Horner Park RECREATIONAL CO-ED Sunday Softball

Rules for 2007 Season

Commissioners

Rick Tonielli
312-425-1142 (w)
rick@sundaysoftball.com
     Ed Balcsik
773-275-0754
ed@sundaysoftball.com
These rules are effective 15 April 2009 and may be revised at the discretion of the commissioners



Fees

Team fees: $625
Umpire deposits: $225
Checks made out to Edward Balcsik must be received by May 7, 2009.

Send to: Ed Balcsik
2164 W. Giddings
Chicago, IL 60625

There will also be an end-of-season party at O’Donovan’s following the first week of playoffs.

Schedule        schedule 2004

Opening Week: The first games will take place on Sunday, May 20.

There will be two sets of games each game day. The first set will start at 5:00 p.m.(4:30 in August) and the second will start at 6:30 (6:00 in August). Games later in the season (starting on August 3) will start at 4:30 and 6:00 due to earlier darkness.

Field Setup and Takdown: The Commissioners will bring bases, pitcher’s mounds, mats, cones, etc. to the park prior to the early games each week. Home teams for the early games are responsible for picking up equipment at Field A, carrying equipment to their respective field, and setting up the field. Home teams for the lete games are responsible for taking down the field and making sure equipment is returned to Field A.

Rainout Policy: All captains will be called to announce rainouts. In addition, notice of rainouts will be posted on the league website at www.sundaysoftball.com at that time. Captains are responsible for notifying their team players.

Bad Weather During Games: Commissioner will make the final decision to postpone all games in the event of rain or lightning. If five innings have been completed (or 4 ½ innings and the home team is ahead), games are considered complete. Otherwise, the game will be replayed IN FULL at a later date. No games will be picked up where they left off.

Rescheduling Games: TBD on case-by-case basis

Ground Rules

Umpires: Each team will furnish one or two umpires each week for the other game on their field. For each week that an umpire is not furnished, $75 will be deducted from that team’s umpire deposit. Paid umpires will officiate games during the playoffs.

Only foul balls are called out loud and signaled by the umpire; fair balls are only signaled.

Fields: Each week, games will be played on the three fields that are in the best condition, indicated by flags A, B, and C on the backstops.

The pitcher’s mound will be placed at 46 feet from home plate.

All managers will discuss the field and ground rules with the umpires before each game. Managers will then inform their players of the rules discussed such as:

- Foul and out-of-play territories
- Special field considerations, i.e. tree branches, holes, puddles, etc.

All playing areas (fair or foul) must be kept clear of all equipment. Umpires will check before each batter to ensure that gloves, bats, practice balls, etc. are removed from the field of play.

Rules of Play: All situations not discussed herein will be covered by standard A.S.A. rules.

Number of Players

If a team does not have at least nine players, and at least three women, ready to begin 10 minutes before game time, players may be requested from other teams present. In the case that a team has only three women, a total of nine players may play. The tenth spot in the batting order will be an automatic out unless a fourth woman is found to fill the spot. If you have enough if your own male players at the start of a game, use of male subsitutes is forbidden.

If a team still does not have a sufficient number of players ten minutes after the game was scheduled to start, a forfeit may be declared.

There must be a minimum of 4 women on the field of play at all times, unless the team is playing with nine players. There can be no more than 6 men on the field. If a team has less than four women, they may borrow female players from other teams or the substitute list. Please share players, this is a fun league!!

Pitching


Mats will be placed 12 inches behind home plate. Any pitched ball that falls on the mat or between the plate and the mat and is 6 to 12 feet in arc is considered a strike. Any pitch below 6 feet may be called an illegal pitch and is automatically a ball unless the batter swings. If the batter swings at an illegal pitch, it is then a legal pitch.

Pitchers must be within 36 inches of the pitching rubber when releasing the ball.

Batting

Each batter will start his or her at-bat with a count of no balls and one strike.

A female batter is entitled to an optional intentional walk if the pitcher walks a male batter immediately before her by throwing four straight balls.

Batters get one courtesy foul after he or she has a count of two strikes. The second foul ball after two strikes are reached is ruled a strikeout.

All players will bat in a full roster during each game with free substitution in the field. A maximum of two men or women may bat in a row unless it is the bottom of the line-up. A maximum of three men or women in a row may bat from the bottom to the top of the line-up as follows:

2 Matthew
3 Mark
Mary
Luke
Elizabeth
1 John

If a team does not have enough men or women to complete a line-up as previously shown, the men or women must bat twice. If a team bats a gender in excess of the example above, the batter who just batted is automatically out and no runners advance.

The person who was originally scheduled to bat will be up. The error in batting must be pointed out before the next legal batter receives a single pitched ball. Once the order of men or women who are batting a second time in the line-up is established, you must keep that order. You may not choose inning by inning the order of batting twice.

Base Running

There will be a safety mat for 1st base that runners MUST touch to keep the base free for the defensive 1st baseperson to use. Runners may use the actual base and not the safety base if they are rounding to go to second. A batter may overrun the base safely only if he/she does NOT round the base into fair territory; a runner who makes contact with the first baseperson while running through the actual base risks being called out for interference. Any batter who touches only the white base is assumed to be running to second (regardless of which way they turned) and thus may be tagged out. The double firstbase should be place on the foul line such that the white part is fair territory and the colored part in foul territory.



A runner may request a substitution after he/she safely makes it to first base. The substitute runner will be the last runner out regardless if it is a male or female. If no outs have occurred yet, the substitute runner will be the last possible batter from the person requesting the substitution.

Runners are not required to slide in a close play situation; however, runners may not intentionally collide with other players to force a loose ball and they must try to avoid harmful contact at all times. If it is the opinion of the umpire that a player collides or slides into a defensive player to force a loose ball, that runner will be called out and warned. If this behavior occurs a second time, that runner will be ejected for any length of time determined by the commissioners.

Fielding

All three outfield players must begin play in the outfield grass area. If playing on a baseball field, players must begin behind an area determined by the umpires and two team managers. If an outfielder begins play within the infield dirt area, the batter has the option for an automatic walk.

Overthrows
Overthrows are governed by the major league baseball rule.
When the ball is in play and is overthrown beyond the boundary lines defined at the start of the game, runners will be awarded two bases, and the award will be governed by the positions of the runners when the ball left the fielder’s hand. For example, a runner who is approaching first base when a ball is thrown out of play will be awarded first base and second base.

If two runners are between the same bases, the award is based on the position of the lead runner.

Exception:
When a fielder loses possession of the ball, such as on an attempted tag, and the ball leaves the defined field of play, each runner is awarded one base from the last base touched.at the time the ball entered the dead ball area.

Equipment

No metal spikes of any kind are allowed.

All bats must be standard softball bats. Baseball bats and non-ASA-approved bats are not allowed. A batter who uses an illegal bat will be called out. A repeat offense will result in ejection from the game. The Commissioners reserve the right to rule bats illegal at any time.

Code of Conduct


Captains are responsible for the conduct of their teams. If a player causes repeated problems, the Commissioners reserve the right to expel the entire team from the league, not just the problem player.

Dangerous play, such as throwing of bats or reckless base running, may result in ejection from the game. For most offenses, the umpire will issue one warning prior to ejecting the player. However, umpires retain the right to eject players without issuing a warning at their discretion.

Individual players may not argue with umpires; any discussion of judgement calls and rules interpretation will be between the umpires and the team captains.

Reminder: This is a recreational league. No protests are allowed, and good sportsmanship is required at all times.

No player banned or expelled from the CYASL or this league is eligible to play in the Horner Park Sunday Softball League.

Playoff Rosters

All rosters will be due on July 11, 2007. Players may be added until that time. In order for a player to be eligible for the playoffs, he or she must have played a minimum of three (3) games for your team during the regular season.

Teams without enough players for playoffs may use 1 substitute player from another team in the league during the playoffs. You may not use substitutes if there are enough of your team members to play. In order to play for your team in the playoffs, an individual has to have played in at least 3 games during the regular season.

Captains retain the right to challenge any player on the opposing roster during the playoffs. For this reason, all players are required to bring ID to the playoffs in case of a roster check.

The proceeds remaining will be donated to charity as chosen by the league.

These rules may be modified at time by the commissioners.