Rosters- All teams must submit their roster (16 players max) to league officials. Additions/subtractions can be made up until the halfway point of a team’s schedule. Players must be on the roster sheet to be eligible for playoffs. Players can fill in for whoever they want during the regular season, but may only be on ONE roster. Fill-ins must bat last in the batting order.
Playoff Eligibility-
Players must play 8 games- with ONE exception for injury. League must be notified for a player to be eligible, and this will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Should a game be forfeited, all players on the forfeiting team will be considered “out” and all players on the winning team will be considered ”in”.
Playoff Tiebreakers-
If standings are tied at the end of the season, ties will be broken by…
1. Head to head record
2. Runs allowed in head to head games
3. Runs allowed for season
4. Coin flip
NOTE: This may be different than the automated standings on the site- when in doubt, go with these tiebreakers.
Playoff Format-
Top 7 teams will advance with 9th place facing 10th, then the winner vs 8th in 1 game elimination matches. 1st round best of 3, semifinals best of 3 or 5, and best of 5 championship series.
Playoff Protests-
If you feel a team is using an ineligible player, you MUST state this to the umpire within the first 2 innings of a game. The umpire will contact the league, and a league representative will investigate. Game will continue under protest until a league official arrives. This will NOT be done if you wait until after the game. If a team is found to be using an ineligible player, said team will FORFEIT the game- and any subsequent offense will result in offending team’s removal from the playoffs (assuming said loss did not eliminate them in itself.)
Forfeits-
Teams may use fill-ins at any point, for any reason during the regular season- but a team must have at least 5 of their own players to avoid a forfeit. If at least 48 hours notice is given and teams are willing to switch, a game may be moved- however, this is not guaranteed. All forfeits will be scored as a 7-0 loss for the forfeiting team. Excessive forfeits may result in a team losing its spot next season. Contact the league in advance if you may be short for a game- plenty of players on other teams and free agents are willing and excited to fill in!
John Leone Rule-
If a team has more than 10 players, they may have 1 player as a “designated fielder” who does not have to bat in the lineup- as long as there are still 10 players hitting.
Shorthanded Teams-
Teams can bat 9 players with no penalty- they will just have the disadvantage of using 3 outfielders. If a team has 8 players, a non-defensive catcher will be provided by the other team. In this scenario, said team would take an automatic out in the 9th spot of their lineup. Minimum of 8 players are needed to avoid a forfeit.
Injuries/Ejections-
Should a team lose a player due to injury, ejection, or any other reason during a game they will NOT be penalized for this- unless this causes their lineup to drop below 9 players. In this case, team would take an out each time said player’s spot comes up in the order for the rest of the game.
Bats-
Bats must be ALL wood, and have no composite in them whatsoever, even the handle. Teams will receive ONE warning about this during the season- each subsequent offense will be a forfeit. If you feel a team is using an illegal bat, you may request the umpire check it. Contact the league if you have any questions about a bat’s legality- this can avoid pricey, non-useful purchases.
Uniforms-
Teams must have matching uniforms (at least in color) for the season. This makes it easier for teams to track who is truly on each team’s roster. Please adhere to this rule as much as possible.
Conduct Rule-
If a team or player has repeated incidents with umpires, other teams, players, or league officials, the league has the right to remove said team/player from the league with NO refund given. Please be respectful to your fellow players, umps, and league officials.
Slaughter Rule-
A game will end if a team is up by 15 runs or more after 5 or more innings (4.5 if home team is ahead). Home team always gets last at bats if they are behind. This rule is in effect for playoff games also.
Rainouts/Suspended Games-
All rainouts will be made up ASAP, assuming playoffs can start by mid-September at latest. If the game is rained out BEFORE the 5th inning, the game will restart from the beginning. Games must go 5 innings (or 4.5 if the home team is ahead) to be official. If a game is in the middle of an inning, the score reverts to what it was after the last full inning (assuming home team is behind, so a team doesn’t lose due to having less at bats). Should this happen in the playoffs (in Top 6th or later), the game will start at the next available date exactly from the point at which it was suspended.
Division Switch Rule-
After each season, the last place REGULAR SEASON team in the A division may move down to the B division if they choose (regardless of who wins the 9 v 10 play in game). Assuming so, the champions from the B league MUST move up. This allows us to maintain the best competitive balance possible, and no exceptions will be made.
Alcohol/Pick Up-
Absolutely NO drinking on the bench/field. Players must pick up all trash left on benches/at fields. Please respect your public parks.
Lights-
Lights must be shut off by 11PM. If no one volunteers to do this, it is the responsibility of the home team in the last game of the night. All coaches will be given the combination to the lights box.
Lockbox-
Home team in the first game is responsible for opening the lockbox, putting the key back in keylock, bringing out the scoreboard/balls, and opening the port a potty. Home team in the last game is responsible for putting back the scoreboard/balls, locking the port a potty and closing/locking the lockbox. All coaches will be given the combination to the port a potty and key lock- contact the league if you forget the combo.
Pitch Count-
All hitters will start with a count of 0-0, and have no foul to waste on strike 2.
Courtesy Runner- Teams are allowed to use a courtesy runner for an injured player- this must be announced BEFORE player’s AB and must be continued throughout the game. Hitter may only get a single if taking a courtesy runner unless a further base would automatically be awarded (ex: HR, ground rule double, ball out of play). Replacement runner must be the last out (or prior out if said player is also injured).