Stealing

Question
I'm an average athletic but my sister is awesome.  She's a sports freak.  Baseball is her favorite.  She is at her best in track & field and cross country.  Tons of trophies, etc.  Our small town has had lots of arguments over rules lately.  We are not a sanctioned team but we follow the Cal Ripken rulebook with a few exceptions.  We only go up to the 12 & under league, then players switch to the neighboring town.  Our mom recently joined the board and is concerned about making sure that the rules are clear in order to stop the arguments (next year).  Mom is also helping as assistant coach.  My sister is a good hitter with 5 home runs this season and only 1 strike out.  So they usually try to walk her.   She occasionally steals 2nd on a walk.  This is legal, right?  She has NEVER EVER been tagged out on a steal.  Recently, she had a question.  Can she steal home when the catcher is in the process of throwing the ball back to the pitcher?  She always has a good lead off & is very fast.  I don't think that she would have any problem with getting there in time.  Mom thought it was Okay but told her not to worry about trying just so as to avoid arguments.  Next year sis is moving up to the boys SN league in the next town.  There hasn't ever been a girl on that team before but the coaches are excited about having her come.  But my mom will still need to have this question answered.  Could you give a page # or rule # that would cover these 2 issues?  Thank you very much.  Sam

Answer
Samuel,

I will let you know first off that I am not familiar with Cal Ripkin Rules, but I would assume they are similar to Little League in regards to stealing.  There is nothing restricting a runner from advancing to 2nd on a walk.  They have not completed their at bat until they stop.  As long as your sister continues forward motion, it shouldn't be an issue, as there are no rule restricting it.

On your second question, she can steal when the catcher is throwing back to the pitcher, and you see this a lot at the younger levels.  Once again, there is nothing restricting this as no one has possession of the ball, and your sister (or any runner for that fact) may advance at their own risk.

I hope this has answered your questions.  Should you have anymore, please don't hesitate to ask!

-Martin Hoover