Rainout Procedure
 

VALLEY INTER-COMMUNITY SOFTBALL LEAGUE

I.  League Rules

All rules will be standard ASA except:

1. Continuous Batting Order.  All team members present at a game will be in the batting order.  All team members must play a minimum of two innings in the field.  Within these guidelines, unlimited substitution is permitted.  A courtesy runner may be used for the catcher only when there are two outs, the runner must be the last batted out.
   
   
2. "Slaughter Rule."  There will be a 20 run rule after 1 ½ innings, 17 run rule after 2 ½ innings, 14 run rule after 3 ½ innings, and a 12 run rule after 4 ½ innings; home team must bat if trailing.  All scores must be reported no later than Sunday night for all games played in the week prior, these scores must be reported by both coaches and should be reported to Mark Snyder at MMJS71211@aol.com or by phone 215 855-6826.
   
   
3. Game time limit.  During the regular season, no inning shall start after 2 hours of playing time has elapsed.  (Exception: delays caused by weather shall not be counted against the time limit.)    (Exception:  No inning shall start after 8:15PM when an immediately following game on the same field has an 8:15PM start time.)
   
   ** Fields will be difficult to get. The only acceptable reasons for rescheduling of games are inclement playing conditions, or a school event that involves several players on a team.  Otherwise, temporary players must be added to allow the game to be played.  Failure to do so could result in a forfeit.  For games cancelled for other than inclement weather will be scheduled by VIGS for one of the next two Sunday evenings at Fifth St., School Rd. or Legion field.  The coach will still be responsible for notifying umpires of cancelled game and obtaining an umpire for the rescheduled game.
   
   
4. League Age Restrictions.  The Junior division is comprised of those players aged 14 and under based on a birth date of January 1.  A player's age is determined by her age as of that date.  The Senior division (15 and over) is restricted to those girls who are 18 years of age or younger as of January 1 of the playing year.  (Exception:  15 year olds playing in the Junior division must be discussed on a case by case basis with a majority of programs involved agreeing to the exception.)
   
   
5. Double Rostered Players.  A double rostered player is a player who, while playing in this league, is a member of a softball travel team.  A travel team is defined as any team that comprises a roster based on tryouts with the less skilled players not being accepted to the team roster.  Teams may not carry more than 3 (three) double rostered players on their team.  Substitute travel players can play a maximum of 5 travel games during the VIGS season -4/1 to 7/15. Any team carrying any travel team players on a roster must provide the league commissioner with the identities of such players.
   
   Pitching.  No player who is a regular pitcher for a high school/college varsity team, or is a regular pitcher for a travel team may pitch in this league.  A regular/travel pitcher is defined as a player who has or will pitch (in the opinion of the league commissioner) in more than three games at the varsity or travel level.  15 year olds may not pitch in the Junior division under any circumstances.  A travel team is defined as any team that regularly competes at the Class A or B level during the regular season.  A team that participates in one and only one A or B level tournament during the season will not be considered as a travel team.
   
   A Non-Regular varsity pitcher, JV or freshman player, utilized as a varsity pitcher may pitch up to 14 innings in one season at the varsity level and still be eligible to play. After 14 innings she will be considered a varsity pitcher and not eligible to pitch in the league for that season.
   
   THE GAME BALL  ******
   U14 and U18 Division - All 2003 regular-season games will be played using 12-inch softballs with optic-yellow covers; and the home team shall be responsible for supplying two new balls for each game. These balls must be one of the following:
   (1) softballs with an ASA certification stamp and a C.O.R. rating of no more than 0.47 or
   (2) any brand of softball listed below that has a C.O.R. rating of 0.47 and a maximum compression rating of 150 lbs. The option of using balls meeting Standard (1) above will expire at the end of the 2003 regular season.  Thereafter, beginning with the 2003 playoffs, all game balls must be the brand(s) specified below:
   
   Approved Balls (more may be added later)
   Worth RIF Level 10 softballs (Style No. R12RYL)
   
   Want to know more about RIF (click here)
   

1. Temporary Players.  Non-rostered players may be added to a team's roster on a by-game basis from that organization's next lower division if a team will not have enough players available for a game.  Sometimes, however, a coach may not be sure of his/her roster and add a "just in case" player.  In the event of an extra non-rostered player, that player may bat in the lineup, but may not play more than two innings in the field.  UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAY A NON-ROSTERED PLAYER PITCH IN THE SEASON-END TOURNAMENTS.
   
   A temporary player may play for only one team during the season-end tournament.
   
   Failure to follow any of these rules will  result in a forfeit after a protest is lodged against the offending team.
   
   A minimum of 8 players is required to start or complete a game.   The required number of players must be at the field within 15 minutes after scheduled start time or the game will be considered a forfeit.  If the number of players falls below 8 at anytime prior or during a game the team must forfeit. Late arriving players, after the game has started, must be placed in the bottom of the line up. If a player has to leave the game, for whatever reason, she is stricken from the line up and is not considered an out when her slot appears in the batting order.
   
   A player in lower division may be or become a permanent roster member of a team in a higher division.  Should this happen the player may play for two teams in the same program but is not considered a double rostered player.  The player may pitch, however, in only one VIGS division.
   
   
2. Field Availability.  The visiting team shall have possession of the playing field for 15 minutes prior to game start; home team shall have the field prior to that.  No game is to be delayed due to warm-up time.
   
   If inclement weather causes the field to be un-playable, the home team must notify the Head Umpire and opposing coach as soon as reasonably possible, but no later than two (2) hour prior to the game start time.
   
   
3. EJECTIONS.  If the umpire ejects a player, coach, or fan from a game, the offense will fall under one of the following classifications:
   
   Class I:  This is an ejection from the game for a rules violation as opposed to a behavior violation.  The most frequent example would be that of a batter wildly throwing a bat after hitting the ball and INADVERTENTLY presenting a danger to the catcher or umpire.  If after receiving a warning the player does it again, that player may be ejected.  With this type of offense, the player may remain with her team, but is out of the game.  There is no further penalty.
   
   Class II:  This is an ejection due to improper behavior, which includes profanity, excessive argumentative behavior, or general unsportsmanlike conduct.  If a player or coach is ejected for these reasons, the offender must leave the playing area or the offender's team is subject to a forfeit.  If the offender remains within earshot and still presents a problem in the opinion of the umpire, the umpire may call a forfeit against the offender's team.  A player or coach guilty of this type of offense is also suspended from the team's next game, whether it is a regularly scheduled game, makeup game, or tournament game.  If a player or coach feels that the additional suspension is unjustified, an appeal may be made to the VIGS rules committee, which is comprised of five people.  The appeal must be made through the parent organization league representative who may immediately reject the appeal.
   
   UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAY A CLASS II OFFENDER BE PERMITTED TO RE-ENTER THE GAME.  If the ejection drops the offender's team to fewer than 8 players, the game will be declared a forfeit.
   
   
4. Rosters.  A roster for each team identifying the team name (organization) and number must be turned in prior to the start of the season.  This should include at    a minimum first and last name and it must identify travel players.  To be considered as being on a team roster, a player must meet one of the following criteria:
   a. Be carried on the team roster as of the first game of the season.
   b. Be carried on the roster prior to the seventh game of the season AND play in half of the team’s remaining games from the time the player joined the team, with a minimum of three games played.
   
   c. Roster changes must be communicated to the League Commissioner prior to the player playing in a game.  This notification could be via the telephone or e-mail.
   
   
5. Tournament Rosters/Eligibility.  All teams participating in the end of the year tournament are required to turn in to the League Commissioner a tournament roster.  This must be turned in at the seeding meeting.   This roster will consist of players that are included on the roster identified under paragraph 10 and any call ups from the lower divisions you are planning to use in the season end tournament.  Please remember a call up is only allowed to be on one tournament roster.  The roster is limited to 25 players.  If a player plays in the season end tournament without being identified on the tournament roster, that game will result in a forfeit if it is brought to the attention of the League Commissioner.
   
   
6. Tournament Seeding.  Each team in the post-season tournament will be seeded according to its regular season record.  Points will be assigned as follows:

• 3 points for each win
• 2 points for each tie
• 1 point for each loss that was played.
• 0 points for a game that was a forfeit loss

  Ties will be broken as follows:

1. Points reassigned with 2 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss.
2. Head-to-head competition
   (In the event of a tie between 3 or more teams, head to head will only be considered if all teams played every other team involved in the tie.)
3. Strength of schedule
   (assuming time is available to calculate this prior to tournament start).
4. Coin flip

 *MID SEASON TOURNAMENT – ELIBILITY FOR PLAYERS WILL BE BASED ON AGE APPROPRIATE LEVEL NOT ROSTERED DIVISION.

II.  League Membership Qualifications.

1. 1.  Any softball organization wishing to join the Valley Inter-Community Softball League must meet the following three (3) qualifications:
   a.  The prospective organization must be associated with a younger intramural (feeder) program.
   b.  The prospective organization must have an open registration and guarantee that all players who register will play.  (ANY TEAM, WHICH DETERMINES PARTICIPATION VIA TRYOUTS, WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.
    c.  The prospective organization must be approved by a majority of the member organizations.
   
2. League policies will be determined by a majority vote of the member organizations, one vote per organization.
   a.  In the event of a tie, the voting will be based on individual teams, i.e., each team will have one vote.  If the policy to be determined is division specific, only those teams in that division will vote.  If the vote is still a tie, the current League Commissioner will decide the vote.
   b. Any member team is subject to forfeit, censure, suspension, or expulsion by a unanimous vote of the non-offending organizations.  (i.e., North Penn would not have a vote if the issue concerned a North Penn team.)

ALL OF THE RULES SET FORTH IN THIS DOCUMENT WILL BE REVIEWEDAND CHANGED IF NECESSARY BY APPROVAL OF THE BOARD BASED ON THE POLICIES SET FORTH IN THIS DOCUMENT ONLY DURING THE MARCH MEETING PRIOR TO EACH SEASON.

1. If you're scheduled for a home game and it's raining, try to go to the
   field and inspect it. If you can't go, try to get one of your team
   parents to do so.
   
2. If you're confident the rain won't stop or the field will be unfit
   for play even if the rain does stop - you may declare a rainout.
   
3. 14 and Under Division call ray Kratz Jr. @ 215-412-7324 (h) or 215-872-0184(c) and leave a message.
   18 and Under Division Call Joe Miller of Tri-County Umpires and Referee Association at his home number - 215-234-8663 - and leave a message.If you are having trouble getting through to Joe Miller you can call Phil York at 267-218-3802 (c)
   Please try to give them two hours' notice; but they should still be able to contact the umpire as late as 5:15 PM, if it's not possible to make a clear-cut decision before then. Use your common sense.
   
4. Call the head coach of the visiting team.
   
5. Reschedule the game for a later date.
   
6. No game may be started or continue if lightning is observed, no
   matter how far away it seems.  However, storm clouds move quickly, and a
   delayed game may begin or be resumed once lightning has passed, as long as
   the field remains playable.  In other words, don't cancel a game just
   because there's lightning in the sky at 4:00 PM but no rain is falling.
   Use your common sense.
   
7. If you're not sure whether to cancel a game, don't.  The sky may
   look threatening or you may even see lightning; but, by game time, things
   may be fine. Use your common sense.
   

RESCHEDULING A GAME
WWW.VIGS.NET   3-30-05

Weather can make playing games difficult and rainouts happen. Fields will be difficult to get.

1. Make up games due to rainouts should be scheduled Monday through Friday.
   
2. Rain out games are the responsibility of the two affected coaches to reschedule. Agree to a day, call the umpire in chief to confirm the availability of an umpire and play the game.
   
3. Rain out games should try to be scheduled on the affected HOME team’s field. Every attempt should be made to fit these games into the open days on the calendar.
   
4. If conflicts with open fields prevent the home team from getting a field then the next option would be to use the affected away team’s field. Even though the game is played on that field they would still be considered the “AWAY” team.
   
5. If no date can be found then the game should try to be played on a Sunday evening at either of the affected team’s fields, provided an umpire can be scheduled.
   
6. If both affected team’s have conflicts with open fields then the game should be played on a neutral team’s field. Contact the league commissioner and the league will tell you when and where you will play the game.
   
7. 14 and Under Division contact Ray Kratz umpireray@comcast.net, 215-412-7324(h)
   18 and Under Division contact Joe Miller umpirejoe13@yahoo.com 215-234-8663(h)
   If you do not hear back from an email within two days please call them and confirm the rescheduled game.
    
    
   Get the games played!!