What are some tips on fielding shallow fly balls hit to the outfield? Our call is "mine, mine, mine" three times as loud as you can. Communication is very vital to play an outfield position on a baseball...
Communication is very vital to play an outfield position on a baseball team One of the most important times when communication is a must for the outfield position is on shallow hit fly balls.
Shallow hit fly balls are those little dribblers that land just over the head of an infielder and just in front of the outfielder for a hit. As innocent as the shallow pop fly looks, if good quality communication techniques aren't practiced when the ball is in the air, it could get very hectic for the baseball players racing for the ball.
Ohio University head coach Joe Carbone said his outfielders practice on the shallow pop fly so that they can be familiar with the situation in a game.
"Our call is 'mine, mine, and mine' three times as loud as you can," Carbone said. "Some people say 'ball, ball, ball', too. But, it's just whatever term you want to use."
Carbone said it's always good to have one call that everyone uses to avoid confusion. Outfielders should also stay away from long phrases.
"You want to stay away from 'I got it'", he said. "Because sometimes guys get confused about who has it. So, we say 'mine'. It's short and simple."
Other ways to avoid confusion surrounds the center fielder. As the leader of the outfield, the center fielder is responsible for making key decisions.
"If the center fielder calls anytime, he gets the ball," Carbone said. "If you're going for a ball and it is in shallow left center or shallow right center and no one is calling then we don't know who is going to get to it.
"We tell the center fielder to take a peek at the right fielder and left fielder, because their angle is a little bit better," he added. "The center fielder is going to be the back up man there, if they are calling for the ball. If the ball is hitting the gap deep, the right fielder and left fielder take a peek at the center fielder because he usually can get a better read on that ball in the left center or right center then the right fielder or left fielder can."
Infielders also have responsibilities on shallow hit baseballs according to Carbone.
"When a ball is hit over the infielder's head, our rule is you go after it," he said. "The only time you don't go after it, is if the outfielder is calling you off. When the outfielder starts calling, then the infielder is supposed to peel off.
"Nobody calling means nobody can get to it," he said. "The infielder is supposed to continue going until they hear somebody. Sometimes, you get two aggressive guys going after the ball and neither one knows they can catch it, but you do what you can."
Carbone also said that regular practice on these plays can help any team.
"You need to practice that stuff," he said. "We have infield, outfield communication drills. We hit balls in between guys and you start getting the feel of what your outfielders and infielders can catch and what they can't catch."
