TURNER RECREATION COMMISSION ADULT SOFTBALL RULES & RUGULATIONS Revised July 2009 All rules and interpretations will be covered under United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) with the following emphasis and exceptions listed below. The TRC Sports Coordinator sets the rules and reserves the right to interpret the rules in the best interest of the Turner Recreation Commission Adult Softball Leagues. 1. SPORTSMANSHIP: a. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. Any manager, coach, or player who displays unsportsmanlike conduct can be ejected from a game and can be asked to leave the softball complex. If a manager, coach, or player is ejected from a game, that person will be suspended from participation and play during their next scheduled two games. If a manager, coach, or player is ejected from a game a second time, that person will be suspended from participation and play for the remainder of the season. b. Any spectator who displays unsportsmanlike conduct can be asked to leave the softball complex. Foul and/or profane language is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and is grounds for ejection. c. Fighting will not be tolerated. Anyone removed from a game because of fighting will be suspended for the entire season and banned from participating in the following season. This also means that you will not be allowed to watch any games for the remainder of the season plus a one year suspension from any TRC sponsored activity or program. d. All players, coaches, managers, spectators, and staff are expected to display good sportsmanship and conduct at all times. Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include, but are not limited to: i. Use of profanity ii. Arguing, bickering, heckling, or excessive displays of emotion towards an umpire, player, spectator, or staff iii. Making unnecessary gestures toward game participants, spectators, umpires, or staff iv. Throwing equipment; resorting to unnecessary roughness v. Full backing and crash plays, which also results in the runner s ejection for the game. Penalty: Depending on the severity, staff or the umpire have the right to issue a warning or ejection from the game. Once someone has been ejected from the game, they have (2) minutes to leave the facility or the police will be called and the game will be declared a forfeit. Note: all ejections include suspension from playing, coaching, and/or watching any TRC sponsored team or league in which the person is a member (adult and/or youth). Player or coach will be required to meet with TRC Disciplinary Committee prior to reinstatement at the end of the suspension. Depending on the severity of the offenses(s), the ejected person may be subject to additional sanctions and/or permanently banned from any and all TRC activities.
2. TEAM ELIGIBILITY: a. There is no restriction on teams to participate in TRC s leagues. This league is strictly recreational & established to serve recreational teams. 3. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY: a. Participants must be 18 years of age to play. Any person declared ineligible for age purposes will be ineligible for the remainder of the season. 4. GAME LOCATION AND SCOREKEEPING: a. Games will be played at the Highland Park field located at 50th Street and Shawnee Drive or the Riverview Complex located at 200 S. 74 th St. KCK 66111. The home team will have the responsibility of keeping score for the game/doubleheader and reporting game results to the field supervisor. Home team will be responsible for the official scorebook. 5. TEAM ROSTER: a. All team managers shall file a roster of players. This roster must be on file with the TRC Office by the designated deadline. {A player may play on more than one (1) team with the approval of both team managers and Sports Coordinator in unforeseen circumstances}. All players must sign a waiver and be listed on the official team roster. All roster modifications must be done through the TRC office. b. No roster modifications will be allowed after the 2nd week of games. (before the 3 rd game) i. Minimum players: teams must carry a minimum of 9 players on their roster ii. Maximum players: teams may carry a maximum of 16 players on their roster. c. No player will be allowed to participate in games once their name has been removed from the team roster. d. Adding players names may be removed and others substituted at no charge before the first game. From games 1-3, players may be added or dropped, but a $5 per player participation fee must be paid in the Rec office before the player can participate. 6. INELIGIBLE PLAYER: a. Any team with a player declared ineligible for any reason will forfeit all games in which that player participated. 7. GAME TIME: a. LINE-UPS - All line-ups must be turned in to the umpire and home team scorer at least 10 minutes before the scheduled game time. Teams who fail to provide umpires and scorers with a line-up in a timely manner will forfeit the game. b. Minimum Players Teams failing to field (8) players at the scheduled starting time will forfeit the game. If a team has at least (8) players present at game time, the game must be started as scheduled. Under no circumstances will a team forfeit a game for failing to finish the game with the same number of players they started with due to injury or illness. If a player is ejected causing his/her team to fall below ten players, an automatic out will be assessed as well as a team that starts with eight or nine players the out or outs will be assessed. The umpire and both teams may waive this automatic out rule if one team is short of players and the opposing team agrees not to penalize this team. c. Substitute Players Teams are permitted a maximum of (2) substitute players in order to make a full line-up. These players must be eligible rostered players. At the umpire s pregame conference, both team managers must be in agreement to allow the substitute(s) to play. Once the consent is made and recorded in the scorebook by the scorekeeper, no eligibility protests concerning the sub(s) will be allowed.
d. Forfeited Games The time reserved for forfeited games belongs to those who showed. They may use the diamond for practice or for a practice game. Officials shall not work such a game and shall call the game 10 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the following game. e. Rain-out Games Rain-out games will be rescheduled as diamonds and schedules permit. f. Time limit All double header league games will consist of 1 hour & 55 minute time limit. No new inning will begin after fifty minutes of play. The next inning begins as soon as the last out of the previous inning is made. The one hour time limit is waived only in the event of a tie or during tournament play. 8. GAME OFFICIALS: a. Uniform All umpires shall wear uniforms designated by the Turner Recreation Commission. b. Control The umpire(s) and supervisor shall be in complete charge of the game. c. Time Limit The umpire(s) will be in charge of the time limit on the field. He or she will announce the start time, which in turn will be written down in the score book by the home team s scorekeeper. d. Substitutes Officials shall be furnished for all league games. In games those games that two umpires are assigned and one fails to report, the other umpire shall work the game from whatever position they feels that they can best call the game. In games which one official is assigned and fails to report, a substitute official shall be assigned by the field supervisor. 9. RUN RULE: A game is considered run ruled when one team is leading another by fifteen or more runs after three complete innings (2 ½ if home team is ahead), and when one team is leading another by 10 runs after five complete innings (4 ½ if home team is ahead). 10. THE FOLLOWING HOME RUN RULES WILL BE USED FOR DESIGNATED PROGRAMS. A. Over-the-fence Home Runs are limited. All fair untouched fly balls over-the-fence in excess of the limit will be ruled a foul ball (Players will receive one courtesy foul before it s considered an out). 1. Any time the batter is ruled out because of an over-the-fence Home Run in excess of the limit, the ball is dead and no runners can advance. 2. Any fair fly ball touched by a defensive player which then goes over the fence in Fair Territory will be declared a four base award and is not to be included in the total of over the fence Home Runs. 3. A Home Run will be charged for any untouched fair fly ball hit over the fence in Fair Territory, whether or not runs score.
11. EQUIPMENT: a. Jewelry: the officials shall not permit any player to wear equipment which, in her or his judgment is dangerous or confusing to other players, or is not appropriate. Examples of illegal items are headwear (hats and/or rags), and jewelry (earrings, rings, beads, etc ) b. Uniforms: each player must have a distinct number on the back of their jersey. No taped-on numbers will be permitted. c. If a players needs to write a number on their shirt, then the number needs to be a minimum of 8 inches in height. d. Each team will have to provide their own equipment (bats, practice balls, gloves). 12. FORFEIT TIME: a. Forfeit time is ten minutes after the scheduled game time. Example: game time is 3:00 PM; forfeit time is 3:10 PM. The umpire s watch is the official watch. b. For each minute a team is late they will be penalized one run per minute. A forfeit score is 10 to 0. 13. FORFEITS & PROTESTS: a. Teams that forfeit games are subject to penalty. First game - $10, Second game - $20. These fees must be paid prior to the next game played. If a team has forfeited a total of 3 games, they will be dropped from the league without being refunded any additional money. If a team notifies the TRC office 60 hours prior to the day of their game, it will not count towards their forfeit total and forfeit fees will not be assessed. b. Protests are not allowed in TRC Adult Softball League except concerning player eligibility. c. Questions about rule interpretations must be settled at the time they are brought to the umpire s attention. The umpire s decision is final. Protests must be submitted to the TRC Office no later than 24 hours after the alleged violation. Protests must be in writing and accompanied by a $50 protest fee that will be returned if the protest is upheld, but forfeited if not allowed. The field supervisor will be notified by the umpire that the remainder of the game is being played under protest. 14. DUGOUTS: Second team listed on the schedule shall be the Home Team who occupies 1 st base dugout. 15. BATS: a. Turner Recreation Commission follows the USSSA Licensed Bat List. This list is located at www.usssa.com (subject to change at any time!) 16. SHOES: a. No metal spikes or cleats. Any player refusing to remove their metal cleats will be ejected from the game and facility. 17. UNIFORMS: a. Shirts, shorts, or pants and shoes must be worn. Recreation leagues do not require matching uniforms. b. Absolutely no derogatory wording on uniforms! c. Numbers must be a minimum of eight (8) inches tall on the back of the jersey with no identical numbers.
18. DEFENSIVE POSITIONS: a. 10 players allowed on the playing field at once. (6) in-field positions, and (4) outfield positions. One player may be used as a Rover & rotate back & forth from the infield & outfield as a defensive strategy 19. BATTING ORDER: a. Teams must bat all ten players in the field and can bat a total of 12 players in a lineup or more if agreed upon by both teams and the umpire. 20. LEGAL DELIVERY: a. The pitcher must not use a delivery in which there is a stop or reversal of the pitching motion. b. The pitcher must deliver the ball toward home plate on the first forward swing of the pitching arm past the hip with an underhand motion. The palm of the hand may be over or under the ball. c. The ball must be delivered with perceptible arc and reach a height of at least six feet from the ground, while not exceeding a maximum height of 12 feet from the ground. The pitcher has 10 seconds to release the next pitch after receiving the ball. No more than one minute may be used to deliver not more than three warm-up pitches. Umpire will have judgment on speed and pitch height. 21. GRIEVANCES: a. Rule interpretations and concerns must be submitted in writing to the Sports Coordinator (Judgment calls are not to be construed as a rule interpretation). Judgment calls during a game or any action of disciplinary nature taken by an umpire or field supervisor will be supported by the Sports Coordinator. 22. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES PROGRESSION: a. Offensive out after a warning has been issued to a player/team, an umpire may impose an offensive out to a team for misconduct, arguing, vulgar language or any unsportsmanlike act. Once the offensive out has been issued, the current batter or next batter, depending on when the offensive out was issued, is out. The offensive out is a team penalty and affects the next batter or current batter in the batter s box. That batter is out and cannot bat again until their next turn in the batting line-up occurs. b. Teams will need to self-regulate their behavior or the offensive out will be used. c. If the offensive out is issued to the defensive team, the first batter up next time the defensive team bats, is out. The offensive out counts toward the (3) outs to end a half inning. 23. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES/DRUGS: a. All players and spectators are encouraged to refrain from the use of alcohol or intoxicating drugs. b. Consumption of alcohol or intoxicating drugs during participation in TRC sponsored events is prohibited by team members (coaches, managers, players, and spectators). 24. CLEAN UP: a. All teams & spectators are encouraged to pick up their cans, bottles, and/or trash before leaving the dugout &facility & place it in a waste receptacle.
25. COMPLETE GAME: a. Seven complete innings or 4½ innings if the home team is winning will constitute a complete game due to an act of God or special circumstances. 26. BASE RUNNING: a. Any attempt to take another player out while running the bases shall result in an ejection from the game and a suspension from the next game. b. No stealing or leading off. 27. TEAM MANAGERS: a. Only team managers are allowed to consult with the umpire, anyone else will be ejected immediately. The team manager will be responsible for the conduct of their players, assistant coaches, and spectators. Please control your team and fans to avoid game forfeiture. 28. SMOKING: a. Smoking is not allowed on the playing field or in the dugouts and must be done in the designated areas only. Violators will be warned and may be prosecuted and/or banned for one year from participation in all TRC programs and activities. 29. TIE-BREAKER CRITERIA: a. Overall record b. Head to head record c. Head to head defensive runs given up d. Head to head total offensive runs scored e. A coin flip.
LEAGUE SPECIFIC RULES 30. HOMERUN LIMIT: a. Females are allowed an unlimited amount of out of the park homeruns. b. Males are allowed only two homeruns per game per team. c. After the total number of homeruns allowed per team has been hit, any male player that hits a fair untouched fly ball over the fence in that game is ruled a foul ball. Ball will be declared dead and base runners will not be allowed to advance. d. On a fair fly ball hit over the fence for a Home Run, the Batter and all Base Runners are credited with a score. The Batter must touch first base. All base runners must touch their consecutive base and then go directly to the dugout area. This should eliminate all base appeals 31. COURTESY FOUL BALL: a. A batter, whose second strike is a foul ball, will be given one courtesy foul ball. If that batter hits another foul ball, that batter is out. 32. 2 STRIKES, YOU RE OUT: a. The batter is out if he/she has a second strike. 33. 3 BALLS, YOU WALK: a. The batter is awarded first base when the umpire calls three balls.
CO-REC SOFTBALL RULES Co-Rec Softball League will be played under USSSA and the TRC softball league rules 34. TEAM: a. A team consists of five (5) men and five (5) women b. A game may be started with eight (8) players; however, at least one-half of the team on the field must be women (ex, 8 players/at least 4 women.9 players/at least 5 women) 35. FIELDING POSITIONS: a. 10 players allowed on the playing field at once. (6) in-field positions, and (4) outfield positions. One player may be used as a Rover & rotate back & forth from the infield & outfield as a defensive strategy. The Rover may only be an infield player when a male is up to bat. b. All four outfielders except for one must be behind the 175-foot line and in the outfield grass until the ball has been hit. Penalty will be the offense choosing the result of the play or being awarded first base. This is an umpire s judgment call. 36. BATTING: a. The leadoff batter may be of either sex with the following batter being alternate sex throughout the remaining batting order. b. WOMEN have the option to hit or take a walk no matter how many outs when a male receives a walk prior to their at-bat. This must be decided prior to her stepping into the batter s box. 37. SUBSTITUTIONS: a. Substitutions may be made by any gender as long as there are more females than males. At no time may the number of males be greater than females. 38. BALLS: a. The 11 softball will be used when a female is batting. The 12 softball will be used when a male is batting. Both balls must have a core rating of.44 or less. Both balls must be the same color.
40+ SLOWPITCH SOFTBALL RULES 40+ Slow-Pitch Women s Softball League will be played under USSSA and the TRC softball league rules with the following additions: 39. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY: a. All participants must turn 40 years old by December 31 st of current season of participation (it is possible to have some 39 year olds in the league). 40. LEAGUE FORMAT: a. This will be an 8 game league. b. Spring League games begin - 2 nd Thursday in March c. Late Summer League games begin 3 rd Thursday in July d. Fall League games begin 2 nd Thursday in September 41. TEAM INFORMATION: a. All players, managers, and coaches must complete the team application form/waiver, provide a valid copy of their driver license, or age verification, (unless these are on file with the league office) and pay the required fees prior to being eligible to compete in any league event. 42. LINEUPS: a. A lineup must be presented to the scorekeeper at least ten (10) minutes before game time with the players ages and team average age. b. All members in the line-up will be allowed to hit. However, the same batting order must be retained throughout the game as field positions change. 43. EQUALIZER (SPOT RULE): a. Every team will figure their average age at the beginning of the game. This average age will be used to compute how many runs will have to be spotted to the other team. One run will be spotted per ever additional year older average. Ex. Team A has an average age of (44) and Team B has an average age of (49). Team A will spot Team B (5) runs before the start of the game. 44. GAME LENGTH: a. Games will be scheduled for either seven (7) innings or 1 hour maximum time limit. b. Teams are limited to five (5) runs per inning or three (3) outs whichever occurs first. c. In the final inning as declared by the umpire, the following guidelines will be followed: i. With ten (10) minutes playing time remaining, the umpire will state the current inning will be completed, and the next inning will be the last and only unlimited-run inning. ii. In the event of extra innings, those, too will be unlimited-run innings. iii. If when the Last Inning time limit id declared by the umpire, the home team trails by at least 10 runs, said home team will bat first in the last unlimited run inning. Should the home team take the lead in the last inning, the visiting team will then have their last at bat.
45. ONE UP: a. The over-the-fence home run rule is for either team to remain only one home run ahead, or UP over the opposing team. Therefore, the team that is behind in hitting home runs may hit no more than two home runs to become One Up. There is no limit to over-the-fence home runs using this rule. Balls hit over the fence fair when a team is One Up will be ruled walks, and base runners will advance only one base when forced as a walk. b. Teams hitting a foul ball or home run ball over the fence will retrieve the ball 46. BORROWED PLAYERS: a. A team is allowed to borrow up to two (2) league members to complete its rosters. The first borrowed player must catch and bat last. A second player may play at designated area agreed upon by both team managers and bat last. b. Players arriving late will replace borrowed players in the lineup c. Each borrowed player will cost the borrowing team two (2) runs added to the opposing team s score regardless of whether or not roster players arrive to finish the game. The umpire will add the runs at the start of the game. The opposing manager may waive the two (2) run penalty per borrowed player before the game starts. Once the game has started the decision to waive the runs is irrevocable. 47. BASE RUNNING: a. Unlimited courtesy runners will be allowed each inning. The same player attempting to be a courtesy runner twice in the same inning will be declared out. b. A courtesy runner on base when her turn at bat arrives will be declared out. That player will then take her place in the lineup if there are not three outs. c. If that is the third (3) out, that player will be the lead-off batter the next inning. 48. SLIDING/DIVING: a. This is not permitted at first base or the scoring plate. Such players will be called out; however a player may slide or dive into second or third base, or when returning to any base. b. Runners shall be called out for contact with a defensive player, in the judgment of the umpire, the contact was deliberate, or the runner could reasonably have been expected to minimize or avoid contact under the circumstances or failed to do so. 49. COMMITMENT LINE: a. A three (3) foot lone line marked twenty (20) feet from home plate, perpendicular to the foul line between third base and home plate. b. Once a runner s foot touches the ground on or past this line, the runner may not re-cross the line in the direction of third base. The runner must continue toward the scoring plate. Violation will result in an out.
50. SCORING PLATE: a. A plate set beside home plate, four feet away along third-base-home-plate foul line which a runner must touch in order to score. b. The defensive player in possession of the ball must touch the home plate before the runner touches the scoring plate in order to record an out. 51. TAG: a. A base runner must be Retired at Home Plate without a tag. The defensive player with the possession of the ball must tag home plate after the runner has crossed the commitment line and has not touched the scoring plate. b. Baserunners must utilize the home scoring plate when attempting to score. c. The runner shall be called out if the runner touches or crosses over any portion of home plate. Runners shall not be called out for any contact with a defensive player not in contact with home plate unless, in the umpire s judgment, the runner deliberately hit or could have expected to minimize or avoid contact under the circumstances and failed to do so.