We will continue to use ASA Rules and Umpires for the 2017 season. For a complete list of ASA rules and rule interpretations please refer to the official ASA website (www/asasoftball.com). The following rule amendments have been put into place for the betterment of our league and supersede any ASA rules in the event of a conflict.

The Ellis League is a Men's Christian Softball League and our primary goal is just to have fun and fellowship with other Christian men through the sport of softball. Yes... we are all competitive at heart, but this league exists for the glory of God our Father and not for individual or team glory. Remember it's not worth winning any game, if you have to lose your soul in order to do so.

Teams & Divisions: We will continue to have two divisions or levels of play again this year. The A or 1st Division will be for more competitive teams and the B or 2nd Division will be for teams that are geared more for a Recreational level of play.

Use of Fields:  Please remember that we are "guests" and that we have been granted special permission to use these fields, without any cost to the league, for us to play our games. So please be certain to clean up after ourselves and our teams after the games are over. Bottom line... we should always leave the fields and dugouts in better shape than we found them.

Field Dimensions: The distance should 65 feet between bases and 50 feet between the pitching rubber and the back corner of home plate.

Equipment & Set-Up: It is the responsibility of the Home team to provide and set up the bases, pitching rubber and strike zone mat. The Visiting team should provide and set-up the "Safety Base" right next to 1st Base and extending into foul territory.

Game Balls: Each Team will provide 1 New and 1 Used ball for use each week; although more balls may be needed if hit into hazard areas and are lost so always bring a few extras. All game balls should be ASA approved and 52 Core/300 Compression, Optic Yellow. The league preferred ball is the Worth Hot Dot, but you may also use any other brand of softball as long as it meets the aforementioned league criteria.

Bats: All bats must be clearly marked with one of the approved ASA seals in order to be used during a league game. If the bat is legal and the seal is rubbed or worn off it will be deemed illegal. Please refer to the list provided to you to identify bats that were once legal and have been revoked or deemed illegal. All bats should be checked by the umpire and both team captains prior to the start of the game to avoid conflict. No bats can be introduced to the game after that point until they have been properly checked by both captains and the umpire and should in no way cause a stoppage of play. The umpire has complete authority of when this can or can not happen.

Game Completion: The 1st game will be 1 hour in length regardless of the number of innings played. In case of a tie after the 1 hour mark, one additional inning* will be played to see if a winner can be determined. The 2nd game has no time limit and should start immediately following the 1st game. The 2nd game should be played until the completion of 7 full innings or until the umpire deems that it is too dark to continue. *All extra Innings will start with a runner on 2nd base (whomever made the last out of the previous inning) and 1 out. Please do your best to keep the game moving and avoid unnecessary delays that cost us daylight.

Pitching: Legally pitched balls will be those in which the pitching arc is at least 6' in height with a maximum of 12'. Calls made for "illegally" flat or excessive height pitches will be made at sole discretion of the home plate umpire and should be made silently and indicated by a hand/arm gesture only until the pitch hits the ground. The batter may at his own discretion, choose to swing at a "illegal" pitch thus overruling the umpire's illegal pitch call. The result of the batter's swing attempt will be enforced. Any legally pitched ball which strikes any part of the strike zone mat will be ruled a strike. In both leagues, all batters will begin with a 1 & 1 count. In the 2nd Division only, a courtesy strike will be given to each batter. For Example: You have 2 strikes already and you "foul off" a pitch that would normally result in strike 3; you will be given a "courtesy strike" and receive another pitch.

Courtesy Runners: Each team is allowed one pinch runner per inning of play, in addition to any players who were identified prior to the start of the game as needing a runner due to legitimate physical limitations. In either situation, the player must reach first base safely before a runner may be substituted into the game. The pinch runner should always be the last batted out.

Umpires: Each team should pay the umpire $15 per game for their services. Additionally, umpires should always be called ASAP anytime there is a rain out or schedule change. Failure to contact the umpire will result in a penalty of $30 per team if the umpire shows up as scheduled. You can also contact our senior umpire, Jeff Comrey, if needed. Please be respectful of our all our umpires, without them the league would suffer greatly.

Playoffs: The league playoff format is TBD. Updates will be posted on our league website when available.

Game Results: Please text or e-mail me your game scores immediately following the conclusion of your games. We live in a mobile world and this shouldn't be too difficult for anyone. I would prefer to get the scores from both teams to ensure accuracy. Thanks in advance for your cooperation on this.

Team Rosters: The purpose of this league is to be evangelistic in nature, so there are no official team rosters but under no circumstance should you borrow more than one player from another team's regular roster to complete a game. You should reschedule (if possible) or forfeit. Again, this is a Christian league. Let's treat each other with respect and honor God by doing the right thing and avoiding possible conflicts. 

Players and Substitutions: To be legal a game each team must start with at least 8 players. The inability to field a team consisting of 8 players will result in a forfeit and the forfeiting team must pay the all of the umpire fees for that night ($30/game). Teams may use up to 10 players on defense, but you may bat as many as you like. Any player arriving after the start of the game must be added to the end of the line up. If a player leaves the game due to injury no penalty will be required, if a player leaves for any other reason an automatic out will occur when his turn at bat occurs, unless you are able to sub in a new player to replace him in your teams line up.

We have created these rules to help us enjoy our league and the competition and fellowship that results from playing in it. There will likely be some situations that arise this season that are not covered here and I would ask you to please remember that we are all brothers in Christ and do what He would have you do and find the best way to resolve the situation. Please remember that our growth in Jesus is our greatest victory!  

In effort to make this rule simpler and to eliminate the enemy's urge to make us bicker with our Christian brothers we have revised the league's bat rule. There is a very short 1 page list (with model names/numbers and pictures) of 29 recalled ASA bats that are not legal for our league. All other properly marked ASA Approved bats are legal for use in our league in 2019.

To be legal in any league games all bats used must bear either the ASA approved 2000 certification mark, the ASA 2004 certification mark, or the ASA 2013 Certification Mark (Slow Pitch ONLY) as shown below and must not be listed on the ASA Non-Approved Bat List with Certification Marks.