4-man mechanics question; and I know this would only be used in D1 college, college postseason at all levels, and HS state championships, but wondering about something:
Situation: R1 only, fly ball to right field, U1 goes out for the catch/no-catch.
Question: Mechanics manual for the situation where the ball is caught, U3 should "enter into the working area immediately" and be ready for any plays at 2nd or 3rd on R1 should he tag and advance, and U2 slides to first for any plays back into 1st base. Okay, that makes a lot of sense, no issues there.
My question stems from the same situation where the ball is not caught, the manual U3 stays at 3rd in foul territory for any plays there, and U2 has all plays at 1st and 2nd bases.
When the ball is hit and U1 goes out, U3 can't know if it will be caught or not. By definition, U1 is going out b/c it is a trouble ball and not a can of corn. So how can U3 decide whether to "enter immediately" or not? Do you key on the runner and not the ball/catch? I.E, if you see R1 tagging, come in and assume catch/tag? If R1 is halfway, stay at 3rd? (because if he is half-way and it is caught, he isn't running all the way back to 1st, tagging, and then running all the way to 2nd)