Softball Rules
1. All rules are governed by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) unless changed by these league rules. It is the responsibility of the team's coach and/or manager to be knowledgeable of both the ASA and league rules. All Bats approved by USSSA, NSA, ASA, and ISA are legal for league play at Brian Piccolo.To view bats that are approved, please visit the aforementioned associations. The date the league begins will determine the ASA rules to be applicable. There will be one umpire utilized for all regular season games and two umpires for all playoff games. The umpire(s) is/are the sole authority on the field and any arguing or verbal threats will not be tolerated. Umpires will only discuss rule interpretation with the coach and/or manager.
2. In case of inclement weather, the team's coach and/or manager should call the park's softball phone line at least one hour prior to the scheduled game time to see if the games have been canceled. The softball phone line for Brian Piccolo Park is 954-357-5150, ext. 1. Games will not be rescheduled for any other reasons other than rainouts and/or injury-canceled games, and only if they have an effect on the playoffs. There is no guarantee that all games will be played.
3. Lightning Policy. Should there be lightning in the area; the park is equipped with a lightning detection system (LDS). When there is lightning, the system will let out a long twenty second horn that can be heard at the softball complexes. The horn indicates that players and guests should seek shelter immediately. When lightning has cleared the area, the LDS will release three, five second horn blow, indicating it is again safe to play. Should there be extended delays, park staff and umpires will work together to determine cancellation of games if necessary. A game that has been delayed at least 30 minutes will automatically be cancelled. If there are additional games following the cancelled game, staff will determine to delay the start of the game or cancel based on the weather radar for the area. No games will start past 10pm Monday thru Thursday or past 10:15 pm on Fridays. Please note: In order to complete the full night of games, delayed games and the rest of the night’s games may continue with a one (1) pitch count (possibly including double innings). Keep in mind games are complete after 4 ½ innings as stated in rule
# 38.
4. Players and spectators must leave the park no later than fifteen minutes after the last game of the evening (weeknight games only) and no later than 11:15 p.m., regardless if there is an unrelated game in action. Only players and spectators of ongoing will be allowed to stay in park past 11:15 p.m. Failure to comply may lead to player suspensions and/or forfeiture of games.
5. There is an established softball committee devised of an official from the Umpires’ Association, the Softball League Coordinator, and a Park Manager, to discuss and make decisions regarding rule interpretations, protests, and additional suspensions or ejections.
6. Pets, skateboards, scooters, bikes, and rollerblades are not allowed in the Softball Complex.
7. Glass bottles are not allowed anywhere inside Brian Piccolo Park per Broward County Parks and Recreation rules (pertains to all county parks).
8. Please dispose of trash properly in provided trash containers and take advantage of recycling bins located in the softball complex and parking lots. Please help to keep our park clean!
9. No consumption of alcoholic beverages by players at any time during their game. This includes dugouts and bleacher/spectator areas. Coaches and/or managers are to accept the responsibility of their players as well as the spectators that attend the game. If a player is seen by an umpire drinking, they will be automatically ejected from their game. The team may use a substitute for the ejected player, however, if no substitute is available then rule #27 will be enforced. If alcoholic beverages are found in the dugout, the game will be an immediate forfeit.
10. All injuries, no matter how small, must be reported to the Softball League Coordinator within 24 hours. The proper injury report needs to be filled out within this period. Broward County is self insured and the players play softball at their own risk.
11. Only players and one scorekeeper are allowed in the dugout. Children under the age of 18 are not allowed in the dugout at any time -- no exceptions to this rule.
12. All players must be 18 years or older to be eligible to play. There is a maximum of 20 players on the roster. All Managers must turn in a completed roster by the first scheduled game. Team will not be allowed to play until this roster is turned in to the softball coordinator. All players must be on the roster and have signed the roster. Any player not on the roster is considered an ineligible player. Penalty for an ineligible player is forfeiture of the game. The softball league coordinator or designee may at any time check rosters against players participating in a game. If, during a roster check by the softball coordinator or designee, an ineligible player is found to be playing, the game will be declared an immediate forfeit. A request by the team's coach and/or manager prior to the game to use an ineligible player will not be allowed. If the umpire(s) determine that an ineligible player is being used thereafter, no matter how many innings have been played, the game will be declared an immediate forfeit. Protest of any starting player(s) eligibility must be made known to the umpires and opposing coach and/or manager before completion of the first inning, or before completion of one full inning if the player(s) arrive late. The player(s) in question will be required to sign the back of the official score sheet in order to continue to play. If the player(s) refuses to sign, the game will be declared an immediate forfeit. Upon completion of the inning requirement, the player(s) becomes eligible for that game.
13. A team may only drop and/or add players by submitting the Drop/Add form to the softball league coordinator by the completion of the third game played. A team can drop a maximum of three (3) players, but may not add more than that was dropped.
14. To promote fair play, teams that play in E, Rec, and coed 2 divisions will not be allowed to have any C or D division players, or players deemed to be a detriment to the league (to be determined by the softball committee). Teams wishing to protest a player must inform the umpire before the completion of the first inning or before the completion of one full inning if the player(s) arrives late. At that time, the umpire will obtain the player’s signature and compare it to the rosters of the higher divisions. If his name is on those rosters, that player is ineligible to play on that team and in that division. If the rosters are not available at that time, then the roster check will be conducted the following day by park staff and the game will be played under protest. If after checking rosters the following day it is discovered the player is ineligible, then the team using that player will automatically forfeit the game if they won the night before.
15. Players may only be on one roster in a competing league (division). Exception: See the Temporary Player Rule (#19). Players may not change rosters within the same league (division). This includes the additional players added during the Drop/Add period. A player may only play for the team in which the player is listed on at the start of the season for that league (division). Players should be aware that when filling in on a different team, players are only allowed to play one game per night per field/division with the exception of when they are the designated Temporary Player. The player may be added to a roster of a team during the Drop/Add period provided that team plays in a different league (division).
16. A minimum of nine players is needed to play. The players must be present in the dugout at the scheduled game time. Forfeit time will be 10 minutes after the scheduled game time for the first game. Thereafter, the scheduled game time is the forfeit time. The game time will be kept by the plate umpire. To insure proper time, ask the plate umpire for the time at the start of the game.
17. The score of a forfeited game shall be seven (7) to zero (0) in favor of the team not at fault
18. If the team has eight players present at the scheduled game time, the game will be declared a forfeit unless the team can meet all of the following requirements:
1. Find a ninth temporary player (TP) that can be added to the team that is currently on another team’s roster that plays that day, but not on the opposing team's roster.
2. Teams are allowed to add only ONE temporary player to go from 8 players to 9 players.
3. The TP plays the position of catcher.
4. The TP bats ninth in the batting order. Please show this player on the line-up as a TP.
When a regular team member shows up to the game late, that player will be inserted into the game and assume the position in the batting order that was occupied by the TP. However, the late player does not have to continue to play catcher. The TP must exit the game at that point. Failure of the TP to exit the game will result in a forfeit, no matter when it is determined during the game.
19. Any team that forfeits three games due to a lack of players in order to start the game will be suspended from the league. If a team is suspended from the league, they will not be allowed to return in the next league season/following league.
20. The home team is responsible for the official score book and will inform the umpires of the score each inning. The official score sheet, which will be turned into the softball coordinator, will be maintained by the umpires. It will be the visitor's responsibility to check the score between innings. If the home team does not maintain an official score book, yet the visiting team did maintain a score book, then the umpires will deem the visitor's score book as the official score book.
21. There is a three home run per game limit for all teams in C, D, corp coed, and coed Divisions. Any additional home runs over the limit will be scored as an out. For all other divisions, there will be a one and one up home run limit. In the seventh inning for the one and one up divisions, the home team can only hit one home run to tie. If the home run. Once a home run is hit, the batter and any runner(s) on base may immediately return to the dugout without touching a base.
22. The team at bat is responsible for any foul balls or home runs that are hit over the fence. This is each team's responsibility, not the coordinator or umpire's! Failure to retrieve these balls may result in the delay of play with the game clock continuing until balls are retrieved.
23. Park Athletic Staff and Management reserve the right to change game times to meet the needs of park activities and events. Team managers will be notified as far in advance as possible of game time or date changes.
24. Park Athletic Staff and Management reserve the right to place any team in a higher or lower division. Any team that comes in First Place in its division during the regular season will be moved up to the next highest division the following season. For instance, if a team wins the D-1 division on Tuesday night, they must move up to the Tuesday night C division the following season. Also, if this same team wishes to change the night it plays on, they must also move up to the next division despite changing its normal game night.
25. Line-up Card: The game will not start until the plate umpire is provided a line-up from each team playing. The line-up must list each player's first and last name and uniform number (if available). The line-up card must also include your subs for that game. If subs are not listed, they will not be allowed to play. A line-up is also to be provided to the opposing team and official scorekeeper. If the game starts after the scheduled game time, the playing time will start upon the plate umpire's request for the line-up.
26. A team may play with nine (9) players. If a team starts with nine players, they must add the tenth player upon that player's arrival. The added player will be inserted following the last batter appearing in the original line-up. An out will not be declared for the10th batting position if a team starts with nine players. No game will be played with less than nine players. If a game starts with ten players, an eleventh player cannot be added to the line-up if the player arrives late. If a game starts with eleven players, a twelfth player cannot be added to the line-up if the player arrives late.
27. If a team starts with ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, or fourteen players (using the extra-player (EP) as the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth players, and for any reason except an ejection(s), must continue with less, they may do so. However, the position(s) in the batting order vacated by the removed player(s) shall be declared an out when the player is scheduled to come up to bat. The plate umpire must be notified by the team at bat when the declared out(s) is coming to bat. The batter previous to an automatic out may not be walked, intentional or otherwise, in order to get the automatic out with two outs. If this happens, the out will be skipped and the next batter will bat. If there is an ejection and the team receiving the ejection does not have a substitute player who is sitting in the dugout, then the game will be declared a forfeit.