Softball Rules

BOTH MEN’S AND COED DIVISIONS

1. Umpires will call ALL rule infractions (as done in National Federation Softball and Baseball). This includes not legally touching a base, not tagging up, etc. There is no need for the defensive team to make appeal plays, as the umpire will automatically apply the correct penalties as soon as all play has ceased and time is out.
2. MERCY RULE - 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs thereafter
3. Since this is a self-pitch league your pitcher must get out of the way of a batted ball. If a batted ball strikes your pitcher your batter will be declared out.
4. Automatic base on balls can be given by a defensive team requesting it at any time.
5. One courtesy runner is allowed per inning. Courtesy runners shall be the last recorded out made by the player of the same sex. If no player of the same sex has recorded an out, the last player of the same sex listed last in the batting order shall be the courtesy runner.
6. Teams have the option of batting any number of legally rostered players, from 8 - 16 (with unlimited defensive substitutions), with any remaining rostered players being withheld as substitutes.

COMMUNICATION WITH OFFICIALS - Only the team captain/coach is allowed to have communication with the game officials. Should a certain player(s) have questions/concerns, they should be directed to the officials via the captain/coach ONLY.

NOTE: The starting batting order must be followed, but defensive changes may be made at any time. Players arriving after the 1st pitch of the game may be added to the end of the batting order immediately upon arrival, or must be used as a regular substitute. The scorekeeper need not be notified of any defensive changes, but must be told of any substitution changes. Any batter failing to bat for any reason will be automatically out if no legal substitute is available the first time a batter fails to bat. Said player shall not participate any further in the game. This space shall be skipped for the remainder of the game with no further penalty.

BOTH DIVISIONS: All teams will use the self-pitch rule. All batters will have a maximum of 3 pitches. If by the third pitch the batter DOES NOT get a hit he/she is out. Sides will change when there are 3 outs.

COED DIVISION ONLY

1. The 160-foot arc will not be in effect. Fielders may play anywhere defensively.
2. Rosters must have a minimum of four women and four men to begin any game. The following are the only combinations allowed:

3. The batting order must alternate by sex. Members of the same sex may never bat consecutively.

Teams and players are hereby notified that no such rule exists in softball, which states that a base runner "must slide". This has been and continues to be a standard misconception amongst a majority of softball players and fans alike. On page 65, under POINTS OF EMPHASIS IN the SCMAF rule book, it states under the section of COLLISIONS: "It is the intent of this rule book to avoid collisions whenever possible to prevent injury. AT NO TIME DO WE INSIST OR MAKE IT MANDATORY FOR ANYONE TO SLIDE, ONLY TO AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH A FIELDER. RUNNERS SHOULD ATTEMPT TO AVOID CONTACT WHENEVER POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR CONTACT TO OCCUR WITHOUT INTERFERENCE. Please refer to the definitions of interference and obstruction."

1. Pants, shorts, sweats, etc. may be worn with pockets and belt loops as long as safety is not put at risk. In general, any kind of attire is acceptable to participate in as long as the safety of the individual and other participants is not put in question.
2. Jewelry is not allowed - PERIOD! Placing tape over any type of jewelry on any part of the body (ear, nose, eyebrow, etc.) is not allowed, as the jewelry is still present, and presents a safety concern to both the player wearing the jewelry as well as the opponent.
3. Shoes - All players must wear an enclosed shoe. Spiked shoes made out of any non-metal material may be worn. NO METAL CLEATS. Any players wearing metal cleats must remove them immediately; play must be stopped until the metal cleats are removed.
4. Game balls and bats must be “official”. The only bats allowed to be used for all scheduled games must say on the bat “official softball bat”.

Playoffs are determined at the end of the season.

The Department of Recreational Sports reserves the right to ban any player, coach, spectator, or participant from further participation for an indefinite time period due to any misconduct and/or unsportsmanlike conduct.

Any questions, problems, or further information on anything pertaining to the Softball program can be obtained by contacting us.

Games consist of 7 innings and/or all games will have a 1-hour time limit.

Only CURRENT students, staff, faculty, and alumni association members are eligible to participate. A student must have paid his/her fees, which include a portion that is directed toward the Department of Campus Recreation. Students in an Extended Education program or who are Open University students are not eligible to participate. The exception for this would be for the students participating in the 10 week International Student Exchange. Teams who have players on their roster who have either been a member of a collegiate team or a professional l team must get approval of Campus Recreation before the season begins.

Any team with two or more current or former collegiate and or professional players on their rosters must advise the Department of Campus Recreation in advance and BEFORE the program begins. If this is not done, all games played with or without the current/former collegiate and or professional players will be considered losses. The intent of this rule is to make all other participants aware of the circumstances, and to make modifications (if necessary) for championship awards.

A player may play for only one team. A player who has played on more than one team without explicit authorization will have all games they played in count as losses, including games played on for their “original team”.

1. If any player is found ineligible for any reason all of the games that he/she has participated in will be losses.

1. Postponed or rained-out league games will not be re-played.
2. POSSIBLE RAINED OUT GAMES: The following procedure will be followed in case there is any doubt concerning the condition of the fields immediately following or on a rainy day:

Both the home team and visiting team captains must call the Assistant Coordinator of Recreational Sports by 12 noon on the day of the game. The playability of the field will have been determined by that time.

The umpire at the field location will make any changes due to the condition of the weather AFTER the Department of Recreational Sports has made a decision.

Each member of the championship team will receive an Intramural Championship t-shirt.

Sec. 1 The notification of the intent to protest must be made immediately before the ball is put into play, or the play will no longer be protested.

1. The captain of the protesting team should immediately notify the official(s) that the game is being continued under protest. Officials will notify the opposing team captain or manager.
2. All interested parties shall take notice of the conditions surrounding the making of the decision that will aid in the correct determination of the issue.

Protest shall be handed in writing to the Recreation Office the next working day. Failure to do so will also negate the protest.

Tied games may continue at the end of 7th inning of play only if the time limit has not expired. League games ending in a tie will count as a tie.

All participants must register their social security number on their roster and have their Coyote One card present at game time at every game. Proper identification consists of a valid Coyote One card and valid social security number. Faculty and staff should follow the same procedure, as do the students. Alumni Association members need a current membership card and a photo ID. The Department of Campus Recreation requires that all teams complete registration of their team before the beginning of the season.

In cases where a participant has an extenuating circumstance (recently transferred, lost ID, etc.), they may still participate. However, the participant must complete the process before their first game. If this is not done, the participant will not be allowed to play until he/she follows the proper procedure.

The Department of Recreational Sports student assistants will keep the official game score.

1. ROSTER SIZE – Rosters can have an unlimited amount of players. A Coed roster must have at least 4 women and 4 men.
2. SIGNED ROSTERS – Captains are responsible for making sure that each player signs their roster, registers his/her social security number and supplies a valid Coyote One card at game time. The captains also understand and realize that the Department of Campus Recreation DOES NOT HAVE OR PROVIDE MEDICAL INSURANCE in the event a player is injured during the course of the season. In addition, the team captain is responsible to assure that each player reads and fully understands and completes the waiver form. Any player not filling out the waiver or roster will be ineligible for that game.
3. ADDITIONAL PLAYERS - Teams may add or delete players on their rosters until the end of the third week of the season. These changes must be made the day prior to your games.
4. MINIMUM PLAYERS - 10 rostered players shall constitute a full team. Teams may start with 7 players, (men’s only) or 8, (co-ed) and must maintain the minimum rostered players in the game at all times, otherwise a forfeit will occur.
5. TEAM BENCH DESIGNATION: Home team will sit on the 1st base side of the field, and the visiting team will sit on the 3rd base side.

Official softball rules as published by Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (SCMAF), with certain exceptions as noted herein will be used during league play.

Game time is forfeit time. The definition of a forfeit is: THE PENALTY IMPOSED ON A TEAM FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO FIELD AT LEAST 7(men’s) 0r 8(co-ed) ROSTERED PLAYERS ON THE FIELD AT GAME TIME.

Teams forfeiting a game based on this definition will receive a loss for the forfeited game. After 2 forfeits, the team will be dropped from the program.