GLENS FALLS SUNDAY COED SOFTBALL

2022 SEASON – MAY 22^ND To August 21^st

 

 

LEAGUE HANDBOOK

 

 

 

League Overview

The Glens Falls Recreation Adult Coed Softball League has been formed to offer men and woman from the surrounding communities and its businesses the opportunity to play throughout the summer.  The league is considered recreational and social, yet competitive.  Rules have been designed and constructed with the goals of promoting safe and fair play, built on the foundation of good sportsmanship.  This consists of exercising respect, fairness, honesty, responsibility and positive behavior.

Official Rules

The current ASA (Amateur Softball Association) rules will apply.  Specific rules added by the league will supersede any specific ASA rule that applies in the same instance.  These rules will be followed for all game play.  Anything not specifically mentioned should be played out according to common sense and with safety in mind.  Any additional resolution should be directed to the league commissioner.

Eligibility

1. Payment, in full must be made before a team can participate in a scheduled league game. 
2. All league participants must fill out a waiver form to be kept on file with Glens Falls Recreation.  No player may play without first filling out and signing off on this form.
3. All league teams must submit an official roster before it plays its first game.  Additional roster additions and deletions can be completed by the team’s manager on the teamlinkt website.  Each team’s roster must be updated before each game.
   1. Each team may have up to 24 players on its roster.
   2. After week 4 a team’s roster can no longer be changed.
4. Minimum age requirement is 17 years old.
5. To be eligible to participate in playoffs a male player must have participated in at least 3 of its team’s regular season games.  Females must have participated in at least 2 regular season games.
6. Any team that uses an ineligible player will forfeit all games that ineligible player participated in.
7. SUBSTITUTES
   1. A team may use a player from another team as a substitute if needed to help them field a team on any given week during the regular season.
      1. Substitute player(s) must bat last in the lineup and play outfield (right field if 1 substitute, right field and right center (10 fielders) or center field (9 fielders) if 2 substitutes.
      2. No team may have more than 2 substitute players from another team in the league for any given regular season game.

 

Player Conduct

This league is meant for everybody to get together and enjoy a fun and competitive game.  Strong emphasis on the fun aspect.

1. All players on all teams are expected to always exercise good sportsmanship.  This consists of respect, fairness, honesty, responsibility and positive behavior.
2. Any acts unsportsmanlike conduct, either verbally or physically, will result in ejection from the game as well as potentially suspension or expulsion from the league.
3. Only managers may address umpires about any umpiring decisions made during a game. If/When they address the umpire they will do so in a respectful manner and respect the final decision regardless of the outcome decided. 
   1. Any further disagreement would be forwarded to the league commissioner.
   2. Any team member other than the team manager addressing an umpire about an umpiring decision in game would fall under the unsportsmanlike conduct rules.

Games

1. Bad Weather, Rainouts or Unplayable fields
   1. Team managers are responsible for monitoring weather forecasts and keeping their teams informed.
   2. The league commissioner will have final say on if a game will be canceled due to Bad weather, rain or unplayable fields.
      1. Always assume that the game will be played until told otherwise by the league commissioner.
   3. Make up games will be scheduled for 1pm on a week that both teams have 3pm games schedule (if possible).
2. Game times are 3pm or 4:30pm on Sundays and are listed on the league website.
3. No new inning may begin 1 hour and 15 minutes after the start of the game
   1. Unless 5 innings have not been completed (4 ½ if home team is ahead)
4. Regulation Game
   1. Each game will be 7 innings
      1. Exceptions
         1. In case of time limit, weather or darkness, a game is officially completed if 5 full innings have been played (4 ½ if home team is ahead)
         2. In case of a tie, if at the end of 7 innings the 1 hour and 15-minute time limit has not been reached, teams may continue into extra innings until a winner is determined or until the time limit expires.
         3. Mercy Rule: a team leading by 20+ runs after 4 full innings or winning by 12+ runs after 5 full innings will declared winner.
5. Dugouts
   1. Home Team – First Base Side
   2. Away Team – Third Base Side
6. Each team must fill out a lineup card before each game and submit it to the opposing manager.
   1. Each card must contain the names of each player, their position in the batting order, and any substitutes that may enter the game.
7. Team may have up to 10 defensive players in the field.
   1. With 10 defensive players 4 must be in the outfield.
   2. With 9 defensive players 3 must be in the outfield.
   3. There can be no more than 6 male players on the field at one time defensively.
   4. There MUST be at least 3 female players on the field at one time defensively.
8. Teams must have at least 8 players in the field to start or continue a game.
   1. If a team does not have at least 8 players (3 of which must be females) they will have to forfeit that game.
9. If a team plays a game without 4 females (minimum is 3).  That team must choose a spot in the batting order for where the 4^th female would have bat and it will count as an automatic out every time that chosen spot in the lineup is reached.
   • • If a 4^th female arrives to the game late, they could then enter the lineup and hit in the spot without their team having to take an automatic out.
     • With 8 players the 8^th and 9^th spot in the lineup would become automatic outs.
10. Team with may use one Extra Hitter (EH) in their batting order.  If used, the EH would be the eleventh spot in the batting order and would be identified on the lineup card as “EH”.
11. Teams may choose to bat their entire roster.  However, they must alternate female and male after the 10^th batter.  Starting with Female (if Female is available).
12. Teams are allowed unlimited substitutions
13. When a female is up to bat. All outfielders must remain at least 10ft past the infield in the outfield before the ball is hit.
14. If a male batter is deemed by the umpire to be intentionally walked, he will receive 1^st and 2^nd base. 
15. Pitch height is not to exceed 15’ and not to be under 6’. 
16. Pitchers are allowed 5 warmup pitches the first inning they pitch.  2 warmup pitches every inning thereafter.
17. The strike zone mat at home play will lay directly behind the plate.  A pitched ball that touches any part of the plate or mat is considered a strike.  All other pitches that do not hit the plate or mat in the air are balls.
18. A foul on a 3^rd strike for a male is an out (Females get a courtesy foul ball, 2nd foul ball for a female with 2 strikes will result in an out). Runners may advance at their own risk on a foul 3^rd strike which is caught by the catcher.
19. Bunting or intentionally chopping down on a pitched ball is illegal.  This is the judgement of the umpire and will be an out if the umpire determines this violation.  It will be a dead ball and runners on base will be sent back to their original base before the pitch.
20. No leading or stealing.  Runners must stay on their base until the ball is put in play.
21. Pinch runners are allowed for injured players that have reach first base.  Pinch runner must be the same gender and be the furthest away in the lineup at that point in time.
22. If due to and injury or emergency a player must leave.  A team may continue a game with fewer players than it began with.  However, a team cannot play with less than 8 players.
23. On a close play a runner must slide.  If a player does not slide, they must attempt to avoid contact or “give themselves up” to the fielder.
24. The home team is responsible for the official score book.
    1. It is recommended that both teams compare their books between every full inning to ensure accurate scoring/record keeping of games.
25. Playoff seeding will be determined by the following criteria:
    1. Record
    2. Head-to-Head
    3. Least Runs allowed
    4. Most Run Scored
    5. Coin toss (if needed)

Equipment

1. Game Balls provided by Glens Falls Recreation Department
2. Only ASA approved softball bats are allowed during game play.  The team manager (and manager only) may inspect any other team’s bats prior to the start of a game. 
   1. Any team that is found to INTENTIONALLY use illegal bats will forfeit the game in which they were deemed to do so. 
      1. Illegal bats pose a safety risk to pitchers and fielders.  Please make sure they are ASA approved.
3. No metal spiked cleats are allowed.
4. It is recommended (not mandatory) that teams have all players wear like colored shirts (jerseys if possible) with numbers on the back. 

Playoffs

1. League playoffs will be determined by the number of registered teams.
   1. 8 teams or less – All teams will participate in playoffs and be seeded based on the criteria listed earlier in the packet.
2. Playoffs will be single elimination.
3. Only male players that have played in at least 3 regular season games for their team are eligible to participate in playoffs.  Female players must have played in at least 2 regular season games to be eligible to participate in the playoffs.
4. All game rules from regular season apply.
   1. No Time limit for Playoff Games
   2. In playoffs extra innings games will go to completion (no time limit)