Summer Softball

Clemson University IM Sports follows the Slow Pitch rules established by the Amateur Softball Association with minor modifications. Major differences from spring Intramural softball are listed in bold.

II. THE FIELD AND EQUIPMENT
**There are no umpires for the summer softball league. All games are self-officiated according to the modified rules as well as supervised by the Intramural staff on duty.
1. The distances between bases will be 65 feet and the pitcher's mound will be 50 feet from home plate.
2. The batter's box will not be drawn on the field. It is considered a judgment call by the umpire.
3. The official ball will be a regulation 12 inch restricted flight softball approved by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA).
4. Bats must be ASA approved and not more than 34 inches, nor exceed 38 ounces in weight, made of one piece hardwood, metal, plastic, graphite, carbon magnesium, fiberglass,ceramic, or other material approved by the ASA. (No Titanium), and conform to all other ASA rules. You may bring your own bats.  IM Sports will have a few available for use.
5. Any bat not officially marked by IMs will be judged on by the umpire. Playing with an illegal bat will cause the ball to become dead, the batter is called out; and without warning, he/she ejected from the game. Base runners may not advance.
6. The second infraction will result in forfeiture or the contest in play and ineligibility for the playoffs.
7. Gloves may be worn by any player but mitts may be used only by the catcher and first baseman. No top lacing, webbing, or other device between the thumb and body of the glove or mitt may be more than 5 inches in length. Gloves may not be thrown to stop a ball. The resulting penalty will be an additional base to the runner.
8. The batter-runner or base runner is not out if a fielder making a play on him uses an illegal glove. The captain of the team is given two options:
A. He/she may have the entire play nullified with each base runner returning to their original base and the batter/runner batting over and assuming the ball and strike count he/she had prior to the pitch they hit.
B. Take the result of the play.
9. Athletic shoes must be worn by all players, soccer/football style cleats are permitted but metal cleats may not be worn. Players found with metal cleats will be ejected from the game. No flip flops or sandals may be worn.
10. Types of equipment or substances which will be declared illegal include: headgear other than a baseball hat, any slippery, sticky foreign substance on any equipment or exposed part of the body, and any equipment which includes computers or any electronic or mechanical devices (I.e. bullhorns) for communication. Sunglasses are permitted.
11. Leg and knee braces made of hard, unyielding material (unless covered on both sides and all edges overlapped with at least 1/2 inch of protective material) will be declared illegal.

III. TIMING REGULATIONS AND SUBSTITUTES
Timing Regulations
A. The game is 50 minutes in duration, monitored by the Intramural Supervisor on duty.
B. An inning will be completed, even if the time limit has expired.
C. A new inning will be started unless time has expired prior to the 3rd out for the home team.
D. Following seven innings or the completion of the 50 min time limit, regular season games can end in a tie. In the playoffs, the game will continue until a team wins.
Substitutions
A. If a player is injured or gets ejected and there are no other substitutes, an out will be awarded each time the player in question is supposed to bat.
B. No pinch runners are allowed unless there is an injury. The last batted out will be the pinch runner.

IV. GROUND RULES
Restraining Lines
A. A ball that is overthrown, from any position on the field, and crosses over this line is declared a dead ball and results in the runner(s) being allowed to advance two bases beyond the base the runner occupied at the point of the throw. A runner is considered to occupy a base when they reach and tag the given base.
B. A legal catch of a fly ball outside of this line can be made if the fielder keeps both feet within the restraining lines.
C. A fair ball hit that is untouched by a defensive fielder and carries over the restraining line becomes dead.
D. On fields 3 and 6, if a foul ball goes past the light poles the ball is considered to be dead and an out will not be rewarded if the ball is caught by the defense. Also, any foul ball that hits a tree or some other foreign object is considered dead.

V. BATTING
**A. Each batter will get a maximum of five pitches. If the batter does not swing or make contact with the ball after the fifth pitch, that batter is out.
B. The batter must not step directly across in front of the catcher to the other batter's box while the pitcher is in position and ready to pitch.
1. Once the game starts, the batting order must be followed throughout the game unless a player is replaced by a substitute. Substitutes must take the place of the removed player in the batting order.
2. It a team starts with less than 10 players, they may add players up to 10 any time during the game. New players will be added to the bottom of the lineup and teams may not use the AH once the leadoff has batted twice.
E. Batted balls, legal and illegal
1. If the batter bunts or chops at the ball, the ball becomes dead, and the batter is out and all runner(s) must return to the base he/she occupied prior to the pitch.
2. Balls that are hit into foul territory are counted as one of the batter’s five pitches.
3. If a batted ball hits an umpire:
a. Before passing an infielder, with the exception of the pitcher, the ball becomes dead and the batter is awarded first base. No runners advance unless forced to by the advancement of the batter or runner.
b. After passing an infielder, with the exception of the pitcher, it is a live ball.
4. A batter who hits a fair ball with the bat a second time (on the same pitch) results in a dead ball, with the batter called out, and no base runners advancing. Note: A ball that is hit a second time while in foul territory is ruled a foul ball even if the ball on the second hit results in the ball entering fair territory.
5. A fair ball is a legally batted ball which:
a. Settles or is touched on or over fair territory between home and first base and home and third base.
b. Bounds or rolls past first or third base in fair territory.
c. Bounds over any part of first or third base regardless of where the ball hits after going over the bag.
d. After passing first or third base in the air, lands in fair territory or is touched by a defensive player while over fair territory
e. Hits first, second, or third base.
f. The foul line and home plate is fair territory. For example, a batted ball that comes to rest on home plate is ruled a fair ball.
6. A foul ball is a legally batted ball which:
a. Settles or is touched on or over foul territory between home and first base and home and third base.
b. Bounds or rolls past first or third base on or over foul territory.
c. After passing first or third base in the air lands in foul territory or touches a defensive player while over foul territory.
d. Touches the batter or the bat in the batter's hands while the ball and batter are within the batter's box.
e. Immediately rebounds up from the ground or home plate and hits the bat while the batter is in the batter's box.
F. Batting Out Of Order
1. Is an appeal play which may be made by the defensive team. The defensive team forfeits its right to appeal batting out of order when one legal or illegal pitch has been made to the following batter, or when the pitcher and the infielder have left fair territory on their way to the dugout area.
2. If an error is discovered by either the offensive or defensive team while the incorrect batter is at bat, the correct batter will take his/her place and legally assume any balls or strikes.
3. If the error is discovered after the incorrect batter has completed his/her turn at bat and before a legal or illegal pitch has been made to the next batter, or before the infielders have left fair territory on their way to the dugout, results in:
a. The batter who should have batted called out.
b. Any scores made during the "at bat" nullified.
c. All runners returning to the base they occupied prior to the last pitch.
d. The next batter is the player whose name follows that of the player who failed to bat, regardless of whether he/she was the batter who hit out of order.
e. If the batter called out is the third out, the correct batter in the next inning will be the player who would have come to bat had the player been put out by a normal play.
4. Discovery in the error after the first legal or illegal pitch to the next batter, or after the infielders have left fair territory to the dugout, results in:
a. The turn of the bat of the incorrect batter being ruled legal.
b. Any runs scored ruled legal.
c. Any base runner(s) who advanced ruled legal.
d. The next batter is the one who follows the incorrect batter.
e. Any player(s) who failed to bat losing their turn at bat until reached again in the regular order.

VI. BASE RUNNING REGULATIONS
A. The base runner is not out:
1. When he/she runs behind or in front of the fielder and outside the baseline in order to avoid interfering with a fielder attempting to field the ball in the base path.
2. When he/she is hit by a fair batted ball after it touches or is touched by any fielder; including the pitcher, and could not avoid contact with the ball.
3. When he/she is touched with a ball not securely held by a fielder.
4. When hit by a batted ball when touching a base unless he/she intentionally interferes with the ball or a fielder making a play.
5. When a runner slides into a base and dislodges it from its proper position.
Succeeding runners must touch the proper area for the base.
6. When a runner slides into a base and continues to slide over it. We have flat bases and sometimes the runner can not stop sliding.
B. The base runner is out:
1. When a base runner fails to touch bases in legal order.
2. When he/she runs outside the base path (3 feet) which, in the umpire's judgment, interferes with a fielder making or taking a throw or avoids a tag.
3. When a base coach interferes with a fielder making a play. This includes any base coach who does not attempt to get out of the way of a fielder making a play in the coaches' box.
4. When any teammate or coach physically assists a runner (delayed dead ball call).
5. When a runner deliberately crashes into a defensive player. This results in the ball being declared dead and all other runners returning to the last base touched.
6. When he/she leaves a base prior to the pitch touching the ground, reaches home plate, or is batted. The ball is called dead, "No Pitch" declared, and the base runner is out.
7. When he/she abandons a base and leaves the field of play.
8.  When he/she slides head first or cleats up in to a base.

VII. PITCHING REGULATIONS
A. The pitcher must have one foot on the pitching rubber and his/her shoulders in line with 1st and 3rd base.
B. The pitcher must present the ball for a full second and then pitch.
C. If the pitcher drops the ball in the process of the pitch, the pitch is redone and the batter is not penalized.
D. A legal pitch must have an arc of at least 6 feet and not more than 12 feet. If the pitch does not fall within these limits, the batter still has the option to swing at the pitch and accepts the consequences of that action.
E. A legal pitch must be released with the pitcher’s palm open and facing the plate at the end of the release with no unnatural or added rotation to the ball on its path to the plate.

VIII: DEFINITIONS
Bunt (illegal) - a bunt is a tapped ball not swung at, but intentionally met with the bat and tapped slowly within the infield. The batter is out and the ball is dead. Chopped Ball (illegal) - a chopped hit ball is one at which the batter strikes downward with a chopping motion of the bat so that the ball bounces high into the air.
Base Path - a base path is an imaginary line 3 feet on either side of a direct line between the bases.
Fake Tag - a form of obstruction by a fielder who neither has the ball nor is about to receive the ball, and which impedes the progress of a runner either advancing or returning to a base. The runner does not have to stop or slide. Merely slowing down when a fake tag is administered would constitute obstruction. NOTE: A Player will be ejected from the game for a fake tag infraction.
Force Out - a force out is an out which may be made only when a base runner loses the right to the base he/she is occupying because the batter becomes a batter-runner, and before the batter-runner or a succeeding base runner has been put out.
Interference - interference is the act of an offensive player or team member which impedes or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play.
Obstruction - the act of:
a. a defensive player or team member hindering or preventing a batter from striking or hitting a pitched ball.
b. a fielder (1) not in possession of the ball, (2) not in the act of fielding a batted ball, or (3) not about to receive a thrown ball, impeding the progress of a base-runner or batter-runner.
 *The team at bat will be responsible for chasing all balls that leave the Intramural field area.
*If at any time conflict arises and cannot be settled between the two teams, the Intramural supervisor on duty will step in and decide the outcome of the situation.