Automatic umpire for slow pitch softball

摘要

Disclosed is an apparatus and a method for use in slow-pitch softball which is played on a baseball field having a home plate. The apparatus detects and indicates whether a pitch is a strike. The apparatus comprises a flat member having a surface which is positioned horizontally, adjacent to and behind the home plate and has boundaries defining a strike zone. When an object, such as a softball impacts the surface of the flat member, a strike signal is generated and an indication is made that the strike zone has been impacted. The indication can be made by an audible signal which sounds like the word "strike." The strike signal is generated by the closing of a switch or one or more of an array of switches upon impact by the object on the flat member's surface. One type of switch which may be used is a pressure sensitive switch.