SOFTBALL REGULATIONS ACADEMIC YEAR: Spring 2019 CONFERENCE SPORT ADMINISTRATOR: CONFERENCE SPORT CHAIR: CONFERENCE RATER: OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Jill DeVries Valley City State University Ashley Vandeveen Mayville State University Michael Mook Valley City State University Cory Anderson NSAA Commissioner Jill DeVries Sport Administrator Valley City State Mark Potts SID Valley City State LEADERSHIP: The sport chairs of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) shall be elected by the members of each group and serve two-year terms. The position starting date is June 1 following the conclusion of the second year of the term of the previous chair. A Chair-Elect will serve as secretary for two-year term until becoming Chair. CHAIR RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Serve as the facilitator and advocate for the sport and the other coaches in the conference. 2. Establish sports meeting agendas in conjunction with the commissioner. 3. Report in full all decisions and deliberations made at meetings to the conference commissioner. 4. Facilitate the discussion & present ideas for conference schedules to the commissioner. 5. Coordinate with the commissioner the review and update the sport regulations. 6. Assist the commissioner s office in paperwork required by conference and national organizations. 7. Keep the sport portfolio informed of current activities, as advocate in conference meetings. 8. Appoint committees as necessary to assist in the presentation of proposals to the coaches. 9. Coordinate selection of conference awards in accordance with the NAIA deadline. 53 P age
SECTION 1... FREQUENCY OF PLAY... NSAA (1) The maximum number of varsity games, contests or playing dates an institution may schedule is listed below. The number of junior varsity or freshman games, contests or playing dates scheduled during a given term cannot exceed the number of varsity games, contests or playing dates scheduled during that term. Further, no student may compete in a sport in an academic year in more than the number of games, contests or playing dates listed below (this includes varsity, junior varsity, freshman, etc.), excluding NAIA-approved postseason participation. Softball 28 Dates In the sport of softball, an institution is allowed one exhibition competition per season. The competition must meet the definition of an exhibition under Article V, Section B, item 6 of the NAIA bylaws. The exhibition competition will count as one varsity game, contest or playing date within the limits stated above. (2) The following number of scrimmage dates per sport will be allowed in addition to the maximum number of varsity games, contests or playing dates which, an institution may schedule or in/on which a student may compete. Softball 2 Scrimmages (3) Every NSAA member shall schedule every other NSAA member two dates each year with both dates being at least double headers. (4) The host team is responsible for setting game start times. (5) NSAA conference games and Conference tournament shall not use the international tiebreaker rule. SECTION 2... PRACTICE & COMPETITION... NSAA (1) Each sport shall have a maximum 24-week practice and competition season established by each member institution. Frequency of play, practice and scheduling policies shall be applied only during the period of August 1 to May 15. Frequency of play, practice, and scheduling outside of this period is governed by each member institution and will not be regulated by the NAIA. There shall be no more than three break periods during the 24 weeks. NAIA-approved postseason participation shall not be counted as part of the 24-week period. A week is defined as Monday (12:00 a.m.) through Sunday (11:59 p.m.). Any practice or competition during this period shall constitute one of the 24 weeks permitted. EXCEPTION: Practice activities occurring between the deadline for the sport s completion of conference, A.I.I. or unaffiliated grouping qualifying competition and the team s participation in its final contest in NAIA-approved postseason shall not count towards the team s 24-week season. Once teams are selected for NAIA-approved postseason, institutions not selected for the NAIA-approved postseason must cease practice activities 54 P age
or comply thereafter with the restrictions of the 24-week rule. Teams selected to participate in NAIA-approved postseason must count all activities at the conclusion of its postseason participation. (2) Practice - Practice will be defined as follows: An activity organized and/or directed by an identified member of the coaching staff of that sport in which appropriate equipment is used or instruction and/or evaluation of the athlete takes place. CASEBOOK EXAMPLES Conditioning Approved Ruling: Conditioning and weight-training activities that do not utilize equipment associated with a sport will not be considered practice in that sport. Activity Classes Approved Ruling: A college activities class involving the teaching of sports skills that is open to all students will not be considered practice. A college activities class involving the teaching of sport skills open only to invited students shall apply to the practice/competition season of that sport. Alumni Games Season of Competition Approved Ruling: An alumni contest is considered to be an in-house event and shall be treated the same as an internal practice. SECTION 3... POST-SEASON FORMAT/CONFERENCE CHAMPION... NSAA (1) Conference Tournament - Host schools must have satisfactory facilities. New NSAA members or schools sponsoring softball for the first year will not be allowed to host that year and will go to the end of the host site list. (2) The host school is responsible for administration cost such as umpires, balls, ticket sellers and takers, etc. The site for the tournament will coordinate with baseball beginning in 2015. (3) The host school must have a tournament director. (4) Post Season - Format is to play two-four team double elimination tournaments with the winner of each bracket to play a best of three winner-take-all regardless of record within the bracket. (5) The tournament seeding is based Conference standings. The number 1 seed will be the NSAA regular season champion (A team must compete in 50% of scheduled conference games to qualify). In the event of a tie seeding will be based on the following criteria: i. Head-to-head competition. ii. Head-to-head vs. conference common opponents. iii. Record vs. conference opponents starting from top seeded team to bottom. iv. Runs allowed in conference play. v. Coin flip. 55 P age
(6) The home team is highest seed in the winner s bracket and occupy the 3 rd base dugout. A coin flip in the loser s bracket will determine home team and dugout assignment. (7) All conference regular season games must be completed by the last Tuesday at midnight before the NSAA Tournament SECTION 4... PLAYING RULES... NSAA (1) NAIA Softball rules will be used SECTION 5... EQUIPMENT... NSAA (1) The official softball for all NSAA games will be the Worth NAIAFP game ball. SECTION 6... OFFICIALS... NSAA (1) An umpire-in-chief and a field umpire shall be used in all Conference games. (2) Umpires are obligated to conduct the game under conditions conducive to the highest standards of good sportsmanship. They are required to enforce each section of the Official Softball Rules. (3) Selection of umpires is the responsibility of the home administration. (4) The umpires shall be paid an amount agreed upon by the Athletic Director and Officials. SECTION 7... FACILITIES... NSAA (1) A representative from the host institution shall greet and provide information to the coach of the visiting team regarding dressing room accommodations, what is available for warm-up space, and any special arrangements such as pregame or between game ceremonies. SECTION 8... GAME MANAGEMENT... NSAA Home Team Responsibilities (1) Provide water, ice, and an Athletic Trainer. The training room facilities shall be made available to the visiting team. (2) The host school must provide an official book/scorer. The host SID should make an effort to secure scorers. (3) Playing fields must be dragged and lined before games. (4) Infield practice will be eliminated, if necessary, wet grounds, due to late arrival, etc. Rescheduling Priorities (a) The temperature must be feels like 32 degrees using weather.com to play a scheduled game. The game may still be played if both coaches are in agreement but the feels like 56 P age
temperature has not been reached. Once the game has started the umpire-in-chief will be the judge as so the suspension, resumption or termination of play due to poor weather. (b) (c) (d) (e) Unplayable mean the weather or field conditions are such that the scheduled games cannot be played. The decision on playable is to be made ultimately by the home team Athletic Director or designee. The home and visiting Athletic Directors are to establish a time when the final decision will be made on unplayable conditions. The time should be set to provide sufficient travel time. Rescheduling conference games takes precedence over non-conference games. If prior to the weekend series the field at the scheduled home site is deemed unplayable or there is impending weather on ONE of the scheduled weekend dates (Saturday or Sunday), the following options should be considered: a. 4 Day window to play games (Fri-Mon) find best consecutive days b. Play three 7 inning games on a single day (Saturday or Sunday) c. Swap the home sites d. Find a playable neutral site, if neither teams field is playable If game dates are moved due to weather or field conditions e. Games may not be played more than 48 hours prior to the scheduled date f. Max 2 nights stay for any trip. (f) (g) No Make-up dates built in every effort must be made to find reasonable solution a. Cancelled games need approval of the Commissioner s office. NSAA Tournament Weather Policy. a. The tournament must be played through the championship game. The game schedule may be revised because of inclement weather or safety concerns. b. If the tournament is canceled before any games are played the top seeded team will represent the NSAA. c. If the tournament is canceled after play has begun the highest undefeated seed will represent the NSAA. d. If the tournament is canceled after the championship game but before the if-necessary game, the winner of the championship game will be the NSAA champion. e. Every reasonable attempt should be made to move the tournament to an alternate location (within 90 miles) in the event of inclement weather if deemed necessary by the tournament director. 57 P age
SECTION 9... CONDUCT... NSAA (1) The highest standards of sportsmanship and conduct are expected of players, coaches, and others associated with the game. It is the duty of the coach to be in control of his players at all times in order to prevent any unsportsmanlike act towards opponents, officials, or spectators. (2) Coaches are expected to comply wholeheartedly with the intent and spirit of the rules. (3) Coaches are to refrain from commenting to the media on the quality of the officiating. (4) Coaches are prohibited from calling, e-mailing or writing to a NSAA umpire prior to or during the sport season. Any communication between a coach and a referee is to be limited to the period of time when the officials are on the court or field just prior to the contest. (5) Home and visitor administration present at the contests should comply with all Champions of Character initiatives and control inappropriate crowd behavior. (6) The Commissioner shall have the authority to take disciplinary action, short of expulsion, against Conference members for violation of Association or NAIA rules. Any appeal of a decision by the Commissioner shall be made to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. (7) Alcohol and Tobacco Products - The use of alcohol, tobacco or tobacco products is not permitted by participants, coaches, cheerleaders, trainers, game administrators, or officials in the playing areas during NSAA or NAIA competition and practices for such competition. b. The coaching staff and the Athletic Director shall enforce this policy during practice sessions. The game administrator and/or the Umpire shall enforce this policy during competition. Enforcement of this policy shall follow the following steps: On the first offense, the individual(s) and team shall receive an official warning. A second offense will cause expulsion from practice or game. (8) Verbal Abuse (Bench Jockeying). a. Game personnel shall not use language that will, in any manner, refer to or reflect negatively upon opposing players, coaches, umpires or spectators. b. Penalty i. The umpire shall warn the offending individual and the coach one time. ii. iii. If the verbal abuse continues after the warning, the offender shall be ejected. If the verbal abuse continues after the first ejection, the head coach shall be ejected along with any other offending personnel. 58 P age
SECTION 10... TRAVEL SQUAD SIZE... NSAA (1) Each team shall be restricted to 20 players in uniform. SECTION 11... SCOUT EXCHANGE... NSAA (1) Staff of member institutions shall not provide or exchange information in any form with representatives of conference or non-conference opponents if such information could be used for scouting purposes or in some other way to the disadvantage of any member institution s athletic teams. SECTION 13... POLICY ON DELAYING, POSTPONING, RESCHEDULING CONTESTS... NSAA Rescheduling Priorities Delay or Termination of Conference Events. The North Star Athletic Association recognizes four legitimate reasons for delay or termination of a contest: 1. Obstruction of any type that cannot be removed from the playing facility. 2. Failure of electrical power or other services necessary to continue a contest. 3. Weather conditions that make it impossible to play or continue to play 4. Misconduct, by any persons, that jeopardizes the safety of persons playing or spectating. If the apparent cause is 1, 2 or 3 above, the referee or chief official shall determine when a contest is to be delayed, terminated, or resumed. For cause 4, the Athletic Director of the host institution, or the director s appointed representative, shall determine whether the contest is to be delayed, terminated, or resumed. (a) Weather Postponements. a. Rescheduling Policy for NSAA Softball i. Unplayable means the weather or field conditions are such that the scheduled games cannot be played. The decision on playable or unplayable is to be made ultimately by the home Athletic Director or Designee. ii. Once a contest has started, the Umpire in Chief shall determine when a contest is to be terminated, delayed or resumed. iii. The home Athletic Director and the visiting Athletic Director is to establish a time when the final decision will be made if a field is unplayable. The time should be set to provide sufficient time to consider the rescheduling options. The time will vary depending on distance to travel and bus company policy. iv. Conference rescheduled games are to take preference over scheduled Non- Conference games. When scheduling Non-Conference games, this policy should be stated in the contract or agreement. v. It is recommended that when viewing weather sites, weatherunderground.com and safetravelusa.com are among them. These sites have a long history of being accurate and are used by the military. 59 P age
b. Rescheduling /Inclement Weather Policy: i. If prior to the weekend series the field at the scheduled home site is deemed unplayable or there is impending weather on ONE of the scheduled weekend dates (Saturday or Sunday), the following options should be considered: 1. 5 Day window to play games (Thu-Mon) find best consecutive days 2. Play three 7 inning games on a single day (Saturday or Sunday) 3. Swap the home sites 4. Find a playable neutral site, if neither teams field is playable 5. Play three 7 inning games on a single day If game dates are moved due to weather or field conditions a. Games may not be played more than 48 hours prior to the scheduled date b. Weekend date (Saturday or Sunday) 9 and 7 inning games and weekday date (Monday Friday) 9 and 7 inning games c. Max 2 nights stay for any trip ii. No Make-up dates built in 1. Every reasonable effort should be made to play games. iii. If team A is scheduled to play team B for the final weekend of the season and a scheduled day becomes Unplayable, then A & B may play on Monday. No other team could play A or B on Monday. iv. When both sites are unplayable, a neutral site may be utilized, but requires approval of both Athletic Directors when the travel distance is greater than 300 miles 1 way (travel payment is to be worked out by the two Athletic Directors) 1. Reasonable Site Distance (300 miles 1 way) required 2. If above 300 miles based on mutual consent including Athletic Director v. If the athletic directors or coaches cannot agree on scheduling, then the NSAA Commissioner shall make a determination as to the course of action. vi. The Commissioner and the Sports Liaison have the authority to mediate and decide a time and location for conference contests to be played, if the outcome of such contests will affect the qualification of a team(s) or the seeding of a team(s) for the NSAA post-season tournament. 60 P age
SECTION 14... AWARDS... NSAA (1) All-Conference Team shall be selected by the conference coaches at the completion of conference competition. Honorable mentions will not be recognized. To be eligible for an All-Conference nomination, one must play at least 50% of games at nominated position. a. 20 Member 1 st Team: i. P 3 ii. C 2 iii. IF 5 iv. OF 4 v. DP 1 vi. UT 1 vii. At-large 4 b. 10 Member 2 nd Team: i. At-large 10 (2) Gold Glove Award nominated/selected by coaches. 1 only at each position-9 members Individual and team awards shall be given only when at least one-half or more of the Conference institutions participate in a sport. (3) The Conference coaches shall select the following individual awards at the end of the season. Each selection will receive a NSAA Recognition award. All Conference Procedure: a. Nomination submitted to NSAA SID prior to final conference game. b. NSAA sends completed ballot to coaches for review. c. Conference call to discuss nominees (Wednesday at 11AM before NSAA Tourney) d. Online vote for all conference (Begins Wednesday evening) e. Post Season coaches meeting Post Season Awards of: Individual Awards: i. Player of Year; Pitcher of Year; Newcomer of the Year a. North Star Champions of Character Achievement Award (1 per team) i. The athletes should have contributed greatly to the success of their own team and served as a role model for other squad members. b. Player of the Year shall be selected by a nomination and vote. (not including the two pitchers). c. Pitcher of the Year shall be selected by a nomination and vote. 61 P age
d. Newcomer of the Year Nominations will be different from all-conference and shall require separate nomination and a separate vote. e. Coach of the Year shall be voted on by all coaches. f. Player of the Week shall be selected each week of competition. Conference coaches are to submit nominations at the time weekly statistics are reported. g Pitcher of the Week shall be selected each week of competition. Conference coaches are to submit nominations at the time weekly statistics are reported. h. Athletes with high academic achievement are honored at the end of each term as NSAA ACADEMIC HONOR SCHOLARS. Individual certificates are awarded to each athlete that qualifies. i. Forms will be available through the direction of the NSAA FAR SECTION 15... TRAINER/TRAINING ROOM SERVICES... NSAA A certified Athletic Trainer must be available to each team and provided by the home team and the training room facilities of host institutions shall be made available to visiting team. SECTION 16... NSAA PUBLICITY & STAT REPORTING... NSAA (1) In conference match-ups, the home team will provide the visiting team a copy of the game stats immediately following each game including the DakStats file. (2) Each school will use the DakStats software and is encouraged to gamecast. The NSAA shall maintain a NSAA Sports Information Director and all releases regarding official business of the NSAA shall be released at the direction of the Commissioner and respective Sports Information Directors. For each Intra Conference contest, host institutions shall have the responsibility to file statistical reports; for each contest with non-conference opponents, the member institution shall file the reports. All reports shall be filed immediately following each contest. SECTION 17... LETTERS OF INTENT... NSAA (1) All incoming student athletes receiving aid as defined by the NAIA shall be required to sign the North Star Athletic Association Recruitment and Letter of Intent. Student athletes may be released from a Letter of Intent only by the institution s Athletic Director. (2) This policy applies to all sports and to all athletes. All coaches are required to follow. (3) A weekly list of Conference signee s will be distributed to all member Institutions 62 P age
(4) Schools are responsible for releasing the names of their signees to the media. Schools are not to use the names or number of signees to other institutions in any publication or release to the media. (5) If, during the school year or summer vacation period, the Athletic Director, or Coach of a member institution is contacted or becomes aware of contact by an athlete who is enrolled or signed a letter of intent at another Institution, it shall become the responsibility of the contacted (Athletic Director) to notify in writing the institution where the athlete is enrolled or signed within 10 days following the first contact. (6) A coach or another representative of a member institution may respond to a contact by an athlete only after the enrolled athlete s institution (Athletic Director) has been notified. (7) A coach or another representative of a member institution shall not initiate contact with an athlete who has enrolled or signed a letter of Intent at another institution. (8) Violation of any part of the recruitment policy shall cause an immediate investigation by the Commissioner and committee for appropriate action. 63 P age