covering delayed steal

Question
Tom,
This is our first year in 12U and we are learning a lot!  I would like your advice on the best way to cover of defend against a delayed steal.

Answer
Angie,

To cover the base have F6 move over to second base.  I am assuming we are talking about a delayed steal of second.

To stop the steal the first thing you have to do is freeze the runner.  Have your catcher pop up quickly in a throwing postion so she is ready to throw to second.  This will stop the runner.  If the runner is very aggressive, she will be quite a bit off the base hoping to take off on a lob back to the pitcher by a catcher who isn't paying attention.

Once the catcher has "frozen" the runner, the catcher fires the ball to the pitcher.  This is a hard throw.  Once the pitcher has the ball the runner has to move toward a base.  If she can throw out the runner going back to first, great.  You pitcher should have received the ball quick enough to turn and throw the runner out if they try to steal.

A delayed steal only works on teams who are not paying attention.  When there are runners on base your catcher should be throwing the ball back to the pitcher very quickly and with velocity so if a team trys a delayed steal the pitcher will have time to throw the runner out.

If the runner is way off the base you can try this.  Have your catcher stand up, ball in throwing hand and have them WALK towards the second base side of the runnner.  As the catcher gets closer, the lower the chance of the runner making it back to any base.  This is a game of cat and mouse.  The first one to commit loses.  If your catcher throws to a base, the runnner goes the other way.  If the runner commits, the catcher can throw her out at the base the runner heads to.  You don't see this play much beyond 12U as the players arms and skills are sufficiennt to throw the runner out.  Make sure you practice all of this.

Inevitably, all this screwing around will result in a run-down.  Make sure you work on run downs in practice.

Tom