Softball Rules
The following softball rules are governed by the 2014-2015 NIRSA Slow Pitch Softball Rules Book.
Field
The softball field is located behind the HPE building.
Procedures
1. Each team should have a captain and a team name.
a. The captain’s responsibilities include: attending all captain’s meetings, making sure each player signs-up on-line (or signs
the team entry form), paying the team’s entry fee, guaranteeing eligibility of the players on their roster, informing their
team of the procedures and rules, being the spokesperson for their team during each game, providing their team with the
schedule or any rescheduled games, and controlling the conduct of their team. Each member of the team must sign the
waiver before participating, including those individuals added to the roster during regular season play. No more than 20
individuals on a roster. No individual may be added to the roster after play-offs begin. All players on the team must
play in 2 regular season games to be eligible for play-offs.
2. No jewelry.
3. Any player bleeding must leave the game and is not able to return until the bleeding has stopped and the wound has been covered.
If blood is on the clothes, the player must change before reentering the game.
4. A maximum of 14 intramural championship t-shirts will be given to the league champions. If teams have less than 14 players, only
the players listed on the roster will receive a t-shirt. Players need to have played in at least 50% of the intramural games to receive a
t-shirt.
5. Eligibility:
a. All LSUS undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled in classes. All LSUS faculty and staff members
employed during the current semester. LSUHSC students enrolled in the current semester.
b. A valid LSUS or LSUHSC ID MUST be presented to the Recreational Sports staff at check-in. If you do not
present your ID before each game, you WILL NOT be eligible to participate.
c. A student who has received a scholarship or has participated in intercollegiate competitions shall not be eligible to
compete in that particular sport (or similar sport) for at least one Academic semester.
d. No more than 2 ex-collegiate players of the same or similar sport may participate on each team (from the past 4 years).
e. Any individual participating in a university club sport is not eligible for that sport during the same year.
f. Athletes who have participated at the professional level in the same sport are not eligible for three years after his/her
professional experience and there may only be 1 ex-professional player per team.
g. Players may only play on one team unless playing in a men’s or women’s league and co-rec league.
h. Players may not switch teams once their name is on a roster.
6. Entry Fees: To help eliminate forfeits and to maintain the quality of the Recreational Sports Program, Recreational Sports has
instituted fees for recreational activities. Fees are due with the entry form and must be received by the entry deadline. Failure to
pay the total fee by the entry deadline will result in the team not being scheduled. Recreational Sport’s fees vary depending on the
sport. The only time a refund may be given is when a team has paid and not enough teams sign-up to form a league.
7. Forfeits
a. If a participant or team fails to begin five minutes after the scheduled starting time, the Recreational Sports Staff may
declare the contest forfeited to the team ready to play. If neither team is ready to play five minutes after the scheduled
starting time, a double forfeit will be declared.
b. Teams will forfeit any games in which they used an ineligible player.
c. If, in the opinion of the officials or supervisor, a team is not playing the game within the spirit of the rules, or according to
acceptable fair play, the game may be stopped and a forfeit declared against one or both teams.
d. Two forfeits during a given season will result in the team being dropped from the league for the remainder of the current
sport’s season.
e. Any team that forfeits will receive a 1 for sportsmanship and the team forfeited against will receive a 5.
8. Protests
a. Protests regarding rule misinterpretations must be made by the Team Captain before the next live ball. If the protest is the
last play of the game the protest must be made before the teams leave the field. The protest must be made to a game
umpire who should then explain the rule interpretation. If the game umpire is unsure of the rule, the Director of
Recreational Sports should be notified.
b. Protests on matters of an umpire’s judgment will be disregarded.
c. All protests regarding eligibility must be made in writing to the Director of Recreational Sports by the next business day
after the infraction occurred. Eligibility protests of a single day event must be made during the working hours of the
business day following the event in question. Eligibility protests during playoffs must be made by NOON the day
following the contest being protested.
d. Regular season eligibility protests may not be filed after postseason has begun.
e. The Director of Recreational Sports, at his/her discretion, may hold one hearing for each protest at which all parties
involved may present their versions of the case before a decision is made.
f.
9.
10.
11.
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13.
14.
15.
16.
Protests of playoff games must be made in writing within 24 hours or by 12:00 noon on the day of the next scheduled
game, whichever is first.
Reschedules: After the schedule is made, it is the responsibility of the Team Captain to notify the Director of Recreational Sports
ASAP of any days/times his/her team will be unable to play. Games will try to be rescheduled, but there is no guarantee. If
something arises at a later date, the Team Captain must notify the Director of Recreational Sports of any scheduling conflicts at
least 7 business days prior to the game. Postseason games will not be rescheduled. Defaults: If the Team Captain notifies the
Director of Recreational Sports at least 24 hours in advance that their team will be unable to make their upcoming game, the team
will receive a loss, but not be given a forfeit. After 4 defaults, the team will be taken out of the league.
Alcohol: The use or possession of any alcoholic beverage is prohibited at any Recreational Sports activity. Use of alcohol by either
participants or their fans will result in the ejection of those involved and/or the complete forfeiture of the game and may result in
further disciplinary actions.
Tiebreaker Policy
a. Head to Head
b. Least amount of forfeits
c. Points allowed
d. Points scored
Ejections
a. Any participant or spectator who, at the discretion of the Recreational Sports Staff, does not participate in a manner
suitable to the Recreational Sports competition may be ejected at any time from the game or facility.
b. Consequences for any player suspended from Recreational Sports activities, due to an ejection, will be determined by the
Director of Recreational Sports or authorized designee.
c. In addition to the determined consequence for being ejected, the ejected player(s) will be required to meet with the
Director of Recreational Sports before regaining eligibility. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a team’s
forfeiture of any games in which the player is involved after the suspension. This eligibility will carry over into the next
sport season or academic year.
Sportsmanship Points: The LSUS Recreational Sports program will use a Sportsmanship Point system based on that of the
National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). Each team will receive a sportsmanship rating from the
official(s) at the conclusion of the game. The score given will be based on the scale below.
a. 5 pts (Excellent) - given to a team which demonstrates good sportsmanship and maintains an excellent attitude of
complete cooperation. Full and complete support of the officials.
b. 4 pts (Above Average) - given to a team when there is no incident of poor sportsmanship. Respect shown for opponents
and officials.
c. 3 pts (Average) - given to a team when unsportsmanlike conduct is not present in the game except for rare minor
infractions. Poor behavior limited to individual(s), not to the entire team.
d. 2 pts (Below Average) - given to a team if players, other than the captain, persist in questioning officials' decisions;
and/or they repeatedly argue with the officials. For frequent use of profane or vulgar language. If spectators clearly related
to the team fail to cooperate with the officials and the team is not supportive of the officials' efforts.
e. 1 pts (Poor) - given to a team when a player is ejected and the team does not assist the officials in removing the player
from the area. If players disregard warning of unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, abusive language or
action, etc. If the team refuses to attempt to control their fans after a request to do so from the Director of Recreational
Sports.
Qualifying for Postseason: A team must have a cumulative 3.5 average sportsmanship rating in order to be eligible for the
postseason. A team must have at least a 3.0 rating for each game in the postseason to advance to the next round. Teams receiving
less than a 3.0 will not be eligible to advance to the next round of postseason. Any team that receives a 1.0 in a playoff game will
be disqualified from that playoff tournament and the team and players will be suspended from all Recreational Sports events for a
period of time to be determined by the Director of Recreational Sports. The nature and severity of the incident will be taken into
account.
Miscellaneous: LSUS Recreational Sports is not responsible for any injuries that occur during play. Every participant should have
their own health insurance. Participating in intramurals is voluntary. Individuals injured during play must have an injury report
form on file with Recreational Sports within 48 hours of the injury.
Rain dates: To determine if your game is cancelled due to inclement weather, please call 797-5393.
Game Guidelines
1.
2.
Equipment:
a. The bat can not be longer than 34 inches and can not weigh more than 38 ounces. The diameter can not be greater than 2
¼ inches.
b. The bat must be made of metal, aluminum, fiberglass, or graphite.
c. The ball will be 12 inches and have a core of 0.44 or less.
d. All defensive players must wear gloves.
e. Shoes must be made of leather, canvas, or similar material. Soft or hard rubber cleats may be worn, metal cleats are not
allowed.
The Game:
a.
3.
4.
5.
The umpires will meet with the captains before the game and complete two out of three rock, paper, scissor matches to
determine which team will be home or away. The winner can choose to be home or away.
b. A game will consist of 7 innings or 50 minutes, which ever occurs first. No new inning will begin after 45 minutes.
c. The table umpire will designate the game watch.
d. Tie games: Any game tied after 7 innings or after an inning is completed after 50 minutes has passed, shall result in a tie.
During the postseason, extra innings shall be played until the tie is resolved after the completion of an inning.
e. If a game is called due to inclement weather: Three completed innings will constitute a completed game. If less than 3
innings were completed, the game will try to be rescheduled, but there is no guarantee.
f. The umpires may call the game at any time because of darkness, rain, fire, or any other cause that puts players or
spectators in danger.
g. There will only be 3 home runs (hit over-the-fence) allowed per team, per inning. Any home run hit that exceeds 3, the
ball is dead, the batter is out, and runners can not advance.
h. Any fair ball that goes over the fence after a defensive player touches it is declared a four-bases award and does not count
toward the total of over-the-fence home runs.
i. MERCY RULE – The game ends and a winner is declared when:
i. A team is ahead by 15 or more runs after the completion of the fourth inning.
ii. A team is ahead by 10 runs after the completion of the fifth or sixth inning.
Players and Substitutions:
a. A team can have up to 12 players. All 12 players can bat, but only 10 of the 12 can play on the field: pitcher, catcher, first
baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder, right fielder, and short center fielder. A
team may start with as few as 8 players. Co-rec teams should strive to have 5 female/5 male players on a team. A team
may start a game with more female players than male players, but not more male players than female players. Males may
not bat back-to-back. Co-rec teams must bat male/female or vice versa. An out will be administered to the team if they
are missing a female and have to bat male back-to-back. If a team is reduced to 7 players, the game will be forfeited at
that point.
b. If the game begins with 8 players, players that come to the game after it has started will be added to the end of the batting
order.
c. Players must notify an umpire when making substitutions.
d. Unlimited subs are allowed, however, a sub must play the defensive half of the inning immediately following each at bat.
Players may only return to the game in the same position in the batting order that he/she occupied prior to being
substituted for.
Pitching:
a. Pitchers must begin his/her pitch with both feet on the pitching rubber and the ball out in front of the body. (This position
must be held for at least 1 second before starting the delivery.)
b. The pivot foot must remain on the pitching rubber until the ball has been released from his/her hand.
c. Pitchers must use an underhand continuous motion.
d. The ball must be pitched in a moderate speed.
e. The ball needs to have an arc of at least 6 feet from the ground, but not more than 12 feet from the ground.
f. An illegal pitch is any of the above infractions. The illegal pitch should be called immediately by the umpire. However,
if the batter swings, the illegal pitch is nullified. Too many illegal pitches may result in the pitcher being removed from
the pitching position.
g. If a batter is hit by a pitch, there is no advancement to first base.
h. The starting pitcher or substitute pitcher will receive 5 warm-up pitches. At the beginning of each inning 2 warm-up
pitches will be awarded.
Batting:
a. Each team must have their batting order completed with first and last names and given to an umpire before the game
begins.
b. Players must bat in the order listed on the score sheet unless a substitute enters the game. The substitute must bat in the
place of the player replacing.
c. When the third out occurs in the inning before a batter completed his/her turn, that player will be the first batter in the next
inning and will start with a count of one ball and one strike.
d. Batting out of order:
i. Discovered while incorrect player is batting, the correct player should enter and continue with the ball and strike
count.
ii. Discovered after the incorrect player has completed his/her turn and before the first pitch to the next player; the
player who should have batted is out. Any advancement or score during the incorrect player is nullified. The
next batter is the player who bats after the player who was called out. If the appealed out is the third out, the first
batter in the next inning is the player who would have come to bat.
iii. Discovered after the incorrect player has completed his/her turn and after the first pitch to the next player, the
turn at bat of the incorrect batter becomes legal and all advancements or scores are legal. The next batter is the
player whose name follows the incorrect batter. No one is called out. Players who have not batted and have not
been called out lose their turns at bat until the batting order returns to them.
iv. No base runner is removed from base in order to bat in his/her proper position. That player simply misses his/her
turn at bat, with no penalty.
e.
6.
Co-rec batting orders must rotate genders. Males may not bat back-to-back, but females can, only if there are more
females than males available to play. An out will be given in the place of a female batter if males bat back-to-back.
f. The batter’s feet must be inside the batter’s box before the pitch.
g. The batter starts with a count of one ball and one strike.
h. After a batter has two strikes, he or she is allowed one free foul ball on the first foul ball. The second foul ball is strike
three, and the batter is out.
i. Strikes:
i. A legally pitched ball that enters the strike zone before it touches the ground and is not swung at by the batter.
ii. A legally pitched ball that the batter swings at and misses.
iii. A foul ball not caught by a fielder when the batter has one strike.
iv. A pitched ball that hits the batter when the ball is in the strike zone.
v. A batted ball hits any part of the batter when he or she is still in the batter’s box and has one strike.
j. Balls:
i. A pitched ball that does not enter the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.
ii. A pitched ball that hits the ground before passing across any part of the plate and is not swung at by the batter.
iii. An illegally pitched ball not swung at by the batter.
iv. A pitched ball that hits the batter when he or she is outside the strike zone.
v. When the pitcher does not pitch the ball within 10 seconds after the batter has taken a position in the batter’s box.
k. The batter is out:
i. When the ball touches the batter while he or she is trying to hit a third strike.
ii. When the batter enters the batter’s box with an illegal bat.
iii. When the batter bunts or chops at the ball.
iv. When the batter’s entire foot touches the ground completely outside the batter’s box when the batter hits the ball.
v. When a member of the team at bat interferes with a defensive player who is attempting to field a batted ball.
vi. When the batter hits a fair ball with the bat a second time in fair territory.
vii. When the batter’s own batted ball hits him or her outside the batter’s box in fair territory.
viii. When a fielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball that he or she could have caught with ordinary effort, at least one
base is occupied, and none or one is out. (Infield fly rule)
Baserunning:
a. The batter-runner is called out in the following circumstances:
i. When his/her own batted ball hits him or her in fair territory and out of the batter’s box.
ii. When he/she drops the bat in fair territory and the bat makes contact with the fair ball.
iii. When a fielder catches a fly ball.
iv. When his/her ball is fielded and thrown to first base before he/she touches first base.
v. When after reaching first base, he/she attempts to go to second base and is tagged or put out.
vi. When he/she runs out of the 3-foot running lane and interferes with a fielder taking a throw or attempting to
make a play.
vii. When he/she slides head-first to any base.
b. A base runner is called out in the following circumstances:
i. He/she leaves the base before a pitched ball contacts the bat or crosses home plate. (The ball is dead, a no pitch is
called and the batter resumes batting.)
ii. He/she interferes with a thrown ball or interferes with a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, catch a
ball, or throw a ball.
iii. When a fair batted ball hits a base runner or a base runner intentionally interferes with a ball.
iv. When a base runner is attempting to score and the next batter or another teammate interferes with the play.
v. When a fielder touches a base runner with the ball on a base to which he/she is forced to advance before he/she
reaches that base (force play).
vi. When he/she runs more than 3 feet outside the path between the bases to avoid being tagged.
vii. When he/she passes another base runner ahead of him/her before that runner is put out.
viii. When he/she does not return to a base after a suspension in play caused by a dead ball situation.
ix. If he/she leaves a base before a fielder touches a caught fly ball and a fielder holds the ball on the base to appeal
the play, or if a fielder tags a base runner before he or she returns to the base.
x. If he/she fails to touch a base and a fielder tags or holds the ball on the base before he/she returns to the base.
xi. If he/she intentionally and forcefully makes contact with a defensive player who is clearly holding the ball. Ball
becomes dead, base runner is ejected, and other base runners return to the bases that they occupied prior to the
time of the collision.
c. When a fair batted ball bounces or rolls over, under, or through a fence, base runners are awarded two bases from their
positions at the time of the pitch.
d. When the ball is overthrown at first base or third base, base runners are awarded one base.
e. Base runners are not allowed to steel bases.
f. Base runners are not out in the following circumstances:
i. When he/she runs outside the base path and in front or behind the fielder to avoid interfering with a fielder who
is fielding a batted ball.
ii. When a ball that has passed a fielder other than the pitcher hits a base runner.
7.
8.
iii. When a batted ball hits a base runner who is touching a base, the runner is safe unless he/she intentionally placed
himself/herself in the path of the ball.
g. A courtesy runner may run for a player who is injured during the play and is unable to run the bases safely.
h. The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out of the previous inning if there are no eligible substitutes
available.
Important Items:
a. A runner may not return to touch a missed base or a base from which he or she left too soon on a caught fly ball if:
i. He/she reaches a base beyond the base missed or the base from which he or she left too soon and the ball
becomes dead.
ii. He/she has left the field of play.
iii. A following runner has scored.
b. The base runner is called out if he/she remains upright and crashes into a defensive player who is holding the ball and
waiting to apply a tag or who is about to receive a thrown ball. To avoid being called out under this rule, the base runner
can slide, jump over the top of the defender holding the ball, go around the defender, or return to the previous base
touched. The umpire can eject the offender if the act is flagrant.
c. The ball is dead if a runner is called out for crashing into a fielder. Other base runners return to the last base they touched
before the interference occurred.
d. Players may not intentionally throw a bat in anger.
e. Strike zone: Between the batters back shoulder and front knee over home plate - assuming a batters natural stance next to
home plate.
f. Infield Fly Rule: Called when a batter hits a pop fly with less than two outs and there is a runner on first and second or
first, second, and third bases. As soon as the umpire calls “infield fly,” the batter should be called out. The base runners
can advance after tagging up.
g. Base Runners: No runner may lead off or steal. Runners may not leave the base until the ball is hit.
h. Bases that slide away from its original spot, the spot will be considered the base. If a runner is safe and then the base
slides away, the runner may not be tagged out. A runner does not have to run to where the base is if it has been moved,
but where it should have been.
i. All players in the field must bat.
j. There is NO BUNTING. All bunts or bunt attempts are up to the judgment of the umpire. If a bunt or bunt attempt is
called, the batter is automatically out. All other slow pitch softball rules apply.
k. All team members must remain on or behind the bench, except the first and third base coaches. First time a team is not
abiding by this rule, a warning will be given. The second time it happens a player or players may get ejected and the game
may be stopped.
Co-Rec:
a. Teams must have 2 male players and 2 female players in the infield and outfield.
b. The pitcher-catcher combination must be made up of 1 male player and 1 female player.
c. A male player, who received an intentional walk, or base on balls, is awarded first base and second base, and the female
batter who follows, must bat, unless there are 2 outs and then she has the option to walk or bat.
d. Co-rec batting orders must rotate genders. Males may not bat back-to-back, but females can, only if there are more
females than males available to play. An out will be given in the place of a female batter if males bat back-to-back.