For most high school softball programs the answer is to start with the catcher, then add the pitcher once your state is operating under the 2027 NFHS rules. Under current NFHS softball rules the catcher is the player permitted to receive one-way electronic communication from the dugout, and beginning with the 2027 season pitchers join catchers as the only players allowed to receive it. Travel and youth organizations set their own rules, so the right answer for your team depends on which body you play under and on how your staff already calls a game.
What do the NFHS softball rules allow right now?
The NFHS Softball Rules Committee met June 14 to 16, 2026 in Indianapolis, and its recommendations were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. The change that matters here: pitchers will join catchers as the only players in high school softball permitted to receive one-way electronic communication from the dugout, effective with the 2027 season.
A few limits did not change, and they define how any setup has to work.
- Communication is one way only, from the dugout to the player. Players do not talk back over the system.
- It originates in the dugout, not from a coach standing in a base coach’s box or in the stands.
- Use of all other electronic devices to transmit or record information remains prohibited on the field of play.
- Players remain prohibited from transmitting or recording audio or video from the playing surface.
State associations adopt NFHS rules on their own timelines and can add their own restrictions, so confirm with your state office before the season rather than after a protest. We covered the rule change itself in more detail in
softball pitchers can now get the call directly.
Catcher only, pitcher only, or both?
| Setup |
How the call travels |
Strengths |
Tradeoffs |
Best fit |
| Catcher only |
Dugout to catcher, catcher relays to the pitcher |
Catcher keeps ownership of the inning, easiest to teach, one receiver to manage |
One extra relay, and a pitcher who shakes off still costs time |
Teams with an experienced catcher, and any program in a state not yet under the 2027 rules |
| Pitcher only |
Dugout to pitcher, catcher gets the call by sign or by pitcher indication |
Fastest path to the person throwing the ball, tone and emphasis reach the pitcher directly |
The catcher can be the last to know, which hurts blocking and framing preparation |
Rare as a permanent setup, useful in specific matchups |
| Both |
Dugout to pitcher and catcher at the same time |
No relay at all, both players prepare for the same pitch simultaneously, fewest crossed signals |
Two receivers to charge, manage, and troubleshoot, and a higher subscription cost |
Programs already comfortable with the workflow, once 2027 rules are in effect in your state |
What changes when the pitcher hears the call directly?
The obvious gain is speed, because a relay disappears. The less obvious gains matter more over a season.
- Tone carries. “Rise ball, up and in, trust it” lands differently spoken than it does as a sequence of signs. A pitcher who is speeding up can be talked back down between pitches.
- Both players start their preparation at the same instant. The catcher is not waiting to be told, and the pitcher is not waiting for the catcher to finish decoding.
- Sign stealing pressure drops, because there is less to see. That is the same reason many staffs moved off signs in the first place, as covered in how do you call pitches without hand signals in softball.
There is a real cost too. Some pitchers do better hearing less between pitches, especially young pitchers who are still learning to reset. If a pitcher’s tempo gets worse with a voice in her ear, that is useful information, and the fix is usually to shorten what the coach says, not to pull the earpiece.
What equipment does each option require?
App based systems run on hardware most teams already own. Each person receiving audio needs their own device with the app and their own earbuds, and the receiving device stays in the dugout, paired to the earpiece over Bluetooth. That is why moving from one receiver to two is a question of adding a device and a user, not buying a new system.
- Coach: a phone in the dugout with the app.
- Catcher: an earpiece paired to a device that remains in the dugout.
- Pitcher, if you add her: the same arrangement, her own device and her own earpiece.
- Optional: a smartwatch for the coach so the calls can be sent without pulling out a phone.
The full equipment list is in
do you need special equipment for electronic pitch calling in softball, and if you are wondering whether your existing earbuds qualify,
can you use AirPods to call pitches in softball answers that directly.
What does it cost to add a second receiver?
The Headset App is $19.99 per user per month or $99.99 per user per year, and cost scales with the number of active users on the account. A typical two user setup runs $120 to $160 for a three to four month season. Adding a third user, which is what putting an earpiece on both the pitcher and the catcher amounts to, adds one more user at the same per user rate. Users can be added or removed as the season goes, so a program can start with the catcher, run a few weeks, and add the pitcher when the staff is ready rather than committing on day one.
How should a staff phase this in?
A four step rollout
- Step one, confirm your state. Ask your state association which rules year you are operating under and whether any additional restrictions apply.
- Step two, catcher first, in the bullpen. Get the catcher fluent with the audio before either player sees a game situation. The drill progression in how to train catchers on audio pitch calling transfers directly to softball.
- Step three, decide who owns the shake. If the pitcher wants a different pitch, define exactly how she says so without a two way channel. Most staffs use a simple visual from the pitcher back to the dugout.
- Step four, add the pitcher and shorten the script. Once both players hear the call, the coach should say less, not more. A pitch, a location, and at most one word of intent.
Always have a fallback
Batteries die and earbuds fall out. Keep one simple sign set that the whole team knows, and practice switching to it mid inning at least twice during the preseason so that it is boring rather than alarming the first time it happens in a game.
Frequently asked questions
Can any other softball players wear an earpiece?
No. Under the 2027 NFHS softball rules, pitchers and catchers are the only players permitted to receive one-way electronic communication from the dugout, and all other electronic devices used to transmit or record information remain prohibited on the field of play.
Can the player talk back to the coach?
No. The rule permits one-way communication only, from the dugout to the player. Anything the pitcher or catcher needs to say back has to happen the way it always has, with a look, a sign, or a trip to the circle.
Do travel ball and youth leagues follow the same rules?
Not necessarily. Travel organizations, youth leagues, and college softball each set their own policies, and tournament operators sometimes add their own. Check the specific rule set for the event you are entering rather than assuming the high school rule applies.
If we can only afford one earpiece, who gets it?
The catcher, in almost every case. She is already the player organizing the defense and communicating with the pitcher, so the relay she performs is one she is doing anyway.
Where to start
If you are new to this, put the earpiece on your catcher, keep your calls short, and get a full preseason of reps before the schedule starts. When your state moves to the 2027 rules and your staff is comfortable, adding the pitcher is a small step rather than a new system. The Headset App runs on the phones and earbuds your program already owns, and users can be added one at a time, so a softball staff can grow into a setup at whatever pace the season allows.
Sources
- NFHS, One-way Electronic Communications Allowed for Pitchers Under 2027 High School Softball Rules Changes (via Stateline Sports Network, July 2026)
- NFHS Softball Rules Committee meeting, June 14 to 16, 2026, Indianapolis; recommendations approved by the NFHS Board of Directors
