Farmville Recreation Department Adult Coed Softball League Schedule – Summer 2022

*Monday’s will be used as a practice day and for make-up games if necessary*

COED SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL LEAGUE

Rules and Guidelines

****Team Managers and/or Coaches are responsible for informing their team of the rules. ****

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. The $375.00 League Fee must be paid before the registration deadline. All checks should be made payable to the Town of Farmville.
2. Preliminary League Rosters must be submitted to the Farmville Recreation Department prior to the registration deadline, along with signed copies of the Farmville Recreation Department Wavier Form. All players on the roster must sign this waiver form in order to play.  Players may only be registered on one roster and therefore participate on one team. Rosters are limited to 18 players. 
3. Final rosters must be submitted before the first game and after the first game no players may be added. Roster changes during the season may only be allowed by certain approved circumstances such as injury, relocation, etc. Any roster changes must be agreed upon by a majority vote of the other team managers and the approval of the Farmville Recreation Director.
4. This is an Adult Softball league therefore the league minimum age for players is 18 years of age by the start of the current regular season. No player under the age of 18 will be allowed to participate. 
5. Games will be played at the Fireman’s Sports Arena Softball field and on any day between Monday through Thursday. Games will start at the following times: 6:30pm and 7:45pm.
6. Cancellations will be determined by the Recreation Department and will inform all coaches of this cancellation. 
7. The four (4) teams with the best overall record will be eligible to participate in the post season tournament as long as all league fees and fines have been paid. 
8. Teams will not be given a 15-minute grace period after the scheduled start of each game. Teams will be responsible for arriving 15 minutes before the start of their scheduled game time. Games are to be started at the proposed time of 6:30 and 7:45pm. However, if both teams have at least the required number of players (9 players) before game-time, the game may be started if both managers agree. 
9. Any team with 2 consecutive forfeits during the season (including the playoffs) is subject to being removed from the league. Any team that is removed from the league because of this rule may re-apply the following year for admission into the league. The league will excuse a forfeit if the opposing Team’s Manager and Farmville Recreation Director is informed within two hours before the games scheduled start time.  
10. Alcohol is not permitted in or around the playing areas. This includes all parking lots near the field. The use of tobacco products is permitted in the designated smoking areas which include the bleachers and parking lot but is not permitted on the field. 
11. Each Team is responsible for cleaning up all trash left on their benches side after each game. Failure to do so could lead in the next game being an automatic forfeit or possible suspension.

PLAYING RULES

Games will be governed by current USSSA Coed Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules with the following points of emphasis and exceptions:

1. The League’s Official Softball is a 12-inch softball of any brand with a .44 Core and a compression less than 400lbs.
2. The league will not provide softballs for each game; therefore, it is the responsibility of each team to supply their own balls for every game. All teams must hit their own balls and an official must check a new ball before it can enter play in order to make sure it meets league standards. Failure to provide additional softballs or approved softballs could result in an automatic forfeiture of that game
3. Prior to the start of the game each team will provide a line up card to be reviewed by the umpire. All Coaches must inform the umpire of any substitutions before play can resume.
4. A completed game will consist of 7 innings or a 1 hour and 15 minutes time limit. The time limit will be waived during the playoffs. The umpire or Recreation Director may suspend, cancel or call a game if, in their opinion; the safety of the players is compromised due to rain, darkness or time limits.
5. Teams are allowed to bat and field ten players. When a team begins a game with 10 players, that team may continue play if a player leaves the game for any reason other than ejection. Whenever the absent player is due to bat, an out is declared. Teams may bat as many batters as they choose, but cannot bat less than nine players at any time.
6. Short-Handed Rule: A game may begin with nine players. The absent player’s spot must be listed last in the batting order. Whenever the absent player is due to bat, an out is declared. Once the absent player arrives, he must be inserted into the vacant spot immediately. If a team arrives with eight (8) players, they may acquire a player from another team not playing in that current game as long as both managers agree. They may only pick up one player and this player if no longer allowed to play once the 9^th player from the team’s roster arrives.
7. Each team must have at least nine players to start and finish the game. The ratio of men and women must be:
   • Men 5 - Women 4
   • Men 5 - Women 5
   • Men 4 - Women 5
   • Men 4 - Women 6 
   • Men 3 - Women 6
8. Batting Order will alternate male/female. Either male or female may lead off the batting order. The team batting order must be submitted to the umpire and score keeper before the start of each game. Only same gender substitutions may be made, unless the team is playing more females than males.
9. Each team may use an extra batter (EB). However, there must be both a male and a female extra hitter, and they follow the regular batting order. They must be on the team’s roster, listed as either a regular player or substitute.
10. When batting two men batting in a row there will be an automatic out.
11. If a male batter is walked, the following female batter is walked. OPTION: She may CHOOSE to bat. If so, the male batter only takes one base.  
12. Courtesy runners shall be the last recorded out made by the player of the same gender. If no player of the same gender has recorded an out, the player of the same gender listed last in the batting order shall be the courtesy runner. A team is allowed one courtesy runner per gender per half inning. Additional courtesy runners may be allowed with approval from opposing team manager.
13. Home Run rule: All teams will play a 5 and One-up homerun rule. The rule is as follows: If Team A hits 5 homeruns (Over the fence) they cannot hit another homerun until Team B hits a homerun. Each time Team A hits a homerun prior to Team 2 hitting a homerun will be an out. This means that no team can have more than 5 homeruns over the opposing team at any point in the game.   
14. A strict no profanity rule will be enforced.
15. Bats certified/approved by the USSSA are permissible. Use of banned USSSA bat is strictly prohibited. If any member of your team is caught using a banned bat, the player will be suspended from the League for the remainder of the season. All teams are subject to an official checking of all bats at any time during the game.
16. Head-first sliding is not allowed at any base, and if attempted will result in an automatic out.
17. Steel Cleats are not allowed.
18. Pitch Arc: The maximum arc of a pitch must lie between 6 and 12 feet above the ground. The umpire must declare a pitch illegal by shouting "ball" while the pitch is in the air. The batter may still choose to swing at the pitch (a good idea if the pitch arc is low and over the plate). A declared illegal pitch which is hit in play is treated as any other hit pitch. Of course, a declared illegal pitch counts as a strike if the batter swings and misses or fouls the pitch off.
19. Batters will start with a one ball, one strike count. Two fouls after the second strike and the batter is declared out. Three straight fouls and the batter is declared an out. 2 fouls after the first strike, batter will be out. Four straight fouls and the batter is out.
20. If a team is ahead by 15 after four innings or 10 after five innings, the game will be declared an official game. The slaughter rule will be waived during the playoffs.
21. If a player or coach is ejected from the game by an umpire, he will not be permitted to participate in the next schedule game. If a player or coach is ejected a second time, he or she will not be permitted to participate in the next three scheduled games. A third ejection will result in a suspension for the remainder of the season. Suspended players are not allowed to sit on the bench.
22. The team coach or acting team captain must notify the umpire immediately if a game is being played under a protest. A written protest must be submitted to the Recreation Department within 24 hours (if the protested game is played on weekend, the written protest must be received by the following Monday.)
23. Softball Umpires will be provided for each game. Each team will be responsible for keeping a scorebook, but the Home Team will keep the scorebook and the Visiting team will keep the scoreboard. (The plate umpire will be the final arbiter on any discrepancies.) Both teams will need to report the scores to the Recreation Department prior to the start of the next game.
24. There is to be no arguing with an official over calls. There is no exception to this rule. Any player, coach, or observer whose temper gets out of control over a judgment call, or who by vulgarity, intimidation or yelling confronts an official, will be warned once. If the infraction is repeated, the offending person will be ejected from the game.
25. If a throw beats a runner heading into second, third or home plate for a force-out with the fielder having an opportunity to turn a double play, and if the runner neither slides nor veers out of the way of the fielder, the umpire shall call an automatic double play.
26. The umpire shall have broad authority to eject from the game and the premises any player, Coach, or fan who engages in unsportsmanlike conduct. Disrupting the game or acting in a threatening manner.
    

Unsportsmanlike conduct defined: Conduct which may result in ejection from the game may include but is not limited to the following: harmful or offensive physical contact with an umpire; threats made to an umpire, player, or fan; throwing objects or equipment; foul, profane, or abusive language; flagrant violations of the rules.