Softball Regulations

SOF i The BUCS Softball Championships shall be conducted in accordance with the following BUCS sport specific regulations, the BUCS general regulations, and the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules.

SOF ii In the event that these regulations contradict the BUCS general regulations, these BUCS sport specific regulations will supersede, unless specifically stated otherwise.

SOF iii In the event that these regulations contradict the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules, these BUCS sport specific regulations will supersede, unless specifically stated otherwise.

SOF iv The gender eligibility criteria for the BUCS Softball Championships will be determined as per REG 4.3.

SOF 2 Equipment

SOF 2.1 To ensure quality of competition, all games should be played with equipment that adheres to World Baseball & Softball Confederation standards.

SOF 2.2 All outdoor games should be played with regulation synthetic or leather softballs with a compression of 300lbs and a Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of .52 and all indoor games should be played with safety (soft core) softballs.

SOF 2.3 Helmets are strongly recommended for batters and base runners.

SOF 2.4 Masks are strongly recommended for catchers.

SOF 2.5 Notwithstanding SOF 2.3 and SOF 2.4, any individual under the age of 18 must:

• Wear a helmet with a built-in faceguard when batting and baserunning.
• Wear a gumshield if playing in any position in the infield.
• Wear a catcher's mask or faceguard if playing at the positions of pitcher, catcher, first base or third base.

Please note: REG 4.1.2 (including REG 4.1.2.1) applies with regards to age.

SOF 2.6 Metal cleats are not allowed.

SOF 2.7 The host institution/Playing Entity is responsible for supplying bases and balls that are in good condition.

SOF 3 Indoor league specific regulations

SOF 3.1 Playing area The area is defined by its venue. Indoor softball can be played in gyms, sports halls or similar. The playing area should be contained by four sides and a ceiling. A Softball diamond should be laid out within the parameters of the venue with Home Plate, First Base, Second Base and Third Base as usual. Bases should be a ‘reasonable’ distance apart – 12 metres is fairly standard – although there doesn’t have to be much space left for the outfield. From the front of Home Plate, a straight line is drawn across the court (see diagram) and the area behind the line is the only foul ball territory. The foul ball territory is where batters line up preceding their turn at bat. The standard equipment for Slowpitch softball is used, i.e., a set of throw-down bases (including the safety First Base). Often, bases may be substituted with brightly coloured masking tape depending on the playing surface. The Home Run Zone shall be determined by the umpire.

SOF 3.2 Squad size For each match, the maximum squad size shall be 20 players and the minimum squad size shall be 8 players, but attention should be paid to any number and/or gender-based restrictions for fielding and batting.

SOF 3.3 Fielding The number of fielders in play at any one time shall be 8, with a maximum of 4 players of one gender as standard. For guidance, the 8 fielding positions would typically be Pitcher, Catcher, First Base, Second Base/Inside Right, Short Stop, Third Base/Inside Left, Left Field, Right Field. Teams shall be allowed to field a maximum of 5 players of one gender if they have a squad of just 8 players, but if doing so the fifth player must play in the Inside Right position.

SOF 3.4 Batting

SOF 3.4.1 The minimum number of batters for an inning shall be 8. Teams shall follow a gender alternate batting order: the only time a team may bat two or more people of the same gender consecutively will be if all available players of a different gender are on base. Teams may bat more than 8 players if all players are part of their squad, and they obey the rule regarding alternating batter genders. If a team does not have a balanced gender split, then at a minimum the team must have at least 3 players of a gender different to the majority gender.

SOF 3.4.2 One pitch per player at bat [strike, walk or hit].

SOF 3.4.3 Bunting is allowed. For safety, batters CANNOT show intention to bunt then go back and swing; penalty – batter is OUT. They can have their normal batting stance then ‘surprise’ bunt. NO ‘chopping’ allowed.

SOF 3.4.5 A walk is to 1st base, regardless of gender.

SOF 3.4.6 Balls caught off walls are OUT. The exception to this is a ball that hits the Home Run zone; a direct hit to Home Run Zone is a Home Run. All runners head straight back to batting line rather than running the bases.

SOF 3.4.7 Batter is OUT, ball is DEAD if the ball hits the ceiling or roof fixtures.

SOF 3.4.8 Batter is OUT, ball is DEAD if it lands or rolls behind the DEAD BALL LINE from the hit.

SOF 3.4.9 Runs score only at HOME PLATE.

SOF 3.4.10 The last at bat cannot end with a walk. If a ball is thrown, after last batter is called, the batter walks and the batting teams captain decides the next batter [any gender] to bat; this will continue until a strike or hit.

SOF 3.4.11 During the last at bat, TIME will be called either when the lead runner is out, or if the catcher has the ball with their foot on home plate before the lead runner has passed third base. This is to avoid dangerous collisions.

SOF 3.4.12 If the last batter is caught out the ball is DEAD, runners cannot advance.

SOF 3.4.13 Standard softball rules apply in all other areas including tag/force outs.

SOF 3.5 Each match will be 24 minutes long and consist of two innings – each team will bat for two six minute long half-innings. Innings are not defined by the number of outs, but by time.

SOF 3.6 Teams are reminded that indoor is fast paced and fun; innings are timed and as such there should be no unnecessary delays between pitches. Umpires have discretion in applying penalties e.g., walking a batter or adding extra time to an inning, if they feel teams are deliberately wasting time.

SOF 3.7 All innings will be played regardless of the score going into the final inning e.g., the game continues even if a team has already won before their final at bat.

SOF 3.8 Scoring Only players reaching all bases will score a single run.

SOF 3.9 Scorecards Both teams should keep a scoresheet during the game, agreeing the running score at the end of each half-inning and the final score at the end of the match. Teams should keep copies of all scoresheets until the end of the season.

SOF 3.10 Any players exhibiting dangerous or unsporting conduct will be removed from the game at the umpire's discretion.

SOF 3.11 Match officials Match officials should be appointed as per Appendix 5 (‘BUCS Match Officials Requirements’).

SOF 3.11.1 BSUK will arrange umpires for all game days.

SOF 3.12 The ‘home’ team for each fixture shall be the first named team.

SOF 4 Outdoor league specific regulations

SOF 4.1 Squad size The maximum squad size for each match shall be 20 players. Each team may begin a game with a starting line-up of a maximum of 10 players (with a maximum of 5 players of one gender), or 12 players (with a maximum of 6 players of one gender) if using Extra Hitters. The minimum squad size for each match shall be 8 players. Teams with only 8 or 9 players may only have a maximum of 5 players of one gender and shall have an automatic out enforced for each missing player at the point at which they would be due up to bat.

SOF 4.2 Substitutions Will be made in line with the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules.

SOF 4.3 The softball diamond must be either grass, artificial grass (3G or 4G) or combination dirt infield/grass (real or artificial) outfield and should conform to the playing field requirements set out in the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules current as of 1 September of the BUCS season. The field lines should include, at minimum, batter's box, first base and third base lines, extended as far as possible into the outfield, and dead ball lines. It is preferred, but not required, to also include the coach's box and on-deck circle. It is the responsibility of the host institution/Playing Entity when confirming the fixtures (note REG 9.5) to advise the opposition teams and all match officials of the playing surface and on any footwear restrictions (note REG 9.3.3).

SOF 4.4 The host institution/Playing Entity should provide field space for up to two softball diamonds to be marked out, booked to allow sufficient time for all the game day fixtures to take place.

SOF 4.5 Games will have 'no new innings' called at 50 minutes, with the inning being played out (with the exception of the home team being ahead in the bottom of the inning). In the event of the score being tied after no new innings is called, the game shall end in a tie. Once 'no new innings' has been called by the umpire, the away team may 'declare' and voluntarily end the top of the inning, if they are ahead. At centrally hosted fixture days where games are scheduled hourly, should a preceding game run longer than one hour, the following game shall have their full hour allotted.

SOF 4.6 There will be a 7-run limit per inning for the first 4 innings.

SOF 4.7 Scorecards Both teams should keep a scoresheet during the game, agreeing the running score at the end of each half-inning and the final score at the end of the match. Teams should keep copies of all scoresheets until the end of the season.

SOF 4.8 Match officials Match officials should be appointed as per Appendix 5 (‘BUCS Match Officials Requirements’).

SOF 4.8.1 BSUK will arrange umpires for all game days.

SOF 4.9 The ‘home’ team for each fixture shall be the first named team.

SOF 5 League points

SOF 5.1 Three points will be awarded for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.

SOF 5.2 Where a forfeit has been awarded/conceded (REG 13), three points shall be given to the non-offending team and three points deducted from the offending team.

SOF 5.3 No points will be awarded to either team in the case of a void fixture.

SOF 6 Calculating final league positions

SOF 6.1 Final league positions will be primarily based on league points accumulated. However, should there be any ties on points within a league, they shall be split using the sequential system of tiebreaker steps detailed in SOF 6.2–SOF 6.10.

SOF 6.2 If after the application of a step the number of tied teams is reduced, but two or more teams remain tied, the tiebreaker criteria from that step shall be reapplied again to any remaining tied teams, before, if required, moving to the next step. For the avoidance of doubt, this will also apply where four or more teams are tied and may then split into two or more separate groupings of tied teams.

SOF 6.3 For any tiebreaker step where data from fixtures across the whole league is used, if the tie on league points has been effected by any walkovers conceded to the teams tied or any void fixtures involving these teams, any results against the team(s) which conceded the walkover(s) or the team(s) involved in the void fixtures (i.e. all the results between the teams tied on league points and the team(s) conceding the walkover(s)/void match(es)) will not be included in the calculation.

SOF 6.4 The teams tied will be ranked based on voluntary walkovers conceded (the lower the better).

SOF 6.5 The teams tied will be ranked based on league points accumulated from fixtures between the tied teams (the higher the better).

SOF 6.6 The teams tied will be ranked based on Run difference from fixtures between the tied teams (the higher the better).

SOF 6.7 The teams tied will be ranked based on Runs for from fixtures between the tied teams (the higher the better).

SOF 6.8 The teams tied will be ranked based on Run difference from fixtures across the whole league (the higher the better).

SOF 6.9 The teams tied will be ranked based on Runs for from fixtures across the whole league (the higher the better).

SOF 6.10 If a tie cannot be broken using the above system, then the final league positions of any teams still tied shall be determined by the BUCS Executive drawing lots.

SOF 7 National Championship knockout competition specific regulations

SOF 7.1 BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK) shall organise the National Championship knockout competition on behalf of BUCS.

SOF 7.2 BUCS/BSUK shall communicate any competition specific requirements, rules and regulations to teams which qualify for the National Championship on an annual basis.

SOF 7.3 Protests and disputes

SOF 7.3.1 The umpire assigned to the game shall have the final authority to rule on all in-game situations.  Teams may only file a protest in line with the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Slow Pitch Softball Playing Rules current as of 1 September of the BUCS season. Protests should be reported immediately to the in-game umpire, and to the on-site tournament director or crew chief within 1 hour of the game's finish. The protest will be heard by the Tournament Director and Crew Chief, and their decision will be final.

SOF 7.3.2 Matters that do not relate to in-game situations shall be dealt with as a dispute in accordance with BUCS REG 7.7. The events appeal panel for Softball shall comprise of the Tournament Director, Crew Chief and/or a BUCS Staff Member.