COED SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL RULES AND REGULATIONS

I. Games will normally be played at Frank Kawasaki Field in Vera Park.

II. General Information

    1. All games will be played with bases at 65’

    2. Pitching distance will be 50 feet.  Pitchers must pitch from the Pitching Circle (Safety Rules).

    3. Safety Rules:

      a. All composite bats banned-see ASA list included.

      b. No metal cleats

    4. Games are 7 innings or 1¼ hour time limit.

    5. Home team is decided by a flip coin.

    6. The strike zone is the home plate and plate extender.

    7. Participants may only play on one team. (No team changes during league).

    8. All players must play a minimum of three league games to qualify for the season ending tournament.

    9. NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED IN THE PARK. Any players found with alcohol will be suspended from the program.

III. Player Eligibility

    1. All Players must be a minimum of 16 years of age to play or 14 with parent playing on team.

IV. Rules

    1. Game time is 6:15 PM Forfeit time is 6:30 PM. A practice game will be played thereafter.

    2. Games must start and end with a minimum of 8 players.

    3. No more than five men defensive players can be in the game at any one time. If a team is short players, more women can play than men. Example: four men, six women.

    4. There is a three male home run rule.  Women may hit unlimited home runs.

    5. Intentional walk: if a man walks, the next woman batter has the option of walking. The woman batter must decide before she steps into the batter box.

    6. Free substitution. Please notify game official & scorekeeper.

    7. Courtesy runners may be used-it is the person who made the last out, women for women and men for men.

    8. 15 run rule after 3 or 10 run rule after 5

V. Batting Order

    1. Teams must bat players in alternate order (men/ women or women/men).

    2. Teams will make up their own betting order.

    3. Everyone is the line-ups bats.

    4. In the event there are not five men batters present in the batting order, they must bat in the top of the line-up providing a female is between he males in the batting order. At not time may two males bat back to back. Penalty: Forfeiture of game.

    5. If a female is removed from the game and there is no substitute resulting in two males batting back to back, the following male batter must be removed from the games. An out will be declared where the removed players would have batted the first time in the batting order. NOTE: All subsequent at bats, the players will be removed from the lineup and no outs will be recorded.  Teams must notify official scorekeeper and opposing teams and umpire.

    6. Before a man can bat again in the batting order, his original spot in the batting order must again come up. If there are a shortage of men players, women must bat back to back at the end of the batting order.

      a. First line through the batting order the line up may be changed to accommodate late arriving male players provided their spot has not batted.

    7. The teams have the option at the start of the game to play one of the following rules:

      a. Bat their entire line-up (alternate sexes, but all women bat).  Extra men players,-may alternate at bat between the same two men. Free substitution on defense.

      b. Bat ten players (regulation softball).  Any of the starting players may be withdrawn and re-entered once provided such players occupies the same batting position whenever they are in line up.

Note: Please announce to the umpire before the start of the game, which rule you are using.

    8. Batting: Players who are being substituted for may not bat any earlier than their original spot in the batting order when they return to the line up.

VI. Team Defense

    1. The defensive outfield position shall include two women and two men in any order. Players must play on the outfield grass.

    2. If a team is short players, they must fill the positions first, in alternating sex order starting with the pitcher. Infielders may play at any depth into the outfield and not be considered an outfielder.

      a. Four (4) male players or less team has option of pitcher and catcher position being a female.

      b. When a team has 4 or less male players, the men may play any two of the following positions (pitcher, 1st base, short stop).

    3. No infielder may play any better inside the baselines between first, second, and their base.  All male infielders must play on the field dirt and be able to play their defensive position.  Penalty: Delayed dead ball call on any batted ball-all runners must advance at least one base or no pitch is declared and batter bats again.

    4. Home Plates: Any player is allowed to take the throw at the plate if the throw gets by the defensive catcher and they have to retrieve the ball.  Penalty: Run scores.

      a. On all plays at home plate; the defensive person will tag home plate and not the runner. The offensive runner will run to the right side of the batters box and will not touch home plate. (Line will be drawn from the extension of the first baseline to the backstop.)

      b. The umpire will declare the runner out or safe such as on a force play,

dependent on the tag of home plate or the crossing of the line.

      c. Home Plate-any runner touching home plate will be declared out if seen by the umpire.

    5. Intentional collision:  Offensive player must attempt to avoid contact with the defensive player.  Penalty runner is out.

    6. Defensive player who is not fielding the ball must stay out of the baseline. Penalty: obstruction.

    7. A batted ball hitting the offensive pitcher is a fair ball and is live.

VII. Game Play

    1. All games will be seven innings in length with the following exceptions:

      a. Fields having two scheduled games will play seven innings or a 65-minute time limit, whichever comes first.

    2. games will be allowed to play one extra inning over and beyond the time limited to break a time game.

    2. Pitcher must pitch from the pitching circle.  Pitches can be no higher than 12 feet and no lower than 6 feet.

    3. Players may not slide into base (either direction).  Penalty: Runner is automatically out. Players, however, may dive back to a base head first.

    4. All players must wear shoes and shirt tops or they will not be allowed to play.

    5. Teams may not bunt steal.

    6. Injuries and courtesy runners may be used as long as it is the person who made the last out (women for women/man for man).

VIII.Team Hardship

    1. When a team has six or less men or women players, the team may file a hardship letter to add players to the depleted sex.

IX. Protests

    1. All protest must be made before the first pitch of the next batter

    2. All protest must be made to the umpire officiating the game.