S.R.B.C. Church Softball League Rules

(Revised 3/9/09)

 

 Important: When no rule has been otherwise defined, ASA rules are enforced. 

 

**Please read carefully and keep your team informed of the rules.  It REQUIRED            that you print out a copy and bring it to each game in case of confusion between teams and/or the umpires.

 

Here are the rules particular to the SRBC league:

 

1)      EQUIPMENT: Game balls will be supplied for both leagues. For those teams with ladies on the team, you may substitute the following ball when your ladies are at bat: “Dudley gold-stitch, 11 inch ball with .44 core.”  These balls will be provided. Since we want to keep things consistent, this ladies ball will be the ONLY substitute allowed. All other equipment will be the responsibility of the team and/or players. Metal cleats will not be allowed.

 

2)      Sliding (or otherwise avoiding contact) will be required of base runners to prevent injury to fielders and runners. Violators will be ejected from the game.

 

3) If your field is equipped with the double-first base (the red bag), the runner must use the outside bag to avoid collisions with the fielder. Violators will be called out.

 

4) While the use of double-walled bats is permitted. Use of triple-walled, gas filled bats, and bats on the enclosed list is prohibited. NO MIKEN OR OTHER COMPOSITE BATS OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED.  These are dangerous, especially to 3^rd basemen and pitchers.  Any team found using a Miken or other composite bat will be charged one out for that inning and the bat will be disallowed.  If a team is caught using an illegal bat for a second game, they may be subject to forfeiting the game.  This is serious.  But I’m sure since we are all Christian athletes this won’t be a problem. A good rule of thumb for if you are not sure about a bat after reading the rules and checking the enclosed banned bat list, if it has a name like Wicked, Mutant, Mayhem, or something equally scary along those lines, assume its banned, because it probably is.  Also, in games involving co-ed teams, double wall bats are prohibited.  Violators will be called out. We suggest leaving them (the bats, that is) in your car.

 

5) For coed games, the above rules apply, in addition to the following requirements:

 

I.      Each defensive team should have ten players, but teams may play with eight or nine players. If a team has ten defensive players, at least four of the ten must be women. If a team has eight or nine defensive players, at least three must be women. 

II.      A team may have a batting order of unlimited size, but no more than two men may bat in a row. A team may bat as many women in a row as it chooses. This applies across innings; thus, if the last two batters of an inning are men, the next time that team bats a woman must lead off.  The way this is typically done is for teams to have separate batting orders for men and women. The first two men bat, followed by the first woman, then the third and fourth men, followed by the second woman. Each batting order (men’s and women’s) must remain the same throughout the game and no more than two men can bat in a row. Please note that if you choose to use separate men’s and women’s batting orders, unless your team has a perfect 2:1 ratio of men to women, the women will bat after different men each time through the order.

 

6) All actions and language should reflect the fact that this is a Christian league.  Praying with the opposing team before the game has become a tradition that we would like to see continue.

 

7)  There will be NO smoking, drinking of alcoholic beverages, profanity (spoken) or vulgarity (gestures). Violators will be required to leave the premises. Vulgarity and/or profanity by a player or coach during the game will result in ejection from the game. The umpires will be instructed to take decisive and immediate action on this.

 

  Please make any appeal or “complaint” to an umpire in a Christian manner. As an ambassador of Christ, you represent Him in everything you do or say and HOW you do and say what you do. Perhaps an unsaved person is watching you to see how you handle the adversity of a “bad call”. Umpires are human, they make mistakes, and they need our understanding of these facts.

 

9) There is a five minute grace period for teams that fall below the required 8 players to begin a game. If you have less than the minimum 8 required to begin the game, the game is forfeited. A team that plays shorthanded will not be penalized with an “out” for that “hole” in their lineup.  However, you may not “sit” eligible players in order to field less than 10 players.

 

10) If you start less than 10 players, you may add late “show-ups” to your defense and to the bottom of the order of your offense.

 

11) Regarding “lineups”: For the Competitive League (Tuesday) you may field 10 players and bat those ten plus a DH, if you desire to do so.

 

12) For the Recreational League (Monday) “free substitution” is allowed, and you can bat as many players in the lineup as you want.  See Rule 5 above for coed rules regarding lineups.

 

13) Regarding substitute or courtesy runners: This will be allowed in the recreation (Thursday) league for players who cannot or should not run. The last person making an out (as a hitter or a runner) will be the substitute. There will be substitute runners in the competitive (Tuesday) league, but limited only to players who shouldn’t or can’t run.  You may not substitute a runner just to insert someone faster. Also, in the competitive league teams will only be allowed one courtesy runner per inning.  Pinch runners, are, of course, allowed. 

 

14) All games will be 7 innings in length. For games called due to weather or darkness, the game will be considered complete if the losing team has completed four full innings of offense.

 

15) For early games, no new inning can begin after 7:10 PM.

 

16) For late games, the umpires may “call” the game if it becomes too dark to see well enough to play effectively (and avoid injury).

 

17) Games ending in a tie will not be replayed, and will be reported to the league as a tie.

 

18) The team captains must report the final score to Andy Bauer promptly.  I would prefer this to be through email (ando775@sbcglobal.net) but if that is not possible phone will be acceptable (292-3174). Failure to do so may result in your team not getting credit for the win, tie, or the score. Scores will be important in tiebreakers.

 

19) Regarding standings, winning percentage will be the factor determining the ranking of the teams. If teams wind up in a tie then the tiebreaker rules apply.

 

20) Tie breakers will be as follows: 1st tiebreaker: WINS. 2nd tiebreaker: HEAD TO HEAD. 3rd tiebreaker: RUNS SCORED. 4th tiebreaker: RUNS ALLOWED.

 

 21) If for some reason, you decide to play a game under protest, please continue to play the game using good sportsmanship, and call or email Andy Bauer within 24 hours to lodge the protest. Protests should be confined to misapplication of a technical rule, and not an appeal regarding a “missed call.”

 

22)  I don’t have the resources to be able to track the rosters of every team, so the integrity of team rosters is the responsibility of individual team managers.  Please try to keep the same roster intact as much as possible throughout the season.  Injuries, vacations, and other things occur that make it difficult, but do your best.  If you have multiple teams in a league and not all of them make the playoffs, do not combine your rosters to make an “All-star” team for the playoffs.  This does not show good sportsmanship and violates the spirit of Christian competition.

 

22) Please park in the church parking lot ONLY. There should be no parking on the school play yard or on Anderson Drive (the street by the back fields). Please help us remain in good grace with our neighbors.

 

We are excited about the softball season, and wish you a great time of fun and fellowship!

 

Sincerely,

 

The SRBC Softball Administrators