Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Before we get underway, we revisit last week's episode to get clarification around NCAA's handling of appeals at home when the plate was missed and tag was/was not attempted. After that, in response to a listener prompting, we tackle the correct way to interpret the base award rules across the three major sanctions that we cover and address a few common misconceptions that are held concerning awar...

We dive in and cover the appeal topics in the 2026 USA Softball Rules Supplement 1- Appeals, sections G-N of: More Than One Appeal, Awards, Plate and Tag Missed, Force Out, Tag-Ups, Missing First Base Before the Throw Arrives, Fourth-Out Appeal, and End of Game. We then tackle section 2 of the Rules Supplement, Ball Rotation Procedure. Lastly, we move on to our Social Media Segment and discuss a q...

We started mining the Rules Supplement in the back of the book to see which things that USA Softball decided to add more color on and then bring those things to you. We cover USA softball's definition for obstruction, their defined zone, and then begin to dig into valid appeals before we had to pause for next time. Lastly, in our social media segment, we talk about a play that happened and what ex...

You can check out the link to the post, which contains a video, in the comments on either the Facebook Post for this episode, or the comments for this episode on our website. We break down - from the rules - what constitutes a legal delivery and whether or not this player violated those rules. Next, in the social media segment, we answer a question about just how often are umpires supposed to call...

In the video of the play (linked in our comments on this episode on our website and on Facebook), we can see a player attempting to score, but being thrown out. The home plate umpire signals out, but we're told that the base umpire got involved and the call got "overturned to obstruction". We cover what we saw, what we think is appropriate, and how you might handle similar situations if this happe...

We tackle what happened, the rule behind it, whether we thought the umpire crew handled it correctly, and what you should do in similar situations. In our social media segment, we take a look at a post asking about what you do about a strange double first base situation. We explain what the rulebook says about it and what we would do if this happened in one of our games. As always, if you want to...

First up, Adrian asked us about some scenarios with obstruction at first base. Next, Joe asked us about changing a judgment call at third base and about umpires getting in the way while a fielder is making a play. Lastly, Vernon asked us about U1 calling pitching lane violations. This was a fun episode and we always enjoy interacting and reacting to our listeners' questions, so if you have some yo...

David was kind enough to be our "chump" again this episode, which is good because Pete is more Alex Trebek than Ken Jennings. We cover nine scenarios including: equipment, double first base, batter interference, substitutions, projected substitutions, batting out of order, look back rule, two-way communication, and player conferences. Give this episode a listen to see if David redeems himself from...

We tackle several scenarios ranging from bedazzled gloves (check comments for the images), malicious contact at first base, a runner missing home plate, interference when an out occurs, the umpire's role in impartially enforcing rules and not coaching, tie goes to the runner, and calling a ball hitting a bat in the field of play that was kicked by the catcher. Phew! As always, if you want to weigh...

Just so we're clear... the title was David's idea ;) We tackle situations including communications devices, obstruction, bodycams, and DP/FLEX. Our social segment this week is one inspired by some more reports of "that umpire" at games. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com,...

The problem is a tale as old as time. Everyone knows where the strike zone is (or thinks they do, anyway), but it sure seems like everyone calls it differently. Is that because they see it differently? Is it because they've been *TOLD* to call it differently? Is it because they are waging a private rebellion against the written rules? And if all of that is true, why do people post one thing online...

Boy, this one is a doozy. We had this one in the can for a while, but it turns out that we made some mistakes during recording. However, we tracked down where we went wrong and issued corrections in-place in the audio so that we could still cover this topic. Make sure to check our website or the FB comments for this episode for the rules and case plays mentioned. As always, if you want to weigh in...

No, this isn't an April Fools' Day prank, we got the man himself on the podcast! If you don't know Bob, he's an umpire who works NCAA, High School, and USSSA. He's also the creator and an admin over at the Ask the Softball Umpires group on Facebook with almost 30,000 members! In this interview, we talk about Bob's origin story, what makes a good (and bad) umpire, and pick his brain about some thin...

At a high level, we cover what to do in your proper starting position and what to avoid. Then we talk about being ready to move and were driven to the manual for some clarification about what we were told. (See the comments section on the website or Facebook for the exact section of the manual) Then, we talk about pre-pitch planning and what it should be for you on day one, as well as where it sho...

We review anchor foot position, slot foot, balance, head placement, and consistency. We also talk about some issues that umpires of different size might encounter when trying to adhere to these mechanics and issues faced by players' placement and movement. Then, in our social media segment, we tackle a post about interference on an infield fly. (Sneak preview: we were actually shocked by the rules...

The article begins, "The following is a list of miscues regarding umpire mechanics which we continue to see in our contests"... ok, we see you, sassy pants! Jokes aside, the things in this article weren't brought up to eat up space in this year's publication. These are things that the senior-level umpires are repeatedly seeing around the state during games that they observe. Take a listen and see...

What even are LLMs? Are they infallible? Are they an acceptable source for rules and mechanics? Should they be, or is this a case of Luddites trying to take away all of our fun? Join us as we talk about what are the proper sources of guidance for your umpiring journey. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment...

We could chalk it up to it being an "imaginary other umpire" that coaches are appealing to to try to get their way or skirt rules. But we all know that there are definitely umpires that enforce too many (or not enough) rules on the diamond. In this episode, we follow along with a great article in this year's OHSAA Whitebook and talk about some points that you need to make sure that you are followi...

The good news is that only 3 changes are covered: electronic devices that are prohibited (1-9-6), a reorganization of Rule 8, and Rule 10-4-2 about our uniform pants. Hang with us as we cover all of that, break it down, and make sure that you're ready to get out on the middle/high school diamond here in only a few weeks! As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at po...

What better way to kick off the NFHS season that to talk about the points of emphasis the the Federation wants to highlight for 2026? Last year, it was Teams' Role in Pace of Play and Situational Awareness. This year, our focus is on Obstruction and Maintaining an Unobstructed View. We chop those up and make sure that you're covered to get 2026 off to a great start. As always, if you want to weigh...

Wrapping up our series, we proceed to work through more of the 2-Person Mechanics Updates published for NCAA crews. This week we take a look at the following scenarios and what the Plate and Base Umpire should do in each one of them: * Runner on Third (Hit to Infield) * Runner on Third (Fly Ball/Line Drive to Infield - ball is caught) * Runners on first and second, first and third, second and thir...

Continuing from last time, we proceed to work through more of the 2-Person Mechanics Updates published for NCAA crews. This week, we talk about fly ball coverage responsibilities overall. Then, we move onto specific scenarios for Plate and Base like: * No Runners On - ball hit to OF and not caught * Runner on First - same situation * Runner on Second - hit to the infield * Runner on Second - fly b...

After last season concluded, Cody Little (the director of training and video review for the NCAA Softball Umpire Program) published these updates for the 2 person umpire system mechanics. In this first of three episodes, we start by covering the changes for plate and base umpires for between innings. Next we talk about the emphasis placed on positioning to receive the pitch as the plate umpire. La...

In NCAA Fastpitch rules, the pitcher may not step off of the pitcher's plate and back on again during the pitch... or may they? We take a look NCAA Rule 10.5.3.3 and at Approved Ruling (AR) 10-8 applying to that rule and have a discussion as to whether this contradicts AR 10-7 and a (only minutely serious) discussion as to whether or not it is David's fault that AR 10-8 was issued at all. As alway...

We start off by talking about an umpire, Mitchell Huggins (known as "Uncle Mitch" or "Mr. Mitch" to the players), who unfortunately passed away from heat stroke while working a game in South Carolina. We then move to talking about a question from an umpire about starting in the "C" position and being blocked by the pitcher from seeing the play at first base when making a call. Next, we talk about...