Orange County Fall Ball

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             Fall Ball Rules (PDF)     (revised 9/3)             Fall Brawl Tournament Rules (PDF)  revised 8/27

ORANGE COUNTY FALL BALL

FAST PITCH LEAGUE 2009

RULES and POLICIES

 

SECTION 1 TEAM FORMATION

  1. Leagues may form their Fall Ball teams in any manner, with equity in mind.
  2. Each team may have a maximum of 15 players on their roster.
  3. All Players will be ASA age appropriate. Age cut off date is Jan 1st.
  4. Practices for Fall Ball can start no earlier then July 31st.
  5. In the 8U, 10U and 12U divisions, teams will be placed in one of two divisions and will be defined as either a Gold or Silver team based upon the makeup of the team. In the 14U divisions all teams will be placed in the same division.
  6. In the 8U, 10U and 12U divisions all ASA Designated B-leagues are required to provide a team that meets the “Gold” team requirements or is competitive enough to play a “Gold” level schedule. Exceptions will be considered for the ASA C leagues. It is strongly recommended, that C leagues consider forming at least one Gold team in the 12U division. For the 2009 Fall Ball season the following 7 leagues are ASA C-leagues: Aliso Viejo, San Clemente, Newport-Mesa, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana and San Juan Capistrano.
  7. For any 8U B, 10U B and 12U B teams, the teams that finish 1st place or 2nd place in the Fall Brawl Tournament must play at the “Gold” level in the Pumpkin and Turkey Tournaments.  The teams that finish 1st or 2nd place in the Pumpkin Tournament must play Gold level in the Turkey Tournament.
    1. “Gold” teams will be defined as: Teams having on their Fall Ball roster, five (5) or more current year district All Star players or eight (8) or more current year district + tournament all-stars. Teams will play each other during the season and tournaments.  (District all-star is defined in section 2.5)
    2. “Silver” teams will be defined as: Teams having on their Fall Ball roster, four (4) or less current year district All Star players or seven (7) or less current year district + tournament all-stars. Teams in this category have the option of playing up in the “Gold” division during the season or tournament play.
    3. If an ALL STAR player is Playing Up in a higher division during the Fall Ball season, they will not be considered an All Star player for the purpose of team classification. (i.e, a 10U All Star playing in 12U is not considered an All star for that team).
  8. MOVE-UP Players: In ALL DIVISIONS, teams can have a maximum of four (4) players who are playing Fall Ball in a division higher than the division which the player played in the Spring Rec season.  The individual league and the Fall Ball Federation must approve exceptions.  Decisions to allow a team to have more than 4 move-up players will be based on an assessment of the competitiveness of the team. (Note: if a player played in 12U division in Spring and came down to 10U for All Stars, but is now playing 12U for Fall Ball, they are not considered a play up. Their division designation is where they played in spring)
  9. To be eligible for the Select Tournament, a player must have played in 50% of the fall Ball Select regular season games. (Exceptions may be made for players who missed games due to injuries.) “Be aware this applies to multiple sport athletes and travel ball players.
  10. Rosters will be FROZEN October 1st. No new players can be added.
  11. Current year ASA rules shall apply except as modified herein.
  12. Players must meet current ASA age rules. They must be the age in the division they are representing by Jan 1st.
  13. 14 and Under Division Only: High School players will be allowed to participate providing that the player was rostered or has “proof” of a tryout (and did not make a team and was too late for spring Rec registration) on her High School team for the 2008 Spring season. She can only play in the league in which she played during the Spring 2008 season. See section 2, #1 and #4.
  14. Each team staff is required to carry and be prepared to show proof of the following items: BIRTH CERTIFICATES OF ALL PLAYERS, PROOF OF INSURANCE FROM THEIR LEAGUE, AUTHORIZATION TO TREAT A MINOR, and an UPATED ROSTER at all times. A valid ASA card can be used as a substitute for the birth certificate and proof of insurance.  These items will be required at tournament check-in along with photos.

 

SECTION 2 PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

  1. Players must have played within the league during the current spring season and before May 1st. Exception: (14U) Section 1 rule 11.
  2. Players must have played a minimum of 50% of the current spring season games from the REC league they will represent in the fall. The exception to the 50% rule will be an injury that prevented the player from playing the regular season, i.e. broken arm leg, etc. (8U, 10U and 12U).
  3. TRAVEL BALL players will be defined as players who, during 2009, have participated in more than one game as a member of a Travel Ball team. Travel players that meet Fall Ball eligibility requirements will be considered a District All Star for the purpose of team formation. This will apply to 8U, 10U and 12U divisions.
  4. In the 14U division only a player who did not play in a Rec league in spring of 2009 is eligible to play Fall Ball for their own league in which she played in the Spring 2008 season.  The player must meet ASA age eligibility requirements and HS player requirements as stated above.
  5. Fall ball players at all ages will be allowed to play on a Travel Ball team during the fall season. However, there at no time can teams cancel games due to lack of being able to field a team because they are missing too many players to travel or other sports. If this becomes an issue, this needs to be managed by individual leagues. If there is a continual problem, the Federation may vote to drop that team from Tournament play.
  6. ALL STAR players will be defined as Players who were recognized as an All Star or played in the current year (2009) at District Championship games playing as an All Star from a given league in their respective division.
  7. The Fall Ball Federation will decide on all appeals and exceptions to player eligibility.

 

SECTION 3 GAME FORMAT

  1. Two (2) game doubleheaders will be played on seven (7) weekends between the Kickoff tournament (Fall Brawl) and the Turkey Tournament. These games may be day or night games and may be played on Saturday or Sunday depending upon field availability.  There will also be a Pumpkin Tournament in mid October for all age groups.
  2. Saturday games may begin at 8:00 am or end no later than 7:00 pm. Sunday games may begin at 9:00 am or end no later than 7:00 pm. Weekday games may not begin before 5:00 pm.
  3. The host team will be the HOME team for the first game of the double header and the visiting team will be the HOME team for the second game.
  4. Each team is required to provide one (1) new ball and a good back-up ball for one of the Double-Header games each weekend.
  5. No new inning will begin after one (1) hour thirty (30) minutes in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions. Play will stop (drop dead) at 1:40.  The score will revert to the previous inning if the home team is not ahead. 
  6. In the 8U division, no new inning shall begin after one (1) hour twenty (20) minutes.  Play will stop (drop dead) at 1:30.  The score will revert to the previous inning if the home team is not ahead.
  7. Games can end in a tie. In a tie game, if after seven innings are completed and if there is time remaining, the game may continue under the International Tie Breaker rules. Both teams must agree to continue to play or game ends in a tie.
  8. 10U “A” division will play by ASA 10A rules.  e.g. Home plate is open, only have 3 outfielders and dropped third strike is in effect.  However, 10U fall ball pitching limits and run rules will continue to apply.
  9. NO “official” Standings will be kept during the regular season of play.

 

 

 

SECTION 3B 8 and Under Division A and B

  1. The 8U division will play 10U ASA rules with the exceptions below. (ASA does not provide rules for 8U.)
  2. There will be NO coach pitch during the 2009 Fall Ball season of play in the 8U division.
  3. There will be a 15 out per double-header pitching rule for the 8U division.
  4. Home plate is closed, you may have 4 outfielders, and no dropped 3rd strike.

 

8U Offense Play:

  1. The batter is out on the 3rd strike dropped by the catcher, however, the ball remains live and runners on 1st and 2nd base may advance at their own risk. Runners on 3rd may not advance home.
  2. Runners on 1st and 2nd may steal one (1) base per pitch.
    1. The ball is live and in play
    2. Runners may not leave the base until the pitch has left the pitcher’s hand. The umpire will declare NO PITCH and an out when a runner leaves to soon. If more than one runner leaves early the umpire must determine which runner left too soon first and only that runner will be called out.
    3. A runner in sole possession of an illegally stolen base shall be returned to the correct base without liability to be put out when all other players have stopped. A runner standing on an illegal base cannot be tagged out. A runner not standing on a base can be tagged out.
    4. Overthrows by the catcher to the pitcher or to the bases do not result in additional bases by the runners. After all play has stopped, if a runner(s) has advanced beyond the one base to which they are entitled the umpire will call time and return runners back to the proper base(s).
    5. A runner cannot steal home, even on a play to another base or an over throw to the pitcher. Once the runner has touched home plate and after all other play has stopped, the umpire will call time and return the runner back to 3rd base. NOTE: A runner may be tagged out while off the base.
    6. The infield fly rule is not in effect at any time.

 

8U Defense Play

1.       NO more than 10 players will be allowed to play defense at one time.

2.       NO more than 5 players including the pitcher can be positioned in front of the baseline. Outfielders and the 10th player must remain behind the base line as four (4) outfield positions until the ball is hit, or the pitch reaches the plate. (An outfielder may cover a base on a stealing attempt as long as the fielder does not vacate the outfield position before the ball reaches the plate.) This rule also applies to the 10U division.

3.       NO player shall start in a defensive position closer than 25 feet to home plate measured from the front side of the plate anywhere between the 3rd  baseline and the 1st baseline.

4.       An unlimited number of free substitutions are allowed at anytime during a dead ball situation while on defense.

 

SECTION 4 EQUIPMENT

1.       Balls: Only ASA authorized WORTH softballs will be used as follows. NO EXCEPTIONS

a.       8U 10” Worth RIF 1

b.       10U 11” Blue Soft Dot SRIIRYSRIF Level 1

c.       12U 12” Worth Dream Seam

d.       14U 12” Worth Dream Seam

2.       Only ASA approved softball equipment such as catcher’s gear, bats and helmets may be used.

3.       A safety base (double base) should be used at first base.

4.    Base and pitching distances should be to ASA standards. 

                                                               i.      8U will use 30’ pitching distance

                                                             ii.      10U will use 35’ pitching distance

                                                            iii.      12u and 14u will use 40’ pitching distance

                                                            iv.      All levels will use the base distances of 60’.

 

 

SECTION 5 UMPIRES

1.       The host league will be responsible in providing umpires for each weekend double headers.

2.       Umpire fees shall not exceed $40.00 per game played, and shall be determined prior to game time. Please make sure ALL umpires are aware –regardless of location!

3.       Each team shall be responsible to pay the umpire in CASH prior to their home game.

4.       If a game is not cancelled with prior notification (See Section 5 Article 1) the team/league at fault will be responsible for paying the umpire(s).

5.       Each game shall have one (1) plate umpire. Base umpire is optional and shall be agreed to by both teams prior to game time if those teams want to pay an additional fee for that 2nd umpire. Leagues are not required to pay for 2 umpires.

6.       Our Umpire (UIC) will attend Fall Ball meetings for any rule updates, and to update Federation on any issues encountered during games that need to be dealt with.

 

SECTION 6 CANCELLED GAMES

  1. Should a team for any reason have to cancel their games on a given weekend, they must notify the opponent no later than 6:00pm on the Thursday prior to the weekend’s game.
  2. The host team must cancel the umpires at that time.
  3. When a game is cancelled, you must notify your league fall ball coordinator.
  4. NO make-up games will be scheduled

 

SECTION 7 PLAYER and GAME RULES

  1. Batting order will be round robin format.
  2. All teams will present a batting line-up to the other team prior to the start of the game, which will include all players present.
  3. No player may sit more than two consecutive innings over the two games. For example, if a player sits the final inning of game #1, they must play by the 2nd inning of game #2. *
  4. There will be free defensive substitution.
  5. Courtesy runners may be allowed for injured players or pitchers and catchers of record only without penalty. The courtesy runner will be the girl who had the last recorded out.
  6. Late arriving players maybe added to the bottom of the batting order.
  7. Players leaving early from a game will be stricken from the batting order with NO penalty or out taken. However they may not return to that same game.
  8. NO out will be taken for injured players not able to take their turn at bat, however they shall not return to play in the game.
  9. If a player is too injured to player her defensive position, then she is too injured to bat. Make sure rule 3 is adhered to, to avoid a forfeit.
  10. Per ASA rules, you must have at least 8 players to field a team. A forfeit is taken if you can only field 7 or less players.

 

SECTION 8 PITCHING RULES

  1. 8U - 15 outs per double header
  2. 10U - 21 outs per double header
  3. 12U - unlimited
  4. 14U – Unlimited
  5. Exception: International tiebreaker situations during tournament play only.
  6. A pitcher may only return to pitch one time during a game if removed from the mound mid-inning.

 

SECTION 9 RUN LIMITS / MERCY RULE

  1. 8U - run limit shall be four (4) runs per inning through the first four (4) innings. There shall be unlimited runs from the fifth inning on.
  2. 10U - run limit shall be five (5) runs per inning through the first four (4) innings. There shall be unlimited runs from the fifth inning on.
  3. 12U - run limit shall be six (6) runs per inning through the first four (4) innings. There shall be unlimited runs from the fifth inning on.
  4. 14U - run limit shall be six (6) runs per inning through the first four (4) innings. There shall be unlimited runs from the fifth inning on.
  5. MERCY RULE: For all divisions shall be ten (10) runs ahead after five (5) completed innings.
  6. SPORTSMANSHIP shall be demonstrated at all times.

 

SECTION 10 TOURNAMENT HOST GUIDELINES

  1. A kick off tournament will be held the weekend of September 11th-13th, 2009 (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) for 10U 12U 14U. Fall Brawl
  2. The Pumpkin Classic Tournament, will be held on October 17th and 18th 2009 for 8U.   
  3. A Pumpkin Classic will be held for 10U, 12U and 14U October 25th and 26th, 2009.
  4. All Tournaments will follow same rules, format, and awards options.
  5. If a host league cannot support all the participation teams, the tournament may be split between two leagues.
  6. This tournament is for those leagues and players participating in the regular season of Fall Ball Federation play. NO non-league teams or players shall play in any tournament.
  7. All tournaments will provide a minimum of a three (3) game guarantee.
  8. Trophies will be awarded to the first and second place teams. Both 3rd place teams will receive medals. (Tournament pins and T-shirts are optional to the hosting league (s))
  9. Tournament fees shall not exceed $400.00 per team.
  10. Each tournament host will verify by way of birth certificates, photos, roster, the correct age of all players at tournament check-in.
  11. No play “down” players area allowed to play in Federation Tournaments. (i.e., a 14 year old playing in 12U division as a play down. Also no 16 year olds or older in 14u division).
  12. Tournament Hosts:
    • Fall Brawl – MV 10-14U’s and LNGS 12U’s
    • Pumpkin 8s – Orange Canyon
    • Pumpkin 10s –  Orange Canyon
    • Pumpkin  12s & 14u- LNGS
    • Turkey Tourney- 8U-RT
    • Turkey Tourney- 10U Tustin
    • Turkey Tourney- 12B- Newport Mesa
    • Turkey Tourney-12A -MV
    • Turkey Tourney- 14U AVGS