Is a pitcher ever "Locked In"?

Powerade80,

Under NFHS (Fed) rules once the pitcher puts his hands together in the windup position he can do only two things legally.
Step backward off the rubber, pivot foot first or go into his wind-up and deliver a pitch.

If he wishes to change to the set position he must first disengage by stepping back with his pivot foot first. He may then change to the set position. If he goes directly to the set position from the wind-up position without first stepping off he has balked.

In the OP there is no mention of men on base.......are there or aren't there men on base??....very important to know before answering the question.....

I stand corrected.

LOW337 is right. I can't specifically say that the pitcher balked as stated above if there were no runners on base. However, I can't think of any logical reason why a pitcher would want to switch from a wind-up position to a set position (legally or illegally) if there weren't any runners.

I made an assumption...my bad.

Alright, i'll clarify, sorry for not doing so earlier.

Situation #1 - No runners on, pitcher in windup, and does same as origional post. What the umpire told this coach was that once he has brought his hands together the only thing he can do is pitch to the batter. The coach disagreed and said he should be able to step off. Umpire (not me) said no, he is now locked in.

Does the same rule apply if runers are on? for instance.....runner on 3rd, pitcher starts in windup, but decides that set would be better for some reason, but he has already brought hands from side to front of his body. Could he now legaly step off and switch to set? I am thinking yes.....what do you guys think? Or know.

If there is no one on base he can't balk......the umpire can "ball" you but not for that.....with no one on base you can start your delivery and stop and restart if you want.....now if it delays the game and gets out of hand that's another matter.......

cannot balk with no runners on base.....

ball has to cross foul line in order for it to be a ball or strike........

"ball" can be called for going to the mouth in the dirt (may vary from HS, Coll, Youth)....or delaying the game..........etc...

with runners on you can step off any time you like from the set or wind-up provided it's done legally WITH THE PIVOT FOOT and once again, doesn't become a problem delaying the game......