2011 RULES
The Hanover County Senior
Slow-Pitch Softball League will play by the official playing rules of the
Amateur Softball Association of America, ASA, with the exception of the
following changes and additions:
I. PLAYERS: ELIGIBILITY AND TEAM ASSIGNMENTS:
1.
An
“eligible player” is an individual who has been “accepted” into the
organization by the board of directors or its disignee. The age criteria for
acceptance into the league is specified in the organization’s by-laws. Any individual not so accepted is deemed an
“ineligible player”.
In
order to play in the league a player must be assigned to a team roster by the Team
Assignment Committee. Any violation may result in the expulsion of the
unassigned player(s) from the league and/or forfeiture of any or all games in
which the unassigned player(s) participated.
2.
The
Team Assignment Committee has the authority to move players as necessary to meet
the needs of the league.
II. TEAM
REQUIREMENTS FOR AN “OFFICIAL GAME”:
1.
A minimum of
seven(7) roster players per team is required.
2.
A minimum of
eight(8) “eligible players”
including at least one(1) female player is required.
3.
In order to meet
the requirements for an “official game” and the league’s preference for at
least a 10 player line-up with eight(8) men and two(2) women, the league will
provide, if possible, up to three "substitute players" for a team
that has less than 10 roster player available.
A pitcher can be provided for a team without an experienced pitcher
regardless of the number of roster players available. A team with less than 2 women may pick up
enough women to have 2, and a team with less than 8 men may pick up enough to
have 8; Maximum of 3 total pick up players.
A team picking up men to have 8 must play 8 men on defense.
A.
All “substitute
players” must be “eligible
players” as described under
Section I(1,2).
B.
Each team will
have a minimum of 10 positions in their batting order with a minimum of 2
female batting positions. A team with
less than 10 actual players must take an automatic out in the batting order for
the missing player(s) using either the designation "MM" (missing
male) or "MF" (missing female) as appropriate. A team with at least 10 players and only one
female must also take an automatic out (MF) somewhere in the batting order.
Note: A team with only 8 players
(roster and substitute) will be the only team that will be required to take 2 automatic outs.
C.
All substitute
players will be placed at the bottom of the batting order.
Exception
1: If the team's only female
player(s) are "substitute" players, one must be placed in one of the
top five batting positions.
Exception
2: Late arriving roster players may be
inserted into the batting order for the game in progress and will fill vacant
batting order positions as follows:
1. Replace any "MF" or
"MM" slots as appropriate.
2. Replace a substitute player
unless the player is a male and all substitute players are female.
3. Added to the bottom of the
batting order for the remainder of that game.
4.
PROCEEDURES FOR
OBTAINING SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS:
A. When
known in advance
The
league will maintain a list of players by position. Teams needing players must contact a
designated league official who will discuss the team's needs. The official will then decide what
position(s) need to be filled and will select the substitute player(s) from
those available matching the position(s) of the missing player(s) as much as is
feasible. The intent is to provide the
short team with a full (8-2) defensive team.
All decisions concerning substitute players will be made by the League
official and are final.
B. At the field
A
manager who un-expectedly has fewer than 10 total players and/or less than 8
men or 2 women players may request pick up players from any board member that
is not a member of either the manager's team or their opponent. The board member will then select available
players to fill the team's needs.
5. When any player is injured and can not
continue to play, or otherwise must leave the game, his/her position in the
batting order will be "skipped" each time through; no penalty
out. If the loss drops the team to less
than 10 players or less than 2 women or 8 men, then the team may replace such
players if a substitute is readily available; such replacements must be
selected by a board member who is not on either teams roster. The "replacement player" will be
put at the bottom of the lineup unless they are replacing the only women
batting in the top five, then they will be placed in her batting position.
6.
In the unlikely event that a "board member" can not handle the
request for "pick-up" players, the opposing manager will determine
what relief, if any, is allowed.
7. The Board of Directors will review any
instances of non-compliance with these rules that is brought to their attention
by "protest" or other timely method and will determine what, if any,
penalty shall be imposed. Such penalty
may include forfeiture of the game(s) in question.
III. FIELDS
AND EQUIPMENT:
1.
Distances: The
distance between the bases is to be sixty-five (65) feet. Bases must be secured
to the ground. The distance from the front of the pitching rubber to the back
of the home plate is to be fifty (50) feet. The outfield line will be set at 160 feet.
2.
Double Bag-First Base: A
double bag or a mat, at least equal in size to the regular bag, is to be used
at first base and is to be located in foul territory adjacent to first base.
3.
Commitment Line: A line,
thirty (30) feet from home plate and perpendicular to the third base side foul
line, is to be used as a commitment line.
4.
Extra Home Plate: An extra
home plate will be placed in foul ground adjacent to home plate.
5.
Bats: All ASA98 approved bats
are legal unless they are listed as of April
1, 2011 on the official ASA softball list of illegal bats. Players will be allowed to use these bat for
the entire 2011 season and playoffs. The
decisions of the umpires are final. It
is the player’s responsibility to know if the bat they are using is legal. (Penalties for using an illegal bat are
covered in ASA rules.)
6.
Uniforms: Players
will be provided with a “uniform jersey” and will be expected to wear that at
all league games as much as possible.
Players may wear other attire of their choosing, providing it does not
contain any text or graphics which is deemed by the board to be offensive to
the general public. Procedure/Penalty:
Player shall be advised and warned.
Repeated occurrences may result in the player’s expulsion from the
league.
IV. ADMINISTRATIVE:
1.
Rained out games may or may not be rescheduled.
2.
The
League Standings will be computed using the team’s won/loss record. Games
that are rained out will not affect the standings. Tie games will result in each team receiving
credit for one-half game in the win column and one-half game in the loss
column.
3.
All
rules can be modified at any time, including during the season, at the
discretion of the Board of Directors.
V. RULES OF PLAY:
1.
General:
A.
Games
are scheduled to be played at 6:30, 7:20, 8:10, and 9:00 p.m. on each
Wednesday until the end of the season (usually late-September).
B.
A
game consists of seven (7) innings or fifty (50) minutes, whichever
comes first. No inning shall begin
after 50 minutes except in the event of a tied game. One extra inning will be played for any game
that is tied at the end of the time period or 7 innings, whichever comes
first. The extra inning will be
"one pitch" and there will be a 3 run limit. The last
batter from the prior inning will become a runner on second base to begin
each half of the extra inning. That
runner may not be replaced by a courtesy runner prior to them reaching third
base.
C.
Official
Game: Provided three (3) complete
innings are played before the umpire declares a rainout, the game will be
declared an official game. The final score at the end of the last complete
inning played will determine the game winner. Any games which are called on account of
time are official provided at least one complete inning has been played.
D.
Each
team may score a maximum of seven (7) runs in each of the first three (3)
innings. The Fourth and all subsequent
innings will be "unlimited".
E.
Unsportsmanlike
conduct, abusive language and/or cursing are not permitted. Any player ejected from a game for such
conduct will be immediately suspended for the remainder of that night of play
and the next night of play. The player
must immediately leave the softball complex and may not return until his/her
suspension is lifted. During the
suspension, the player may not participate in any league activity. A second offense will result in immediate
suspension until the Board determines the player's return eligibility.
F.
Umpires
have the authority to control the games.
2. Batting:
A.
When
a team consists of more than ten players, each player will bat. There must be at least one female batter in
one of the top five batting positions.
The batting order at the beginning of play will remain unchanged except
for late arrivals. See Section II(3,C).
B.
Two
(2) strikes constitute an out; three (3) balls constitute a walk.
C.
A
batter who fouls two (2) pitches after having one (1) strike will be
declared out.
D.
If
a male batter who precedes a female batter is walked, intentional or not, the
male batter is walked to second base.
Any current base runners will advance as forced. The female batter will bat if there are less
than two outs. With two outs, the female
batter has the choice to take her turn at bat or take a walk to first base.
3.
Pitching:
A.
When
facing male batters pitchers are to use twelve-inch (12") balls;
when facing female batters they are to use eleven-inch (11")
balls.
B.
Pitchers
may begin their delivery with their feet on or within 6 feet behind the
pitching rubber.
4.
Defense:
A.
No
more than ten (10) defensive players may be on the field at any given time
and a maximum of eight (8) of these players may be male.
B.
All
outfielders must remain behind the white line of the outfield until the
batter hits the ball. Note: The
umpire must see the infraction in order to impose any penalty.
1. If an umpire sees an outfielder
"over the line" before the pitch is delivered, he should stop play and instruct the player(s) to move back.
2. If the Outfielder causing the
infraction is not involved in the play - No Penalty will be enforced; the play stands.
3. If the outfielder causing the
infraction fields the ball or makes contact with the batted ball - play continues until conclusion and the
offensive team has an option:
a. Take the result of the play
or
b. "No Play" is called and
the batter is awarded first base and all runners move up as forced.
C.
No female batter may be thrown out by
an outfielder before she successfully reaches first base.
5. Base
Running:
A. Base stealing is prohibited.
B. Sliding into any base is prohibited. A
player may "slide back into" a base they have already passed.
C. If there is a play on a batter going to
first base from home plate, he or she must touch the portion of the double
bag extending into foul territory. The batter may be called out for failing to
do so. If there is no play at first base, the batter is allowed to touch the
bag in fair territory. Players may over-run first base with impunity as long as
they do not, in the judgement of the umpire, “make a move” toward second base
after touching the first base.
D. Base runners may not leave their bases until
the batter has made contact with the ball or the ball crosses the plate and
they are subject to being tagged out if they over-run second or third base.
E. A base runner who has passed, and tagged,
third base may return to that base unless his/her foot touches the ground on or
beyond the commitment line.
He/she is now “committed to home” and may not re-cross the commitment
line in the direction of third base.
Violations will result in the base runner being called out.
In order
to score, a base runner must tag the extra home plate before a defensive
player in possession of the ball touches home plate. To get a runner who is “committed to home”
out, a defensive player must touch home plate while in possession of the ball
before that runner tags the extra home plate. He or she must touch home plate;
not the base runner. Contact with a base runner, who is committed to home, by
any defensive player may result in an “obstruction call” by the umpire in which
case the runner will be awarded home plate.
A base
runner will also be called out if he/she touches or crosses any portion of home
plate.
6. Courtesy Runners:
A.
The request for a
courtesy runner must come from the batter or base runner. The courtesy runner will be the "last
out". If the last out is also
unable to run then the "next last out" will be the courtesy
runner. One of these three players (The
batter/base runner - last out - second last out) must run.
A
courtesy runner may not be replaced by another courtesy runner.
B.
A courtesy runner
for a batter must begin behind the designated line. If the courtesy runner touches the ground
beyond the line before the ball is hit or passes the plate the umpire will call
"no pitch".
C.
Should a courtesy
runner be on base when his/her turn to bat comes up, they will be
replaced on the base by another courtesy runner, as specified above in 6,A, and
will take their turn at bat.
VI. PROTESTS:
1.
A manager who
believes that the opposing team is guilty of a rules infringement shall inform
the umpire immediately that he/she is protesting the game. The protest must be written by the protesting
manager and signed by that manager and the umpire before the teams leave the
field. The protest must include the
specific rule(s) which was(were) violated and the names of any individuals
involved.
2.
Managers involved
in a protest must provide league officials with accurate copies of lineups
and/or scorebook pages from the protested game.
VII. VIOLATIONS:
Violation(s) of any of
these rules by a manager, whether a protest is filed or not, is/are subject to
review by the board of directors who will decide on any appropriate action(s)
to be taken which may include forfeiture of the game(s).
The above rules were approved by
Hanover Senior Softball’s Board of Directors
February 9, 2011.
Revised on April 20, 2011