Rules

SECTION 1:ADMINISTRATION

1) There shall be a Friday night men's softball league consisting of at least eight (8) teams and expanding up to twelve (12) teams.

2) There shall be two (2) league commissioners. One (1) commissioner shall be voted on by the managers at the annual managers meeting serving a term of one (1) year from managers meeting to managers meeting and one (1) league commissioner making a total of (2) commissioners that shall stay in office until a voluntary resignation or removal from 2/3 of the managers at a mangers meeting.

3) There shall be a checking account in the name of West Jefferson Softball Association and have the permanent league commissioner as a custodian of the account.

4) League entry fees shall be deposited into the checking account and be disbursed for maintenance of league expenses.

5) There shall be a managers meeting the last Friday in March, with the site determined by the league commissioners.

6) At the manager's meeting the following items shall be covered.

Adoption of rules for the next year.

Schedule for the current year.

Voting on commissioners.

Open discussion from managers.

Handing out blank roster sheets.

7) The league commissioners must notify eligible team's managers from the previous year of the time and site of the manager's meeting at least one week in advance.

8) Teams that are eligible from the previous year shall have preference towards filling the league.

9) After notifying all eligible team managers from the previous year of the manager's meeting and the commissioner's find there is openings in the league, a add will be run for one (1) week in the Columbus Dispatch to try and fill team positions in the league. New teams will be placed in the league by who notifies the commissioners first.

SECTION 2: ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

1) Players on a team can only consist of one gender (male or female). Coed teams are prohibited.

2) All players must be at least a senior in high school and 18 years old or older to play in any league game. No player shall be allowed to play for a team if they are currently playing a spring sport at the high school.

3) A 20-man roster is due before a team can take the field for the first game. Changes in the roster can be made until the end of the 1st round. Any changes must be made with a commissioner and names must be deleted or added onto the official roster before the start of the game effecting the roster change. No team can have more than 20 men on a roster.

4) Players may switch teams up to the end of the first round.

5) Any team who plays with an illegal player shall receive a forfeit for the game involving the illegal player and the next weeks following game will also be a forfeit. If that illegal player is on another team's roster the team that the illegal player is on will also receive a forfeit the following week. The illegal player that is not on the roster will be ineligible from playing for any team the remainder of the season. This includes players that are on another team's roster.

6) No player or manager will be allowed to participate in league games if money is owed to the league. The manager of the team that owes a team fee will be held sole responsible for that fee and will not be allowed to participate until the fee is paid in full.

SECTION 3: PROTEST

1) Only a manager of a team can lodge a protest. Protest may only be on league rules and/or NSA rules.

2) If the protest would affect an outcome of the game, the manger of the team lodging the protest must advise the umpire he is lodging a protest before the next pitch is thrown. The manager must advise the umpire of the specific rule violation. At that time a decision will be made on the protest by an umpire an at least one league commissioner.

3) A protest can also be submitted in writing to a league commissioners. A decision by both league commissioners will be given before the next week of play on all protest.

4) All decisions on protests by league commissioners are final.

SECTION 4: TEAM ELIGIBILITY

1) If your team forfeits two or more games in a season, the team will be reviewed by the commissioners to evaluate the value of further participation by the team. If the team is eliminated from further participation from the league there will be no refund of any money.

2) All teams must be NSA sanctioned to participate in league play by the first game of the year. Teams must provide their sanction card number to a league commissioner before the 1st game. Teams can be sanctioned through the league by contacting a league commissioner.

3) A team will be assessed a forfeit and not allowed to play after the first week of play and each week following until the league fee is paid in full.

SECTION 5:FEES

1) League fees are $400.00

2) League fees are due before the first game of the season.

3) Any league fees received after the first game will be assessed a $25.00 late fee, which is due along with the league fee.

4) Checks may be made out to West Jefferson Softball Association.

5) A $25.00 protest fee will be assessed on a team lodging a protest. It will be returned if the protest is determined to be valid. No team will be allowed to start a game with a outstanding protest fee.

6) NSA sanction fee is $25.00.

7) A $25.00 fee will be due along with the entry fee for softballs for the year.

SECTION 6:LEAGUE FORMAT

1) The league shall start on the last Friday in April or the first Friday in May.

2) It shall be of open format whit no reference to A, B, C, D, E.

3) Part I of the league shall have every team play each other once.

4) Part II of the league shall be separated into two (2) divisions an Upper and Lower Division based on team win/lost records. The highest ranked team will always be home in round II. There shall be the same amount of teams in the Upper Division as there is in the Lower Division. In the event of the league having a odd number of teams the Upper Division shall have one more team than the Lower Division. Teams are placed in division by their overall record in Part I of the league. In the event of a tie a the following tie breaking rules shall apply.

5) Part III of the league is a tournament format. Teams shall be placed in the tournament by how they placed in Round two. The upper division of the league will receive the higher seeds in the tournament.

6) The following prizes will be awarded: 1st place upper division will get 15 T-shirts and trophy. 1st place lower Division will receive a trophy. 1st place IN the tournament will receive a trophy.

SECTION 7: TIE BREAKER

1) Forfeits will automatically remove a team from a tie-breaker.

2) The best overall record.

3) Head to Head competition.

4) In round two for the upper division only. If the two top teams are tied in head to head competition, a playoff game will be played immediately following the last Friday night game to decide league champion.

5) Head to Head competition 2nd round.

6) Most runs scored

7) Least amount of runs scored.

SECTION 8:LEAGUE RULES

1) All NSA rules apply except where listed.

2) A team must have 9 players in order to start a game and at least 9 players to finish a game. If a team does not have 9 players at any time that team will receive a forfeit. The 10th player may enter the game providing the 10th batter has not had his turn at bat. Any team without a 10th player will be assessed an out each time that player is scheduled to bat. A team will immediately forfeit anytime they fall below 9 players.

3) Teams listed 2nd on the schedule will be the home team.

4) If a team forfeits, the following run totals will be assessed to each team: Team that did not forfeit: 12 runs for runs scored and 0 runs for runs against Team that forfeited: 0 runs for runs scored and 12 runs for runs against

5) Game times are 6:15, 7:15, 8:20 and 9:20.

6) All games shall start by the umpire stating play ball. All line up cards must be ready to be handed to the umpire when the game begins.

7) All games will have a TIME LIMIT that will be 1hr 10 minuites. A new inning will not start after that, if an inning runs into the time limit it will finish with home team having last at bats

8) If games go into other start times. The next game will start 5 minutes after the finish of the first game. The umpire is the official time keeper.

9) At the umpires discretion he believes any team is not ready to take the field when he starts the game he shall award a win to the team that is ready and a forfeit to the team is not ready. If in his opinion he believes neither team is ready to play ball a double forfeit will be awarded.

10) Teams if mutually agree upon by both managers and league commissioners may change their game times for any given week, this rule can only be utilized once in a year by a team.

11) League commissioners will decide rain delays by 5:30 on the day of the game. Rain delays will be posted on wjsoftball.com or call 879-6476. After 5:30 teams must report to the field at their scheduled time to find out if their game is postponed.

12) Postponements will be made up at the end of each round. If the league falls behind more than two games your team will be given a schedule of make up. The league cannot go past the second Saturday in August.

13) The league shall furnish the balls for the league.

14) On Diamond 1 all you can get in all fields while the ball is in play. If the ball hits the tree in left field on the fly in fair play it is a ground rule double. If the ball hits the wire in deep right field is a ground rule double. If the ball is a line drive and rolls into the parking lot in right field or gose between the bleachers and the barn it"s a ground rule double

15) On Diamond 1 out of play. First base side is from the edge of the bench down the pole line to the front corner of the concession stand out to the parking lot. Out of play on the 3rd base side, is from the edge of the concrete in front of the bench area down the pole line into the park. The shelter house is out of play. The concrete slab in from of the benches is out of play.

16) On Diamond 2 all you can get in all fields while the ball is in play. If the ball bounces over the fence in left to left center it is a ground rule double. If the ball rolls under a vehicle or into the weeds in right to right center fiels it"s a gound rule double. Play will stop in left to left center field if a vehicle is traveling on the roadway this is a safety issue

17) On Diamond 2 out of play. Wires and trees down the right field line are out of play. Out of play down both lines is the corner of the backstop and down the pole lines.

18) Any ball hit over a fence is considered a home run.

19) All players will start with a 1 ball and 1 strike count with one free foul ball.

20) 1 pitch between innings. Any extra pitches will be counted as balls toward the 1st batter.

21) Mercy rule is 12 runs after 5 innings

22) The following are general rules of conduct for all players on and off the field:

No fighting

No abuse language

No swearing

No excessive rowdiness

No alcoholic beverages near or on the playing field

No glass containers will be allowed on the premises

No threatening arguing with the umpire or league commissioners

Any other rule made by a umpire or commissioners and made clear to the managers prior to enforcing for the betterment of the league.

23) Any team or player who is found guilty of a rule violation can receive punishment ranging from a verbal warning up to removal from league play indefinitely. If a player is thrown out of a game by an umpire and refuses to leave the playing field area and or maintains his abuse towards the umpire. That umpire will have the right to suspend the player, manager and or team for the next game played. The league commissioners for further disciplinary action will review the case, which will be decided before the next weeks play. All rules violations will be reviewed by the league commissioners and a decision of discipline will be handed out before the next week of play.

24) Any decision made by the commissioners shall be final.

25) All bats that are to be used in league play must be NSA approved. Please visit the NSA website at http://www.playnsa.com/ and visit the approved equipment link if you have a question on your bats status.

26) The West Jefferson Softball Association, league commissioners or West Jefferson Community Association will not be held responsible for injuries sustained by any participants. Also the above mentioned shall not be liable for any property damage or theft during league play.