Softball Rules

Softball League Rules

Volo welcomes all players. As with our workplace practices, we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We strictly prohibit harassment of any kind. To read our full Player Code of Conduct, please reference this PDF.

Volo Policies

• Teams without the minimum players will forfeit after 10 minutes from their designated start time (the time is yours if you want to scrimmage!).

• The Top 4 teams are guaranteed to make playoffs unless otherwise noted or if a team forfeits 2 times.

• Rules in bold indicate the most commonly confused rules 

10 v 10

• Rule #1: Be kind! 

• Games are 50 minutes (60 min on weekends) from the start time or 6 innings, whichever comes first

• Roster minimum: 15

  • 10 players on the field (7 men/ non binary players max) - Coed Only

  • Minimum to play: 6 (including 1 woman). If only 1 woman is present, an out is recorded every time the 2nd woman should rotate in to bat - Coed Only

• Bats provided at ALL locations

• WOOD BATS ONLY AT JOSE MARTI (This means bats with composite handles are not acceptable.) Bats also must be ASA, USSA or NSA certified. Corndog bats are not allowed!

• Gloves ARE NOT PROVIDED. Please bring your own

Basic Rules

• AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH GAME 

  • Both teams MUST submit a written list of their batting order to the ump

  • Captains will rock, paper scissors to determine who gets to choose who is home and away. In playoffs, bracket ranking give the team the choice of being home or away 

• NO bunting - bunts are a foul ball (at the ref’s discretion)

• Batter gets 1 courtesy foul with 2 strikes, the second foul is out. Foul balls hit with 1 strike, are considered a strike but do not count as the courtesy foul

• Pitching

  • ALL pitches MUST be thrown underhand

  • Ball should be thrown between 6 ft. (min) to 12 ft. (max) measured from the ground. If the ball hits home plate or the strike mat, then it is a strike

• All games are to be played by the rules of the field. This applies specifically in the instance a field location is switched due to extenuating circumstances and field rules don't match the typical rules of the specific league.

• Losing team always bats 1st in the last inning even if they started the game as the fielding team. They will have the top of the inning to tie or surpass their opponents. If they are able to do so, the opposing team will get the last chance to bat. Games can end in a tie

• If a team has 8+ players, one player MUST fill the catcher position. If a team has 7 players or less, they may ask their opponents or the ref to provide someone to throw the ball back, but they will not be involved in defensive plays.

• Infield fly rule applies when there is 0 or 1 out with runners at 1st & 2nd, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 

  • Regardless of if the ball is caught, the batter is automatically out if they hit a pop up in the infield

• Any play made at home plate is an automatic force out (the runner is encouraged to tag the strike mat while the catcher should tag the plate). Once a runner has passed the ‘commit cone’ between 3rd base and home plate, they must continue advancing toward home plate. 

Batting

• ALL batters WILL START WITH A 1-1 COUNT

  • 3 balls = walk, 2 strikes = out (batter is allowed one courtesy foul ball)

• Sliding is ALLOWED

  • Slides that result in excessive contact with a defensive player will result in the runner being out (ref’s discretion)

• No more than 3 men/non-binary players can bat in a row - Coed Only

  • Women can bat multiple times within batting order to have 3-1 ratio; MUST keep batting order in regards to other women

  • If only 1 Woman is present, an out will be recorded for every time the 2nd woman should rotate in to bat. (i.e. woman 1- Man/NB 1 - Man/ NB 2- Man/NB 3- OUT- Man/NB 1- Man/NB 2- Man/NB 3 - Woman1)

  • In open leagues, all teams must submit a Lineup to the ump

• A max of 3 out of the park home runs allowed per team per game. After 3, each subsequent home run will result in a walk for the offensive team. If there’s no force (ie no runner on first base), runners do not advance.

• A ball caught in the air in foul territory, it is an out. If it is dropped and both the defender and the ball are in foul territory, it is still a foul ball and the play is dead. If the dropped ball lands in fair territory or the player touches the ball while in fair territory, the ball is live.

• Foul tips are any batted ball that goes straight back to the catch and is caught. These will be treated as strikes. However, if the ball travels above head level, it is considered a regular foul ball and can be caught for an out. 

Innings

• 6 innings in a game or 50 mins (60 min for weekend leagues)

• Final inning (“next inning last inning” ) will be called 10 minutes before the time limit

  • Losing team bats first in final inning

  • Games CAN end in a tie during the regular season

• Mercy Rule

  • Max. 5 runs can be scored per inning (EXCEPT the last inning - no limit)

  • If a team leads by 10 or more after 5 full innings the game is over. Teams can agree to continue but scores will be recorded after the 5th inning.

• Tie Breaker Rule (Only applies to playoffs and tournaments)

  • Extra innings will be played in the event of a tie game. The extra innings will start with 1 out and a runner on 2nd base.

Base Running

• NO stealing or leading off

  • Runner CANNOT leave their base until the pitched ball is hit

• NO pick off attempts

• The ball is DEAD on a pitch once it hits the ground (or a player) and when the ump calls time.

• Overthrow rule:  If the ball is deemed out of play or unplayable, ALL runners are awarded 1 base from the base LAST possessed upon release of the throw. If the ball is OVERTHROWN and REMAINS in play, the game continues

• Safety Bases

  • The strike mat is an extension of home plate and may be used to touch for scoring runners or force-outs.

  • Please use the orange safety base when running to first base!

Softball League Rules

Volo welcomes all players. As with our workplace practices, we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We strictly prohibit harassment of any kind. To read our full Player Code of Conduct, please reference this PDF.

Volo Policies

• Teams without the minimum players will forfeit after 10 minutes from their designated start time (the time is yours if you want to scrimmage!).

• The Top 4 teams are guaranteed to make playoffs unless otherwise noted or if a team forfeits 2 times.

• Rules in bold indicate the most commonly confused rules 

10 v 10

• Rule #1: Be kind! 

• Games are 50 minutes (60 min on weekends) from the start time or 6 innings, whichever comes first

• Roster minimum: 15

  • 10 players on the field (7 men/ non binary players max) - Coed Only

  • Minimum to play: 6 (including 1 woman). If only 1 woman is present, an out is recorded every time the 2nd woman should rotate in to bat - Coed Only

• Bats provided at ALL locations

• WOOD BATS ONLY AT JOSE MARTI (This means bats with composite handles are not acceptable.) Bats also must be ASA, USSA or NSA certified. Corndog bats are not allowed!

• Gloves ARE NOT PROVIDED. Please bring your own

Basic Rules

• AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH GAME 

  • Both teams MUST submit a written list of their batting order to the ump

  • Captains will rock, paper scissors to determine who gets to choose who is home and away. In playoffs, bracket ranking give the team the choice of being home or away 

• NO bunting - bunts are a foul ball (at the ref’s discretion)

• Batter gets 1 courtesy foul with 2 strikes, the second foul is out. Foul balls hit with 1 strike, are considered a strike but do not count as the courtesy foul

• Pitching

  • ALL pitches MUST be thrown underhand

  • Ball should be thrown between 6 ft. (min) to 12 ft. (max) measured from the ground. If the ball hits home plate or the strike mat, then it is a strike

• All games are to be played by the rules of the field. This applies specifically in the instance a field location is switched due to extenuating circumstances and field rules don't match the typical rules of the specific league.

• Losing team always bats 1st in the last inning even if they started the game as the fielding team. They will have the top of the inning to tie or surpass their opponents. If they are able to do so, the opposing team will get the last chance to bat. Games can end in a tie

• If a team has 8+ players, one player MUST fill the catcher position. If a team has 7 players or less, they may ask their opponents or the ref to provide someone to throw the ball back, but they will not be involved in defensive plays.

• Infield fly rule applies when there is 0 or 1 out with runners at 1st & 2nd, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 

  • Regardless of if the ball is caught, the batter is automatically out if they hit a pop up in the infield

• Any play made at home plate is an automatic force out (the runner is encouraged to tag the strike mat while the catcher should tag the plate). Once a runner has passed the ‘commit cone’ between 3rd base and home plate, they must continue advancing toward home plate. 

Batting

• ALL batters WILL START WITH A 1-1 COUNT

  • 3 balls = walk, 2 strikes = out (batter is allowed one courtesy foul ball)

• Sliding is ALLOWED

  • Slides that result in excessive contact with a defensive player will result in the runner being out (ref’s discretion)

• No more than 3 men/non-binary players can bat in a row - Coed Only

  • Women can bat multiple times within batting order to have 3-1 ratio; MUST keep batting order in regards to other women

  • If only 1 Woman is present, an out will be recorded for every time the 2nd woman should rotate in to bat. (i.e. woman 1- Man/NB 1 - Man/ NB 2- Man/NB 3- OUT- Man/NB 1- Man/NB 2- Man/NB 3 - Woman1)

  • In open leagues, all teams must submit a Lineup to the ump

• A max of 3 out of the park home runs allowed per team per game. After 3, each subsequent home run will result in a walk for the offensive team. If there’s no force (ie no runner on first base), runners do not advance.

• A ball caught in the air in foul territory, it is an out. If it is dropped and both the defender and the ball are in foul territory, it is still a foul ball and the play is dead. If the dropped ball lands in fair territory or the player touches the ball while in fair territory, the ball is live.

• Foul tips are any batted ball that goes straight back to the catch and is caught. These will be treated as strikes. However, if the ball travels above head level, it is considered a regular foul ball and can be caught for an out. 

Innings

• 6 innings in a game or 50 mins (60 min for weekend leagues)

• Final inning (“next inning last inning” ) will be called 10 minutes before the time limit

  • Losing team bats first in final inning

  • Games CAN end in a tie during the regular season

• Mercy Rule

  • Max. 5 runs can be scored per inning (EXCEPT the last inning - no limit)

  • If a team leads by 10 or more after 5 full innings the game is over. Teams can agree to continue but scores will be recorded after the 5th inning.

• Tie Breaker Rule (Only applies to playoffs and tournaments)

  • Extra innings will be played in the event of a tie game. The extra innings will start with 1 out and a runner on 2nd base.

Base Running

• NO stealing or leading off

  • Runner CANNOT leave their base until the pitched ball is hit

• NO pick off attempts

• The ball is DEAD on a pitch once it hits the ground (or a player) and when the ump calls time.

• Overthrow rule:  If the ball is deemed out of play or unplayable, ALL runners are awarded 1 base from the base LAST possessed upon release of the throw. If the ball is OVERTHROWN and REMAINS in play, the game continues

• Safety Bases

  • The strike mat is an extension of home plate and may be used to touch for scoring runners or force-outs.

  • Please use the orange safety base when running to first base!