2018 Genesee Fieldhouse Fall Softball Rules

Genesee Fieldhouse thanks you for your participation in our Fall Softball League. Umpires have complete control of the game. There are no protests. We will be following many of the MHSAA Rules, with the following either being redundant or in addition thereto:

Each team will pay one umpire $35 at the start of each game. If a team fails to pay, it will be the umpires decision whether or not to start the game.

1. Pitching Distance is 40' for 12U and 43' for 14U and up teams. All bases are 60'.

2. There are no pitching restrictions. A one time re-entry rule will be in effect. The removed pitcher is able to play anywhere in the field as this league is free defensive substitution.

3. Games are 1:30 long, with no new inning beginning with 5 minutes or less left in the game. Games can end in a tie during league play games. Games will be played with a maximum of 7 innings.

4. This league, for all ages, is round robin batting and free defensive substitution. A player that is not listed on your line-up sheet at the beginning of the game will not be allowed to play. Any player(s) that are going to be late can be added at the end of the line-up, however, if the batting order has batted through once, and the late player was not present to bat, that player will not be allowed to play. The spot in the line-up will not be an automatic out (See rule #5). 

5. All teams must have a minimum of 8 players for the game not too be forfeited. If during the game a player is injured, and the team remains above 9 or more, the spot in the lineup will notbe an automatic out.  The batting order will slide up. If a team drops below 9 (due to injury, personal reasons, etc.), those spots in the line-up become an automatic out. A team without a minimum of 8 players will receive a forfeit of 7-0.

Teams cannot share players; no players rostered on one team, can play for another in the same age division. Players from a younger team are allowed to play (as long as they are rostered). Rosters are open and you can have as many players as you would like, but remember all players on the line-up card turned in at the beginning of the game are the only players that can play. If a rostered player is not listed on the initial line-up card, they are not allowed to play in that game.  Rosters are frozen after the first weekend. All players must have the waiver/roster signed prior to participating. 

6. Infield fly rule is in effect .

7. Normal base stealing rules apply.

8. It is not mandatory , but encouraged to have a courtesy runner for the catcher at any time, and also at any point for the pitcher. Courtesy runner will be the last recorded out. Please keep in mind we want these games to keep moving

9. Mercy Rules are as follows : 12 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, 8 runs after 5 innings

10. All league play games are for seeding purposes for the playoffs (where applicable). The #1 seed will either receive a bye the first round, or play the lowest seeded team to advance.

11. The standings will be posted online at www.geneseefieldhouse.com. Winning teams receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. All runs for and against will be featured into the equation for seeding purposed. The following are the league tie-breaker rules:
                1. Head to head
                2. Least amount of runs allowed
                3. Largest positive run differential
                4. Largest amount of runs for
                5. If still tied coin toss will be used to determine which team has the higher seed

12. There will be (in most instances) 15 minutes in between games for rest. We are going to do our best to keep games moving along as daylight will become an issue for the latest scheduled games, so please be prepared to play at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game time.

13. Odds and ends: A couple of situations that have come up in the past. 1) A batter is hit by a pitch and the batter is not able to continue due to injury. The situation will be handled in the following manner: The line-up will slide up without the batting team incurring an automatic out. 2) All Playoff and Championship games will also have a time/innings limit. If the game is tied when either situation is reached, the international tie-breaker rule will go into force. The last batted out will go to second and the inning will begin with no outs. Each team will have an opportunity to win until a winner is determined.  THIS IS FOR PLAYOFF AND CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ONLY. All league play games can end in a tie.  

14. The season provided is based on 8 games plus playoffs, however, if weather cancels multiple weekends, playoffs may not be offered. The league will wrap-up on the last possible play date of October 15th. Any games cancelled will be at the discretion of the schools that allow Genesee Fieldhouse to rent their fields. Some locations may allow game play, while other locations may not. In the event of this situation an alternative day (Saturday) may be utilized to get as many games in as possible. No refunds will be offered during this situations as they are beyond our control.

15. There will be a maximum of 7 runs per inning.

16. A coach can visit the mound once per pitcher per inning. If the coach visits the same pitcher twice in the same inning, the pitcher will be removed from the position.

17. Games that are cancelled by the Genesee Fieldhouse due to weather will be recorded as a 0-0 tie. A team that does not show up, the score will be recorded as a 7-0 loss.