Special Olympics Minnesta Sftball Handbk 1
CONTENTS Sftball & Cach Pitch Rules... 3 Unified Sftball Rules...6 Individual Skills... 7 Sample Individual Skills Sheet... 9 Sftball Event Infrmatin... 10 Divisining... 11 Example Sftball Assessment & Registratin Frms... 12 Practice ideas, skill assessment and develpment, and rules can be fund in the SOI Quick Start Guides and SOI Rules fr each respective sprt at www.speciallympics.rg/sprts.aspx. New in 2017!! Official game and practice sftball size 2
Special Olympics Minnesta Sftball Handbk SOFTBALL & COACH PITCH RULES Rules f cmpetitin fr Amateur Sftball Assciatin and Special Olympics Internatinal will be used fr all events cnducted by Special Olympics Minnesta. The rules listed belw are highlights f the rules f cmpetitin alng with any exceptins. Equipment Ball.52 COR, 300 cmpressin, 12-inch stitch. Helmets Batters/Runners must wear at all times while in live ball territry. Athletes caching frm cach bx must have a helmet n as well. (Athletes wh remve their helmet during play shall be declared ut.) Catcher must wear a helmet, face mask and chest prtectr. Shin guards are ptinal. N jewelry allwed. Game Length and Field Length f game Seven innings r a 70 minute maximum time limit. NO new inning will begin after 60 minutes (Exceptin t g ver 70 minutes is that teams must have equal batting pprtunities) If a team has a 10-run lead after the cmpletin f five innings the game will be ver. Tie Game Extra innings will be played with a maximum f tw extra innings. If the game remains tied after the cmpletin f bth extra innings, the result will be determined by ging back t the last inning when a team had the lead. Pitching Rubber 40 50 feet frm hme plate. 3
Rster Rster Size 16 maximum, 10 minimum. Team must start with at least 10 players; if ne is lst t injury, a team may cntinue t play, but anytime that athlete is due up an ut will be declared. If a team lses anther player, 8 r less the game is frfeited. The teams may finish ut the game/time limit, but will be recrded as a frfeit. Batting Order Teams are allwed t bat all athletes nly if the ppsing team agrees t it. Shuld the ppsing team nt agree t it, then a maximum f 11 athletes may bat. Batting rder must remain the same. Extra Hitter (EH) An extra eleventh player can be used in the game. The EH must play the entire game and must bat in the same batting rder. Yu may substitute fr the EH and place him/her in any defensive psitin, but the sub will bat in the same psitin. The riginal EH may re-enter the game. A sub fr the EH can be anybdy wh has nt already played in the game. If the EH leaves the game withut a sub, an ut will be called. Yu must infrm the umpire and ppsing team if yu chse t use an EH. Substitutins A psitin player remved frm the game due t substitutin (nt injury) may return t the game ne time as a substitute but will nt be allwed t re-enter the game if substituted fr a secnd time. Players wh bat in a psitin in the batting rder ther than the ne previusly ccupied by the player they are replacing will be declared ut. Ejectins Players wh are ejected can be replaced with a substitute. Game-play Rules Batting Three uts per inning r a maximum f 10 batters per inning. Pitching The ball must be pitched in an underhand mtin and shuld travel in an arc n less than 6 feet and n mre than 12 feet. Balls and Strikes Each batter will begin with a ne ball and ne strike cunt. After reaching tw strikes, ne curtesy ful will be allwed, but a ful ball after ne curtesy ful will cnstitute the third strike and the batter is ut. Infield Fly Rule Will be used when there is less than tw uts and a frce ut at third r hmeplate. Any ball hit up in the infield which can be caught with rdinary effrt (by either an infielder/utfielder) will be called an infield fly and the batter will be ut. The runners may advance at their wn risk, if the ball is caught they must tag up, if the ball is nt caught they d nt need t tag up. This call is cnsidered an umpire s judgment and cannt be prtested. Balls Out f Play Balls leaving the playing area are cnsidered dead balls and play stps immediately. The runner(s) will be awarded tw bases, the base he/she is running t at the time f the thrw and the fllwing base. 4
Batter/Runner While running the bases athletes cannt be physically pulled r pushed t run in a certain directin by a cach. If a cach tuches r encurages a player with physical actins, the batter/runner will be declared ut. If incidental cntact ccurs, there will be n actin taken against the batter/runner. Intentinal Walks due t the limited amunt f batters per inning, intentinal walks are nt allwed. If a batter is intentinally walked the ffensive team is given anther maximum batter. Sliding When there is a clse play at a base, the runner shuld make all attempts t avid unnecessary cntact. Sliding is encuraged during plays but nt required. If a runner runs ver a defensive player the runner may be ejected (umpire s decisin). Prtests Nt allwed n judgment calls nly n rule interpretatins Appeals Are defined as a play in which an umpire is unable t make a decisin unless he/she is requested t d s by a cach r player. Appeals are allwed when there is a questin abut a player leaving a base t sn, missing a base, r a check swing. If time has been called, the defensive team must set itself and request judgment frm the umpire n the play in questin. Pinch Runner The player wh was declared ut last may run as a pinch runner. A pinch runner can nly be used nce a batter is called safe at first base. Base Caching- Athletes, unified partners and caches will be allwed t be base caches n first and third base. They must wear a helmet at all times and cannt cme int physical cntact with runners, cntest calls frm the umpire r interfere with defensive players. Athletes/unified partners are allwed t be in the batting rder and can be replaced as cach by anther athlete/unified partner fr their plate appearance. Cach Pitch (with T-Ball Assistance) A six-pitch, three-swing rule will be enfrced in cach pitch sftball. After six pitches r three swings, whichever cmes first, the batter will be declared ut. Players cannt be walked. A cach frm the team batting will d the pitching, but the defensive team will still field an athlete in the pitcher psitin. The cach pitching des nt field at all, but they can defend themselves. A dead ball will be declared if the ball cntacts the cach and the batter/runners will be awarded ne base. It s the umpire s discretin n awarding the base if he/she deems the cach culd nt get ut f the way. All ther rules in cach pitch sftball are the same as traditinal sftball. T-Ball Assistance Athletes in Cach Pitch that need a tee may use a tee when they are batting. T-Ball assistance is meant fr athletes that are unable t hit a pitch. Registratin Athletes using a tee must be nted that they need a tee when a team is registered. Only athletes that have been prperly registered as needing T-Ball assistance are allwed t use a tee during cmpetitin. Athletes may nt switch between cach pitch and tee during same at bat. Athletes may switch between at bats. Rster Teams may nly register half their rster fr T-Ball assistance. T-Ball Rules Neutral Zne A 45 ft arc is marked frm the first base line t the third base line. If a ball des nt crss the arc it is cnsidered a ful ball. Players can rush the ball, if it is mving, but if the balls stps frward mvement prir t the arch, it is a ful ball. 5
Strike Out Three strikes r if the batter has tw strikes and fuls ff the third attempt 6
UNIFIED SOFTBALL RULES Rster - minimum 10, maximum 16. Prprtinate number f athletes and Unified Partners. Line Up - 5 athletes and 5 Unified Partners. Teams must register and start with 10 players. A team must start with at least 10 players; if ne is lst t injury, a team may cntinue t play, but anytime that athlete is due up an ut will be declared. If a team lses anther player, 8 r less the game is frfeited. The teams may finish ut the game/time limit, but will be recrded as a frfeit. If a team has less than 10 players then there must be an equal number f athletes and Unified Partners in the field r mre athletes than Unified Partners in the field. Batting Order- athletes and Unified Partners must alternate. Order remains the same. Defensive Psitins Infield- tw athletes and tw Unified Partners Outfield- tw athletes and tw Unified Partners Pitch/Catcher- ne athlete and ne Unified Partner Hme Run Rule - limit f tw ver-the-fence hme runs in Unified games per team. Athletes and Unified Partner ver-the-fence hme runs cunt twards the tw. If an additinal ver-the-fence hme run is hit, the ball is dead, the batter is ut and n runners can advance. All f Special Olympics Minnesta sftball rules are used. Unified Sftball Safety Rules Psitin Requirements 1st, 3rd and pitcher- helmet and face mask required Catcher- helmet, face mask and chest prtectr required Helmet face masks are encuraged fr batters and players in the infield Unified Divisining Requirements- Please nte which Unified Divisining yu prefer (divisining is nt a guarantee, it is a helpful tl t place teams in a divisin that is apprpriate and safe) Cmpetitive Divisining- majrity f athletes and Unified Partners are adults and/ r have sftball experience. Player Develpment Divisining- majrity f athletes and Unified Partners are yuth and/r have little sftball experience. Player develpment is mre f a learning and mentring experience fr athletes. 7
INDIVIDUAL SKILLS COMPETITION The Individual Skills Cmpetitin is prvided fr athletes with limitatins (such as walkers and wheelchairs), yunger athletes and athletes new t the sprt f sftball and lder athletes wh still have the skills t play sftball but cannt play an entire game. Individual skills is NOT fr athletes wh can already play the game. Fur events: Base Race, Thrwing, Fielding and Hitting. The athlete s final scre is determined by adding tgether the scres achieved in each f these fur events. Base Running- Speed n the bases Bases are psitined 65 feet apart. The athlete is instructed t start n hme plate, and run arund the bases as fast as pssible, tuching each base en rute. Scring: The time starts when the athlete leaves hme plate and stps when the athlete returns t hme plate. A penalty f five secnds fr each base missed shall be assessed. The best scre f tw trials is recrded. 60 secnds - (athlete s time) = Base Running Scre Example: 60-48.5= Base Running Scre 11.5 Thrwing distance and accuracy The athlete thrws behind the restraining line, may take ne r tw steps t apprach the line t thrw. An athlete has tw attempts t thrw the sftball as far and as straight as pssible dwn the thrwing line, withut stepping ver the restraining line. The better f the tw thrws is measured and recrded as the player s scre. If a player steps n r ver the line befre releasing the ball, the trial must be repeated. There will be a maximum f tw repeats. Scring: The thrwing scre equals the thrwing distance, measured at a pint n the thrwing line straight acrss frm the spt where the ball landed, minus the errr distance, the number f meters the ball landed ff target, away frm the thrwing line. Scres and distance are measured t the nearest meter. If a ball lands at 50.3 meters but is 6.8 meters ff t ne side, the player s scre is 43 pints (scre runded dwn). Example: 50.3 meters distance 6.8 side errr = 43.5 = Thrwing Scre 43 8
Fielding fielding ability The athlete will stand between and behind tw cnes. The fficial must thrw the ball n the grund t the athlete, between the cnes. The thrw t the athlete must hit the grund befre the 20 feet chalk mark; the thrwer shuld be 65 feet frm the athlete. The athlete may mve aggressively tward the ball. If the thrwn ball is utside f the cnes, the thrw must be repeated. Each athlete gets five fielding attempts per trial. Each athlete receives tw trials. Scring: The athlete receives five pints fr a clearly fielded ball (either caught in glve r trapped against the bdy, but ff the grund); tw pints fr a ball that is blcked; zer pints fr a missed attempt. Example: Trial 1 1st attempt 5 pints (clearly fielded) 2nd attempt 5 pints (clearly fielded) 3rd attempt 2 pints (ball blcked, nt fielded) 4th attempt 0 pints (missed) 5th attempt 5 pints (clearly fielded) Trial 2 1st attempt 5 pints (clearly fielded) 2nd attempt 2 pints (ball blcked, nt fielded) 3rd attempt 2 pints (ball blcked, nt fielded) 4th attempt 2 pints (ball blcked, nt fielded) 5th attempt 5 pints (clearly fielded) Fielding Scre = 33 Hitting ability t hit fr distance ff a batting tee Descriptin: Standing in a batter s bx, the athlete hits the ball ff the tee. The athlete receives three attempts. Scring: The distance f the lngest hit shall determine the athlete s final scre. The distance f a hit is measured frm the batting tee t the pint where the ball first tuches the grund. If the distance falls between meters, distance shuld be runded dwn; fr example, 46.75 meters equals 46 pints. Example: Furthest distance was 46.75 meters = Hitting Scre = 46 SOMN.ORG 9
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2017 SOFTBALL EVENT INFORMATION Area Cmpetitins Area Date Lcatin City Registratin Cntact Area 3 Aug. 12 Prtage Park Chasset July 8 dani.druse@smn.rg Area 7/11 July 16 Maple Grve Middle Schl Maple Grve June 28 emily.dierberger@smn.rg Areas 9/10 July 8 Alexander Park Faribault June 18 lukas.jhnsn@smn.rg Areas 12/13 July 8 Nrthview Park Eagan June 9 sam.leidhlt@smn.rg Reginal Cmpetitin Date Lcatin City Registratin Cntact July 29 Brke Petersn Fields Wacnia July 16 devin.kaasa@smn.rg State Cmpetitin - Fall Games Date Lcatin City Quta Register Cntact Aug. 18-20 HealthEast Sprts Center Wdbury July 21 July 30 mark.andersn@smn.rg Reginal Cmpetitin Cach Pitch, Traditinal Sftball and Unified Sftball N Individual Skills Teams can cmpete in Unified Sftball and Cach Pitch r Traditinal Sftball State Cmpetitin Details Athletes wh participate at State Glf will nt be able t additinally register fr bcce r sftball during Fall Games. Events: Friday, August 18 Unified Turnament Starts at 5pm Saturday, August 19 Individual Skills: Saturday mrning Cach Pitch & Traditinal Sftball Hmerun Derby Exhibitin (register day f) Celebratin Ceremnies: Saturday evening Sunday, August 20 Cach & Traditinal Sftball Awards presented as divisins finish * Teams are guaranteed three games Rster size max. 16, min. 10 11
DIVISIONING Divisining is the prcess we use t set up cmpetitins where athletes are cmpeting against ther individuals r teams with the same skill level and ability. Divisins are based n skill level, age and gender. Individual sprts and team sprts each have a different prcess fr divisining. The divisining prcess fr team sprts is much different, and much harder, than individual sprts. Unlike mst individual sprts, team sprts d nt have cncrete distances r times that can be used, althugh we d have teams submit assessment scres fr individual players. Once a game starts, hwever, the infrmatin cntained in the assessments ften takes a back seat t the dynamics at play minute-by-minute, play-by-play n the curt r field. The challenge with divisining team sprts is that there are many factrs that affect hw a team perfrms n any given day missing players, illness, penalties, behavir, caching, wh s ht and wh s nt, individual match-ups, etc. With divisining in team sprts, much mre emphasis is put n game results, cmmn ppnents, cach rankings and cach ntes. There is nt a perfect science t ensure that all divisins will have clse games, which is why we have develped a prcess fr team sprts that includes divisining cmmittees. The divisining cmmittees allw fr mre cach invlvement, better team evaluatin and imprved divisining. We recgnize there may be sme games during a cmpetitin that are nt cmpetitive, but we hpe that the team sprts divisining prcess creates the mst equal divisins as pssible. T help put team divisining in Special Olympics in cntext, let s take a quick lk at ther sprts rganizatins. Mst ther sprts rganizatins, whether high schl, cllege r pr, g thrugh a series f eliminatins t find the tp tw teams t play each ther fr a champinship. Given the nature f thse turnament frmats, the gal f which is t eliminate the cmpetitin and single ut the best tw teams f smetimes hundreds f teams, ne wuld expect their champinship games t be extremely cmpetitive and tight. But they seldm play ut that way because f all the same variables and factrs mentined abve in what makes divisining difficult fr Special Olympics. Fr instance: During the last 10 years f cllege ftball champinships, there have nly been tw games where the margin f victry was three pints r less The largest margin f victry during an NCAA champinship basketball game was 30 pints (UNLV 103, Duke 73) The average margin f victry in the Super Bwl during the 1980s was 22 pints. Super Bwl scres included the Raiders defeating the Redskins 38-9, the 49ers beating the Dlphins 38-16, the Bears defeating the Patrits 46-10, the Redskins win ver the Brncs by a scre f 42-10, and lastly the 49ers ver the Brncs 55-10 The team with the better regular seasn winning percentage has wn the Wrld Series 53 times, nly 50% (53 f 106) f the time There have been 18 Wrld Series fur-game (4 0) sweeps Since 1905 when the Wrld Series frmat changed t a best-f-seven series, nly 35 ut f 96 Wrld Series have gne t a Game 7 shwdwn. That s rughly 36% f all Wrld Series. Since 1939 when the Stanley Cup frmat changed t a best-f-seven game series, nly 14 series have extended t seven games Since 1950, nly 16 NBA champinship series have gne t seven games. There have been eight 4-0 sweeps Our gal is always that teams within a divisin are as cmpetitive as they can be with each ther, but as illustrated abve the dynamics f team sprts dn t always play ut that way. And even if games within a divisin are all cmpetitive, a team still has t win the divisin and a team still has t lse the divisin. 10