2017 Berea Baseball Association

RULES AND REGULATIONS for the 7/8 year old Softball League

Only the Executive Board of the Berea Baseball Association may change or modify these rules.
Official NFHS Fast Pitch Softball Rules apply, except as amended herein:

RULE 1: DIVISION AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

• League Divisions and Player Ages

Age 7 – A ball player cannot turn 8 years old prior to August 1st of the current year.

Age 8 – A ball player cannot turn 9 years old prior to August 1st of the current year.

• If a player is a participant on any travel team, she is not eligible to play in the Berea in house recreational league.

• Exceptions to the above rules must be approved by the League Director.

RULE 2: UNIFORMS, EQUIPMENT AND THE PLAYING FIELD

2.01  Jersey, pants, socks and visor are provided by the Berea Baseball Association and should be worn by each player during the game. Jerseys cannot be altered and must be tucked in. Earrings or other piercings, watches, necklaces or other loose jewelry must be removed prior to the start of a scheduled game. Medical alert jewelry or religious emblems are permitted, provided they are taped down or otherwise secured prior to the player taking the field.

 2.02  Only NSA, USSSA, or ASA approved fast pitch bats are allowed. Baseball/T-Ball bats are not allowed.

 2.03  Bats may not exceed 29 inches in length.

 2.04  Illegal bats will be removed. If an illegal bat is discovered after a ball is hit, the batter will be called out and all base runners will return to their original bases.

 2.05  Balls, bats, catching equipment and masked helmets are supplied by the BBA. Coaches and players should respect this equipment. A player may be ejected, without warning, from the game for throwing her equipment in anger. A team warning will be issued in regard to any further infraction of the rule, resulting in a forfeiture of the game. Helmets must be worn at all times on the playing field, including but not limited to the on-deck circle, batting, running the bases, or coaching a base.

 2.06  No metal spikes are allowed.

2.07  Bases will be a distance of sixty (60) feet and the pitching plate will be 35 feet.

2.08  Fielding Face Masks must be worn by the Pitcher, First Baseman and Third Baseman. All batting helmets must include a face mask.

RULE 3: GAME PRELIMINARIES AND GROUND RULES

3.01  Ground rules and regulations must be covered before each game between the umpires and head coaches. Upon completion of the pre-game meeting, the umpires will determine the official start time. 

3.02  Each Team will present a line up card to the opposing coach that will include the players name, uniform number, league age and position playing. Substitute players may be listed in the same manner at the bottom of the line up card.

3.03  Only the team head coach, three (3) assistants, players in uniform, and a bat person are permitted in the dugout or playing area. The bat person must wear a helmet while on the field of play.

3.04  Players, coaches and assistants are discouraged from addressing or mingling with spectators or sit in the stands during a game they are participating in, with the exception of controlling unruly behavior.

3.05  The home team will occupy the first base dugout. The home team also acts as the official scorekeeper.

3.06  The infield fly rule will not apply.

3.07  Appeal plays (runner missing a base, leaving early on a tag up, etc.) will be the responsibility of the umpire and decided immediately. No appeal from a player or coach is necessary and will be frowned upon.

3.08  In the event of an extreme possible injury (player hit by the ball, collision, etc.), time will be called and play will stop (dead ball, rest in peace). Runners may not advance after time has been called and may be sent back to the base she was originally occupying or running to at the time of the injury, based on “dead ball” rules.

3.09  Free substitution will be allowed.

RULE 4: STARTING AND PLAYING TIME

4.01  Infield practice will be determined by the time left before the start of the next game. Teams should be ready to play at their scheduled time. Only the first game of the day on a field will be allowed to warm-up on the field before their game. The umpires will have final authority on the matter in order to start games on time. There will be no infield outfield warm practice after the first inning.

4.02 Regulation Games – Games are to be one (1) hour long with no new inning started after the first forty- five (45) minutes of play. There are no minimum or maximum innings needed to constitute a complete game. Play will be discontinued at the one hour mark regardless of which team is in the lead.

4.02a Any game suspended due to weather, acts of nature, equipment malfunction, or curfew, etc., will be replayed, continued or canceled at the discretion of the League Director

 

4.03  Games will begin at scheduled times, provided the umpires and field are ready for play. The umpire will record the official start time in the home team scorebook. Rain delays and cancelations after the game begins are at the umpire’s discretion. The following rules will apply in the event of lightning:

1. A) A 30 second or less flash-to-bang count will result in removal of all players from the field to an appropriate shelter.
2. B) Thirty Minute Rule. Once play has been suspended, there must be at least a 30 minute wait after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard before resuming play.

4.04  Run Rule – There will be no run rule. The inning or half inning will end when the batting team reaches the bottom of the order or three (3) outs are recorded. The team that has the larger number of players will determine the maximum number of batters per inning.

4.05  Number of Defensive Players – The team can field eleven (11) defensive players, with the additional players placed in the outfield.

4.06  Teams must have a minimum of eight (8) players on the field no later than ten (10) minutes after the start of the game. Teams fielding seven (7) or fewer players will forfeit.

4.07  A player may not sit out more than one (1) consecutive inning per game. The responsibility of playing time lies with the coach. Exceptions to this rule include a player not playing in the bottom of the last inning, rule infractions (throwing a bat, ejections, etc.) during a game, an injury resulting in removal from the game and missing weekly practices (see Rule 4.09).

4.08  Minimum inning and complete game participation applies to players who have attended their weekly practices as scheduled. Parents or players should notify the coach if the player will be unable to attend a practice or game. A coach, at their discretion, may not grant equal playing time to a player for unexcused absences. The coach must inform the opposing manager of this prior to the start of the game.

4.09  No verbal abuse, heckling, badgering or name calling of any player, umpire, coach or fan will be tolerated. There will be no organized noise or chanting prior to or during the pitchers delivery (i.e.: banging bats, making faces, shaking fence, “rally rally”, etc.).

4.10  Ejection of any player by the umpire will result in suspension for the rest of that game, plus the next scheduled game.

4.11  Should a player be forced to leave the game due to illness or injury, the substitute shall be selected in the following order:

1. A) A player that has not yet entered the game
2. B) The player she has replaced in the lineup, if applicable
3. C) The Additional Hitter (AH), if applicable, who will  remain in her original position in the batting order. The vacated position will not be changed out.
4. D) If all participants have played and no AH was used, the opposing manager will select the replacement from the bench.

4.12  If a player is ejected from a game, a substitute may only be selected from players who have not yet entered the game. If no substitution can be made because there are no available players, the ejected player’s turn in the lineup will be scored an out.

4.13  If any player is removed from a game for an injury of any nature, she may not re-enter the game.

RULE 5: THE BATTER AND ADDITIONAL HITTER (AH)

5.01  Batting Procedure – Every player will bat in the line-up whether playing in the field or not. Each batter will receive five (5) pitches before she is declared out. A fould ball counts as a pitch no matter when the foul ball is hit. The larger team determines the maximum amount of batters.

5.02  Bunting is not allowed.

5.03  Dropped Third Strike – Not applicable to this league.

5.04  A batter will be called out when failing to bat in proper turn and another batter completes a time at bat in place of the proper batter. Base runners would return to their normal bases. The proper batter may take position in the batters box at any time before the improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and any balls or strikes shall be counted in the proper batter’s time at bat.

5.05 A batter will be issued a warning for a bat that has been "thrown" bat following a hit ball. A second infraction in the same game will cause the batter to be called out. The next infraction will result in      that player being ejected from the game. (Differs from "Equipment Thrown in Anger" rule. See 2.04)

RULE 6: THE CATCHER

6.01  Catchers Maximum Number of Innings – Not applicable to this league.

6.02  The catcher must wear the following equipment: chest protector, mask   with throat guard (hockey style mask throat guard not required), shin    guards and hard helmet. A mask and helmet must be worn at all times         when warming up a pitcher, either on field, or outside the dugout.

6.03 The catcher must maintain a crouch position with both knees off of the   ground while a pitch to the home plate is still "in play".

6.04 Courtesy runner - The coach has the option to utilize a courtesy runner          to allow the catcher to put on his equipment if there are 2 outs in the          inning. Runner selected will be the player who made the last batted out.

RULE 7: THE RUNNER

7.01  Lead Offs – Lead offs are not permitted.

7.02  Base Stealing – Base Stealing is not permitted.

7.03  Overthrow to Pitcher – Not applicable to this league.

7.04  Sliding headfirst in to any base will not be permitted unless the runner is returning to the original base. One (1) team warning will be issued, and any additional headfirst slides will be called out.

7.05  Fielders may not block the base path or base unless they are fielding the ball or have possession of the ball and are making a play on the base runner. Fake tags are not permitted.

7.06  Base runners must allow a fielder to make a play on the ball. If the runner interferes with the fielder, she will automatically be called out.

7.07  A runner will be called out if she runs more than three (3) feet away from a direct line between bases to avoid being tagged out.

RULE 8: PITCHERS

8.01  Pitching Rules – Pitcher is a defensive position only.

8.02  Base on Balls and Hit Batters – Batter will only advance to 1^st base on a ball hit in to play.

RULE 9: CONDUCT OF COACHES, ASSISTANT COACHES AND FANS

9.01  Only the team head coach, or the opposing team’s head coach, may address the umpire concerning a rules interpretation, disputed call, questions concerning the game, etc… Violation of this rule by an assistant coach, player or fan will result in a verbal warning given to the head coach. Any additional or subsequent infractions will result in the immediate ejection of the head coach and/or any assistant coach, player or fan that becomes involved in these meetings.

9.02  If the head coach is unable to attend a game, a designated head coach must be declared to the plate umpire before the start of the game. All games must begin and end with a BBA approved adult coach on the field.

9.03  Head coaches are to keep their assistant coaches, players and fans under control at all times. The umpire may eject the head coach, assistant coach, player or fan if he/she deems necessary from the playing field area. The head coach will be given reasonable time to control his assistant coaches, players or fans before he/she will be subject to possible ejection. A second ejection for one (1) team (including players, coaches and/or fans) in any game will result in immediate and final forfeiture of the game. Following a second ejection (players, coaches and/or fans) during the season, the head coach will be suspended. Re-instatement is as defined by rule 9.04

9.04  Ejection of a coach (head or assistant), or a violation of the rules herein, will earn the head coach a minimum suspension for that game plus the next scheduled game. Following an ejection, the head coach may not coach again until a committee meeting consisting of the BBA President, the Director of Operations and the League Director reviews him/her. If any of the above is not readily available, a pre-approved representative of the BBA Board of Directors will serve. During this suspension, the coach may not have any contact with their team prior to, during or after a game. This also includes any team practices or team meetings.

9.05  No BBA coach will be permitted to smoke, chew tobacco, or consume alcoholic beverages while practicing with, or coaching, a BBA team.

9.06  Profanity by any head coach, assistant coach, or player is subject to immediate ejection from the game.

APPENDIX A: