside edge dimensions of the Batters' Boxes at Golden Eagle Regional Park are 7' deep by 3' wide, which is the official SSUSA Playing Rules specification. This is in the Official Rulebook Definitions at §1.5 (page 2) and the Field Dimensions schematic drawing on page 103. __________ 1.5 BATTER'S BOX The batter's box is the 3-foot by 7-foot area to which the batter is restricted. The lines are considered as being within the batter's box. Any portion of both feet of the batter have to be on the line or within the batters box. |
| May 23 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | so staff your saying the batter must start witin the confines of the box with the outside edge(white line of the box)being the furtherest the batters feet may be... as i have seen batters with just their toes on the line,with the rest of their foot outside the box. |
| May 23 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | What is being discussed here is the size of the box, but not where it is to be located. That seems to be the issue. |
| May 23 SSUSA Staff 3497 posts | It's a permanent artificial turf softball complex and all lines are sewn-in carpet strips, not chalk and/or paint markings. They are where they are! "Lines are in", so if the batter starts and finishes in/on the line(s), it's happy hitting! If not, well, maybe that 'out' won't hurt too badly. |
| May 23 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | This subject was discussed here about three years ago. The question isn't about the dimensions, it is where the boxes are in relationship (thanks Gary19) to the plate/mat. I believe the problem is that GE is setup for baseball, not senior softball with a mat. As discussed here before, when we use the mat we effectively are moving up the strike zone and therefore the 4' dimension should be towards the pitcher. Is that what you are referring Pete? We has this problem in the Spring Nationals in Florida a few years ago. |
| May 23 4x4 Men's 65 601 posts | Thanks Bruce (and G19) - that's exactly what I'm asking about. Where they are placed in relation to the center of the plate. Whether or not they are sewn in should not omit the fact if they are not - in fact - placed properly......... If they are "short" at the front edge compared to elsewhere then it should be factored in and allowances made. I offered to bring a bucket of paint and a roller just in case..............( 8 - Dave told me I was on my own on that one. |
| May 24 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | I think the Staff is basically saying "it is what it is". |
| May 24 curveball Men's 65 705 posts | "it is what is is" in not a satisfactory answer. If the batters box has a spacific layout in relation to home plate, it should be followed. Bigger guys like Pete (4X4) would have major difficulty not striding out of the front of the box. |
| May 24 garyheifner 650 posts | With the use of the mat in senior softball, I can't think of any good reason to even have a batters box. The hitter must defend the mat and will, like 99.9 percent of the time, , be close to it anyway. Some might say it would be dangerous to not have lines. If a player moves up in the box, simply pitch a higher arc to the back half. If he is back, pitch a little flatter to the front half and make him reach. Even in the world tournaments the lines quickly disappear and it becomes umps judgement as to where the lines might have been. We have had some very poor judgements called against us over the years. |
| May 25 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | Gary, I agree that there may not be a good reason for the batter's boxes. At least the front line should be removed! |
| May 25 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | why is everyone whining about a batter's box...the box has been the same size forever..it already is a hitters game why not let the pitcher have some leeway...stay in the box and you don't get called out,simple as that...i have played at golden eagle and had no prol with the boxes,they are regulation size. i guess everyone wants to make it easier for the batter to hit a slowly lobbed ball,come on guys........ |
| May 25 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Whining is what senior players seem to do. But keep in mind the issue does not appear to be with the size of the box, but rather its location. |
| May 25 curveball Men's 65 705 posts | Bob, it's not the size, that's OK, it's the location where they place the batters box that's incorrect. |
| May 25 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | ROB DON'T UNDERSTAND,AS THEY ARE IN THE SAME PLACE THEY ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.....THE MAT WHICH WILL GIVE THE INSIDE STRIKE,THAT A CALL STRIKE WILL GET YOU, DOES NOT INFRINGE ON THE BATTERS BOX..THE FRONT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME,ITS JUST TO ME,THE BATTER IS LOOKING FOR MORE OF AN ADVANTAGE,THEN HE ALREADY HAS..... I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THE HITTERS WHO STAND UP FRONT WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DEEP PITCH(HITTING THE BACK END OF THE MAT) AS MOSTLY BEING TO HI FOR THEM,WELL YOUR STANDING UP IN THE FRONT OF THE BOX WHAT DO YOU EXPECT......OH WELL..... |
| May 25 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | I completely agree with you about the advantages the hitter has, but what takes some of that away if the ridiculous size of the strize zone with the mat and home plate counting as strikes. And with the front edge of the plate being a strike where is never was before, and should not be now, you do have much more need to protect the front than you ever used to. |
| May 25 SSUSA Staff 3497 posts | We measured the Batter's box dimensions and their relational, to home plate, locations at two of the six fields at Golden Eagle Regional Park this morning. All four of the batters boxes were exactly 7' deep by 3' wide, measured from the outside edge of the permanent sewn-in white carpet strips that define the boxes. However, two of the four were not in compliance as to their location, as measured from the taper/elbow of the home plate. The specification is 4' forward and 3' back from that taper point. The right handed batters box on one field was ¼-inch too far forward. The left handed batters box on that same field was ½-inch too far forward. The field maintenance guy believes this could be due to a very minor shifting in the entire carpet at that field around the home plate area. His explanation seems reasonable to us. If 'allowances are to be made' (as someone suggested), we would expect them to be made by the batters rather than asking the umpires on that field to deal with variances of less than ½-inch. As stated previously, batters should ensure they stay within the confines of the lines, at the risk of being called out. The only difference in play at Golden Eagle from most other places is that the first couple of batters on a team will not be able to execute the 'line wipe' that we see almost uniformly employed at chalked batters box fields. Lastly, as someone else said, 'it is what it is' also seems reasonable to us under the circumstances. Good luck everyone! |
| May 25 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Staff, GREAT post! LOL Now I know how guys on here think they, and only they, can tell a 11'9" pitch from a 12'1" pitch. Hell, they can apparently tell fractions of inches on the ground. Great eyesight guys!!!! |
| May 25 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | So it's off, both teams are using the same one. Good thing they were not a foot off or the other way back. |
| May 25 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | Thanks, Staff, for going the the trouble to check it. |
| May 25 4x4 Men's 65 601 posts | Meant to go up today and check them out but didn't get there. Staff - thank you for being responsive to the question. I think I can say for all of us it means a lot. Anyone playing this weekend bring your cold weather gear......... |
| May 25 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | good luck this weekend Pete. Forecast here in Ga is 94 degrees! |
| May 26 curveball Men's 65 705 posts | Bob, as a pitcher, I agree with you. I thought others indicated the batters box did not measure 4' from plate measurement to front of the box. Staff says they, my mistake.............I'm sure 4x4 will be measuring himself this weekend! hope all's well in Texas. |
