Softball Rules

REMEMBER:

Our umpires are here to help mediate the game and to allow it to run smoothly.

please do not argue with the umpires - their decision is always final.

ALL CAPTAINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY SUBS THEY BRING IN. PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK. GR REC SPORTS WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE A SUBSTITUTE MAY CAUSE.

Adult Co-Ed/Mixed Slowpitch Softball Rules

Pre-Game Captain's Meeting:

Each team will send a designated captain/coach to the umpire before the game to determine home and away. This can be a coin flip or rock-paper-scissors or another similar method. The winner will choose whether they prefer their team to be home (BAT SECOND) or away (BAT FIRST). Any other special rules concerning the game or specific field ground rules will be discussed with the umpire during this meeting. In the playoffs, the higher seeded team is automatically the home team.

Game TimeS:

All games are PLAYED TO A 52-MINUTE TIME limit + ONE FULL INNING. Games forced to be cut short due to weather conditions will end with the final score being the score at the end of the previous completed inning as long as 30 minutes or 3 FULL INnings have been played. The league will determine if a game needs to be rescheduled or considered a ‘no-contest.’

If a team is unable to make a game, please notify a league staff member or umpire as soon as possible BEFORE the start time. Please contact the following if your team is unable to make a game.

Schedule:

Games will be played for 7 weeks: 5 regular season matchups and 2 post-season matchups. Each team plays 1 game per week. All games will have a start time of either 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, or 9pm depending on the size of the league. There will be a 1-week break between sessions in case of rainouts/cancelled games/rescheduled games.

Waivers:

All players must sign a league waiver.

Rosters:

Teams MAY have A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF 10 players in the field ON DEFENSE. All teams must have at least 3 FEMALE on the field AND BATTING EACH GAME. FOR EVERY FEMALE MISSING THE OPPOSING TEAM HAS AN OPTION OF +5 RUNS; MALES CANNOT REPLACE FEMALES IN THE FIELD.

Subs can be used as long as they sign up on the website/waiver.

Equipment:

It is players’ responsibility to bring their own gloves and bats to all games. Softballs will be provided by the league. Softballs will be USA/ASA. These balls should only be hit with USA/ASA bats.

The league will provide a strikezone mat. The mat is 17”x25”.

Bats:

Only bats approved by USA/ASA and which don’t appear on a list of banned bats will be deemed legal. All bats must be softball bats (no baseball bats). Wooden bats are not allowed.

When any player is found using an illegal bat, the first offense will result in the batter being declared out during the at-bat. The second offense will result in the batter being ejected from the game.

ASA Banned bat list: https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/ffe8-3121724/Non_Approved_Batlist_2024.pdf

Player Safety:

No throwing of the bat at any point during the game. Players are required to be mindful of everyone's safety and prevent any possibility of injury.

Sportmanship:

No arguing umpire calls. All umpire calls are final.
The idea of GR Rec Sports is to have fun, stay active, and meet new friends. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although some games may become more intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league itself - without refund.
Sportsmanship goes beyond how you act on the field/court. Any disruptions at our sponsored bars will also not be tolerated and can be subject to suspension and/or ejection from the league without refund.
Any team that consistently misses games and/or 'no-call no-show' games are subject to ejection from the league without refund. We value our league and its players’ time; we consider this unacceptable.

Cleats:

Metal cleats are not allowed. Any player wearing metal cleats will be removed from the game until they change to appropriate footwear.

Uniforms:

jERSEYS will be provided by the league. Teams are also welcome to provide their own team uniforms if they wish.

Forfeits:

Teams that are OVER 10-minutes late to a matchup THE OPPOSING TEAM HAS THE OPTION OF A 10-0 FORFEIT. No extension to the game time will be enacted in this circumstance.

Ground Rules:

If a ball goes out of play then the play is declared dead and each runner advances 1 base. If a runner is halfway between bases or more, they advance to that base and 1 additional (i.e. a runner halfway between second and third base when the ball goes out of play advances to home). A runner behind the halfway point between bases only advances to the next base.This is umpire discretion.

Batting Order:

Every player on a team must be in the batting lineup and the order must remain the same throughout the game. Players cannot only play defense; they must be in the batting order. If a player has to leave the game for any reason, including injury, they cannot re-enter the game and their turn in the batting order is skipped. There is no penalty.

There is no gender weave; teams may set up their batting order however they please.

BATTING:

Every batter starts with 1 ball and 1 strike. 3 strikes is an out, 4 balls is a walk. When a batter walks, they go to first base.
Every player is given a “grace” foul ball, or one foul ball with 2 strikes. The second foul ball with two strikes is an out.
Bunting is illegal.

BASERUNNING:

Please be careful when sliding. Intentional sliding into players is not allowed and anyone intentionally doing so will be ejected.
Players running through first base should use the orange safety base unless rounding towards second.
Players can score by touching home plate or the mat. When there is a play at home, the catcher takes the plate and the runner takes the mat to avoid collisions. The catcher can use both the plate and the mat for force outs. Players should try to avoid any collisions to the best of their abilities.
A player can overrun first base only. If a player runs through first base and is not attempting to go to second, they must turn to their right. Any player that turns to the left will be considered a live runner and can be tagged out.
Baserunners must tag up on their base of origin before the play if a batted ball is caught in the air. They may not leave the base until the ball makes contact with a fielder or glove; the baserunner does not have to wait for the fielder to complete the catch before leaving as long as contact is made. If a batted ball makes contact with a fielder and another fielder catches it before it hits the ground, a fence, or a base, the baserunner can leave their base after the first fielder makes contact. If the ball hits the ground, a fence, or a base it is no longer a catchable out. Batted balls that hit off fielders and the umpire are still live until they touch the ground, a fence, or a base.
There are no leadoffs for baserunners; a player must wait until contact with the ball is made first. Baserunners must be in contact with the base until a pitch is hit. Baserunners that leadoff should be given a verbal warning. Any future leadoffs in the same game by the same player is an automatic out.
Base stealing is illegal. Baserunners must wait to leave the base until a pitch is hit.
The Infield Fly Rule is in effect when there are runners on first and second, or if the bases are loaded with less than two outs. In these situations, if a fair pop-up is hit that is catchable by an infielder with ordinary effort, the batter is out regardless of whether the ball is actually caught in flight. The ball does not have to stay within the infield for this rule to apply; if the infielder can make the play in the outfield with ordinary effort, the rule is still in play. When this occurs, the batter is automatically out. Runners must tag up on this play and only advance once the ball is caught, touched by a fielder, or hits the ground. This rule does not apply to lineouts or foul balls. The umpire will call “Infield Fly” while the ball is in the air. The umpire decides if the Infield Fly Rule is in effect.
Pinch Runners: If a player is injured but would still like to bat, a pinch runner may be used. The pinch runner must be the most recent player of the same gender who was recorded as out. The player starts behind home plate against the fence on the first base side. The pinch runner must wait until the bat makes contact with the ball to run. Only one batter can use a pinch runner during a game if injured.
Baserunners may not go more than 3 feet outside the basepath. If they leave the basepath, they are out. A baserunner avoiding a fielder making a play on a batted ball outside the basepath is not out as long as they reestablish themself into the baseline.This is all umpire discretion.

PITCHING:

The plate and the mat are the strikezone. Any pitch that strikes any part of the plate or mat will be called a strike. Pitches that land outside of the mat and the plate are balls.
Pitchers must touch the pitcher’s rubber at some point during the pitch (i.e. pitchers can start or end their pitch on the rubber).
The pitch arc must be between 6-12ft. Pitches under 6ft will be called “flat” and be an auto-ball unless the batter decides to swing; if hit, the ball is live. A pitch higher than 12ft is a no-pitch.This is all umpire discretion.

FIELDS/FIELDING:

All bases and home plate are in fair territory. If a batted ball hits a base, it is automatically a fair ball. A batted ball that hits home plate is fair unless it rolls and remains foul or if touched by a fielder in fair territory.
Any batted ball that hits the batter while in the batter’s box is foul. If the batter or any other baserunner touches a live ball in fair territory they are out and the play is dead. All baserunners in this situation have to return to their base of origin.
- EXCEPTIONS:
  - If a ball is deflected off an infielder and hits a baserunner, the ball is live and play continues until the play is dead.
  - A runner is not out if they are touched by an infield fly, so long as they are in contact with a base.
  - If a fair batted ball touches two runners, only the first runner is out, as the ball is dead as soon as it touches the first runner
  - A runner is not out if an infielder makes a play on the ball and misplays it prior to the ball hitting the runner. This includes: intentionally or unintentionally allowing a ball to pass by or a deflection of any kind of an infielder prior to hitting the runner (this does not include the pitcher).
An outfielder is not allowed to directly throw a batter out at first base on a force play. However, an outfielder can throw to another fielder and they can throw the batter out at first.
Outfielders cannot be positioned in the infield, they must stay in the outfield before the play. Once the ball is in play, fielders are allowed to move anywhere on the field. There must always be 4 infielders and no more than 4 outfielders until a ball is put in play.
If a fielder is not involved in the play, they must not be in the way of the baserunner. If the ball is not near a fielder or is obviously not going to be thrown to them, they may not obstruct a baserunner by standing on a base or in the basepath. If a fielder interferes, the runner is awarded the next base. Conversely, if a fielder is attempting to field a batted ball, a baserunner may not interfere with the fielder. If the runner interferes with the fielder attempting a play on a non-batted ball, including a throw, they will be called out and the play is dead.
Players may not throw gloves at a batted ball. If the thrown glove makes contact with a live ball, the play is ruled dead and the batter is awarded third base. All runners score.
Home runs are hits over the outfield fence between the foul poles, a batted ball that hits a foul pole above the fence-line, a ball that hits the outfield fence in fair territory and bounces over without touching the ground, and a ball that bounces off of a fielder over the fence in fair territory without hitting the ground.
A batted ball that bounces off the ground over the outfield fence in fair territory is a ground rule double. The play is dead and the batter is awarded second base. All baserunners advance 2 bases from their base of origin.

OTHER RULES:

Mercy rule: If a team is up by 15 runs or more after the 5th inning of play, the losing team has the option of calling the game or choosing to continue.
A team can only score a maximum of 8 runs in one inning unless they are behind. If behind, the trailing team can score up to 8 runs more than their opponent. For example: if a team is losing 8-0, they may score 16 runs in the inning (8 runs to tie, 8 runs ahead). However, there is no run limit in the final inning.
The home run limit is 3 per inning. Once the maximum has been reached, each subsequent home run is an automatic single and all base runners only advance one base from the start of the play.

Extra Innings:

If a game is tied at the end of an hour or 7 full innings, an extra inning will be played. This extra inning starts with bases loaded and 2 outs. The team batting gets 1 player of their choice for 1 at-bat. The team then has this sole at-bat to score as many runs as they can (a max of 4 and a minimum of 0). Once an out is made, play is stopped by the umpire, or all 4 runs score, the extra inning is over and the home team is then given the same opportunity. A walk DOES NOT end the chance; if the batter walks, the team batting gets another at-bat. If there is a second extra inning, each team chooses a different batter. If the score is still tied after 2 extra innings, the end result is a tie. In the playoffs, the extra inning continues until a winner is crowned.

Alcohol:

There are absolutely no alcoholic beverages permitted at the park. This includes the field, the dugouts, spectator areas, and any other areas within the park. This rule is in accordance of __ city law.

Standings and Playoff Seeding:

Standings are sorted by winning percentage.

TIEBREAKERS:

Team head-to-head record
1. If the head-to-head record is tied, then the team that won the most recent matchup gets the higher seed
Higher run differential
Total runs scored
Least runs allowed
Team with less forfeited games
Higher rank from the previous week’s standings
Coin flip

Playoffs:

all teams make the playoffs.
single elimination
playoffs are separated by standings.

WAIVERS:

In order to participate in the league, each participant must agree to the online waiver.

SPORTSMANSHIP:

The idea of GR Rec Sports is to have fun, stay active, and meet new friends. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although some games may become more intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league itself - without refund.
Sportsmanship goes beyond how you act on the field/court. any disruptions at our sponsored bars will also not be tolerated and can be subject to suspension and/or ejection from the league without refund.
Any team that consistently misses games and/or 'no-call no-show' games are subject to ejection from the league without refund. We value our league and its players’ time; we consider this unacceptable.

LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:

Gr rec sports seasons normally run 7-weeks long. We also include a one-week buffer in-between seasons in case there is severe weather, and any rescheduling needs to take place.
in the case that any games are missed, those games will be added to the end of the schedule.
League games may be cancelled due to many reasons, flooded fields, dangerous weather conditions, facility constraints, etc.
GR Rec Sports and its staff always make our best effort to play all scheduled games - we won’t cancel games until absolutely necessary.
If games are cancelled, gr rec sports staff will reach out immediately to inform all team captains via text. (in some cases, if staff isn’t already at the fields and away from the computer, we can email the entire league).
if any game is over halfway completed (30-min+) and the game must abruptly end (due to lightning or other dangerous acts of God) the final score will be recorded as the score of the last full inning. (Excluding championship, if there is time left, we will try and make up the remainder of the game on a later date.)
IF THE GAME ENDS BEFORE THE 30-MIN MARK, THE GAME DOES NOT COUNT IN W/L STANDINGS, BUT we will record the "POINTS for" (Pf) and "points against" (PA) to the standings. (These scores will be taken from the last full inning, making it fair so both teams had the same number of at-bats.
If a regular season game (weeks 1-5) is cancelled, we will move that week to the end of the season and utilize week-8 (the buffer week). However, if a playoff week is cancelled, week-8 will be used to make up those games instead and the previously rescheduled regular season week, resulting in a shortened schedule. We will always do our best to give the players all 7 games, but in extreme circumstances, when there are 2+ weeks of cancellations we may not be able to fit all games into our season window.

Lastly

IF your full TEAM is expected to miss THEIR GAME, PLEASE LET A STAFF MEMBER, umpire, or photographer KNOW, OR CONTACT THE LEAGUE before the game starts:

EMAIL: contact@grrecsports.com

call or text (616) 485-9046.

Nobody likes wasting their time and money; this simple gesture will go a long way!

IF ALL PLAYERS ON THE ABSENT TEAM FAIL TO INFORM THE LEAGUE; A “NO-CALL NO-SHOW” BADGE may BE GIVEN TO ALL PLAYERS ON THAT TEAM.