NUMBER OF PLAYERS
- Style: Teams will play with 10 players on the field.
- Min number of players: A game may start and end with a minimum of 8 players without being declared a forfeit.
- Automatic out(s): Teams must take one automatic out in their batting order when having 9 players and two automatic outs in their batting order when having 8 players. Teams MAY intentionally walk the batter prior to the “automatic out” if they wish to get to the automatic out spot in the lineup.
- Picking up players: Refer to our FAQ page regarding picking up players in regular season games.
EQUIPMENT
- Each team is responsible for supplying its own equipment including bats, jerseys, bats, gloves, & protective gear.
- Metal Cleats are NOT allowed
- Bats: All bats must be a slowpitch bat with either ASA, USSSA, or NSA stamp. NO senior or fastpitch bats allowed.
- Ball: Men’s: .52 core & 300 compression or below stamped 12-inch yellow balls (NSA, ASA, USA, USSSA, WSL)
- When a new ball is throw in directly to the pitcher it is their responsibility to check the ball or give it to the umpire to be checked. If the pitcher fails to do so as did not give to umpire to check there is no penalty given to the batter and the ball is thrown out at the time it is found to be illegal.
REGULATION GAME
- Innings—A regulation game shall consist of seven innings; in the event of rain or darkness, 4 complete innings or 30+ minutes of game time constitutes a regulation game in the regular season. In the playoffs, only 4 complete innings shall constitute as a regulation game.
- Time Limit—1 hour, no new inning shall start after 55 minutes.
- Mercy Rule—A game is complete when a team is leading by 15 runs after 3 innings
- Mercy Rule—A game is complete when a team is leading by 12 runs after 4 innings
- Mercy Rule—A game is complete when a team is leading by 10 runs after 5 innings
- Home Team–The home team shall be determined prior to the game via a coin toss (except in DH leagues).
BATTING ORDER/SCOREKEEPING
- Scorekeeping: The umpire will be responsible for keeping score of each game. It is not required but is recommended that each team have a scorekeeper as well
- Substitutions: Teams may bat all players on their team for each game (15max may play per game). Players can rotate in and out of the field each inning without reporting to the umpire; however the batting order must remain the same unless a substitute who has not played is being used.
- Re-Entry Rule: If a player is taken out of the batting order for a substitute, that player can “re-enter” one time but must return for the player that replaced him/her in the batter order. A player that starts the game as a substitute CANNOT re-enter once being removed from the game.
EXTRA INNINGS
- Starting Situation: If the game is tied at the end of regulation, extra innings will be played with a runner on 2nd base and 1-out. Teams will play until a winner is declared.
- Courtesy Runner in Extra Innings: The runner on 2nd base can be replaced with the courtesy runner for the inning, however the original runner must first take possession of 2nd base and be replaced after 1 pitch is thrown.
FOUL TIP
- The definition of a foul tip is a ball that is hit and goes “sharp & direct” from the bat to the catcher’s glove and is caught in flight. If the ball goes more than 6 feet in the air the umpire will call it an out. If the ball is under 6 feet, it will be the umpire’s discretion based on the sharpness of the batted ball.
- The batter may foul the third strike once, but will be declared out on a second fouled third strike.
BASERUNNING
- Courtesy Runners: Teams may use one courtesy runner per inning. That runner can be anyone in the game or on the bench but if that person is on base and it’s their turn at bat, it’s an out.
- Sliding: The runner must avoid a fielder who has the ball when waiting to make a play. The runner does not have to slide, but has the option to.
PITCHING
- Type of Pitching: The ball must be pitched underhand at a slow speed
- Arc: The ball arc at least 6-feet from the ground before it crosses home plate and shall not rise higher than 12-feet above the ground.
- Hitting up the Middle: Teams will receive ONE WARNING each for an “up the middle” violation and after that point, every ball deemed “up the middle” will be an OUT. After the warning has been issued and the umpire determines a ball is hit “up the middle”, the umpire shall call the play dead and declare the out while making all runners return to their initial base. The batter will ALWAYS be declared out if the pitcher is hit on a line drive in the air; provided the pitcher is within 1 foot of the pitching rubber. The glove is NOT considered part of the body.
- What is considered “up the middle”: If the ball is hit with excessive speed up the middle (approx 1 foot off each side of the pitching plate) the warning will be given. The pitcher does not have to be on the pitching rubber to get the warning (some pitchers move off as soon as the ball leaves there hand), rather the determination of a warning shall be made by the location and speed of the ball. This is not a gender bias warning/out. It can and will be given due to a male or feel make hitting the middle.
STRIKE ZONE
- The strike zone is any part of the area over home plate that is lower than the top of the batter’s highest shoulder, or higher than the bottom of his back knee.
- A ball will be declared when a pitched ball strikes the ground before crossing the plate, when the ball hits the plate, or when the ball crosses the plate over the batter’s head
- Men’s Leagues: All batters will start with a 1-1 count
HOMERUNS
- Each team is permitted a maximum of 5 ‘over the fence’ home runs per game. Any homerun exceeding 5 will count as an OUT against the batter.
- If the batter hits the ball off of an outfielders glove and the ball goes over the fence without touching the ground, the ruling is a “4 base error”. It does NOT count against the teams homerun total but the batter/runner does NOT have to run the bases.
TIE BREAKERS
- If two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, their seeding will be determined by…
- 1st- Head to head wins
- 2nd- Overall run differential (max differential per game is 15)
- 3rd- Coin toss
PLAYOFFS
- In most leagues, playoffs will consist of a single elimination tournament for all teams. At times a double elimination tournament may be in effect for all teams depending on the number of teams or possibly a single elimination tournament with a best 2 of 3 championship series.
- To be eligible for the playoffs a player must BOTH be on the teams roster by the cutoff date and have played in a minimum of one regular season game.
CONDUCT
- Only captains are permitted to stop the flow of the game to discuss a call with the umpire.
- If a player is ejected from a game, he will sit out that game and the following game. A 2nd ejection of the year for a player will result in that player being kicked out of the league.
