JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER Men’s Thursday Softball League Rules (revised 5/28/21)

ASA RULES IN EFFECT WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:

1. Minimum age is 16 unless approved by staff/softball committee.

2. A team must have a minimum of 7 players to start a game.

3. A team must play with their own roster, and can not pick up any other players. The only exception is when both captains agree in advance of a game. Most often occurs to avoid a forfeit.

4. A team roster is due by the third week of the season, and given to the JCC’s Sports League Coordinator. A team may carry up to 18 players on their roster.

5. In order to be eligible to play in the playoffs a player must (a) be listed on a team’s official roster and (b) present a picture ID verifying identity.

6. A team must bat its entire roster. Defensive positioning and substitutions are at the discretion of the coach.

7. The home team is designated on the schedule.

8. New game balls will be provided by The J Sports and Recreation Department.

9. Foul balls shall be retrieved by the batting team.

10. Forfeit time is 5 minutes after the game is scheduled to start, or 5 minutes after the previous game ended, which ever comes later.

11. Infield practice is limited to the first inning only.

12. Warm-up pitches are limited to 3 per inning and 5 for a change of pitchers.

13. There is a 60 minute time-limit. No new inning may start after the time limit, unless to break a tie.

14. There is 15 run-spread rule (after 5 innings) in effect for the Thursday league.

15. The Championship game is a full 7 innings with no time limit.

16. Captains are responsible for team conduct. Only captains may represent their team in a dispute with the umpire. Umpire decisions are final.

17. Metal spikes are not allowed.

18. Pitching distance is 50’. Bases are 70’ apart. 19. A protective pitcher’s screen shall be used. Any batted ball striking any portion of the screen as observed by the umpire will be declared a dead ball foul unless it is the third strike, in which case it is a dead ball re-pitch. All thrown balls are in play.

20. Batters will start with a 1-1 count when they step into the batter’s box.

21. If the third strike is a foul, the batter receives a courtesy strike.

22. Unsportsmanlike conduct, including arguing, fighting and swearing, will result in a player ejection. No penalty is imposed on the team.

23. Ejected players must sit out the next scheduled/played game/s, before returning to his team. A second ejection in the same season will result in suspension for the remainder of the season.

24. Pinch runners are allowed for injured or physically unable to run players only. The pinch runner is the player who made the last physical out. A coach who knows a courtesy runner will be needed for a particular player every game, should notify opposing coaches before the start of the game.

25. Every play at home is a force out. A point of no return line will be indicated halfway between third base and home. Once a player touches or crosses this line, he is obligated to go home.

26. The second home plate is the official home plate for scoring purposes. Any runner trying to score must use the second home plate.

27. There is a two (over the fence) homerun per team per game limit in the Thursday League, except that once both teams have hit two over the fence home runs, each team may hit one additional over the fence home run. All over the fence home runs after a team has reached their limit shall be considered outs.

28. Dugouts are for players only. The only exception is a batboy or batgirl, who must wear a helmet when on the field of play.

29. A team with 8 players or less may use the opponent’s catcher. However, this catcher is not allowed to field batted balls or make plays at home.

30. A double first base is designed to avoid contact of players. The inside bag is for the 1st baseman, while the outside bag is for the batter/runner.

31. Bats must be approved by one of the slow pitch softball governing organizations, except that Senior Softball Bats are not allowed. The umpire will have the final say in case of disputes.

32. In the event of a tie after 7 innings or an hour of play, ITB rules will be enforced in all innings until a winner is decided. The team at bat will begin their half inning with a runner at second base. This runner will be the player who made the last out in the prior inning. This runner can not receive a pinch runner until he reaches third base. This procedure shall continue until the tie is broken.