A video going viral online has caused many to wonder if a high school softball catcher was purposefully hitting batters in the head with balls she threw from home plate.
Video of the game between McCamey High and Cicso High in Texas shows the girl catching her pitcher’s throw but then rising from her crouch to unexpectedly throw a brutal overhand toss directly at the opposing team’s batter, hitting her forcefully in the head.
Video shows two such incidents at the same game where this young woman rose from her catcher’s crouch to pelt a batter in the head.
KMID reporter Kayler Smith posted the two videos to Twitter on Wednesday:
As BroBible noted, it is possible that the McCamey Lady Badgers catcher was attempting to get an out by beaning the batter because she stepped out of the batter’s box. Indeed, some in the crowd can be heard yelling, “she’s out!”
The site pointed out that the vague rules that say that if a batter ” interferes with the catcher’s fielding or throwing by stepping out of the batter’s box or making any other movement that hinders the catcher’s play at home base,” this can be called an out.
The site adds that McCamey seems to have engaged in this brutal blasting of batters in the past, too. And at least in one case, the team was awarded an out for the dirty tactic.
Many on Twitter agreed that the ball throwing at the batter was not only intentional by the catcher but was a dangerous team practice.
The University Interscholastic League has already announced they are looking at the video. One would think that a new rule will soon be handed down to make it a rules violation to purposefully bean a batter in the face with a ball thrown from four feet away. At least, one can hope.
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