LEAGUE RULES

North Reading Men’s Softball League (NRMSL) IN COMPLIANCE WITH USSSA RULEBOOK 2022, PLUS THE FOLLOWING:

1. The league will remain as: 1 division of 7 teams with all teams making the playoffs. 1 seed will get a first round bye, with 2v7, 3v6, 4v5 squaring off in round 1 (quarterfinals). Teams will be reseeded after each round. Playoff rounds will be as follows:
   1. Quarterfinals – best of 3 series
   2. Semifinals – best of 3 series
   3. Championship – best of 5 series
2. 1 umpire per game for regular season and playoffs rounds (excluding championship round).
3. 2 umpires per game for championship round of playoffs.
4. $60.00 fee per umpire per game for regular season games and playoffs rounds (excluding championship round), split between both teams ($30 each).
5. $80.00 fee per game for championship round of playoff games, split between both teams ($40 each).
6. Home teams are responsible for bases.  Each team must have a safety base to be used at first base.
7. All players must have a team shirt with a number on it.
8. All games start at 6:15 or 6:30. Pay attention to the schedule for game time.  There is a 15-minute grace period.  Forfeit will result if a team does not have a minimum of 8 players.
9. Players arriving after the start of the game may enter the game at any time after the completion of the inning in which they arrived. Late arriving players must be placed at the bottom of the batting order.
10. 20-man roster maximum, 12 minimum. Team Managers must submit a roster to a member of the League Committee at both mid-season and directly before the start of the league playoffs. Submitted rosters include number of games played for each player listed on the roster. Once a player has been submitted on a roster he is not permitted to play for any other team until that current season concludes.   Directly before the league playoffs all qualifying teams must submit team scorebooks to a member of the League Committee, scorebooks will be reviewed. Scorebooks at this time will be deemed either "acceptable" or "questioned." If "questioned" all questionable players will be presented at a meeting of team managers (one from each team) for a vote on the legality of the players. Any player deemed illegal for participation in league playoffs will not be able to participate in the playoffs and one additional player from the roster will be selected by the opposing playoff team for non-participation in the playoffs. Following review by the league committee there will be no hearings or appeals held.  Do not assume playoff rosters have been approved until official notification by a League Committee member. Roster is frozen on July 1. Any team may add or delete players up to that time. (REVISED 2020)
11. OFFICIAL GAME: A game is considered a regulation game -- also known as an "official game" -- once the visiting team has made 12 outs (four innings) and the home team is leading, or once the home team has made 12 outs regardless of score.
12. POSTPONEMENTS – Games postponed due to inclement weather or poor field conditions will be made up at a later date agreed to by the impacted teams.  Decisions to play in questionable weather will be voted on by all team managers playing that night with a decision made by 4:30pm at the latest.  If more than one game is scheduled, voting to play/postpone will be decided on a by field-by-field basis.
    1. If both managers agree to postpone, a makeup date will be determined.
    2. If both managers agree to play, the game will go on.  If it is determined by the umpire at the field that it is not suitable for play after the first pitch has been thrown, the game will be postponed at the umpire's discretion, and the umpire will receive 50% of the game fees.
    3. If both managers are at an impasse to play/postpone, a tiebreaking decision will be made by Mike Dotolo as he lives right by the fields.
13. MULLIGANS/FORFEITS – NEW FOR 2023 AND TO BE REVISITED IN OFFSEASON: No regular season mulligans.  One playoff game mulligan per team, only if declared by 6pm the previous night, allowing for 24 hours' notice.  If a team is unable to field a team for any reason, regular or postseason, this team will forfeit the game and the opposing team will be credited with a 7-0 forfeit victory. Each team is provided one mulligan (ability to reschedule a game for any reason) for the regular season and the makeup date for the game will be agreed upon by both teams impacted by the mulligan.  If a team has used their mulligan and is unable to field a team for any reason, this team will forfeit the game and the opposing team will be credited with a 7-0 forfeit victory.
14. Each batter begins his at-bat with a 1-1 count. A foul ball on the third strike is not an out. A foul ball on the fourth strike is a strike out.
15. PITCHERS MOUND – 50 feet from the back of the plate to the front of the pitching rubber.
16. 3–10-foot arc will be used. The pitch must travel at minimum 3 feet in the air from the point of release from the pitcher’s hand, not to exceed 10 feet from the ground.
17. Courtesy runners may be used five times per game. Courtesy runners can only be used if the batter is on 1st base.  If the batter made it beyond 1st base, there is no courtesy runner option.  The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out. If a team decides to offer the opponent more than 5 runners, then the runner amount will be unlimited.
18. SLAUGHTER RULE – 15 runs after 5 complete innings. Home team always has the last at bat. The rule applies during the regular season and playoffs.
19. HOMERUN RULE – “4 Progressive”.  A team is allowed 4 homeruns. After the fourth homerun any other homeruns hit by that team will be an out until the opposing team hits their fourth home run. After each team hits 4 homeruns, either team is then able to hit a 5th homerun. Any homerun hit by the team that hit the 5th homerun is then deemed to be an out until the opposing team hits their fifth homerun.  This “progression” can continue until the end of the game. The rule applies to “Mullin” field only and only to 1) home runs hit over the fence or 2) homeruns that hit the pine trees.
20. BATS
    1. Wooden bats only. All legal bats are listed on the NRMSL Bat List. Any other bat is deemed to be illegal.
    2. To have a bat added to the bat list a request shall be submitted to the League Committee. The committee will review pertinent information regarding the bat and determine whether it will be added to the official bat list. A bat under review is not legal.
    3. The “legality” of a bat can only be questioned at two specific times during a game: 1) during an at-bat or 2) immediately after the batter has put the ball into play. If the legality of a bat is questioned, and the bat in question is deemed to be illegal, the batter will be ruled out and any runners will be returned to their original base.
    4. The legality of a bat can be questioned at any point in the game (if the questioning team follows rule 19C).  In other words, just because a bat was used earlier in the game and not questioned does not mean 1) that it is legal and 2) that it can’t be questioned at a point later in the game.
    5. Umpires will not rule on (or check on) bats prior to the game
    6. If a player is found to be using an illegal bat, that player is ejected from the game, suspended for three additional games and the players team will immediately forfeit the game. Upon second offense the player will be suspended for the duration of the season, will not be able to participate in playoffs and the players team will immediately forfeit the game.  Players ejected for the use of an illegal bat face harsher penalties than the penalties under rule 20 PLAYER EJECTION. (REVISED 2020)
    7. Every team should have a copy of the bat list with them at every game. Teams cannot question the legality of a bat if they do not have a list to show the umpire.
    8. If the make and model of a bat cannot be determined due to the condition of the bat, that bat is deemed to be illegal.
21. PLAYER EJECTION – Inappropriate behavior as determined by the umpire, (including foul language) will result in ejection.
    1. First offense = remainder of game + next game
    2. Second offense = remainder of game + following 2 games
    3. Third offense = immediate suspension for the remainder of the season including playoffs. This rule is inclusive of regular season games and playoff games. League reserves the right to impose additional action, depending on the severity of the act, by vote. (Players ejected due to use of an illegal bat face penalties listed under rule 19F.) (REVISED 2020)
22. Players must play greater than or equal to 50% of the actual games played by their respective team to be eligible for the playoffs. To be credited for a game, players must participate in the game for at least 2 full 3 out innings in the field and have had at least one at-bat during this time. If a player is an eh/dh they must have at least two consecutive at-bats or bat by the end of the fifth inning and be available if the spot in the order comes up again before the ending of the game. A eh/dh batting in the sixth or seventh inning does not qualify unless they have batted twice before the conclusion of the game.  Forfeit team players = 0 game credit, winner by forfeit = full game credit (all players on roster). (REVISED 2020)
23. The team with the best record will have the choice of home field in the finals. In all playoff series the team with the best record is home for the first game.
24. Standings are based on winning percentage.  In the event of a duplicate record, the following tiebreakers are used to determine seeding:
    1. Head-to-head record.  If both teams have split the season series:
    2. Runs Allowed Head-to-head.  If both teams have the same runs allowed head-to-head:
    3. Runs Scored Head-to-head
25. Team managers are exempt from having to play half of the season. Individuals over the age of 45 must play in at least six games (meeting the criteria for a "game appearance") to potentially qualify for playoffs. A limit of two players per team may qualify under this rule, additional players over the age of 45 must follow the guidelines listed under bi-law 21. Over 45 is defined as being 45 years old by May 1st of the current softball season. For the 2023 softball season this means anyone born prior to May 1, 1978 (REVISED 2023)
26. Roster exemption for the playoffs.  Each team may use 1 player that has been rostered but didn’t make the minimum number of games due to bereavement of an immediate family member.  This player must have played in at least 20% of the played games for that team.