This is a re-post of an Ask Anzo question from a couple of years ago. I’m re-posting because there were a couple of terribly blown calls in the Etna v Yreka game and Yreka v Del Norte game at the Yreka Tourney over the weekend that weren’t even close to being correct. The idea for Ask Anzo was to help fans learn some of the more confusing rules, but it appears that a couple of umps need a bit of a refresher, as well. The highlighted part of the rules are my emphasis.

According to Anzo:

If you look in the high school baseball or softball rule books, you will never find anywhere in there that a runner has to slide. What it does say is that a runner must slide legally, or if the fielder has the ball he or she must “give up.”

Now you may be asking yourself, what is a legal slide?  A legal slide may be either feet first or head first.  If a runner slides feet first, at least one leg and buttock shall be on the ground. If a runner slides, the runner shall be within reach of the base with either hand or a foot when the slide is completed.

Illegal slides:
1. The runner uses a rolling or cross-body slide into the fielder.
2. The runner’s raised leg is higher than the fielder’s knee when the fielder is in a standing position.
3. The runner goes beyond the base and makes contact with or alters the play of the fielder.
4. The runner slashes or kicks the fielder with either leg.
5. The runner tries to injure the fielder.

A runner is out if:
1. The runner does not legally slide and causes illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of the fielder in the immediate act of making a play on him/her.
2. Runners are never required to slide, but if the runner elects to slide, the slide shall be legal.
3. The runner remains on his/her feet and maliciously crashes into a defensive player.  Not only is the runner out but in this case he/she is ejected.

To ask Anzo, e-mail to info@siskiyouyouth.com