Softball Rules

General

PLAYERS

1. Roster size is limited to 14 players:
   • Players must be TWU students, Fitness and Recreation members, or faculty/staff
   • Teams must have a minimum of 8 players to register as a team
   • You must show a valid TWU, Fitness and Recreation, Texas or government ID to participate:
     • ID cards will be collected by Intramural Staff prior to contest if you check out a glove
     • No ID, no play, no exceptions
2. Full team:
   • 10 players in the field = full team
   • Teams must have a minimum of 8 players to start a Players arriving late may check in only at completion of half inning. These players must be added to the bottom of the batting lineup
3. This is a COED league:
   • Batting lineup must alternate between male and female, until it can’t. Batting order must have a minimum of 8, and maximum of 14 (Teams will be allowed to have more females than males, but NOT more males than females)

FIELD

All games will be played at TWU Softball field

EQUIPMENT

Fitness and Recreation will provide game balls, bats, and gloves; however, you are allowed to bring your own equipment

Bats:

• Outside bats must have an ASA or USSSA logo to be deemed eligible for

Cleats:

• All players are required to wear athletic/running shoes
• Baseball/softball cleats are allowed, provided they do not have metal studs

GAME SET-UP AND TIME

Game length:

• Games will be 6 innings or 50 minutes; whichever comes first
• Three innings = official game
• Players are allowed to call time, at the discretion of the umpires

GAME time is forfeit time:

• According to the student supervisors watch
• Teams must have at least 8 players with appropriate identification, appropriate attire, signed in on the score sheet, and ready to play prior to game time

Extra innings:

• Occur when game is tied at bottom of 6th inning
• Teams start with one out
• The last person out from the previous inning starts on second base

Run rule:

• 6-runs in an inning = the inning for that team will end
• Game will be called if a team is leading by 15 or more after 3 innings of play

Weather:

• The Intramural Supervisor or student supervisor will make decisions at the point of play

Field Play

1. Substitutions:
   • Can be made on any dead ball
   • Umpire needs to be notified
   • Teams may freely substitute player field positions so long as the batting order remains the same (male, female, male, female, etc.)
   • Once a player is taken out of the batting lineup, they cannot be put back in it, however they may still field
2. Pitchers: UPDATE AS OF FALL 2024
   • This is a team pitch league (batting team will pitch to their own teammates)
   • Batters get four (4) pitches to put the ball in There are no strikes and balls
   • The fielding team may have a ‘pitcher’ in that position to play The team pitcher must do their best to not interfere with play after the ball has been hit. Interference may result in the batter being called out
3. Catchers
   • Each team must field a catcher behind home plate, no matter how many players on the field
   • Catcher’s mask is optional
4. Infield
   • No more than 6 players in the infield
   • The infield fly rule will be in effect. The infield fly rule is: A fair fly ball (not a line drive) which can be caught by any fielder with ordinary effort within the infield when first and second base are occupied or when the bases are loaded, all 3 bases are occupied, and there are less than 2 outs. The batter will called out to avoid the fielding team dropping the fly ball on purpose to get an easy double play
5. Outfield
   • No more than 4 players in the outfield
6. Batters
   • Throwing the bat is NOT allowed. Each team will get one warning, than any afterwards will be an automatic This is for the safety of the catcher and Umpire behind the plate
7. Base runners
   • Stealing and leading off are not allowed
   • Base runners are to remain on the base until the ball makes contact with the bat
   • Failure to comply with this rule will result in an automatic out for the base runner
   • Sliding is not allowed; this includes both feet-first and head-first slides
   • Players intentionally sliding into a base or attempting to avoid a tag are automatically out
   • Defensive players are not allowed to block the base path or intentionally impede a base runner's progress
   • Infractions will result in the awarding of the base, and depending on the intent and severity, may result in ejection
   • Likewise, baserunners are not allowed to intentionally interfere with the fielding players ability to tag them or play the (i.e. blocking a throw, running into the baseman, etc.) This will result in an automatic out and possible ejection based on severity
   • Every player running home is required to touch home Failure to touch home plate can result in an out.
8. Ball out of Play
   • Ball is live until it goes into an out of play area and the official calls it
   • If the ball is thrown out of play, by the defensive team, each base runner will be awarded one additional base, determined by the last base they touched (i.e. last touched first base; advances to second base)
9. Point-of-no-Return Line
   • This will marked by two cones halfway between home plate and third Once a base runner crosses/touches this line, they cannot return to third base, and it is an automatic force out at home plate. The catcher does NOT have to tag the runner. This is to avoid potential collisions.

Behavior and Sportsmanship

It is every player’s responsibility to:

• Keep roster up-to-date
• Know the rules and abide by them
• Respect and cooperate with the supervisors and officials

It is the responsibility of the team captain to:

• Ensure proper behavior on the part of his/her team’s fans
• Be responsible for his/her team for all the above

Friendly competition and good-spirited rivalry are expected, however:

• Officials and supervisors are university employees and will not tolerate verbal abuse or physical threats from or amongst players, captains or spectators
• Inappropriate conduct can result in penalties ranging from game ejection to lifetime suspension to calling DPS.

A Sportsmanship Rating system will be implemented to provide better transparency between players and Intramural Staff:

• Ratings start at an ‘A’ and can go down to a ‘D’
• A team must have a ‘B’ average to be eligible for the playoffs, regardless of their win/loss record
• A signature from team captains must be obtained after each game, acknowledging the rating, as well giving the supervisor an opportunity to explain the reasoning behind the rating
• During playoffs, a team receiving a sportsmanship rating lower than a ‘B’ will not be allowed to advance regardless of victory

FORFEITS

Game time is forfeit time:

• According to the student supervisors watch
• One forfeit during the season, can automatically remove your team from playoffs and possibly from the rest of the season
• Each team is allowed only one default. Notification of a default to the Intramural Supervisor before noon on the day of play will result in a loss but will not result in removal from playoffs, and possibly the rest of the season.
• Team must have the minimum amount of players with appropriate identification, appropriate attire, signed in on the score sheet, and ready to play prior to game time to avoid forfeit.

ACCIDENT INSURANCE

The State of Texas and Texas Woman’s University cannot accept liability for injuries. Participants are encouraged to provide their own accident or personal insurance.

Team captains, and only team captains, may address the officials:

• May only address matters of rule interpretation or essential game information and must do so in a courteous manner
• To appeal a play, a team’s pitcher must have the ball during a dead ball period. They must then tell the Home Plate Umpire what they are The Umpire(s) will then render a decision. The only appeal plays are: a tag play, a pulled foot, a missed bag by a runner, a tag-up on a fly ball, or a runner leaving a base before the ball is hit
• Any verbalization directed toward an official other than outlined above, will result in ejection from the game

BLOOD RULE

A player with a bloody injury or blood on his/her uniform must leave the game. The player may not return to the game until the wound is no longer bleeding, the wound is sufficiently covered (preferably by a trained individual), or all pieces of the uniform that have blood on them are removed and replaced.

Page last updated 12:46 PM, July 29, 2024