Adult Recreation Softball League Rules

Transcription

1 Adult Recreation Softball League Rules 2016 Summer & Fall Leagues

2 EVANSTON RECREATION ADULT SOFTBALL LEAGUE RULES LEAGUES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE OFFICIAL SOFTBALL RULES + THE FOLLOWING HOUSE RULES Rule 1: CONDUCT - Conduct unbecoming that of an adult, such as use of profane language, fighting, throwing equipment, etc. WILL NOT BE CONDONED and will be punished with a minimum one game suspension. If a player is ejected from a game for ANY reason, he/she will automatically be suspended from that team s next played game. IN ADDITION Once a player has been suspended (from that moment), he/she and their team are on probation for the remainder of that season. If the player is ejected again, he/she will be suspended from all Evanston leagues for 1 year from the date of the ejection. Teams ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct will be ejected from all Evanston leagues for one full year. Ejected players MUST leave the park immediately (failure to do so will result in the forfeit of the game by the ejected players team) and may not be on the bench, in the stands or in the park while serving his/her suspension The Evanston Recreation Division reserves the right to review all ejections/suspensions and based on the severity of the incident extend the suspension. The Recreation Division reserves the right to hand down suspensions, even if no action was taken by the umpire. Fighting or striking, pushing, bumping a league official will result in suspension from all Evanston leagues for a minimum of 2 years. Fighting, striking or pushing with other players/fans/coaches will result in a suspension for a minimum of 1 year. Use of profane language will not be tolerated. Umpires will give out warning for 1 st offense. 2 nd offense will result in ejection Players or teams who are ejected for 1 year and who decide to come back after serving their suspension, will be on probation for a period of 1 year. Another incident of unsportsmanlike behavior will result in the player/team permanent suspension from all Evanston Adult Softball Leagues A team or player may not have the privilege of being invited back for the next season due to violations of City of Evanston ordinances or league rules, or any outburst of unsportsmanlike conduct or disrespectful behavior towards ANYONE. The decision will be entirely up to the discretion of league officials. Team Captain Responsibility: Captains will be held responsible for the conduct of his/her team players and their fans. The captain must maintain complete control of himself/herself, his/her team players and team fans at ALL times, this includes before, during and after the game and any other time involved with the softball program. They are responsible to see that all rules are observed and that his /her players know the rules. The Team Captain is a key person for a successful program. Good leadership will help to insure a good program. Rule 2: -ALCOHOL - Alcoholic beverages are not permitted. Failure to abide by this rule will result in the offending player(s) or fan(s) being ejected from the game and/or park and their team being placed on probation. The next such offense will result in the team being dropped from the league. TEAMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDUCT OF THEIR FANS. Rule 3: CURFEW - BY CITY ORDINANCE ALL PARKS CLOSE AT 11 P.M. EACH DAY. NO new inning will begin after 10:45 pm All games suspended for curfew will be made up later, scheduling permitting. Game will resume were it was suspended. Rule 4: -ELIGIBILITY In order for a player to participate they must meet all of the following requirements: Has been properly entered on a team roster, which is on file with the Adult Softball League Program Supervisor. Has personally signed the team roster. Has reached the age of 18 by his/her team s first game. Rule 5: TEAM ROSTER Sec. 1 - Your team roster must be on file with the Adult Softball League Program Supervisor. Sec. 2 -Each manager will be provided with roster addition forms that can be used to add players. To add players, the form must be completed and returned to the Adult Softball League Program Supervisor. The individual player must sign this form. Sec. 3 - Roster changes will NOT be accepted at the field. Sec. 4 - Roster changes will be accepted until the halfway point of the season, after which your roster will be final. Sec. 5 - A player found playing for a team, and not properly registered on that team s roster, will be considered an illegal player. Sec. 6 Players may only play on one team per night. Penalty: Any team that has a legal protest lodged against it for the use of an illegal player will forfeit that game. The player will be suspended from play for the rest of the season in any Evanston Recreation Department softball league and their team placed on probation.

3 Rule 6: EQUIPMENT Sec. 1 - Game balls: official game balls will be provided by the Evanston Recreation Department. Sec. 2 - Shoes: plastic & rubber cleats ONLY! Sec. 3 - Gloves: Men s 12 & Women s 14 : baseball/softball gloves are legal. Coed 14 Mush: No gloves of any type (including batting gloves) may be used by the men IN the field (they may wear batting gloves to bat); women have the option of using a glove or not. Sec. 4 - Bat: No league may use a bat containing titanium alloy. 12 & Coed & Women s Leagues: only official softball bats can be used and must be marked Official Softball by the manufacturer and meet all other bat rules.. If the words Official Softball cannot be read due to wear, the bat may not be used unless the umpire agrees to its usage. All teams will be provided with a listing of all ASA banned bats. NOTE: All bats must have a safety grip of cork, tape (not smooth, plastic type), rubber, etc. The grip shall not be less than 10 inches long and shall not extend more than 15 inches from the small end of the bat. If tape is applied to the bat, it must be in a continuous spiral. Sec. 5 At the beginning of each game the umpire will ask each team captain if all his/her players are legally equiped. It will be the responsibility of the team captain to make sure that he/she has informed his/her players of the ERD policy on illegal equipment and that they follow the rules. If a player is found during the game to be using any illegal equipment (other then a bat), he/she, along with the team captain will be ejected form the game and their next game. A second offense will result in ejection from the league. If a player is found during the game to be using an illegal bat the player and the captain will be ejected from the game and THE LEAGUE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON and the game will be declared a FORFEIT Rule 7: PLAYERS AND SUBSTITUTES Sec. 1 - Men s teams may play with 9 players without penalty for lack of a 10 th player. A coed team with 9 players MUST have either 5 men/4 women or 5 women/4 men, without penalty. A coed team fielding 10 players on defense must have 5 men and 5 women. If at any time any team has less than 9 players, the game shall be declared a forfeit Sec. 2 - Substitution Open substitution will be allowed as long as the team is roster batting. In all other cases the re-entry rule will be used. Definition: any starting player may be withdrawn and re-entered ONCE, providing players occupy the same batting position whenever in the line-up. Substitutions may NOT re-enter once withdraws. The starting player and substitute may never be in the game simultaneously. Co-Rec Leagues: a man must substitute for a man and women must substitute for women. The player that has been substituted for may return to the game as long as one (1) complete inning has been played Sec Extra Player (EP) An extra player (EP) is optional, but if one is used, it must be made known prior to the start of the game, by notifying the umpire. Once the game begins, an EP may not be added. If the EP is used, 11 players will bat, any 10 of which may play defense. Coed: 12 (must have 6 women) players may bat, 10 will play defense (5 men/5 women.) Men s & Women s Leagues: should a team decide to use the EP rule and during the game they lose a player due to injury, etc., they may continue to play with 10 players with no penalty. Coed if you lose a player you must then play with 10 not 11. Sec Courtesy Runner: Teams will be allowed to designate ONLY 2 players per game who will need a courtesy runner. The Team Manager Must notify the game umpire and the opposing manager prior to the start of the game, if there is a player on their team who will need a courtesy runner throughout the game, once the 1 st pitch is thrown a team may not designate players needing a courtesy runner If a player is injured during the game, the umpire will decide if the injury warrants a courtesy runner. If the injury warrants a courtesy runner this runner will not count against the 2 pre-game limit NOTE: In coed leagues a male must be the courtesy runner for a male and female for female. In all cases: o the batter must reach 1 st base or subsequent bases on their own before a courtesy runner can be granted o the courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out (either at the plate or on the bases) if the game is in the first inning and there are no outs, the courtesy runner will be the last batter in the line up in all other innings if there are no outs the courtesy runner will be the player who made the last out of the previous inning if the person making the last out is a player for which a courtesy runner has been requested, then the courtesy runner will be the player making the previous out Intent of the Courtesy Runner Rule: to allow a runner for a player who is injured or has a physical problem that makes running the bases difficult (being out of shape and/or slow, DOES NOT COUNT). We hope Captains keep the intent of this rule in mind when they request the use of a courtesy runner. There is no way for league officials to tell if a captain/team is using a courtesy runner as intended, we can only rely on the sportsmanship of that captain and his/her team.

4 Rule 8: THE GAME Sec Forfeit Time: There will be a 10 minute grace period for the first game of the day only. FOR ALL OTHER GAMES: THE GAME TIME IS FORFEIT TIME. NOTE: You must have 9 players to start a game and will NOT be penalized with an automatic out for the lack of a 10 th player (EXCEPTION Coed league, see rule 7, sec. 1). A team must start a game if they have 9 players present. Sec. 2 - Home Team - The team listed first on the weekly regular season schedule shall be the home team and bat last. Sec Regulation Game - All games shall consist of seven innings or 70 minutes unless: A. The game is called by the umpire because of rain, lighting, darkness, curfew, time limit, etc. This game will be declared official if four full innings have been completed or three and one-half innings if the home team is leading when the game is called. a. Exception: during tournament play (semi-finals and finals ONLY), if these games are suspended, if possible, every attempt will be made to complete these games from the point it was stopped i. The Evanston Recreation Division reserves the right to declare these games official in accordance with rule 8, sec. 3A if needed B. If at the end of each full inning beginning with the fourth a team is ahead by the Slaughter Rule (15 runs after four innings or 10 runs after five innings) a. Exception: during tournament play (semi-finals and finals ONLY) the slaughter rule will be 20 runs after 4 innings and 15 after 5 C. Any game suspended before it is "OFFICIAL" will be made up (if possible) at the point the game was stopped D. The game is tied Sec Rain-outs Rain-out information can be found 2 ways, after 4:00 P.M.: BY PHONE ( X 9), ONLINE (click recreation, softball) Staff will update game status as soon as possible, but after 4 pm you may have to drive to the park to find out the status of your game Once the umpire or supervisor arrives on the field, any decision about rain-outs are his/her responsibility. You must wait until the umpire declares the game officially rained out before leaving the field Your first 2 Rain-outs (Summer); 1 rain-out (fall) will be added to the end of your schedule on your league night. For all rain outs after 2, those games will be made up as assigned by the Recreation Division (Fridays are a possibility). When notified of your make up date you must play or forfeit. The Evanston Recreation Division reserves the right to manage the softball program as deemed appropriate o It may shorten the season in the case of an excessive raining season. o It may schedule rained out games, play off/tournament games on nights, times and at other facilities, other then normal. o Games will be rescheduled in accordance with the availability of facilities and staff Every attempt will be made to complete all leagues Rule 9: PITCHING: Sec 1 Pitch Arch: Unlimited Arc - all leagues Sec 2 Warm Up Pitches: 5 prior to the first inning, 3 there after. Penalty: Abuse of this rule will result in a 2 ball count on the batter Rule 10: BATTING Sec. 1 - Bat: see Rule 6 (Equipment), Sec. 4 & Sec. 5 Sec. 2-1-Ball/1-strike ALL LEAGUES Sec Foul ball with 2 strikes (all leagues) - Any batter fouling a pitched ball with a two strike count shall be declared out and the ball dead. (No base runner may advance, even if the ball is caught on the fly) Sec. 4 Batting Order teams will have the option of choosing thee type of batting order they will use: Batting 10 players Using the Extra Player, batting 11 for men s 12 and women 14, batting 12 for Coed (6 men-6 women). Roster batting - Men's & Women's leagues ALL players present for that game will be placed in the batting order. Roster batting - Coed may roster bat ALL players present, but must have an even number of men and women (if there additional players, they will have to substituted in/out). Example: a team has 7 women and 8 man at the game, they can roster bat 7 women and 7 men, the 8 th man will have to be substituted in and out in accordance to rule 7 Teams MUST declare which type of batting order the will use before the game begins by informing the umpire. Their decision is FINAL and may not be changed once the 1 st pitch of the game is thrown. Sec 5 Batters Box the batters box is unmarked. It is the umpire's discretion on where the batters box is, where the batter may start or end up. The umpire will tell a batter to move up or back if they deem it hazardous to the catcher, umpire or other players.

5 Rule 11: Home Run Ground Rule Doubles (Summer Leagues ONLY) ASA home run rule (C division) each team will be allowed to hit 3 home runs, after the 3 rd home run any fair hit over the fence will be recorded as an OUT Home Run: any fair ball that is hit on a fly over the outfield fence Ground Rule Double: any fair ball that bounces over or rolls under the outfield fence. Also any ball that rolls into the exit chute located in center field. In the case of all ground rule doubles, the outfielder/s should stop playing the ball and raise both hands above their head, to indicate to the umpire that the ball is no longer in play. Rule 12: BASE RUNNING Sec. 1 - Fake Tag is "Obstruction" and any player making a fag tag will be ejected after 1 team warning. If in the umpire's judgment, the fake tag was made with the intent to injury a player the player making the fake tag will be ejected from the game. Sec. 2 - Courtesy Runner: See Rule 7, Sec. 4 Sec When a defensive player has the ball and is waiting for the runner and the runner remains on his/her feet, crashes into the defensive player, the runner is declared out and the offending player will be ejected. Sec. 4 - Lead Off - Men s 12, Women s & Coed: No lead off Rule 13: SPECIAL FIELD & LEAGUE GROUND RULES Sec The umpire and both team captains are required to meet prior to each game to discuss ground rules, etc. Sec Robert Crown Field 2 Parking Lot (Crown #2) - The parking lot shall be declared out of play. A fielder must have both feet in contact with the ground while making a catch. If after a legal catch, a player goes into the parking lot, the ball is dead and a one-base award is made. Any fair ball which goes into the parking lot is a ground rule double. Sec 3: - Warm Up: Infield & Outfield warm-up: permitted in the first inning only. Sec Coed Leagues On any walk to a male batter (intentional or not), the next batter (a women) has her choice of taking an automatic walk or hitting. All outfielders must stay in the outfield grass until the ball is hit. No outfielder may catch a fly ball on the infield dirt. If a team is playing 4 outfielders, at least 2 must be women. If they are playing 3 outfielders, at least 1 must be a woman. Hog Rule: In an attempt to let everyone play, a hog rule will be enforced. This means that the defensive play must be made by the person playing that position. Example 1: defense positions, ss-male, pitcher-male, 3rd base-female. Situation: runner on first, no outs base hit to left field. Correct play: ss goes out to take cut off, pitcher goes to back up 3rd base and the 3rd baseman takes the throw. Incorrect play: ss goes to take the cut off, pitcher covers 3rd base and the 3rd baseman (a woman) is moved out of the play. RULING: the runner will be called safe, as this is an unacceptable play. Example 2: defensive positions, LC fielder-male, RC fielder-female. Situation: pop-up behind the second baseman. Play: the LC & RC fielder both converge on the ball, the LC fielder calls off the RC fielder and makes the catch. RULING: batter is out, this is an acceptable play. Hog Rule Exception: A male may cover home in place of a female. The decision of legality will be made by the umpire based on normal acceptable defensive softball play for the given situation. Rule 14: PROTEST Sec. 1 - Protests will not be received or considered if they are based solely on a decision involving the accuracy of judgment on the part of an umpire. Sec Protests that shall be received and considered concern matters of the following types: Misinterpretation of a playing rule Failure of the umpire to apply the correct rule to a given situation Failure of the umpire to impose the correct penalty for a given violation Use of an illegal player Sec Filing a Legal Protest. In order to file a legal protest: The team manager (ONLY THE TEAM MANAGER/CAPTAIN MAY FILE A PROTEST) MUST notify the umpire that the game is being played under protest. YOU MUST NOTIFY THE UMPIRE OF THE SPECIFIC RULE YOU ARE PROTESTING, you must protest something, you can not just protest. YOU must file your protest BEFORE the next pitch Upon, notification that a manager is protesting the game umpire will immediately call time and meet with both team managers The Umpire will then record on the back of the game scorecard, the exact inning and the game situation when the manager made the protest, the exact rule the manager is protesting (the manager MUST give a specific rule, just saying he/she is protesting IS NOT A PROTEST. The Umpire and both team managers/captains will then sign the card to indicate the information is correct The Umpire will then re-start the game and continue

6 Rule 14: PROTEST - continued REMEMBER notification of your intent to protest MUST BE MADE IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE THE NEXT PITCH. Any protest filed after the next pitch will not be considered. You must notify the Field Supervisor before you leave the Park that you have protested your game. You must also give him (right then ON THE FIELD, before you leave) a protest fee of $50. (Should your protest be allowed, this money will be returned to you, if your protest is denied, the fee will be retained by the Evanston Recreation Division). A detailed, typed protest must also be turned in to the Sports Supervisor, Evanston Recreation Department, 2100 Ridge Avenue, by 5:00 p.m. of the next working day. This typed protest must contain 1) date, time and place of the game; 2) name of the umpire and Field Supervisor; 3) the rule under which the protest is made, 4) the decision and conditions surrounding the making of the decision, 5) all other essential facts involved. Failure to comply FULLY with the correct protest procedure will result in the protest not even being heard, even if the protest was correct. Sec Protesting an Illegal Player The protest must be made during his/her first time at bat. (Following procedures in Rule 14, Sec 3a) The challenged player may continue playing and will have until the end of the game to submit to the umpire a picture I.D. and sign the scorecard. The umpire will make note of the player s name by printing his/her name on the scorecard. Upon receiving the scorecard the Sports Supervisor will then check to see if the player in question is on the team roster. You may also protest a defensive player. This protest must be made before the first pitch of the inning he/she enters the game. If the player is found to be illegal the game will be forfeited by the team caught using the illegal player Sec. 5 - All protests shall be settled by the Evanston Recreation Division. The decision shall be final. Sec Tournament Play Only - All protests during tournament play will be settled by the league official on duty at the time. Should the protest be denied, the $50 protest fee must be paid to the league supervisor, and the decision will be final. All protest must follow procedures listed in Rule 14, Sec 3 Rule 15: UMPIRES Sec. 1 - One certified umpire shall be assigned to each game. Umpires shall have complete control of the game. THEIR DECISIONS SHALL BE FINAL. Sec. 2 - Any questions concerning rules etc. will be discussed only between the umpire and the TEAM Manager ONLY! Sec 3 the umpire will have the "official" scorecard with the official score. In the event of discrepancy, the team's scorebooks will be consulted. If the discrepancy can not be resolved, the score will be determined by the plate umpire. It is the responsibility of the team captains to verify the score at the end of each half inning of play. Both teams are encouraged to keep a scorebook. Rule 16: TIE BREAKER SYSTEM Sec. 1 - The team with the best record in head to head games between the teams in question shall be declared the winner. Should they split their games against each other, then the run differential (runs scored vs. runs given up) in the games played against each other shall be used to break the tie. Should the teams still remain tied; the run differential in all their games against the same teams will be used. If the tied teams did NOT play all other teams the same number of times, the run differential in games where one team played another team more than the other tied team played them (example: team A played team C twice, but team B only played team C once) will be averaged. Sec. 2 - Should any of the tied teams forfeit to one or more of the others. That team will automatically rank lower than the team(s) it forfeited to. Rule 17: MISCELLANEOUS Sec. 1 Each Team Manager will be given 1 copy of these rules. Managers will be held responsible for acquainting their players with the rules and regulations. Sec. 2 - Ignorance of these rules and regulations will not be considered an excuse under any circumstance. Sec. 3 - If a team forfeits 3 games, they will be eliminated from further league and tournament play. Sec 4 Blood Any player who is bleeding must be removed from the game until the bleeding is stopped, the wound dressed and all bloody clothing has been changes. If a runner begins to bleed, a mandatory courtesy runner will be utilized. If a fielder begins to bleed, he/she must be substituted for immediately. As soon as a player is ready they may return. Re-entry, designated player or extra hitter rules will be waived in these instances. Sec 5 Refunds NO refunds will refunds will be granted to teams wishing to drop out of the league for ANY reason once the season schedule has been set. Sec 6 Smoking NO smoking is allowed on the field or in the dugouts Sec 7 Dogs NO dogs are allowed on the field or in the dugout. All dogs in the park must be on leash Sec 8 Trash/Litter after each game the teams will be responsible for cleaning up their dugout and putting all trash in the garbage cans

7 LIGHTNING POLICY The Thor Guard Lightning Warning System at Crown Park will monitor conditions and give an early warning when conditions are unsafe for outdoor activities. It monitors the atmosphere for a range of up to 15 miles and will provide an advance warning of conditions favorable for lightning. Typical warning times will be between 8-20 minutes. Here is how the system works: o When the warning is sounded: The system will sound ONE, 15-second blast of the horn The strobe light will begin flashing o When the warning system is activated: All play must be suspended immediately (even if no lightning is sighted) When the system goes off, play stops and can not resume until the all clear, no exceptions All players and fans must exit the field, dugouts and stands Players and fans should seek shelter inside buildings and/or their vehicles o When conditions are safe to resume activities, the all clear will be sounded: The system will sound THREE, 5-second blasts of the horn The strobe light will stop flashing o Play can not be resumed until the all clear is sounded o Once the all clear is sounded, play can be resumed depending on the playing conditions of the fields and the time. Most of the time when the system has activated, heavy rains have followed and some, if not all of the games scheduled that night, have been rained out. But there have been occasions when the system has activated when no rain or just light rain has followed and the fields were still playable. The lightning policy states that when the system is in red alert, no games can be played, so what do we do in situations where the system is in red alert and the fields are still playable? The decision to call off individual games or all the games, will be made by the softball coordinator on the field. His/her decision will be made on a game to game basis, depending on if in his/her opinion the game can be played in or around the scheduled game time. Here are some examples: Example 1: the system goes into red alert at 6:30 pm and is still in red alert at 6:45; therefore the game can not start. The system gives the all clear at 6:55 pm. The softball coordinator feels that the games can be started and finished in or around the scheduled game time so the games are started. Example 2: the system goes into red alert at 6:50. The 6:45 games had started (1/2 inning played). The system is still in red alert at 7:30. The softball coordinator feels the 6:45 games can not be restarted and finished in the next 30 minutes, so the 6:45 games are called off. No decision yet on the 8 pm or 9:15 pm games. Example 3: the system goes into red alert at 6:50. The 6:45 games were started (1/2 inning played). The system is still in red alert at 7:30. The softball coordinator feels the 6:45 games can not be restarted and finished in the next 30 minutes so the 6:45 games are called off. The system gives the all clear at 8:10 pm, the softball coordinator decides that the 8 pm games can be started and played in or around the schedule time frame, so the 8 pm games are started.