designated runner

Question
My daughter is 10th grade catcher on her High School baseball team. She is the designated runner or substitute runner for a another 12th grade catcher. My daughter has stolen 17 bases this season so far while serving as the designated runner, but the senior catcher has been credited with those steals. Please advise. Who should be credited?

Answer
Rita,

I'm not sure I understand the situation.  Please answer a question for me.

Does your daughter stay in the game after her baserunning is over or does she come out of the game and the regular catcher go back in?

If the answer is yes, then I'm not sure what type of rules you are playing under.  In major league baseball, college baseball, and any high school baseball I've heard of, when one player comes out they may not reenter the game.

I would credit your daughter with the steals, but if she runs for another person and that person stays in the game, then the other catcher probably does get credit for the steals.  Way back when, in the early history of baseball, they sometimes used courtesy runners.  In the statistics of baseball, these courtesy runners did not get credit for anything that happened while they were on the bases.  The runner came out of the game and the regular went back in.  Typically, this was done in the case of an injury where the regular then shook it off and could go back in the game.

Kind of a long answer, but hope it helps!

Brian