UVM Intramural Sports • Softball League Rules
The rules governing this intramural sport activity consist of rules used by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), and rules unique to the UVM Intramural Sports Program. This rules sheet is not meant to be all-inclusive; rather it is a summary of the more common rules, policies, and procedures used by the Intramural Sports Program. Important policy information can be found in the Intramural Sports Guidelines, which are available on our website. Additionally, all team managers and players are responsible for reading this document and understanding the rules, policies, and procedures prior to participating in this activity.
I.
Conduct/Sportsmanship A. Good sportsmanship is essential during all Intramural Sports Program activities. Individuals or teams who demonstrate poor sportsmanship may be dropped from a league or event at any time without refund. Additionally, teams that do not maintain an acceptable sportsmanship rating will be ineligible for playoffs. For additional information concerning the sportsmanship rating system, please refer to the Intramural Sports Guidelines. B. Team Managers: Team managers are responsible for all team members and spectators. Obscene or abusive language by participants or spectators will not be tolerated and will be penalized accordingly. Team managers are expected to inform all participants of rules and policies prior to participation and expected to the team representative of his/her team and may address supervisors/officials on matters of interpretation or to obtain essential information in a courteous manner, only, provided that it does not disrupt the flow of the game. For full outline of team manager responsibilities, please refer to the Intramural Sports Guidelines. C. Ejection/Suspension: Any player who is ejected for any reason is automatically suspended from participating in any intramural sports activity until a meeting with the Coordinator of Intramural Sports. To schedule a meeting with the Coordinator, please call 802.656.7706. If a meeting does not occur within three (3) business days or before the ejected player’s team next game (whichever comes first), additional disciplinary actions will be taken. These actions may include any of the following or any combination of the following: suspension from the Intramural Sports Program, permanent suspension from the Intramural Sports Program, or referral to the Center for Student Ethics and Standards for review. a. Fighting Policy: Fighting (physically striking, kicking, or attempting to strike or kick another player, spectators or staff) will not be tolerated. Players involved in a fight will be immediately ejected and will be subject to additional disciplinary actions, which will include suspension from the Intramural Sports Program and may include a referral to the Center for Student Ethics and Standards for review
II. Injuries A. We (the UVM Department of Athletics and Campus Recreation) are not responsible for any injuries that occur while participating in the Intramural Sports Program. B. All participants are encouraged to obtain a physical exam prior to participating in any physical activity. Additionally, participants are encouraged to maintain adequate health insurance while participating.
Updated May 18, 2009
C. In the event that an injury occurs during an intramural sports activity, please immediately notify the official, manager or supervisor who is working the contest so arrangements can be made to treat the injury and to complete an injury report. If needed, staff members can call for an ambulance to assess the injury and/or transport the injured participant to the hospital. Students needing less immediate medical attention can visit the Health Center at 425 Pearl Street Monday-Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM. III. General/Eligibility A. See Overall Intramural Sports Guidelines for complete listing of eligibility a. Members of the UVM Varsity Baseball of Softball Teams are not eligible to participate in Intramural Softball. B. **Eligibility Amendments for Summer Softball League: a. Students who have graduated in May of the same year are allowed to participate in the league. b. Spouses/partners of eligible participants may participate, however, they must get a UVM issued ID card from the Cat Card Office. c. No dependents are eligible to participate in the Summer Softball League C. All players MUST present a UVM Cat Card to the IMS Supervisor prior to each game. Players who do not have their Cat Card will be required to complete the „Forgotten ID Form‟ and will be charged a $7 fee. D. Team Rosters: The official team roster consists only of those individuals who are eligible and who have signed the official roster/waiver. Individuals must be listed on the official roster by the end of regular season play in order to be eligible to participate in playoffs. Confirming that all players are listed on the official roster is the responsibility of the Team Manager. IV. Players and Substitutions A. Teams are comprised of ten (10) players; however a roster may list as many players as desired. B. Each team must have a pitcher and a catcher. C. A team may start with as few as 8 players (3M-5W or 3W-5M) and may continue with less than 8 players until the game becomes a farce as determined by the officials and supervisors. a. Teams must use one of the following ratios of players in the field: 10 or more players at the game (*MUST play equal number of gender if you have it) *5 men/5 women 6 men/4 women 4 men/6 women 9 players at the game 4 men/5 women 5 men/4 women 8 players at the game *4 men/4 women 3 men/5 women 4 men/3 women D. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlimited substitutions are when everyone gets a turn at bat but only ten players are in the field. E. Pinch running and hitter substitutions are only allowed if a player becomes injured and has to leave the game. V. Equipment A. Jewelry: All jewelry must be removed. This includes, but is not limited to, necklaces, earrings, newly pierced earrings, facial piercings, rings, bracelets and watches. Individuals are not
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permitted to tape jewelry down, as this does not provide any real protection for you or others. If you cannot remove the item then you cannot play. Once the game has begun, any player entering the field with jewelry on could receive a yellow card/ejection. B. Footwear: Turf shoes, cleats and soft, pliable, rubber bottom shoes are permitted. Metal cleats, sandals, open-toed shoes and bare feet are prohibited. C. Gloves: All players in the field must have a glove on. D. Bats & Balls: Balls and bats will be supplied by the Campus Recreation Office. a. Teams may use their own bat, however, it must be “ASA Approved”, and both teams will be allowed to use any bats brought by individuals. VI. Duration of Game and Grace Period A. Game Length: Each game shall be 6 innings. A new inning will not begin after 60 minutes of play. B. Grace Period: There will be no Grace Period!!! Game time is forfeit time. Games in which one team is late, the team that is signed in and ready to play at the scheduled starting time will be given two options (once the decision is made it cannot be changed): a. They may take the forfeit immediately OR b. Give the team ten (10) minutes to show up with the minimum amount of players to begin. If they still do not show, a forfeit will be awarded. C. Mercy Rule: If a team is ahead by 10 runs or more by the middle of the fourth inning, the game may end. This decision is at the discretion of the officials. If a team goes ahead by 10 runs anytime after the middle of the fourth inning, the official will determine if the game will continue or be called due to mercy rule. Please Note: if at any time your team wants to stop playing you may. If you are ahead or behind it does not matter; however, you will lose that game for ending it early. VII. Playing Rules A. Current ASA rules are in effect, with the exceptions of those outlined below. B. Each batter will begin with a 1 and 1 count (1 ball, 1 strike) C. If a batter has two strikes, the batter is allowed one foul before being declared out. D. Stealing: There is no stealing in slow pitch softball. If a player attempts to steal a base, the ball shall be declared dead and the runner out (the batter will be re-hit if the ball was struck while the runner was stealing). If the runner stealing is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be up first in the next inning with a 1 and 1 count regardless of what the count was. E. Leading Off: There is no leading off in slow pitch softball. Players must remain in contact with the base until contact is made with the ball. a. If a player leads off and the batted ball is fair, upon appeal by the defense, the runner shall be declared out. b. If a player leads off and the ball is swung at and missed or lands foul, a warning shall be issued by the umpire. F. Missed Base: If a runner misses a base, the defense may appeal to the umpire before the next legal pitch, who will in return give an “out” signal if true or “safe” signal is false. G. Infield Fly: A fair ball (not including a line drive) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when there is a runner on first and second base (or first, second and third) and there is less than two outs, the umpire will yell “infield fly”. This lets everyone know that the batter is automatically out and there are no longer force outs. If the runner(s) on base want to run, he/she may; however, if tagged out, they will be out. H. Sliding: There is no sliding in Intramural Slow Pitch Softball. a. Players who slide in an attempt to reach a base will be declared out. b. Players may slide to avoid contact with the ball.
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I.
J. K.
L. M.
c. When involved in a double play, base runners are required to run out of the base path to avoid interference. d. Diving to catch a ball is permitted. e. Diving to a base by either the base running or fielder is prohibited. Dead Ball Area: If the ball is thrown into a Dead Ball Area, play will stop and each runner is awarded two bases beyond the base already achieved. a. Please note: If there is a play at first base that results in the ball going into a Dead Ball Area, the runner will advance accordingly to the following two scenarios: i. If, when the ball is released, the runner was already touching first base, then the player is awarded second and third base. ii. If, when the ball was released, the runner had not reached first base, then the player is awarded only first and second. Flagrantly running into another player is prohibited. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the contact was flagrant, the offending player will be ejected. Ghost Runners/Pinch Runners: Ghost runners or Pinch Runners are not permitted. Participants may not bat the ball and have someone else run for them or have an imaginary person on base. In the event that a base runner is injured, he/she shall be replaced by the individual of the same gender who made the last out. Bunting/Chopping: Bunting and/or chopping the ball is against the rules and will be an automatic out for the batter and a dead ball for the base runners A game shall be declared complete if “called” after the bottom of the fourth inning (or after the top of the fourth with the home team winning) or beyond for inclement weather. a. If the game must be called before the bottom of the 4 th (or after the top of the 4th with the home team winning) then the game will resume exactly where it left off at a time TBA.
VIII. Pitching A. The pitching arch is between 6 and 12 feet. a. That is, the ball must arch at least 6’ high but not more than 12’ high B. The pitcher must have at least one foot on the pitching rubber during delivery. C. The Strike Mat will be in effect. a. A black mat the width of the plate will extend behind the play approximately 2 feet. b. If a legally pitched ball makes contact with the mat, a strike will be called. c. If a legally pitched ball strikes the plate or dirt around the mat, a ball will be called. D. The pitcher must show the ball to the umpire and batter before pitching. No quick pitches. E. If the ball is pitched illegally, the umpire shall shout “illegal pitch” at which time the batter may either swing at the pitch and take the results, or not swing and take an automatic ball. F. There are no balks G. A batter hit by a pitch does not advance to first base (unless it was their 4 th ball)-they will receive a ball. H. If a batter catches a pitch or purposely extends a body part to get hit, a strike shall be called. IX. Catching A. If the catcher catches or makes contact with the ball before it hits the mat, a ball will be called regardless of whether it would have hit the mat. B. If a ball is fouled off, the catcher may only catch it for an out if the ball travels 12 feet in the air or higher and is within the playing area (if there is a game not played on the varsity softball field, the catcher can’t catch a foul ball out of play in the “Dead Ball Zone”; however, while playing in the varsity softball field, any ball by the catcher that goes over 12 feet is an out).
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X. Scoring and Base Running A. “Point of No Return”: On the third base line approximately half way in between home and third base will be a perpendicular white line extending from the existing foul line. This is the “point of no return” line. If a runner advances past or steps on this line they must advance to home and may not turn back to third base. Due to this rule home plate is always a force out, meaning all the catcher (or anyone on the defense) has to do is catch the ball while standing on home plate before the runner touches the strike mat for the runner to be out. If the runner passes the “point of no return” and turns back to third, an automatic out will be called as they pass back over the touch line. B. On a close play at home the runner must use the “strike zone mat” for their base and the catcher must use the actual home plate as their base. This is to avoid players from running into each other. If either uses the wrong base on a “close play” an automatic out/safe will be called. C. Home Runs: Once a team hits five home runs (over the fence) in one game every home run after that will be an automatic out. a. Retrieving balls hit out of play are the responsibility of the batting team. D. Keeping Score: Keeping score is the responsibility of the team batting. a. A clipboard will be passed between team managers b. It is important that the score be kept in an organized manner so discrepancies do not arise. Teams are encouraged to check their opponents score sheet throughout the game to ensure accuracy.
Updated May 18, 2009