1: FIELD OF PLAY
· The on-deck batter only is allowed outside the dugout. All other players are to remain in the dugout or behind the fence
· If a player other than the on-deck batter is IN ANYWAY involved in a play via umpire discretion while outside of the dugout the lead runner will be called out
· Players are to warm up only on the field or in the designated warm up areas directly adjacent to the dugouts
· Alcohol is allowed in the dugouts upon UMPIRE DISCRETION ONLY. This is a privilege of Victory Lane Sports Park that can be revoked at any time the umpire feels it has become a hindrance to the game at hand.
2: EQUIPMENT
· Victory Lane Sports Complex will supply one new ball for each game
· Adult Men’s players will hit an 12” ball
· Adult Women’s players will hit an 11” ball
· Teams hitting homeruns are required to shag their homerun balls
· If the umpire runs out of balls at any time due to players not shagging homerun/foul balls, the clock will continue to run until a game ball is provided
· Metal spikes are prohibited at Victory Lane Sports Complex’ softball leagues
· Bats may not exceed 1.20 BPF
· A posted list of UNAPPROVED bats is available in the main office or online at playvictorylane.com
· The Victory Lane unapproved bat list is updated annually by the league director
· Victory Lane Sports Park reserves the right to remove any piece of equipment deemed unsafe
· Any bat that is deemed altered in any form is subject to removal and testing AT ANY TIME
· If a bat is tested and confirmed altered, the player responsible for that bat will be banned from Victory Lane Sports Complex for an indefinite period of time and may have criminal charges pending the severity of the situation
3: IMPACT PLAYERS
· An impact player is any player that plays in an upper division and, in the opinion of the league director, can make a competitive difference in a game situation
· The number of impact players on a team will affect a team’s classification
4: THE GAME
· The home team will be designated by the umpire in the managers’ meeting before each game
· It is the responsibility of the home team to provide a scorekeeper
· If the home team does not provide a scorekeeper the umpire’s tally will be official AND UNDISPUTED
· A regulation game shall be seven innings or 55 minutes
· The umpire will start the clock as soon as the managers’ meeting has concluded
· A game that is still tied after the expiration of the time limit or complete of seven innings shall be considered a tie
· Team standings are designated by win percentage and not overall wins and losses to accommodate for the difference in number of games played
· If two teams have the same win percentage at the end of the season the tie breaker will be the head to head matchups then a coin flip if the head to head did not break the tie
· ISA rules use the one-and-one count with one to waste for all divisions
· Run rule scenarios are in effect: 20 runs up after 3 innings, 15 runs after 4 innings and 10 runs up after 5 innings will designate a run rule
5: PLAYERS AND SUBSTITUTIONS:
· All players MUST sign a waiver prior to playing
· All players must be able to produce valid picture identification upon request
· Any player can take a defensive position at any point in the game
· A minimum of 8 players are required to start and finish a game
· Any team may bat the entirety of their roster
· Late players may be added to the bottom of the line-up at any time until 10 players are playing
· A team cannot add hitters numbering 11 or beyond after you have been through the line-up
· If a team loses a player or coach from the batting order due to an ejection and has no replacement this will result in an out each time that player comes to bat
· If a team loses a player due to injury and has no replacement the player will be declared out at his/her NEXT TIME AT BAT ONLY
6: BEHAVIOR
· Victory Lane Sports Complex is a family oriented facility and the use of certain behaviors will not be tolerated
· Team managers are responsible for the actions of their players at all times
· If a player is ejected from the game it is the umpire’s discretion as to whether the coach is also ejected
· Once a player is ejected it is also the umpire’s discretion as to whether they must leave the park immediately
· THE LEAGUE DIRECTOR HAS THE FINAL SAY ON ALL ECJECTIONS RELATING TO LEAVING THE COMPLEX
· THE LEAGUE DIRECTOR WILL DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF THE SUSPENSION FOR PLAYERS WHO VIOLATE LEAGUE RULES
· The following will not be tolerated at Victory Lane Sports Complex:
· Any unsportsmanlike conduct as determined by either the umpire or Victory Lane Staff
· Rough tactics not limited to physical altercations
· Obscene gestures or objectionable demonstrations toward an official, spectator or player
· The throwing of a bat (intentional or unintentional)
· Flagrant rules violations or any action deemed by the Victory Lane Staff as not conducive to our park’s family atmosphere
· False tags, blocking the plate with or without the ball or a runner colliding with a fielder
· If a player or manager is ejected from the game and the park for what is determined by the park staff to be flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct, the player or manager will not be allowed on the complex grounds for at least ONE WEEK
· ALL SUSPENSIONS ARE DEALT WITH ON AN INDIVIDUAL BAISIS CIRCUMSTANCE AND ARE MADE BY THE LEAGUE DIRECTOR AND ASA OFFICIALS
· THE LENGTH AND SEVERITY OF THE SUSPENSION WILL BE BASED ENTIRELY ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EVENT THAT LEAD TO THE INCIDENT
7: PROFANITY/F-BOMB RULE
· Profanity pertains to expletives not directed at umpires or an opposing player, but uttered by a player or coach frustrated with themselves, a teammate or an opposing player or fan
· Example – a player or coach swearing after a pop out, strike out, kick of a ball, or any situation that may occur
· The Victory Lane Sports Complex F-Bomb policy is that of a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
· At the managers’ meeting each team manager will be informed of this policy and that the meeting serves as the teams’ one warning
· ANY USE OF THE F-BOMB THAT THE UMPIRE DEEMS AS EXCESSIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE WILL RESULT IN THE EJECTION OF THAT PLAYER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME
· It is of umpire discretion whether or not to allow the player to play in the second game, if pertinent
8: PITCHING RULES:
· The pitched ball must rise to a minimum of 6 feet from the ground and not go higher than 10 feet from the ground
· The ball must be delivered at a slow speed
· If the ball hits the plate it is a ball
· If the ball hits any part of the mat it is a strike
· Only one pitch is allowed between innings
· New pitchers get three warm up pitches
· The pitcher is allowed a one foot safety distance behind the pitching rubber
· This is a safety rule to protect the pitcher from excessive hits up the middle
9: PITCHERS BOLX RULE:
· A pitcher’s box will be used that extends 2 feet on each side of the rubber
· Any ball hit inside this box while the middle is closed and is within the pitcher’s reach will be declared a dead ball out
· All runners must return to their previous bases in these occurrences
· Any ball considered a hazardous safety issue by the umpire that is hit up the middle through the box, WHETHER IN THE AIR OR ON THE GROUND, will be declared a dead ball out
· If the ball hits the chalk or the line the ball will be declared dead and the batter will be out
· It does not matter if the pitcher is in the box when the ball is hit through it; the ball will still be declared dead and the batter will be out
· As soon as the ball goes through the box the umpire will verbally declare the dead ball, batter is out
· IF THE MIDDLE IS CLOSED AT THE MANAGERS MEETING PRE-GAME THE UMPIRE HAS COMPLETE AUTHORITY OVER ANY HIT BALL BACK UP THE MIDDLE IN OR NEAR THE PITCHER’S BOX
· THE UMPIRE’S RULING IS FINAL AND UNDISPUTABLE ON ANY BALL HIT THROUGH THE PITCHER’S BOX
· Any player who repeatedly questions an umpire’s dead ball ruling on a ball hit up the middle will be subject to ejection and or suspension
10: DIVISIONAL HOME RUN RULES
· Men’s C Division – 4 Homeruns
· Men’s D1 Division – 2 Homeruns
· Men’s D2 Division – 1 Homerun
· Co-Ed Rec 1 Division – 2 Homeruns
· Co-Ed Rec 2 Division – 1 Homerun
· Co-Ed Rec 3 Division – 0 Homeruns
· THESE ARE A FLAT, NO PLUS RULE POLICY
· If both teams agree to a 1+ homerun policy during the managers’ meeting the game will be played in that fashion
· THE HOME TEAM CAN WIN THE GAME WITH A WALK OFF HOMERUN THAT PLACES THEM ONE UP ON THEIR OPPONENTS IN THIS SCENARIO
11: BASE RUNNING
· Victory Lane Sports Complex mandates that offensive runners avoid contact with the defenders at all times
· Examples – Sliding, an attempt to get out of the way or just giving yourself up
· Any flagrant act by the runner is subject to an ejection
· ALL FLAGRANT ACTIVITY IS UMPIRE DISCRETION
· Fielders blocking the base or making fake tags are subject to ejection
· One courtesy runner per inning (last out or last run scored)
· The courtesy runner rule can be changed during the mangers’ meeting pre-game
· In leagues where home runs are allowed the hitter DOES NOT HAVE TO TOUCH FIRST BASE
· The runners on base when a home run is hit DO NOT HAVE TO TOUCH THE PLATE
· ALL BASE RUNNER SAFETY RULES ARE TO THE DISCRETION OF THE UMPIRE AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED
· A safety rule exists when a runner on the base does not feel he/she will have enough time to safely remove themselves from the path of a hard hit ball
· In this scenario the runner may ask for safety precautions and stand directly across from the base in foul territory. The runner must re-establish contact with the base before advancing to the next base if granted by the umpire
12: SAFETY BASE
· The double first base is an added safety precaution at Victory Lane Sports Complex
· The batter/runner must touch the orange bag IF there is a play at first base
· Any play involving a possible attempt to go to 2nd base the runner may touch the white bag
· If the base runner uses the orange portion at any time after the first attempt at first base and is not in contact with the white bag, then he/she is considered off the bag
· The runner/batter running toward first base may cross over to the inside bag to avoid a collision if a wild throw occurs
· The fielder may tag the outside of the bag to record the out in this situation. This is only permissible on the initial play at first base
13: CO-ED LEAGUES
· For traditional co-ed games the batting order must alternate male/female
· Defensive positioning does not matter; any player may play any position
· There must be equal males/females UNLESS the opposing team agrees you can have more males than females or vice versa
· The minimum number of players to start and finish the game is 8
· When a male is walked ahead of a female the female has the option to either walk or hit
· If the female decides to hit the male is still awarded second base
· One courtesy runner per inning per sex is standard unless other agreements have been made at the managers’ meeting
· When pinch running the pinch runner must be of the same sex as the original runner
· The pinch runner must be the last out or the last run scored or the same sex
· Co-Ed Lite rules differ from that of traditional co-ed rules
· The Co-Ed Lite rules exist in their entirety on Victory Lane Sports Complex’ website www.playvictorylane.com
· Copies of these rules are also available upon request
14: ROSTERS
· It is the coach’s responsibility to update the roster and make sure all players have filled out a waiver
· The roster is limited to a maximum of 20 players
· Players must sign a waiver BEFORE participating in any fashion at Victory Lane Sports Complex
· Teams are subject to RANDOM ROSTER CHECKS by the League Director at any time in the season
· If a player is on a team and playing but not on a roster that team will forfeit all games played with that player involved
· Players must be at least 16 years old to participate in adult leagues at Victory Lane Sports Complex (with adult signature on waiver form)
15: TEAM MOVE UP RULE
· THE LEAGUE DIRECTOR HAS THE ABILITY TO MOVE ANY TEAMS FROM DIVISION TO DIVISION BASED ON A TEAM’S OVERALL PERFORMANCE FOR THE SEASON
· Based on the league standings the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place teams may be required to move up to the next level
· Teams in the last positions of league standings may re-classify at the next lower level of play
16: SCHEDULES
· Copies of all league schedules are available online at playvictorylane.com
· Hard copies of schedules can be made available upon request
· Typically schedules for the first week’s games are posted 3-5 days before the first games are to be played
17: GRACE PERIOD
· The grace period for any contest is 7 MINUTES
· If at game time one or both teams do not have the minimum required number of players, the grace period will begin
· The team causing the delay will lose their first at bat
· At the end of the grace period any team without at least eight players will be given a forfeit
· If it is a double header format both games will be considered forfeits and the opposing team may leave; UNLESS both teams agree to wait around and play the second game once the team has eight players
18: FORFEITS/NO SHOWS
· Victory Lane Sports Park has a strict policy against no call/no show forfeits
· This situation is unfair to the opposing team
· If you know in advance that your team is not going to make a game the League Director needs to be contacted
· Two no show/no call forfeits in a season will prohibit your team from finishing out the season in that league
· All teams are required to pay a $25 forfeit fee upon their initial season at Victory Lane Sports Park
· This fee carries over with each team until used
· Once used the forfeit fee must again be paid before the beginning of the team’s next game
19: RAINOUT POLICY
· The Victory Lane Sports Complex Rainout Line is 623-581-9364
· This will be updated in cases of inclement weather
· If a game is played 3 innings or 2.5 innings and the home team is in the lead before it is canceled due to weather, it will be considered an official game
· If the game is considered an incomplete game the entire game will be made up
· If it is an incomplete game the umpire must refund you the money paid by your team
20: MAKE UP GAME POLICY
· The League Director will be in contact with coaches after games have been canceled
· If games are rained out the entire night will move to the week after the last night of the season
· The internet schedule will be changed ASAP to reflect the date of makeup games
· GAMES NOT PLAYED DUE TO TEAMS NOT SHOWING UP AND FORFEITS WILL NOT BE MADE UP
21: LEAGUE STANDINGS
· Updated standings will be posted on playvictorylane.com each week
· The team manager should check to make sure the standings are correct
· Mistakes in scoring are easily fixed and changed
· No score protests will be accepted 2 or more days after the last night of league play
22: PLAYOFFS
· End of season tournaments are played on week 8
· Top 4 teams make the playoffs in each league. All other teams play regular double headers.
· Home team is decided by the team with the better seed
· Playoffs will use the same format as regular season games including time limit and run rule
*** All other rules not mentioned in these modified rules are located in the corresponding year’s ISA rule book