Berkeley Over 60 Senior Softball League c/o Tom Olson

Roster Development & Maintenance Rules 2025-2026

December/January/February 2026

A Rules subcommittee was formed after a fall 2025 Berkley Senior Softball League meeting agreement by the managers, to draft a set of rules for Roster Development and Maintenance (RD&M). Members selected included Gary Ivenosa, Ed De Castro, and Tom Olson. John Downling was then added prior to the first subcommittee mtg. The RD&M committee was tasked with crafting a first draft and to bring it to the leadership team for discussion, revision, and final approval for the upcoming 2026 summer season, to be added to the official league rules. The RD&M committee met twice, Oct 30 and Dec 18 to craft a draft. The idea for a set of roster rules was centered on the concept that these rules will be good for the overall health of the league moving forward. 

This committee started with the following general ideas:

1. These rules will apply moving forward, and are not retroactive. 

2. These rules will apply to the current summer rosters of 2025.

3. One of the beliefs is these rules should be devised to promote competitive balance. 

4. The first set of rules should be minimal in order to try and keep it simple.

5. These rules can be revised in future years by a majority vote of the managers. 

Roster Development & Maintenance Rules 2025-2026

1. Roster Maintenance

1. A manager has the power to remove a player from their roster in the off season. Once on the roster after the spring draft, the player must stay on that roster for the full summer season, including playoffs.  

2. Rosters have to have a minimum of fifteen (15) players to start a season. Rosters cannot have more than twenty-two (22) players at any one time. Players must attend a minimum of one third of the season’s games (a prorated number if  mid-season draftees) to be eligible for the playoffs. Players injured can attend a game and have it count towards their playoff eligibility minimum number of games. 

The attendance keeping system will be: Manager to assign two players (per team) responsible for lineup exchange at the start of the game, and turn the exchanged lineup cards in at the end of the game. The league to supply the lineup cards, as needed. Line up cards will be exchanged at the start of the game. Full names should be used. Each team will also send an electronically copy (required) to the committee representative, to be established each year, as soon as possible after each game. The physical copy of the other team’s lineup card needs to be handed in to an attendance committee member (one player assigned from every team) in a timely manner to be kept for the season, if needed, for a dispute of playoff eligibility. 

3. Starting in 2026, A player can be placed on IR by his manager for one full year for illness/injury but needs to be part of the twenty-two (22) players on the roster. A player on IR can come off IR and play in the playoffs if that player attends or plays the required minimum of games established by the league each year. 

4. Starting in 2026, given there is a rule of the maximum number of players on the roster (22), a player may stay on a roster for one year without playing. If that player misses two consecutive years, that player must enter the draft for year three. That player must play/attend at least one game in the season to extend that timeline for another year. Playing/attending one game in year two will extend that timeline for another year. If the player does not play at all in year 3, that player must enter the draft. 

5. Players who are released from a team in the offseason will enter the next season’s draft. Players released must be notified by March 31 of their release, by their manager. The manager will also notify the Commissioner’s leadership team of the release by March 31. 

B. Roster Development

1. Spring Draft: All new players and players who have been released or quit their respective teams(s) will be placed in a common draft for the spring. Players who wish to leave their team’s roster voluntarily must notify their manager and league leadership by March 31. Draft order will be the last team first up to the first team last (based on the prior year’s entire season finish, winning percentage). No snake draft for the spring season, a traditional draft order will be used. Draft order is based on complete season winning percentage, including playoffs. A tie in winning percentage after the season for the draft will be settled by head-to-head record for the entire season. If still tied, then run differential for the entire season. If still tied, then coin toss. In the draft, once a team passes in a round, that team is out for the rest of that draft and cannot draft again in that draft.  

2. A new player must attend a mandatory league tryout attended by the majority of managers. Mandatory tryouts will include the annual tryout day(s) in the spring and a mid-season date. If a player has a legitimate reason and is unable to attend any of the mandatory league tryouts, there is an option to be evaluated at the winter practices. This winter tryout alternative will require a minimum of three council members to evaluate the player and report to the rest of the managers.  A player who played in the summer league in the past who is now considered a new player may be exempt from the mandatory draft if a majority of managers vote to allow them to miss the mandatory tryout and enter the draft, since the managers know this player’s ability. 

3. New Teams and the Draft:  New teams must submit a minimum of a 15 player roster by March 1st to be considered for the upcoming season. A majority of managers must approve the new team’s entrance into the league. The new team needs to provide a non-refundable deposit of $500 by March 1 to be counted towards the forthcoming league fees. This approval process should include an evaluation of the new team’s roster to address the league’s parity belief. Given the rule that a player who leaves a team will enter the draft, new teams cannot take players from an existing team without a majority vote from the managers. If a majority vote is completed, the managers must also come up with a fair method to distribute talent to the team losing existing players. New teams will be allowed to enter their first year’s draft with the final pick in each round of that draft.  

4. Trades:  A trade can be made for players, draft picks, or a combination of the two. Trades with players require approval by the potential traded players and the coaches of those said players. If all approve, the trade takes place, but only in the off season. Once the season starts, no trades can happen. All trades must be discussed at a league meeting prior to approval. If a majority of managers feel a player or manager involved in the trade is preventing a trade for inappropriate reasons, a majority of managers (or a newly established trade commission) can vote to decide the outcome of that trade. 

5. Every two to three years, the managers, by majority vote, will consider another draft with 5-8 protected players and hold a redraft similar to the 2024 realignment draft. This is to promote a discussion of league competitiveness and possible realignment, if approved by vote.