Girls Softball Rule Changes for 2020 Regular Season Play: Page 3,29-32, I#6 Definition of divisions Added ages Page 6 League Regulation 10 – Coach Manager Deleted “Effect” Page 17 The Official Bat Rule 3 Sec 1 Replaced “ASA’ with USA/ASA Softball Rule 6 Shetland (6U) and Pinto (8U) Change run rule to 5 runs Per ½ innings Page 29 Shetland (6U) Rule 6A #3 Deleted #3 Page 29 Shetland (6U) Rule 6A #7 Deleted #7 Page 30 & 33 Pinto (8U) Rule 6 B/D Deleted B#1 and D#14 Page 32 Pinto (8U) – Player Pitch Rule 6C #1 Added: Extra Player (EP) allowed Page 32 Pinto (8U) – Machine Pitch Rule 6D #4 Changed number of Players on the field to ten (10) Page 34 Pitching (Fast Pitch) – foot Placement Rule 7 Sec. 1a & POE 29 Page 34 Pitching (Fast Pitch) – Preliminaries Rule 7 Sec. 1b Combined b & c Page 35 Pitching (Fast Pitch) Rule 7 Sec. 6 Added: Dirt in not a foreign substance Page 36 Pitching (Fast Pitch) Rule 7 Sec. 10b Deleted b 2020 Rules and Regulations for PONY GIRLS SOFTBALL ABRAHAM KEY, President / CEO KAREN REESE, Director of Softball Operations PONY BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL P.O. BOX 225 WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA 15301-0225 Telephone: 724-225-1060 • FAX: 724-225-9852 Email: [email protected] • Web: www.Pony.org Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner. Copyright 2020 by PONY Baseball, Inc. of Washington, PA. GRAND SLAM, NO-HIT, PERFECT GAME AWARDS Free award certificates for players who hit a Grand Slam, or who pitch a No-Hit game, or a Perfect Game, may be obtained from PONY Girls Softball without charge, when the appropriate information is provided. Send a postcard or letter indicating: 1. Type of award (No-Hit, Grand Slam, Perfect Game). 2. Players name and team. 3. Opposing team name. 4. Name of league or tournament level in which game occurred. 5. Name of field where game was played. 6. City and state where game was played. 7. Date game was played. Sign the form, indicate your title or position in the league, and address and mail it to: PONY Girls Softball P.O. Box 225 Washington, PA 15301-0225 In order to preserve the integrity of the awards, blank certificates will not be issued. PONY Baseball and Softball heart and soul is the volunteer field directors that make up our staff across the globe. From entry level field directors that may oversee single tournaments, to higher level directors that may cover sections, regions all the way up to running our zones across the globe, we could not function without them. If you are an individual that is ready to volunteer your time to a worthy cause of helPing with youth baseball and youth girls softball at a level above your local league, please contact PONY International Headquarters where we will Put you in touch with the volunteer field directors in your area. You can help with the advancement of PONY and our mission of Protecting Our Nation’s Youth. PONY International Headquarters – 724-225-1060 – [email protected] 2020 - PONY GIRLS SOFTBALL Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... i Communicable Disease Procedures ...................................................................................... ii Playing Rules Index ............................................................................................................... iii Background ........................................................................................................................... 1 LEAGUE REGULATIONS 1 Leagues ............................................................................................................................. 3 2 Teams ............................................................................................................................... 4 3 Legal Players ...................................................................................................................... 4 4 Boundaries ....................................................................................................................... 5 5 Selection of Players ........................................................................................................... 5 6 Schedule ........................................................................................................................... 5 7 Umpires ............................................................................................................................. 6 8 Scorekeepers .................................................................................................................... 6 9 Sponsors ........................................................................................................................... 6 10 Managers and Coaches .................................................................................................. 6 PLAYING RULES 1 Definitions ......................................................................................................................... 8 2 Playing Field .................................................................................................................... 15 3 Equipment ...................................................................................................................... 17 4 Players and Substitutes .................................................................................................. 22 5 The Game ........................................................................................................................ 26 6 Shetland (6U) Rules – Pinto (8U) Rules (Coach Pitch, Player Pitch, Machine Pitch .... 29-33 7 Pitching (Fast Pitch) ......................................................................................................... 34 Pitching (Slow Pitch) ............................................................................................................ 38 8 Batting ............................................................................................................................. 41 9 Baserunning .................................................................................................................... 47 10 Dead Ball - Ball in Play .................................................................................................. 59 11 Umpires ......................................................................................................................... 62 12 Protests ........................................................................................................................ 65 13 Scoring .......................................................................................................................... 67 14 Point of Emphasis .................................................................................................... I-XVIII TOURNAMENT PLAY (Blue Shaded Pages) League Teams ...................................................................................................................... 71 Decisions Committee .......................................................................................................... 74 Protests and Penalties .......................................................................................................... 75 Equipment ........................................................................................................................... 76 Select/Travel Teams ............................................................................................................ 77 i COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PROCEDURES While risk of one athlete infecting another with HIV/AIDS during competition is close to non-existent, there is a remote risk that other blood borne infectious diseases can be transmitted. For example, Hepatitis B can be present in blood as well as in other body fluids. Procedures for reducing the potential for transmission of these infectious agents should include, but not be limited to, the following: 1. The bleeding must be stopped, the open wound covered and if there is an excessive amount of blood on the uniform it must be changed before the athlete may participate. 2. Routine use of gloves or other precautions to prevent skin and mucous-membrane exposure when contact with blood or other body fluids is anticipated. 3. Immediately wash hands and other skin surfaces if contaminated (in contact) with blood or other body fluids. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves. 4. Clean all contaminated surfaces and equipment with an appropriate disinfectant before competition resumes. 5. Practice proper disposal procedures to prevent injuries caused by needles, scalpels and other sharp instruments or devices. 6. Although saliva has not been implicated in HIV transmission, to minimize the need for emergency mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, or other ventilation devices should be available for use. 7. Athletic trainers/coaches with bleeding or oozing skin conditions should refrain from all direct athletic care until the condition resolves. 8. Contaminated towels should be properly disposed of/disinfected. 9. Follow acceptable guidelines in the immediate control of bleeding and when handling bloody dressings, mouth guards and other articles containing body fluids. ii RULE DEFINITION RULE SECTION ARTICLE ALTERED BAT 1 1 Bat Specifications 3 1 Batter is out 8 1 d APPEAL PLAY 1 2 POE 1 After time out 9 8 i SP 9 8 i (4) Batting out of order 8 2 b - c (1 - 4) May not return 9 1 g - i Runner 9 8 f - i ASSISTS 13 2 b (5) (a-d)