Softball Intermediate Rules

Intermediate Softball Rules of Conduct

  1. Teaching and enforcing good sportsmanship and abiding by the motto "FUN, FRIENDSHIP and FUNDAMENTALS" MUST be the primary goal of ALL coaches.
  2. All coaches must take the responsibility for controlling the behavior of his/her players, as well as the parents and fans. This extends to the display of good sportsmanship by coaches and players immediately after the game through post game handshakes.
  3. Players and coaches are not permitted behind the backstop while the game is in progress.
  4. Derisive comments (i.e. "jockeying" and "heckling" of umpires and opposing players is NOT permitted.
  5. Umpires may EJECT coaches and players for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  6. After one (1) warning, the umpire may ask a coach to remove an offending fan from the park or risk a FORFEIT.ALL decisions of the umpire are FINAL!! No protests or appeals are permitted.
  7. Only the manager, or acting manager, may have a discussion with the umpire regarding a call or rules interpretation.
  8. The responsibility for maintaining an accurate scoresheet for each game rests with the two opposing managers. It is strongly suggested that the score be verified by the managers after each half-inning. Any questions regarding the score should be reconciled at that time with the umpire serving as arbitrator.
  9. A manager may not hold a player out of a game as a form of discipline without notifying and receiving the approval of the league commissioner.
  10. The prior approval of the league commissioner is required to cancel and reschedule any game, for any reason other than cancellations due to weather.
  11. If any player who, in the judgment of the umpire, throws a bat, helmet, or other piece of equipment in a spirit of anger or disgust the umpire shall call time and warn both benches that any repeat offense will result in the ejection of the player involved. If in the umpire's judgment the action warrants, the player may be ejected without any bench warning
  12. !!! At any time a coach is removed from a game due to an ejection, the offending Coach will be suspended the next scheduled game.  If another incident occurs the coach will be removed from Coaching for the Season.  All cases will be reviewed by the Board to determine further actions!!!

Intermediate Softball Game Rules

**NFHS Rules of Softball shall be enforced except where specifically modified by these rules. In the event of a discrepancy, these rules will prevail

1             Ball Size              The official softball shall be an 11-inch RIF softball provided by the league.

2             Uniform               All players should be in uniform (at a minimum, jersey and pants).

2.1         Catcher gear     : The catcher MUST wear a chest protector, mask, and shin guards.

2.2         Catchers' Helmet Catchers MAY NOT use their batting helmet in place of a catcher’s helmet.

2.3         Batting Helmet Each batter, on-deck batter, and base runner must wear a helmet.

2.4         Approved Bats                

2.5         Cleats                  NO metal spikes are allowed.

2.6         Face Mask         The use of a facemask is recommended at this level.

3             Field Set Up       The Home Team provides the game ball (1), sets up the field to comply with the dimensions set forth in this section, returns all equipment to the storage box after the game, and returns the diamond area to a clean condition. The HOME team is entitled to the field from the time the field setup is complete until 15 minutes prior to game time.

                3.1         Base Distance and Pitching Mound Distance   The bases are 60 feet apart.

                3.2         Pitching distance The pitcher's rubber "mound" is 25 feet from the front edge of home plate.

                3.3         Pitcher's Circle (reserved)

                3.4         On Deck Circle (reserved)

4             Visiting Team Rights to Field Access     The VISITING team has the right to practice on the game day field fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled game time. The scheduled game time shall not be delayed to allow pre game practice.

5             Clean dugout    All coaches should take extra effort to ensure that their players leave the dugout in a clean condition ready for the next team.

6             Number of Innings         During the regular season, games are 6 innings long, with the visiting team batting first. The home team will bat in the 6th inning only if trailing.

                6.1         No new inning after 1:45 minutes          During the regular season, no new inning shall begin after 1 hour and 45 minutes from the first pitch of the game. Coaches should confer and the umpire shall note the exact starting time of the game.  Coaches should agree on the designation of last inning prior to the start of the last inning.  If no agreement the umpire shall declare the final inning. 

                6.2         Extra Innings     If a game is tied after 6 complete innings (and time permits as noted here), ONE (and only one) extra inning WILL be played if there are 30 minutes before the next scheduled game. I

                6.3         Extra Innings shall not delay subsequent scheduled games     IN ALL CASES, the game will be ended 10 minutes before the next scheduled game.

                6.4         Ties permitted in extra innings If a regular season game ends in a tie it stands as a tie. If the game is the last game on the field for a given day, the extra inning can be played until darkness or weather conditions do not permit further play, as ruled by the umpire.

                6.5         School Night Time Limits           An extra inning shall not be started after 8pm on weeknights when school is in session. In the event the extra inning cannot be completed due to darkness or weather, as determined by the umpire, the game will be declared a tie.

                6.6         Extra Innings in Playoffs              NOTE: For playoff games, complete 6 inning games are played and ties must be played out until a winner has been determined.

7             Inning Length Run Limit An inning ends when: (a) the 3rd out is made OR (b) 5 runs have scored, regardless of the number of batters on either team. The 5 run maximum rule does not apply in the sixth inning or in extra innings.

7.1         5-run rule. The 5 run rule applies to all games, including playoff games.

8             Equitable Playing Time Rules                   

                8.1         Minimum roster              A minimum of 7 players is required to start a game, and to continue at the start of each inning. Teams unable to field the minimum number of players within 15 minutes of the scheduled game time are subject to forfeit. Teams with 7-9 players are not required to have a catcher. A coach/parent of the team must catch (no siblings or other children). Plays at home plate must be made by the team in the field.

                8.2         Call ups               (reserved)

                8.3         Injury Subs         In the event of injury or other non-performance related reasons (such as a bathroom emergency), players may be substituted for a bench player during their innings on defense.

                8.4         Late Arrival        If a player arrives after the first pitch of the first inning, but before the first pitch of the fourth inning, she shall be inserted at the bottom of the batting order. Players may not be added to the lineup after the first pitch of the fourth inning. A violation of this rule will constitute a "batting out of order" ruling and an automatic out.

9                             Defense Rotations        

EACH player MUST play on defense with no player off the field for more than one (1) inning. Player positioning is determined by the coaches, who must balance the goals of SAFETY, TEACHING and WINNING.

                9.1         Substitution Limits        No player may play the same position for more than two (2) innings in any game. The spirit of this rule is to encourage rotation of all players to play all positions, unless safety is a concern.

10           Special Considerations for Defense                     

                10.1       Short Center     Each team can field a maximum of ten (10) players. In addition to the nine (9) traditional positions a "short center" or midfielder is allowed. The midfielder plays the infield within 5 feet behind second base.

                10.2       Defensive Shift Limitations       The infielders may NOT shift their defensive position UNTIL the ball is hit. The outfielders must remain in the outfield (on the grass) and the pitcher must remain on the mound. It is the responsibility of BOTH coaches to position their players to avoid collisions (i.e. out of the base paths unless making a play).

                10.3       Illegal Shift Consequences       

                10.4       Coach in Field  Unless the coach is pitching, coaches are NOT allowed to be on the field coaching during a game when a ball is in play.

11           Deadball scenarios       A runner is not allowed to proceed to the next base on overthrows of any kind. The purpose of this rule is to encourage fielders to make throws without penalty.

                11.1       Overthrows       "An overthrow will be treated as a dead ball. The umpire shall call time and any runner advancing' more than one base on the throw, shall be returned to the last base the safely reached before the overthrow. Example 1.  The batter will not be allowed to advance to second base. Existing runner on first base shall advanced to second base.  Example 2. With a runner on second base and a ball hit to the outfield, if the runner on second base advances to home before the defense makes a play on the batter, the run shall score and the overthrow to 2nd base shall result in the batter remaining at 2nd."

                11.2       Limits on runner advancement on balls from the outfield.         Plays from the outfield shall be considered stopped when the ball enters the infield (i.e. the ball breaks the plane of the infield arc (dirt cutout). When a ball is thrown in from the outfield and breaks the plane of the infield, if a runner is less than halfway, and proceeds to the next base safely, they will be returned to the previous base. An exception to this is if the runner is required to proceed to the next base because of a force situation. If the runner is less than halfway, proceeds to the next base and is tagged or forced out, she will be called out.

                11.3(a) Exception to 11.2            If a runner attempts to advance to the next base, the ball remains live as to that runner.  She must safely return to the prior base or safely reach the next base. If she advances safely to the next  base, the umpire shall return the runner to  last base achieved before the ball was possessed by the pitcher in the infield.

                11.3(b) Exception to 11.2            If the batter is more than halfway to the next base at the time the ball breaks the plane of the infield, she may proceed to the next base at her own peril, and if she arrives safely she  may  remain on such base, or if home the run shall score.

12           Batting order     Continuous batting lineup         Each player is included in the batting order and bats in turn even if she did not play in the field the previous inning.

                12.1       Late arriving player        Players arriving after the start of the game will be put in at the bottom of the lineup. If a player arrives after the start of the 4th inning, she cannot enter the game.

                12.2       Automatic out  (reserved)

13           Strike Zone        (reserved)

14           Hit by Pitch (HBP)                           (reserved)

                14.1       Coach Pitch for HBP     (reserved)

15           Steals/Leadoffs/Sliding No leadoffs, stolen bases, or advancing on wild pitches or passed balls are allowed.

16           Dropped 3rd Strike                        (reserved)

17           Infield Fly                           (reserved)

18           Pitching Rules                  (reserved)

                18.1  -18.7     (reserved)

                18.8       Coach Pitch Rules The Coach shall pitch to the players until the first to occur of three strikes or 6 total pitches.

                18.9       Tee         After the third strike or 6th overall pitch, the ball shall be placed on a Tee and the batter shall offer at the tee until the ball is hit in play. No player shall be declared out on strikes.

                18.1       No walks             (reserved)

                18.11    Coach Pitch on the mound        The pitching coach  must start the pitch standing on the rubber and pitch with an underhand motion. No overhand pitching is permitted.

                18.12    Coach Pitch Dead Ball Coaches who are on the field for pitching MUST attempt to move off the field or out of the way so as not to interfere with the play. If a coach is hit by a batted ball the play is dead and the batter returns with the same count and runners return to their previous base.

                18.13    Coach Pitch Limits        The Coach shall pitch to the players until the first to occur of three strikes or 6 total pitches.  After the third strike, the ball shall be placed on a Tee and the batter shall offer at the tee until the ball is hit in play. No player shall be declared out on strikes.

19           Bunting                Bunting is not allowed. Unintentional weak hits are considered "in play". Intentional bunts or "half swings" (in the judgment of the umpire) are considered strikes.

20           Thrown Bat        On the first occurrence of a thrown bat, the batter will be issued a warning. Each subsequent time that a player who has received a warning throws her bat, that player will be ruled out.

21           Run limit             An inning ends when: (a) the 3rd out is made OR (b) the batting team scores 5 runs. In the 6th inning, each team will be allowed to score 10 runs. There will be no mercy rule enforced.

22           Game Length   During the regular season, games are 6 innings long, with the visiting team batting first. The home team will bat in the 6th inning only if trailing. During the regular season, no new inning shall begin after 1 hour and 45 minutes from the first pitch of the game. Coaches and the umpire should agree on the exact starting time of the game and should agree on the designation of last inning prior to the start of the last inning. If a game is tied after 6 complete innings (and time permits as noted here), ONE (and only one) extra inning WILL be played if there are 30 minutes before the next scheduled game. IN ALL CASES, the game will be ended 10 minutes before the next scheduled game. If a regular season game ends in a tie it stands as a tie. If the game is the last game on the field for a given day, the extra inning can be played until darkness or weather conditions do not permit further play, as ruled by the umpire. As a general rule, an extra inning should not be started after 8pm on weeknights when school is in session. In the event the extra inning cannot be completed due to darkness or weather, as determined by the umpire, the game will be declared a tie. NOTE: For playoff games, complete 6 inning games are played and ties must be played out until a winner has been determined.

                                               

23           Weather Rules All games must be played as scheduled unless weather conditions interfere. Games may be postponed for reasons of weather or field conditions, as long as both coaches are in agreement. The Commissioner may determine that all games on a particular day will be canceled; however, if the commissioner is unable to inspect a field before game time, the decision will be made by the coaches. If the coaches do not agree, the final decision will be made by the umpire. At game time, or at any time during the game, the coaches may agree that darkness, field or weather conditions have rendered the game unplayable. If there is disagreement among the coaches, then the umpire will make the decision as to whether a game will continue to be played or postponed. If a game is postponed, then the home team coach must notify the Commissioner immediately so it can be rescheduled. Canceled games must be made up. The coaches should agree on a time that is mutually acceptable based on available fields as determined by the commissioner. A game that is not made up by agreement of both coaches will be considered a no-contest. Games not made up because a mutually acceptable time could not be agreed upon will be considered a no contest. For the purpose of the standings, a forfeit will be only be awarded to a team if another team does not make a reasonable attempt to make up a game canceled due to weather.

24           Lightning Rule  Lightning rule: The 30 minute rule will be utilized when lightning is sited or thunder is heard. All on field activity shall be automatically suspended for a minimum of 30 minutes and participants shall seek appropriate shelter. An assessment of conditions is to be made after the 30 minute wait period. On field activity shall resume when it is reasonably determined that additional threatening weather is not imminent. If lightning is sited or thunder after the 30 minute count, the 30 minute count shall be restarted. Games are resumed at the point at which play was postponed. If the game needs to be rescheduled, it will be resumed at the point at which play was postponed. ALL GAMES PLAYED AT THE SAME PARK WILL FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES EQUALLY, IF ANY GAME IS SUSPENDED AT A PARK ALL GAMES WILL BE SUSPENDED.

Games called because of darkness or weather are official after 4 innings or after 3 ½ innings if (a) the home team is ahead or (b) the visiting team is ahead by more than 10 runs. Once a game has started, if it is postponed by inclement weather before it is an official game, it will be a suspended game and resumed from the point it stopped

25           Darkness/Weather        At game time, or at any time during the game, the coaches may agree that darkness, field or weather conditions have rendered the game unplayable. If there is disagreement among the coaches, then the umpire will make the decision as to whether a game will be played or postponed. Attempts should be made to play the game even if this requires using "the grass". However, the safety of the players must take precedence. If a game is postponed, then the home team coach must notify the Commissioner immediately so it can be rescheduled. Canceled games must be made up. The coaches should agree on a time that is mutually acceptable based on available fields as determined by the commissioner. A game that is not made up by agreement of both coaches will be considered a no-contest. For the purpose of the standings, a forfeit will be only be awarded to a team if another team does not make a reasonable attempt to make up a game canceled due to weather.

                25.1                       The playoffs are double elimination except for the championship game. If the team from the loser's bracket wins the game against the team from the winner's bracket, they are the champion. There will not be a second game played. The team from the winner's bracket, regardless of regular season record or seed, is the home team in the championship game. The standings during the regular season will be determined by winning percentages. These standings will be used to "seed" the teams for the playoffs. The higher seed for teams with the same winning percentage will be based on a) head-to-head record; b) head-to-head runs scored. Tie games do not affect winning percentage.

26           PLAYOFFS                        

                26.1       Time limits in Playoffs  There are no time limits on playoff games; they are played until a winner is declared. A playoff game that is suspended due to darkness or weather must be completed at a later date. The game shall resume from the exact point at which it was suspended.

                26.2       No Call Ups       No call ups are allowed in the playoffs unless approved by the league commissioner. If a team is unable to field enough players, the coaches must find a mutually agreeable makeup date. If the coaches can not agree on a date, one will be set by the commissioner and decisions of the commissioner are final.

                26.3       Championship Game   The championship game will be held during the annual picnic day, the time is TBD. RAIN DATE WILL BE THE FOLLOWING DAY. This will be a winner-take-all game. The home team will be the team coming out of the winner's bracket.

27           No Jewelry         For safety reasons no player may wear jewelry of any kind.

28           No Umpire         If the league fails to provide an umpire for a game, then each team will supply one umpire. Each inning these umpires will rotate between home plate and the bases.

29           Winning Team Posts Score                        Coaches must keep an accurate score for the game. The winning team is required to post the score to the ESAA website within 48 hours of the game.

30           Draft Rules        The commissioner of the league shall conduct a draft to assign players to a each team. The draft shall proceed via rules created by the commissioner of the division. However the commissioner shall require that teams must draft players from the higher grade in the division for at leas the first four (4) or so many additional rounds as the commissioner determines necessary to ensure an equitable distribution of players in different age groups in advance of the draft before selecting players from the lower grade. The commissioners shall make whatever additional rules regarding this draft that are not inconsistent with the purpose of this rule.

31           Concussion Protocols Enforced             CONCUSSION PROTOCOL FOR ESAA. IF A PLAYER IS STRUCK IN THE HEAD IN ANY FASHION WHILE IN THE ACTIONS OF THE GAME OUR UMPIRES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REMOVE THE AFFECTED PLAYER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THAT CONTEST. IT IS THE PARENTS OF THE AFFECTED PLAYER'S DECISION TO LET PLAYER RESUME PLAY AT THE NEXT SCHEDULED TEAM EVENT.