Denville
Softball’s Summer Travel League
2010 Rules
Updated: May
19, 2010
Documentation
Requirements
Each team must provide a completed Team Registration form (coach contacts
information, home field availability, team blackout dates, and team rosters), a
copy of their insurance certificate, and a copy of birth certificates/age
verification cards to the league prior to or at the coaches meeting. Teams found using players that are too old
for the division in which they are participating will be immediately removed
from the league.
Schedules
The
Denville Travel League will publish initial schedules based on the information
received on the Team Registration form. The
league will attempt to schedule 50% home games and 50% away games. 12 regular season games will be
scheduled. The schedules will be posted
by June 5. Once the schedules are
created, they will not be modified unless there is an error. It is up to the home team to schedule fields
and umpires. The home team is also
responsible to reschedule makeup games with directly with their opponent. If either team can not make a scheduled game,
they must notify the opposing coach with a phone call at least 24 hours prior
to the start of the game. Failure to do
so will result in a forfeit. Regular season games will begin June 8 and run
through July 21. Playoffs will take
place between July 23 and July 31.
Directions
Directions
to fields are available on the Denville Website (www.denvillesoftball.org). Click on the “Fields & Directions” link
on the left side of the home page to access the directions. If your home fields are not listed or if you
have more complete directions, email them to Tony Baldassari at tonyb4@optonline.net prior to June
5.
Team
Composition
Teams must submit a roster which includes players name, number, town, and
age. A maximum of 15 players can be on
the roster. If a town has teams in more
than one age bracket within the Denville Summer Travel League, players on the
younger team roster may play up during the regular season when short players. Those players do not need to be listed on
both rosters. No players may play up
during the playoffs. The age breakdown
for each division is listed below.
·
8U – Players born in 2001 or later
·
10U – Players born in 1999 or later
·
12U – Players born in 1997 or later
·
14U – Players born in 1995 or later
·
16U – Players born in 1993 or later
Equipment
·
Softball (8U & 10U) - 11” yellow ASA approved
leather softball.
·
Softball (12U, 14U, & 16U) - 12” yellow ASA
approved leather softball.
·
Bats - Bats must be ASA approved with a date of 2004 or later. Use of a non-approved bat will result in the
batter being called out.
·
Helmets - Helmets with face masks and chin straps are required for all
batters.
Field
Setup
·
Bases – The distance between bases will be 60’.
·
Pitching Distance (8U) – The coaches will pitch to
their own hitters and will pitch from 35’.
The defensive player playing the pitching position must be positioned no
closer than 35’ at the time of the pitch.
·
Pitching Distance (10U) – 35’.
·
Pitching Distance (12U & 14U) – 40’
·
Pitching Distance (16U) – 43.’
Game Play
– Babe Ruth Rules with the following exceptions/clarifications
·
Game Balls – Each team will provide one game ball
for both home and away games.
·
Defense
o
Players (8U & 10U) – 10 players in field, free
substitution, reentry rule not in affect, substitutions need not be
announced. Only 6 players are allowed to
be positioned in the infield at the start of the play. The infield extends 10 feet beyond the base
path.
o
Players (12U, 14U, & 16U) – 9 players in field;
if Cinderella batting, free substitution, reentry rule not in affect,
substitutions need not be announced. If
there are players not in the lineup, normal substitution rules apply.
o
Infield
Fly & Dropped 3rd Strike (8U & 10U) – No Infield fly rule
and no dropped third strike.
o
Infield
Fly & Dropped 3rd Strike (12U, 14U, & 16U) – Infield fly
rule and dropped third strike in affect.
·
Pitching
o
Re-entry
– Pitchers can also re-enter the mound freely as long as they remain in the
lineup. (i.e. – One pitcher can pitch Innings 1 & 4 another 2 & 5 and
the third 3 & 6). Pitchers are only allowed to return to the mound once per
inning.
o
Inning
Limit – The league will not mandate, nor police inning limitations for
pitchers. It is the coach’s
responsibility to make sure his/her pitchers are not overworked and that the
pitching staff is being adequately developed.
o
Pitching
Rules – Windmill pitching is allowed. Babe Ruth rules apply. Both feet must be in contact with the rubber
at the start of the pitch. Stepping back
off the rubber during the windup is not allowed.
o
Intentional
Walks – No intentional walks without pitching to the batter.
o
Coach
Pitch (8U) – Coaches will pitch to their own players. Walks are not allowed so balls and strikes
will not be called. The batter shall be
called out after 3 strikes or after she receives 6 pitches and does not put the
ball into play. If the 6th
pitch is fouled off, the batter shall be given an additional pitch. The coach who is pitching must make every
effort to avoid interfering with the defensive play on a batted ball. If, in the umpire’s judgment, the coach
intentionally interferes with a defensive play or if the coach fails to make a
good faith effort to avoid the interference, the play should be called dead,
the batter shall be called out, and the runners shall return to the bases they
occupied prior to the play. The coach
who is pitching must remain silent from the start of the pitch until the end of
the play.
·
Batting
o
Cinderella
batting (8U & 10U) – all players in attendance bat. The additional players are treated as EP’s
and can freely substitute into the field.
If a player must leave or is injured, the player is skipped in batting
order without an automatic out being counted.
If a player arrives late, she is added to bottom of batting order as an
additional EP.
o
Optional
Cinderella batting (12U, 14U, & 16U) - Teams have the option to bat
Cinderella or use normal substitution rules.
The choice must be communicated to the opposing coach prior to the start
of the game and can not be changed once the game starts. If batting Cinderella, all players in
attendance bat. The additional players will be treated as EP’s and can freely
substitute into the field. If a player
must leave or is injured, the player is skipped in the batting order without an
automatic out being counted. If a player
arrives late, she is added to the bottom of the batting order as an additional
EP. If using normal substitution rules,
starters may return to the game one time after being removed from the game and
substitutes may not return to the game after being removed. If a player is injured and no substitute
players are eligible to return to the game, the opposing coach may select the
bench player to re-enter. If one of the
players in the lineup gets injured or must leave early, a bench player must be
substituted into the game or an automatic out will be recorded when the players
spot is reached in the batting order.
o
Inning
End (8U, 10U, 12U) - There is a 10 batter limit per inning. The inning will end after 3 outs are recorded
or after 10 batters come to the plate, whichever comes first. The 10th batter will be announced
and will bat as normal. The ensuing play
will be treated as if there were two outs.
o
Bunting
(8U) – No bunting is allowed in 8U.
o
Fake Bunting (10U) - Fake bunting and then swinging away is not allowed in
10U play. The batter shall be called out
for this offense.
·
Base
Running
o
Leading
(8U) – Runners may not leave the base until the ball crosses the plate or is
hit. The runner shall be called out if
she leaves the base early.
o
Leading
(10U, 12U, 14U, & 16U) – Runners may lead on the pitcher’s release. The runner shall be called out if she leaves
the base early.
o
Stealing
(8U) – No stealing is allowed.
o
Stealing
(10U) – Runners may steal third base only and can not advance on an overthrow,
even if the ball goes out of play.
Runners can not steal 2nd base or home. Runners on 1st or 3rd
base may not advance on a pickoff attempt from the catcher, even if the ball goes
out of play or if the pitcher misses the throw back from the catcher.
o
Stealing
(12U, 14U, & 16U) – Stealing is allowed and is unrestricted.
o
Courtesy
Runners (8U) – A courtesy runner may be used for the catcher at any time. The courtesy runner is the last batter to
make an out.
o
Courtesy
Runners (10U, 12U, 14U, & 16U) – A courtesy runner may be used for the
pitcher or catcher at any time. If the
team is using Cinderella batting for all players in attendance, the last batter
to make an out must be used as the runner.
If a team is following normal substitution rules for any players, a
player that is not currently in the game must be used. No player may be used as a courtesy runner
more than once in an inning.
o
End
of Play (8U) – Base runners are limited to one base on all batted balls hit in
the infield. No advances are allowed for overthrows to any base. Base runners may take additional bases on
all batted balls hit into the outfield.
Base running must end at the next base once the ball is returned to the
infield and has been secured by an infielder.
The outfield shall be defined as 10 feet beyond the base path.
o
End
of Play (10U, 12U, 14U, & 16U) – The look back rule is in affect once the
ball is secured in the pitching circle.
If a runner is standing on a base once the ball is secured in the
pitching circle, she must not leave the base or will be called out. If the runner is between bases, she is
allowed one stop and then must immediately decide whether to return to the
previous bag or continue on to the next bag.
Dancing between bases once the ball is secured in the circle will result
in the runner being called out. If the
pitcher leaves the circle, fakes a throw, or throws the ball in an attempt to
make a play on the runner, the ball is again live and the runner’s actions are
unrestricted.
o
Continuance
(12U, 14U, & 16U) - If a batter is awarded a base on balls or advances to
first base on a dropped 3rd strike, she may continue to second base
even if the ball is secured in the circle.
However, if the ball is in the circle, the runner must continue to
second base without stopping. If she
stops after touching first base without a play being made on her, she will be
called out. Again, a fake throw
constitutes a play.
·
Game
Length
o
Innings
(8U, 10U) – Game length will be 6-innings.
Mercy at 10 runs after 4 innings (3 ½ if winning) unless coaches want to
continue until time limit.
o
Innings
(12U, 14U, & 16U) – Game length will be 7 innings. Mercy at 10 runs after 5 innings (4 ½ if
winning) unless coaches want to continue until time limit.
o
Time
– The goal is to keep the game length to 2 hours. No new inning should start after 1 hour and
45 minutes. A new inning officially
begins as soon as the third out is recorded in the previous inning. Please choose an official time keeper
(usually the umpire) prior to the game.
Once an inning is started, it should be completed, even if it exceeds
the two hour guideline. Regular season games
can end in a tie. Playoff games must go
to completion. Unless sufficient notice
is given (minimum 24 hours), a team must be able to field 8 eligible players by
game time. There will be a 20 minute
grace period. If a team does not have enough players after 20 minutes, that
team forfeits. The teams may then choose
to play a scrimmage.
o
Weather
or darkness – If a game needs to be stopped due to bad weather or darkness
prior to the 1 hour 45 minute no new inning mark, it should be considered
complete if 4 full innings have been played (3 and ½ innings if home team is
leading). If the game gets stopped prior
to 4 innings being completed, it must be started from the beginning at a later
date.
·
Miscellaneous
o
Backstop
– Coaches are responsible for keeping the backstop clear of spectators and
players.
o
Lightning
and Thunder – The game should be stopped immediately if any lightning or
thunder is present. The umpire should
stop the game for 30 minutes from the last occurrence.
o
Sportsmanship
– All players will shake hands after the game.
Game Results
The winning
team must email game results to Tony Baldassari at tonyb4@optonline.net within 24 hours of
the game. Please include the date of the
game, the age group, the winning and losing team names, and the score. Game results and standings will be posted on
the Denville Softball website (www.denvillesoftball.org)
and kept for playoff seeding. Game
results not emailed by 10:30 pm on July 19 will not be included for playoff
seeding. Click on the “Summer Travel
League” link on the left side of the home page to access the game results and
standings for each division. Teams will
be awarded 3 points for a win, 2 points for a tie, and 1 point for a loss. Teams forfeiting a game will be awarded 0 points.
Teams winning by forfeit will be awarded 3 points. Playoff seeding will be based on points
earned. The tie breaker will be head to
head competition, winning percentage of games played, and then coin flip. Runs scored or allowed will not be considered
for seeding. Teams must play a minimum
of 8 regular season games to be eligible for the playoffs.
Make-up
Game Procedure
The home team
must contact the visiting team to find a mutually agreeable makeup date. The home team must provide the field and
umpire. If the home team does not have
field availability, the visiting team may host the game.
End
of Season Tournament
There will
be an end of season tournament with trophies awarded for 1st and 2nd
place. The end of season tournament will
take place between July 21 and July 30.
Please clear your schedules during this time. Teams unable to play on the scheduled date
will forfeit. Teams must play a minimum
of 8 regular season games to be eligible for the playoffs. Playoff games will not have a time limit and
can not end in a tie. If a game needs to be stopped due to bad weather or
darkness, it should be considered complete if 4 full innings have been played
(3 and ½ innings if home team is leading).
If the game gets stopped prior to 4 innings being completed, it must be completed
from the point it left off at a later date.
If the game ends in a tie after the regulation number of innings, the
international tie breaker will be used in the subsequent innings until the tie
is broken. A runner starts on second
base for each extra inning. The runner
selected must be the last batted out from the previous inning. The higher seed will host preliminary playoff
rounds. The championship games will be
held in Denville.
Umpires
The home team is the host team must secure the umpire for regular season
games and initial rounds of the playoffs.
Umpires should be carded. The
umpire fee is $50. Due to blackout dates
and field availability, teams may not have an equal number of home and away
games. Therefore, the home team must pay
the umpire half the fee ($25) and the visiting team must pay the umpire half
the fee ($25) for each game.
Please make sure the umpires hired for your home games receive a copy of
the rules in advance and know what age group they will be working with. Please do not argue with the umpires over
judgment calls. If you believe a rule
has been interpreted incorrectly, please call time out and have a conference
with the umpire and the opposing coach to review the rule. Once reviewed, the umpire has the authority
to reverse the call or let it stand. As
with the judgment call, the umpire’s decision is final. If you believe a rule has been interpreted
incorrectly, please contact Tony Baldassari to review the situation. If there was a misinterpretation, a
communication will be sent out to all coaches indicating the situation and the
correct interpretation. That should help
prevent future misinterpretations on the situation in question.
Competition
The
Denville Summer Travel league is intended to be a fun league where both
developing and experienced teams can participate. Please be respectful and courteous to your
opponents. If a game becomes one-sided,
please use that as an opportunity to put your second or third pitcher in the
game.
Behavior
Parents,
players, and coaches must behave appropriately.
Foul language or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated. Any parent, player, or coach removed from the
game due to poor behavior must leave the area immediately or will result in a
forfeit by their team. Repeated offenses
may result in a team being removed from the league.
Cheering
for team mates can be great fun for the players. It is the coach’s responsibility to keep the
cheers positive. Negative cheers or
screaming out during the pitchers windup in an attempt to distract the pitcher
are not consistent with the spirit of the league.
This league
belongs to the players and the teams that participate. Keep it fun and have a great season.