🥎Official Slow Pitch Softball Rules🥎

*Reminder Everplay is Recreational & Social League- Play Safe, Play your best, Have fun.

Sportsmanship Policy: Everplay Sport & Social Club is dedicated to providing a safe and fun sporting environment. All participants should keep this in mind when joining any Everplay League or Event. Because we encourage competitive play while maintaining good sportsmanship, any behavior deemed unacceptable by the Everplay staff may result in consequences such as ejection from the game or event, suspension from the current season, or potentially being banned entirely from Everplay as an organization. This includes actions and behavior toward umpires/referees/field managers, opposing players, and/or teammates. Some examples of unacceptable behaviors include shouting, cursing, physical altercations, and intimidation. Everplay reserves the right to determine actions as violations of the sportsmanship policy and to deal with each instance accordingly. Everplay appreciates it’s participants love for the game and has the ultimate goal of maintaining it’s motto: Play sports, Have fun, Stay social.

*New Rules starting Summer 2023

Team:

1. Team rosters shall include a minimum of 14 players, including at least 4 of each gender.
2. The maximum number of players on the field is 10, with at least 3 of each gender.
3. The minimum number of players on the field is 7.
4. All players present for a game may be placed in the batting order.
5. All players must be registered with the League to play with the team.  Any team found to be playing with an unregistered player will result in an automatic forfeit.  Second offense will result with that team being removed from the league for the remainder of the season. 
6. When a team has fewer than the required number of players of a specified gender available, players of one gender may not be substituted for members of another gender. For example, if a team has 10 total players available at game time, but only 2 are female, the team must play short with 9 players.
7. Fielding teams are required to play catcher and pitcher.
8. If Games are Postponed/Canceled due to inclement weather or other factors, a game is considered official after 4 Full Innings or 3.5 innings if Home Team hasn't batted but is Leading.
9. Late Registration: a team may add players to the roster through the Absolute Deadline (Week 4 of regular Season).

Officials:

1. Each game shall be officiated by a League-assigned umpire.
2. Umpires are responsible for:
   1. Keeping game time.
   2. Keeping score.
   3. Enforcing all game rules.
   4. Tracking all counts and outs.
3. The staff shall eject a player from the game if the player engages in any unsportsmanlike behavior.  If a player is ejected from a game, they are suspended for a FULL week (if they participate in more then one league they are suspended ALL all those league games).  If in Playoffs, they are suspended for the entirety of the Playoffs.  If a 2nd Ejection occurs during the Season, that Player is suspended for the remainder of the season.
4. An ejected player must leave the field and facility immediately; failure to do so may result in removal from the league and automatic forfeits for their team.
5. Ejected players will receive emails from the leagues ownership team with ruling on suspension or potentially being banned entirely from Everplay Sport & Social Club.  (Any players suspended for games or leagues must not show to participate or spectate or their team will automatically forfeit those games).

Field:

1. Games may be played on any slow pitch softball field, fast pitch softball field, little league baseball field or general purpose field with a distance from home plate to the outfield fence of at least 180 feet.
2. The distance between bases shall be 60 feet.
3. First base shall include a safety base placed to the right; overruns must be made on the safety base.

Equipment:

1. All equipment except for gloves will be provided by the League.
2. Only single-wall alloy/aluminum bats with the ASA certification are permitted.
   • all composite bats are illegal
3. The ball Everplay uses is a soft/mushy practice ball.  Everplay provides game balls.
4. Players must wear their League-provided t-shirts of the appropriate color for their team.  Beginning after the third week, If more than one person on a team is not wearing their League-provided t-shirt, that team will receive a 2 run penalty for each player beyond one that is not wearing their League shirt.
5. Steel cleats are prohibited.
6. Legally adopted Gloves may be worn by any fielder
   1. Catchers, pitchers, and 1st basemen may wear a glove or mitt of any size; all other players are restricted to a finger type glove with the space between the thumb and forefinger not exceeding more then 4-1/2 inches at the top.  The webbing shall not be constructed to form any type net or tray.
   2. Multicolored gloves are legal.

Game Clock:

1. Each game shall be completed in no more than 7 innings or 55 minutes, whichever comes first.
2. No new inning may begin after 50 minutes; any inning being played after 50 minutes shall be the last inning of the game.
3. Any inning in progress shall end immediately, and both teams shall vacate the field when:
   1. The clock has passed 50 minutes with the home team leading in the bottom of the inning (home team wins), or;
   2. The clock has passed 55 minutes; the score shall revert to the score at the previous full inning, with the team leading at the end of the previous full inning declared the winner.
4. In the event of a tied score after the final inning, the game shall be recorded as a tie.

Game Start:

1. A coin toss shall determine the home team, who shall choose whether to bat first or field first.

Pitching:

1. All pitches must be with an underhanded motion.
2. All pitches must arc between 6 feet and 10 feet; otherwise the pitch shall be considered a 'ball'.  
3. When pitching the pitcher must have 1 foot on, or be touching, the pitching mound.
4. The strike zone shall be marked with a rubber strike mat placed behind home plate. Contact with either the mat or home plate shall be considered a strike.
5. The Pitcher's Mound is placed at 46.5 feet on 60 foot base fields.
6. Be sure your pitcher is comfortable and can throw strikes before starting the inning because once the inning starts they are locked in that position until the inning is over. (Unless injury occurs and causes them to be removed for the remainder of the game)

Batting:

1. All teams must create a hitting lineup and lineups need to be present at the captains meetings to show opposing teams PROOF of a hitting lineup.  These can be written or taken off cell phones.  Hitting out of order will result in an automatic out for every hitter that is skipped.  Umpires are NOT responsible for keeping up with the hitting lineup. 

2. There must be at least 3 players of each gender in the batting order. If there are fewer than the required number of players of a particular gender, that point in the lineup shall be counted as an out.

1. Each batter shall start at bat with 1 ball and 1 strike (1 and 1 count).
2. Foul Ball Limit: Each batter is allowed one foul ball per at bat.  A 2nd foul ball will result in an automatic out.
3. Bunting is not permitted; bunts shall be counted as foul balls.
4. No three players of the same gender may bat in a row for the entire order, including between the end and beginning of the order. For example, a team may bat two men followed by one woman followed by two men, but may not bat three men in a row without also taking an out prior to the third man batting.
   1. Exception: A team may bat more than two players of the same gender in the order but must designate an automatic out before the third batter.
   2. Exception: If a team has at least three of each gender in the batting order, but the ratio of men and women is such that the more than two players of a given gender must bat in succession, the team may keep a rotate its female batters through the lineup in order to avoid having (3) male batters bat in a row.  Lineup example:
      • 1st Time Through the Lineup    2nd Time Through the Lineup    3rd Time Through the Lineup
      • Male 1                                          Male 1                                            Female 1
      • Male 2                                          Female 1                                        Male 1
      • Female 1                                      Male 2                                            Male 2
      • Male 3                                          Male 3                                            Female 2
      • Male 4                                          Female 2                                        Male 3
      • Female 2                                      Male 4                                            Male 4
      • Male 5                                          Male 5                                            Female 3
      • Male 6                                          Female 3                                        Male 5
      • Female 3                                      Male 6                                            Male 6
      • Male 7                                          Male 7                                            Female 1
        
        
5. Each player that plays in the field must be in the line-up.  If a player is removed from the line-up they are not allowed to play the field the rest of the game.
6. Each team shall be limited to a maximum of 2 over-the-fence home runs per game. Subsequent home runs shall be called an out.

Fielding: (These rules help Game play as we want to get 7 innings in, also help teams from getting mercy ruled weekly and help players stay healthy).

1. Once a team positions its players for a given inning those players are locked into those positions for that inning.  You cannot swap positions during a live inning.  For Example:  If player A is pitching to start the inning player A must finish that inning pitching unless a injury occurs that takes player A out the remainder of the game.  A new inning allows new positioning for everyone.

2.  When teams are down players they may move between infield and outfield strategically.

3.  When catching you do NOT need to be right up on the strike zone mat, you may be back by the fence or off to the side.

Running:

1. Stealing bases and leading off bases is illegal. A player who was leading the base prior to the hit shall be called out.
2. Sliding at first base is illegal. A player who slides at first base shall be called out. Runners must use the safety base.
3. Simulating "fake" tags is illegal.  All attempts to do so will result in awarding an additional base to the runner.
4. Pinch running is permitted at 1st, 2nd and 3rd base provided the pinch runner is of the same gender to record an out.  The runner who was substituted for shall be removed permanently from the game. 
5. When running home, the plate and entire strike zone mat shall be considered home plate. (Example: if a runner is heading home and there is a play at the plate, the runner may touch the mat in order to avoid contact with the catcher.)
6. Any runner who intentionally creates contact with a defensive player shall be called out and possibly ejected.
7. If a defensive player intentionally blocks, holds, or creates contact with a runner, the runner shall be considered safe and awarded the next base. The defensive player may be ejected if the play is considered to be reckless and endangering player safety.
8. If a runner is hit by a batted ball in fair territory before the defender has a chance to make a play on the ball, the runner is ruled out due to "interference rule" no matter if the runner is on a base or not.  If a runner is hit with the batted ball in foul territory, the ball is ruled foul and runner may return to designated base.

Walking:

1. When a batter has been awarded 4 balls called, the batter shall walk:
   1. To 1st base, if the batter is female or if the batter is male and followed in the batting order by another male.
   2. To 2nd base, if the batter is male and is followed in the batting order by a female.
      • If a male batter walks before an automatic out slot in the lineup due to a lack of female batters in the lineup, then they will only be awarded 1st base.
2. A female who is batting behind a walked male batter must bat unless there are 2 outs. If there are 2 outs, the female batter will have the option to walk or bat.

Mercy Rule:

1. The inning shall advance when a team scores 7 runs in the inning. The mercy rule shall be called and the inning advanced immediately upon scoring the 7th run. The mercy rule advances the inning; it does not end the game, except when a team is down by more than 7 going into the 7th inning, more than 14 going into the 6th inning, or more than 21 going into the 5th inning, the game will be called.

Playoffs:

1. Ties are not permitted in playoff games.  In the Playoffs, we will goto extra innings and start each inning with the 3 previous batters on base with no outs.  The Winner will be determined with the Team that is up after that inning concludes.  If a Tie occurs after the first Extra Inning, we will goto a 2nd Extra Inning until a Winning Team is Declared.

Forfeits:

1. Teams must be ready to play and meet game start requirements at the posted game time, plus a 5 minute grace period. Any team not ready to play at this time shall forfeit, and the opposing team shall take a default win, 6-0.
2. If neither team is ready to play, both teams shall forfeit.
3. Teams that forfeit (3) times during one season will be removed from the league schedule and forfeited out of the league.

Cancellation Policy:

1. Email is primarily used to inform participants of canceled games due to inclement weather and field conditions.  These cancellation decisions typically don't occur before 3pm the day of the game. Participants should always assume their game is being played as scheduled unless they hear otherwise.
2. Everplay Sport & Social Club will make all efforts to reschedule up 2 weeks of games per season due to weather related cancellations.  Any cancellations after that, may not be made up due to time and scheduling constraints.