Softball Rules - Spring 2007

• Registraion begin February 18.  Entry deadline is March 7th, 2008.  However, registraion is on a first come first served basis.  Space is limited so register early.

• To register a team, please come to the Campus Recreation Administrative Suite in the Campus Recreation Center. 

• You must fill out the registration form and pay the $60 entry fee. 

• League play begins April 20th.

  • Sundays - Men’s Independent, Coed

  • Mondays - Men’s Independent

  • Tuesday - Coed

  • Wednesday - Fraternity

  • Thursday - Women / Sorority.  

• Entry spots are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

  • Sunday league play is from 2:00 p.m. - Midnight.

  • Mondays - Thursday from 7:00 p.m.-Midnight.

• ALL games will be played in Nippert Stadium.

• Teams may sign in up to 20 players who show their valid UC Photo I.D.

• All participants must be a MEMBER OF THE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER.

  • Full time students are automatically members of the Campus Recreation Center.

  • Part time, co-op, branch students and faculty/staff must purchase a membership at the Campus Recreation Center to be eligible for intramural play. For membership information please visit the Campus Recreation Center Member Services Desk or online. 

• A player who plays on your team in the regular season is eligible for playoffs you cannot add players to your roster during playoffs. A player may only play on one men’s or women’s team and one coed team.

• Wednesday, April 9th or Thursday, April 10th at 5:00 p.m.

• The location is CRC Classrooms. 

  You must have a representative at one of these meetings. 
• NOTE: Any team that does not have a representative at one of these meetings will not qualify for playoffs.  

1. Players may play on one men’s/women’s team and one Coed Team.
2. All forms of rules/policies/procedures will apply to all games. Participants are advised to familiarize themselves with all publications including the Campus Recreation Intramural Rules and Sports Handbook
3. Participants may not play on more than 1 team. 
   1. Exception: A person may play for a men’s or women’s team and a coed team.
   2. Penalty for playing on two teams: participant receives red card and is suspended for two games.
   3. Captain receives red card if uncooperative. Multiple infractions will result in stiffer penalties.
      1. Regular season - A team will default all games in which an ineligible player participated/checked-in.
      2. Playoffs – A team will forfeit the game in which the ineligible player was detected.  No prior playoff games will be affected.
4. Players MUST bring a valid UC I.D. card. 
   1. A player using someone else’s or a fake I.D. receives a red card and is suspended for two games.
   2. Captain receives red card if uncooperative.
   3. Multiple infractions will result in stiffer penalties.
   4. The I.D. used is confiscated and turned over to Public Safety and the Judicial Affairs Officer is notified.   

1. Timing
   1. All Games will be played through 7 innings or 50 minutes, which ever comes first.
   2. Should time expire, an inning that has started will be completed.
   3. If the game is tied at the end of regulation during regular season league play, extra innings will not be played. However, if the game is tied at the end of regulation during playoffs, extra innings will be played until a winner is determined.
2. Infield Fly Rule
   1. The Infield Fly Rule will be in effect when there are less than two outs and:
      1. There are runners on first and second, or
      2. The bases are loaded
   2. The umpire will announce, “Infield Fly” when one of the above conditions exists and a batter hits a pop-fly in the infield.
   3. Please note that an infield fly is a judgment call by the umpire and NOT subject for controversy.
   4. When the Infield Fly Rule is declared, the batter is automatically OUT. The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught. The runner may also tag-up and advance after a defensive player has touched the ball.
3. Equipment
   1. All participants must present a UC photo I.D. at pre-game check in.
   2. Intramural sports will supply softballs and legal bats; you must play with the softballs provided. Teams must provide their own gloves for each game. All bats used must be ASA certified.
   3. Metal cleats are prohibited! THEY MAY NOT BE WORN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
   4. All cleats should be molded rubber, soft sole, or turf.
   5. Braces (knee, ankle, etc.) must be covered with a soft material. NO metal should be showing.
   6. It is suggested that the catcher wears the catchers mask. Campus Recreation Intramural Sports will provide the mask. If the catcher refuses not to wear the mask, he/she inherits all risk associated with playing catcher.
   7. NO JEWELERY is allowed.  No dangerous apparel or equipment is allowed (i.e., casts, knee braces with exposed metal, or jewelry.)
   8. You must play in athletic attire, no sandals or jeans/kakis (including jean shorts and khaki shorts) may be worn to play.
4. Players
   1. All teams will consist of 10 players.
   2. The minimum number of players required to begin the game and finish the game is eight (8). Players arriving late may be added to the bottom of the batting order at any time.
   3. If at any time a team falls below 8 players, the game will be over.
   4. Extra Player Rule: Teams may use an extra player (EP) under the following conditions. If a team chooses to use an EP, it must be made known prior to the beginning of the game and listed on the score sheet in the regular batting order. If and EP is used, all 11 players must bat and any 10 may play the field. Defensive positions may change per inning, but the batting order must remain the same. In Coed, you must have a male and female EP, any 10 may play the field and all 12 can bat.
   5. Substitutions – A player may only substitute for one person in the lineup. Once a player has replaced someone in the starting lineup, the player that was replaced may reenter the game in that same original position in the batting order may do it one time. If the starting player comes out again he/she may NOT return to the lineup in any way. 
   6. All substitutions must check in with the home plate umpire. 
5. Balls and Strikes
   1. A strike mat will be placed as an extension of home plate. If a legally pitched ball hits the mat or the plate, it is a strike (includes all sides of the plate/mat). If a legally pitched ball does not hit the either the plate or mat, it is a ball.
   2. A legal pitch must have an arc between 6ft. – 12ft.
   3. The count begins at 1 ball and 1 strike.
   4. Players are permitted one foul ball with 2 strikes; the 2nd foul ball will be considered a strikeout.
6. Base Running
   1. Under NO circumstances are runners permitted to steal. If a player leaves the bag before the batter hits the ball, he/she will be out.
   2. Runners must slide or give-up on all non-forced outs that are close. Sliding or diving head first into a base is not recommened.  If a player dives or slides head first serious injury could occur.
   3. Overthrow Rule: If a ball is overthrown and goes out of bounds, a runner will receive the base he/she was going to at the time and one additional base.
   4. Injured Runner Rule: If a player reaches base safely but is too severely injured to run, the player sharing that spot in the batting order will replace the injured runner. If that spot is not shared, the last man or woman to make an out will replace the runner.
7. 15 Run Rule
   1. The 15 Run Rule will be enforced after 4 ½ (or 5) innings.
   2. NOTE: The home team always gets to complete their half of the inning, even if the Away team gets ahead by more than 15 runs. 
8. Forfeit/Default/Protests
   1. Forfeit time is 10 minutes after the scheduled game time, not 10 minutes after the previous game has completed. All teams should be ready to play (I.D.s checked, batting order filled out, etc.) by this time. For 1-5 minutes late the other team gets 3 runs, 6-9minutes the other team gets 7 runs and the late team looses an at bat. To qualify for playoffs after a forfeit you must pay the $10 reinstatement fee by Wednesday, May 14, 2008.  If you forfeit twice you will not qualify for playoffs. 
   2. Default: A team unable to play or reschedule its game is allowed one default during the quarter. To default, the Captain of the defaulting team must either come to the Campus Recreation Office or give written notice to the Assistant Director of Intramural Sports at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled game or send notice via email to intramural@uc.edu. The Captain must bring her/his UC photo ID when defaulting. A team may not default by phone. If this procedure is followed, the team will receive a loss but will not forfeit or be disqualified from the playoffs. Less than a 48 hour notice will result in a forfeit. 
   3. Protests:
      1. Judgment calls cannot be protested. A Team Captain may protest a referee’s rule application or interpretation. 
      2. The protesting team captain will petition the referees to suspend play and request that the Intramural Supervisor make a ruling.
      3. A protest must be made at the time of the alleged infraction and prior to continuation of play or it will be disallowed.
      4. All ruling are in effect from the point of discovery.
      5. Player eligibility may be protested by putting down a $5 bond and a written protest of the player or players in question. The Campus Recreation Office will research the matter and make a ruling. If the protest is upheld then the game would a forfeit and the bond money returned. However, if the research ends inconclusive or denied, then the bond is kept by Campus Recreation Office.
9. Home Runs/Ground Rule doubles
   1. If a ball is hit into the red seats of the first three sections of bleachers in right field, it is a home run.
   2. If the ball lands in the first three sections of bleachers but does not make the red seats, it will only be a ground rule double.
   3. If a ball lands anywhere, without bouncing, over the wall in the fourth section of bleachers (the section underneath the word “Of” in the University Of Cincinnati written on the press box) or any further section, it is a home run.
   4. Any ball that bounces into the bleachers will be a ground rule double.
   5. If a ball hit into the outfield becomes lodged under a bench or becomes unplayable by the outfielder, the outfielder should put their hands up and it will be ruled a ground rule double.
10. Rainouts
    1. If a day is rained out or called due to inclement weather, those games will NOT be made up.  The only exception is if the same day is rained out or called due to inclement weather multiple times in a season every effort will be made to make up at least one of the rain out days.
    2. If there is a question about weather and if the games have been canceled please call the intramural hotline at 513-556-4fun.

1. Co-Rec teams may never have more than 5 members of the same gender on the field at one time. The only exception to the rule is that you may play with 6 females and 4 males. The number of males on the field must never outweigh the number of females.
2. The minimum number of players required to begin the game is 8. However, the 8 players beginning the game must consist of 4 males and 4 females, or 5 females and 3 males.
3. Defensively, Co-Rec teams must have a male/female battery (pitcher/catcher) – 2 males and 2 females in the infield and outfield.
4. Co-Rec teams must alternate genders in the batting order (i.e. male-female-male-female…). When you have a team of nine, one of the same genders may bat back to back, only in the #9 hitting position and #1 hitting position. HOWEVER THE #10 SPOT WILL BE AN OUT, if you are playing with nine.  If you are playing with 10 (4 males and 6 females) there is no penalty for batting back to back females.
5. Extra Player Rule: If a Co-Rec team chooses to use EP’s, it must be known prior to the beginning of the game and listed on the score sheet in the regular batting order. The EP’s must play the entire game. If EP’s are used, all 12 players (6 male and 6 females) must bat and any 10 (5 males and 5 females) may play the field. Defensive positions may change, but the batting order must remain the same.
6. If a male is walked, the female immediately following in the batting order has the option of batting or automatically taking first on the walk. Her intention must be made clear before the she receives the first pitch. The male will automatically go to second base whether she walks or not.

The game is played by Amateur Softball Association rules except where the University of Cincinnati Intramural Sports department has made adaptations.