A Youth Baseball

Coaches Tool Kit

A Softball

Coaches Tool Kit

This page was last updated: 7/3/2007

A series of guidelines for defensive play, establishing who has priority in several  different situations. These guidelines make it easier to know who should field a ball and can help to reduce the chance of collisions between fielders.

DEFENSIVE GUIDELINES

CALLING FOR THE BALLWHEN A PLAYER IS GOING TO FIELD A BALL  …  CALL, LOUDLY        "BALL,  BALL,  BALL".

PRIORITY RULES   (WHO HAS PRIORITY, 1ST RESPONSIBILITY TO FIELD A BALL AND WHY)

BUNTWHEN TWO, OR MORE, FIELDERS ARE GOING FOR THE BALL AND ANY ONE CAN GET IT, THE FIELDER MOVING TOWARDS FIRST BASE HAS PRIORITY OVER THE FIELDER MOVING AWAY FROM FIRST BASE.

---3B   OVER  PITCHER

---P     OVER  1B

---C    OVER  1BBUNTS IN FRONT OF HOME PLATE

---C    OVER   PBUNTS IN FRONT OF HOME PLATE

GROUND BALLWHEN TWO FIELDERS ARE GOING FOR THE BALL AND EITHER CAN GET IT, THE FIELDER MOVING TOWARDS FIRST BASE HAS PRIORITY OVER THE FIELDER MOVING AWAY FROM FIRST BASE.

---3B   OVER  SS

---SS   OVER  2B

FLY BALLWHEN TWO FIELDERS ARE GOING FOR A FAIR FLY BALL THE FOLLOWING PRIORITIES APPLY.

---OUTFIELDER  OVER  INFIELDER (EASIER TO CATCH COMING IN THAN GOING OUT)

---MIDDLE  OVER  WING/CORNER

        (SIMPLIFY COMMUNICATION, REDUCE GUESSWORK)

---CF  OVER EITHER  LF OR RF

---SS  OVER  3B

---2B  OVER 1B

---SS  OVER 2B

---CORNERS  (3B OR 1B) OVER  PITCHER