1. Play consists on 10 players per side. The breakdown is 6 men and 4 women in the field at one time. Teams may play a legal game with 8 players (6 men/2 women). Teams may not play with more than 6 men at one time and no less than 2 women to be considered a legal game. (THERE ARE NO POSITION REQUIREMENTS of any players, i.e. there need not be 2 females in outfield and 2 in the infield).
2. Games will be played on a regulation softball diamond. The pitcher and fielders must stay behind the pitchers mound until the ball is kicked. The catcher or kicker is not allowed to cross home plate until the ball is contacted. The kicker may not kick the ball beyond home plate. If the kicker does contact the ball in front of home plate it will be considered a foul.
3. All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count. The “strike zone” extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate, and 1 foot high. Pitches must be rolled towards home plate. Pitches may not be bounced, only rolled towards the kicker! Pitches that bounce more than one foot above the ground will be considered an illegal pitch, and thus deemed a ball. All kicks must be made by foot and must occur at or behind home plate. Bunting is allowed.
3. NEW RULE - WALK RULE: If a male batter is walked in 3 pitches (meaning no strikes were thrown or foul balls were kicked) and a female follows him in the batting order, the female has the choice to take a walk or kick. (Exception: ***if the bases are loaded at the time a male is at-bat and a male is walked and a female follows him in the order, that female must kick.) Umps will enforce this rule upon request; however, they will not be responsible for notifying the batter in each walk situation.
5. A batter with two strikes is allowed one foul ball, two fouls with two strikes, the batter is out.
6. All games are seven innings or one hour (warm up time included); the last inning will start 10 - 15 minutes to the hour. The ump will enforce this rule and will make the call at the top of the final inning. Note: Due to differing circumstances in each and every game, some games will finish short on an hour in length, while others might run over the hour mark. Please respect your ump’s call in this matter. He/she must keep all games on time in fairness to teams playing later hours and due to facility permit restrictions.
7. Teams may bat more than ten players; however, these teams must bat the same ratio (3 to 2) of fielding men and women, unless their opponent allows it. If only 2 women are present at game time, each woman must bat twice in the first 10 batters. If a team has less than the minimum required number of players it is up to the opponent and/or umpire as to what is allowable. In situations where additional players wish to bat, the line up must come as close to a 3 to 2 ratio as possible, even if some women need to bat twice in the rotation. ***Men CANNOT bat twice in the lineup to achieve a 3-2 ratio if a team plays with more women than men. Prior to game time, ask your ump for a scoresheet, line ups must be given to the ump for every game.
EXAMPLES: * 6 men 2 women (both women batting twice)
* 6 men 3 women (1 out of 3 women batting twice)
6 men 4 women
7 men 4 women
8 men 5 women (1 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
9 men 6 women (2 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
10 men 6 women (2 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
11 men 7 women (3 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
12 men 8 women (4 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
13 men 8 women (4 out of 4 women batting twice if needed)
14 men 9 women
15 men 10 women
16 men 10 women
17 men 11 women
18 men 12 women
19 men 12 women
20 men 13 women
Etc., etc., etc.
8. All players in the field must be listed in the batting order. There are no designated hitters allowed. Any attempt at doing so must be brought to the attention of the umpire prior to game time and can only be deemed allowable by the opposing captain. There are no guy-girl batting order rules other than the 3 to 2 ratios. (i.e. You may bat 5 men followed by 4 women or vice-versa)
9. Game mercy rule: 10 runs up after five complete innings.
10. Inning run limit rule: There will be a 7 run limit per inning through innings 1-4. (Exception: unlimited runs may be scored if one of the innings 1-4 is declared the final inning of the game.) Unlimited runs may be scored in innings 5, 6, and 7 always.
11. No leadoffs or stealing, runners can leave the base once the ball crosses the plane of the plate or is hit by the batter. If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out. If this is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be first up in the next inning.
12. Players are considered out by one of the following means: (1) Striking out, (2) A fly ball caught by the defense, (3) A throw out at one of the lead bases, (4) The runner being tagged by the ball which is in possession of the defensive player (this does not include deflections off of a defensive player), (5) Infield fly rule (6) A foul out, or (7) A runner being struck by a thrown ball below the head while attempting to advance or return to a base.
13. Games start on time!!! Teams must be prepared to play.
Forfeit rule: 10 minutes after game time. If one team has less than the minimum number of players (8 total-2 females) at ten past the designated start time, it is up to the staff and opposing team as to what is allowable - this decision will ultimately be made by the staff.
14. Base runner to defensive player contact will be closely watched by the ump. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an “out” and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher. Sliding is allowed. Any sliding into a base to break up a double play, or any intentional (in the eyes of the monitor) interference with the defensive player, the runner and the batter will be called out.
15. Hitting a runner with a thrown ball above shoulder level is not allowed. Any runner hit above the shoulders is considered safe and will be awarded an additional base. Players may be hit anywhere below the shoulders with a thrown ball and will be considered out. If the runner intentionally uses their head to block the ball, in the eyes of the official, will be deemed out.
16. NO METAL SPIKES ARE ALLOWED.
Any equipment in question should be brought to the attention of the umpire. The umpire will make all final decisions with regard to equipment discrepancies.
17. A foul kick above the batter's head may be caught for an out.
18. All thrown balls are deemed out of play when:
· The ball is thrown over the fence
· The ball is thrown beyond the fence
· The ball is thrown beyond the imaginary line extending from the end of the backstop (if there is no fence).
· This imaginary line applies to overthrows and caught fly foul balls.
· If the ball is overthrown and hits the fence behind the 1st or 3rd base lines, this is NOT considered out of play and the runner may advance, BUT at his/her own risk.
· On overthrows out of play, the runner is granted the base he/she is going to (at the point of the throw) plus
one more. Note: in cases where a base runner runs past first base, he/she must make a clearly aggressive turn towards second base to be granted 2nd and 3rd in overthrow situations.
19. On an infield fly (any ball kicked within the infield with significant arc and deemed an “easy catch”) with less than 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the batter is automatically out and runners can advance, BUT at their own risk.
20. At all times all outfielders must remain behind the “outfield line” (if applicable - consult with your ump before your game to determine if this rule is enforced at your particular league) when a batter is up to bat. If the “line” is not clearly marked it us up to the umpire’s discretion if an outfielder is too close to the infield. There cannot be more than 7 players on the infield at any one time. Once contact has been made the outfielders may cross the line. If an outfielder crosses the line before contact has been made the batter may be awarded first base.
21. If a game is called due to weather and less than 5 innings have been played, the game will resume from the exact point at which it was stopped. i.e. same count, same batter, same base running situation. If a game is called due to darkness and less than 5 innings have been played, the game will resume from the exact point at which it was stopped. i.e. same count, same batter, same base running situation
21. In certain facilities a home run rule may apply. (consult with your ump and/or CSSC
staff person to determine if a rule is in effect at your particular league.)
LEAGUE POLICIES
GAMES:
During the regular season games are to be played within time allotted (warm up time is included).
UMPS:
An umpire will be provided by the Sport & Social Clubs to supervise the game. It will be the umpire’s responsibility to coordinate and run the games, which include the following tasks:
• Starting games on time.
• Calling outs, making final calls on any disputed balls or strikes.
• Settling all disputes or disputed calls.
It is understood that umps will assist in the tracking of the score (i.e. Announcing it between innings) and assist in any discrepancies with regards to the coed line-up ratios. However, it is the responsibility of both teams to maintain their respective line-ups and scores each inning.
FORFEITS:
If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:
First Offense: Loss of game and warning issued.
Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.
Third Offense: Removal from the league.
If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office so as to help us schedule your opponent a game. This will still be considered a forfeit, but is a courtesy to your opponent.
Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad (minimum numbers of players required to play according to the rules). Refer to rules regarding the guy/girl batting ratio. Anything less then the minimum must be approved by the staff and opposing team.
STANDINGS:
The updated standings will be posted weekly, displaying each teams rank within its skill level. Rank is based on winning percentage.
PLAYOFFS:
All eligible teams make the playoffs (teams that have not abused any policies or forfeits are eligible).
In certain situations teams at or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with CSSC league coordinator to see if this applies to your league.
Playoffs are single elimination.
Seeding: Teams are seeded according to winning percentage, In the event of a tie we also evaluate head to head, point differential, strength of schedule and various other criteria.Teams may be dropped from their regular season level based on the above criteria. Teams may be moved to a higher division during the playoffs only if permission is granted.
Skill levels may be divided into separate divisions based upon size of level.
Teams may play more than one game per day.
Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the game.
CSSC reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than your regularly scheduled league night.
WAIVERS:
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:
A formal protest may be filed before a game if an opposing player’s eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #, signature) in writing to a CSSC staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. Teams will be notified of all rulings on the identified eligibility discrepancy by the following business day – decisions will not be made on site. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question. Games subsequent to the protested game may be rescheduled.
The above procedure will also apply for any other “logged” protests. All rulings by CSSC staff are considered final.
SPORTSMANSHIP:
The purpose of Chicago Sport and Social Club is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league.
STAFF:
To coordinate and run the league, our refs and/or staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule interpretations, directions to the bar, etc. please ask.
LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:
Leagues may be cancelled due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, etc. CSSC staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games until absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.
If the league is cancelled, CSSC staff will change the weather hotline immediately. CSSC will then email/text all of the captains to let them know (if possible). It is then the captains responsibility to inform all teammates of the cancelation. If a league is cancelled on site, CSSC staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. If we do cancel, follow next week’s schedule (ex. If April 13 is cancelled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are cancelled will be made up towards the end of the season if time allows. In extreme circumstances, CSSC reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund. CSSC also reserves the right to schedule games on days other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary.
PRIZES/ T-SHIRTS:
Each team will receive one shirt for every paid player on the roster Rosters will be considered final by the second week of the league and used for distribution of T-shirts. The shirts will be handed out at the sponsor bar during the season. Please look for the announcement at the league designating which nights the shirts will dispensed. Those teams unable to pick up their T-shirts at the sponsor bar must call the office to make arrangements to pick them up at the office. Unfortunately, T-shirts cannot be brought out to the leagues. The CSSC cannot guarantee the availability of T-shirts after the last week of regular season, so please pick them up at “T-shirt night” or soon after.
The top teams in each division will receive a prize of great emotional, spiritual, and most importantly, social value.
These policies are designed to make the league run as smoothly and safely as possible, and provide continuity for its participants. Each player in the league is responsible for this information: please advise your team of these rules and thanks for playing.