INTRAMURAL SOFTBALL RULES

Revised for Fall 2013

Texas A&M Kingsville University does not provide accident insurance coverage forinjuries received by Intramural participants. Each participant should make sure thathe/she has coverage either through family policies or the student insurance plan. Wecannot emphasize this point enough.

Texas A&M Kingsville University PROHIBITS possession or consumption of alcoholicbeverages on University property. This includes the Intramural Fields, Student Recreation Center (SRC) building. Violators will be asked to leave the area. Failure to do so can result in forfeitureof the ball game, suspension of individuals and/or teams, and appropriate action by theDean of Students.

TAMUK IM Sports follows NIRSA Softball Rules

I. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

  1. Participation is limited to currently-enrolled, fee-paying TAMUK students Faculty,and full-time staff. Members of the community are not eligible. All areas of eligibilityarecovered in the Intramural By-Laws which are available through the Campus Recreation & Fitness Office and online at the TAMUK Campus Recreation & Fitness web site.
  1. In order to participate in an Intramural contest each player must present their validatedTAMUK ID Card. Exceptions must be directed to the Intramural Sports Office forconsideration by the IM staff during regular business hours (8:00am-5:00pm). Bring aphoto ID and proof of payment to obtain a waiver from the IM staff. No such waiver willbe granted at the game/match site.
  1. All players must sign-in at the sign-in table or with a supervisor at the game site priorto each game to be eligible to participate.

II. TEAM COMPOSITION

  1. Players can compete on one men's or women's team, regardless of leagueclassification, and play for one Co-Rec team as well.
  1. A men's team's line-up may have up to 10 players.
  1. A team must have 8 players to start a game. Players who arrive late must be added tothe bottom of the line-up.
  1. A team's roster may include up to 20 players.
  1. A team must finish a game with 8 players, except in the event of an injury. If a teamstarts a game with 8, 9, 10, players and players have to leave with no availablesubstitutes, play will continue as long as 8 legal players are available to play. When aplayer leaves a game early for any reason (injury, disqualification, ejection) and nosubstitutes are available, an out will be recorded when that player is scheduled to bat.
  2. Substitutions are legal at anytime during the game, as long as the play is dead. Whensubstituting, the player entering the game must bat in the batting order of the player thatwas substituted for. The player who exits the game cannot reenter the game unless aplayer must leave the game due to injuries.

III. EQUIPMENT

  1. All players must wear shoes. Tennis shoes, soft-soled shoes, and one piece softballshoes are legal. Metal spikes or cleats with metal exposed are not allowed. Any playercaught wearing metal spikes will be ejected from the game.
  1. Bats and gloves are available for checkout at the IM Sports Complex. ONLY INTRAMURAL BATS ALLOWED. NO PERSONAL BATTS ALLOWED
  1. Wrist and hand jewelry is NOT allowed to be worn by any participant duringintramural softball. This jewelry consists of any visible rings (including wedding bands),watches, bracelets, and any other such similar jewelry. Only medical alert bracelets arepermitted and must be taped to the wrist. Exposed jewelry which is deemed dangerous bythe umpire or other IM staff must be removed and may not be worn for the remainder ofthe game. A player is subject to ejection for failure to remove any jewelry after the firstwarning.

IV. GROUND RULES

Rules 1 through 5 applies to all TAMUK IM Softball Fields.

  1. Any ball hit outside the white lines is considered a foul ball and is counted as a strike. If a ball lands if fair territory and rolls out of the foul line passed the first or third basebags it is considered a fair ball.
  1. (Home Run Limits) Each team is allowed only 5 homeruns per game, and every homerun after the 3rdis considered an out.
  1. Championship game (played in softball field if possible)
  1. Any fly ball touched by a defensive player which then goes over the fence in fairterritory, without the ball touching the ground, shall be declared a homerun and willcount towards a team’s home run total. Inside-the-park home runs do not count towards ateam’s home run total.
  2. Once the limit is reached, any batter who hits an over-the-fence home run shall becalled out. The ball is considered dead and no runners may advance on the play.
  1. The following ground rules apply on a per-field basis.
  1. Field 1 (nearest the Field House): The out-of-play line runs along the first base line andthe third base line. The area should be marked with a white line. A ball that touches theconcrete is out of play. If the ball is way over the head of the outfielder/or is in the otherplaying field and they cannot catch the ball it is considered a home run.

V. GAME TIME & LENGTH

  1. Game time is forfeit time! A team needs at least 8 legal players to begin the game. After two forfeits a team is no longer eligible for playoffs. No exceptions!
  1. Each game has a 50-minute or 7-inning limit. Any inning started before the end of the50-minute time period will be completed. Home Team bats last!!! No innings will beginafter 50 minutes.
  1. Regular season games can end in a tie. All playoff games will continue until a winner isdetermined.
  1. (20-Run Rule at any point in the game ) If one team is ahead by 15 runs after 4, 10runs after 5 complete innings the game will be called.
  1. Game Standings will be based on (1) Sportsmanship, (2Winning %, (3) Head to Head,

(4) Differential

VI. INCLEMENT WEATHER

  1. The TAMUK IM Sports Office reserves the right to postpone or reschedule a contest ifcircumstances warrant such action. Regular season games cancelled by rain are generallynot rescheduled. Contests postponed due to other reasons may or may not be rescheduledat the discretion of the Intramural Coordinator.
  1. In the case of inclement weather, the Intramural Coordinator will not make a decisionregarding the playing of games until after 4:00 pm. For information on cancellations, Check IMLeagues.com.
  1. If inclement weather occurs after the closing of the Intramural office, decisionsregarding the continuing of the games will be made on the field by the IM supervisors.
  2. When games are cancelled due to the weather, the fields will not be available forpractice to ensure the safety of participants and to avoid costly damage to the fields.
  1. A game stopped because of inclement weather is a regulation game if four or moreinnings (3 1/2 if the home team is ahead) have been played. In the event that a game isstopped in the middle of an inning, the official score will revert to the score at the end ofthe last complete inning.

VII. BATTING

  1. Each batter will begin each at-bat with a count of 1 ball and 1 strike.
  1. After the Second strike if a foul occurs, it is considered a courtesy foul. On the NextFoul it will count as the Third strike resulting in an out. If the foul is caught, the ballbecomes dead, and runners may not advance.
  1. The batter has 10 seconds to enter the batter's box. If he/she exceeds this time, anautomatic strike is called.
  1. There is no bunting. The batter must take a full swing at the ball. A batter who bunts orchops the ball (fair or foul) is out. A bunted ball that strikes the ground is immediatelydead and runners must return to their original base. Bunted balls that are pop-ups may becaught and runners may be doubled off (put out); runners, however, may not tag up andadvance. Bunt pop-ups not caught still result in an out and an immediate dead ball.
  1. If a player unintentionally throws his/her bat, the team will be given a warning. Each subsequent offense will result in the batter being called out and all runnersreturning to the base they occupied at the beginning of the at-bat. Any player whointentionally throws his/her bat will be called out and ejected from the game.

VIII. PITCHING

  1. Prior to pitching, the pitcher shall come to a full and complete stop with both feetfirmly on the ground and with one or both feet in contact with the pitching rubber. Theball must be held in the pitching hand or with both hands in front of the body. Thisposition must be maintained for at least 1 second and not more than 10 seconds.
  1. In the act of delivering the ball to the batter, the pivot foot must remain in contact withthe pitcher's rubber until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.
  1. A legal delivery shall be a ball that is delivered underhand and a slow to moderatespeed. The ball must reach a height of at least 6 feet and no more than 12 feet at the topof its arc.
  1. Any pitch that fails to reach an arc of 6 feet, exceeds the 12 feet limit, or is thrownwith excessive speed in the opinion of the home plate umpire, will be declared an illegalpitch. This will count as a "ball" unless the batter chooses to swing, in which case the ballis live. Once an illegal pitch is swung at, all action following the swing will are legal (astrike, out, hit, etc.) and the "illegal pitch" will be disregarded.
  1. Definition of a strike is "a legally delivered ball passing completely over home platebefore touching the ground. The ball must not be lower than the batter's knees or higherthan the batter's back shoulder while passing over any portion of home plate and landingon the strike pad.”
  1. The pitcher has 20 seconds between pitches. If he/she exceeds this time, an automaticball is called.
  1. A ball that slips from a pitcher's hand during his/her back swing, the ball will be deadand a "no pitch" will be declared. If intentional, a ball will be called.

IX. RUNNING

  1. No stealing is allowed. Base runners may leave the base when the pitch is hit. If arunner is off base before the pitch reaches the plate, the runner is called out and a "nopitch" is declared.
  1. If there is a fly ball hit into the outfield, the runner must stay on the base until the ball is caught. (tag up) Then the runner may advance to next base(s).
  1. The base path for a runner is the direct line between the player and the base to whichhe is advancing at the time a play is being made on that specific base runner and the threefeet to either side of that direct path. Note: this path may be different from the straightline connecting two bases. For example, a player who has run past 1st base a distance ofabout 10 feet decides to run for second. His/her base path for any tag plays is the directline from where he/she made his turn towards 2nd base (10 feet down the line from 1st)and 2nd base. This is different from the direct line from 1st to 2nd base. For playsbetween home plate and 1st base, the runner shall run in the 3-foot lane of the foul side ofthe foul line.
  1. A player who runs outside his base path (including the 3-foot lanes on either side) in anattempt to avoid a tag shall be declared out.
  1. A fielder has absolute right to any position on the field to field a ball and all runnersmust avoid a fielder in these cases. When a fielder not in possession of the ball or not inthe act of fielding a batted ball impedes the progress of a runner, obstruction will beruled. This is a delayed dead ball; play continues as normal. Once the play has ended, theumpire shall award the runner and each other runner affected by the obstruction the basesthey would have, in the umpire's opinion, reached had there been no obstruction.
  1. On tag plays, the fielder must be in possession of the ball before attempting to block abase or home plate. Blocking a base without the ball at any base or home plate isconsidered obstruction. It is also obstruction when a fielder without the ball fakes a tag.For a fake tag, bases are awarded as a normal obstruction AND the fielder will be ejectedfrom the game.
  1. Any runner in fair territory and not in contact with a base that is struck by a fair battedball is out except when (a) the ball has passed an infielder and in the judgment of theumpire, no other fielder had a chance to make an out, (b) when a runner is hit with a fairbatted ball over foul territory and no other fielder had a chance to make an out, or (c)when a runner is touched with a fair batted ball after it is touched by any fielder,including the pitcher. In the event of one of these 3 exceptions, all runners must return totheir previously occupied base and the batter-runner is awarded first base. If the award offirst to the batter-runner causes another runner to be forced, that runner will advance tothe next base.
  1. In case of a possible double play, the base runner must get out of the way of the thrownball. Base runners who fail to get out of the way may be charged with interferenceresulting in both the base runner and the batter-runner being called out on the play.
  1. When a defensive player has the ball and is waiting for the runner, and the runnerremains on his feet and deliberately, with great force, crashes into the defensive player,the runner is declared out. The ball will be declared dead and all runners must return tothe last base they legally occupied. If the act is to be judged flagrant by the umpire, theoffending player will be declared out and ejected from the game and the runner closest tohome will also be called out.
  1. Overthrows that land out of play will result in the following awards:
  1. On an initial overthrow by an infielder, the award is 2 bases from the time of thethrow; i.e., batter gets second base, any base runners are awarded 2 bases from wherethey were at the time of the throw.
  2. On an overthrow by the outfielder, the award is 2 bases from the time the fielderreleases the ball, not when it goes out of play; i.e., if a man is one step away from secondwhen the outfielder released the ball, the runner is awarded second and third.
  1. When a fielder carries the ball over an out-of-play line, the play becomes dead andthe base runners are awarded one base (if unintentional) or two bases (if intentional) fromthe time the fielder carried the ball out of play.
  1. All base awards are based on the position of the lead runner. For example, if twoplayers are between 1st and 2nd at the time of an overthrow which lands out of play, thefirst runner will be awarded 2nd and 3rd (two bases) and the second runner will receive2nd base only.
  1. A courtesy runner may be used in the event of injury only AND upon agreement withthe opposing team’s captain. The courtesy runner must be the player who recorded thelast out. In Co-Rec games, the courtesy runner must be a player of the same gender.
  1. The ball remains alive until the pitcher has possession of the ball in the infield and allimmediate play has apparently completed. Runners not advancing return to the last baselegally touched. Umpires have the authority to grant timeout when the ball is inpossession of another fielder and all immediate play has apparently ended.

X. INFIELD FLY RULE

  1. An "infield fly" occurs with all of the following conditions exist:

A)A fair fly ball (not including a line drive) which can be caught by an infielder withordinary effort.

B)There are runners on 1st and 2nd OR runners on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

XI. APPEAL PLAYS

  1. An appeal play is one in which an umpire cannot make a decision until requested by amember of the defensive team. Appeals must be made prior to the next legal or illegalpitch or before the defensive team has left the field.
  1. Once the ball has been returned to the infield and time has been called, any infielder(including the pitcher or catcher), with or without possession of the ball, may make averbal appeal on a runner missing a base, a runner leaving a base too soon, or the batterbatting out of order. The plate umpire should acknowledge the appeal, and theadministering umpire should then make a decision on the play. Base runners cannot leavetheir base during this period, as the ball remains dead until the next pitch.

XII. OTHER RULES

  1. A player who is bleeding or has blood on his/her uniform cannot participate until thebleeding is stopped or the uniform is changed.
  1. If the player accomplishes this task within a reasonable time (to be determined by theumpire), the player may remain in the game.
  2. If the situation is not handled in a reasonable amount of time, the player must leave thegame and be replaced. The player is then subject to the re-entry rule. If no substitutes areavailable, play will continue without the player. The player, then, may re-enter the gamewhen he/she is deemed legal for participation.

XIII. CO-REC RULE MODIFICATIONS