Softball Policies
On Field Conduct
-Because our appearance before the umpires and fans is important, each team should wear appropriate uniforms, with neatness and modesty being the guidelines. The minimum appropriate uniform should be matching hats and jerseys. The jerseys should have a number on the back.
-Each player (whether an outreach player or not) should conduct himself in a gentlemanly fashion. Things such as drinking in the parking lot after the game or smoking between innings should be avoided due to the presence of children and the impression this may leave umpires and fans.
-Each team will be committed to dealing with profanity in a Christ-like fashion. This will range from verbal reprimand in mild cases to removal of the player from the game in severe cases. The main objective is to protect the testimony of the team as well as deal with a public sin in a loving, yet appropriate fashion.
Team Roster Issues
-Each team is allowed to have 20 men on the roster, with two of the men being designated as outreach players. Outreach players are players that are not saved, and are on the team for evangelistic purposes.
-If a team needs to have more than two outreach players in order to have an adequate roster, they may do so, provided they do so in good faith, and notification is given to the other teams through the League Office.
-Christian men from other Bible-believing churches may be used to fill out a team's roster, as long as such players are not attending a church that already has a team in the RICAA. The rosters need to be in by June 15. Each team will receive a copy of the other team's rosters, and the rosters will be posted on the RICAA Web-site. Rosters should include the name, address, and phone number of each player.
-If a man begins attending church after the rosters are in, that man may be added to the roster but cannot play until League Office is notified. Players will be ineligible for the playoffs if they have not played in at least 5 games, unless their absence is due to injury, missionary work, or military service. Notification of players that qualify for this exception must be given at the time of their injury (in the case of an injury) or at the beginning of the season (in the case of military service or missionary work).
Game Issues
-Each team will be supplied with a Scorebook, Lineup Cards, and Rule Book. The lineup should be given to the opposing team prior to the game, with the first initial and last name of each starting player. Courtesy runners should be declared before the game begins.
-The coach of the winning team is responsible to report the game results by phone (828-5856), or by e-mail (pastor@knottyoak.org). This should be done as soon as possible, in order to update the standings and complete the web-work.
-The Home Team shall supply the bases and Home Plate, and, in concert with the umpires should establish the Ground Rules. If a fence is less than 280 feet from home plate, any ball over that portion of the fence is ruled a ground rule double.
-Each team needs to provide the umpires with one new game ball and the fee for the game prior to the beginning of the game. The fee is $25.00 per umpire if there are two umpires and $35 per umpire if there is one umpire.
-The only bats that may be used are bats that are listed as single wall bats in the handout received at the Manager’s Meeting or listed on the RICAA Web-site. As agreed at our meeting, there are no exceptions to this rule (other than the use of approved wood bats).
-If a team cannot field at least nine players, that game shall be recorded as a forfeit. If a team starts the game with nine players, it may insert a tenth player at the bottom of the order, as soon as a tenth player arrives.
-A team may bat as many players as it desires (the roster limit of twenty being the batting order limit.) If all of the players are placed in the order, and one must leave the game due to injury or emergency, their spot in the batting order will be eliminated, without an out being recorded.
-The home team is responsible for deciding whether the weather necessitates a cancellation. In the event of a cancellation, the umpires need to be notified by 4:00 PM by calling the Head Umpire (Brenda Miller) at 524-6094.
-In the event no umpires show up for the game, the two managers need to arrive at the best solution possible, seeking to get the game in. An umpire may be appointed from each team, or a capable fan may be appointed.
-Each team should purchase a basic First Aid kit and have it in an accessible place during the game. Items such as band-aids and ice packs should be replenished on an occasional basis. The orange “safety bag” should be used at first base, if one is available.
-Each team shall make a good faith effort to make up missed games due to rainouts and church schedule cancellations. Games not made up will be recorded as "no game," unless both coaches agrre that a forfeit should be awarded.
Special Rules-
The 15 Run Rule
-If a team is ahead by fifteen runs, the game is declared over, provided the losing team has batted at least 5 times. The game is to be declared over immediately once those two criteria are met. The umpires do not like to make exceptions to the rule, because it most likely will be getting dark if it has been a high scoring game, and also to prevent injuries by continuing a game that is technically over.
The Courtesy Runner Rule
-If a player has difficulty running due to an injury that he has entered the game with or has incurred during the game, that player may have a courtesy runner run for him in the event he reaches base. The runner should be the last batted out, which should always be possible except perhaps in first inning situations. The courtesy runner is not a substitution. He simply runs for the injured player as a courtesy. Courtesy runners should be declared before the game, in order to avoid confusion and/or controversy.
The Safe Contact Rule
-In order to maintain as safe a situation as possible, whenever there may be a play at 2nd, 3rd, or Home, the runner must slide, or concede the tag without contact. Sliding into a base is safer that ramming the fielder to jar the ball loose. However, two things must be kept in mind: first, sliding is also potentially injurious to both the fielder and the runner; second, there are some plays wherein the runner is unaware that a play may be made until the very last moment and it is too late to slide. In these cases, an umpire is to use his discretion as to whether a slide was deliberately injurious, or whether refusing to slide was accidental and unavoidable. In any event, going into a fielder straight up with the intention to reach the base safely by causing a ball jarring collision is a violation of the rule, and should result in the runner being called out. In order to avoid controversy about this, this rule should be brought to the umpire's attention before the game. Also, a corollary to the Safe Contact Rule is that at no time is a fielder to fake a play at his base, because this might cause a player to slide unnecessarily, which is also potentially dangerous.
Post-season Items
-The seeding for the playoff tournament will be based on the number of wins each team has. In the event of a tie, the first tiebreaker will be head to head competition, then intra division competition, then common opponents, then least runs allowed. We have tentatively scheduled our Awards Banquet for August 22nd. Trophies will be awarded for team and individual categories to be determined later. Final plans for the banquet will be announced by mid-season. The All Star Game is tentatively scheduled for August 15th. We will conduct skill competitions, two all-star games, and many, many other activities that the whole family can enjoy.
God Bless,
-Brother Baker