Prop.

Rule

Reference

Proposed Rule Change

Passed

Failed

Discussed

No Action

1

1-1-2b

Move the pitching distance to 43’ feet.

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2

1-1-2b

(F.P.) The rear tip of home plate and the front edge of the pitcher’s plate shall be 40 feet 43 feet for female fast pitch softball and 46 feet for male fast pitch softball.  Rationale: As noted in the 2006 FHSAA surveys, there is an overwhelming response to change the NFHS pitching distance rule to 43 feet. The rationale to support this rule change is centered on three (3) key factors:

1. Minimize the potential for injury

2. Level the playing field between offense and defense

3. Streamline with other rule codes (NCAA, ASA Gold, etc.)

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3

1-1-6

Neither team’s players shall warm up in the other team’s on-deck circle. On-deck batters warming up may use either on-deck circle. However, no communication should take place between the on-deck batter and the opposing team. On-deck players are not allowed to intentionally block signals from the coaches to the pitcher or catcher.  Rationale:  This was a bad rule when first changed a few years ago. The purpose was to prevent unsportsmanlike communication between the on-deck batter and the opposing team. However, for safety purposes, this rule should be changed back to the way it was. When facing high-speed pitchers, many players cannot get around on the ball and will be subject to getting hit by their own teammates if required to stand in one particular on-deck circle. Conversely, teams with superior hitters who are batting against slower-than-normal pitchers will have a tendency to pull the ball into foul territory, causing safety concerns as well.

Players should be allowed to warm up where they feel the safest. Umpires can handle unwanted communication

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4

1-2-1 Note

1-2-2 New

Delete Note.

Add new Art. 2 – A double first base is mandatory.

Rationale:  Catastrophic collision injuries at 1^st base (concussion, broken ribs, torn ACL, MCL knee injuries & ankle injuries, as well as internal injuries) will be reduced 90% at the high school level, as well as all levels of play. Schools catastrophic insurance premiums for injures will go down 60%  for exposure related & claims made within a 3 year period and same money and injury.

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5

1-6-1

ADD the following to the rule as currently stated:

A team shall wear batting helmets that are uniform in color and decoration.

Penalty: (Same as on page 33 for rule 3, section 2, article 10.).

Rationale: There is an increasing trend where players are being allowed to wear a batting helmet that they have either purchased for their own use in summer leagues or have liberal use of as a result of participation on a summer team.  Most of these helmets are customized with different colors, airbrushing, team names/mascots, and/or a variety of decals/decorations that have no association to the school team.  This defeats the efforts of the current uniform rules and has the effect of making softball look “second class”, particularly when compared to baseball.   Notice we have not specified that the helmets be of school colors as customizing batting helmets received from a central bid/purchasing system would be prohibitively expensive and some school colors aren’t readily available from all helmet manufacturers.  However, purchasing and wearing helmets of the same color is reasonable and would not present a financial hardship if phased in over a 2-year period (unlike the bat rule which was implemented immediately).

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6

1-6-4

Current: The batting helmet shall have extended earflaps that cover both ears and temples. Add: The helmet shall also have a chinstrap which must be secured at all times to help keep the helmet on the player’s head. Rationale:  Helmets are required for safety purposes. They do no good when they are lying on the ground after having fallen off when runners advance around the bases. There have been numerous occasions where girls have intentionally “unintentionally” flung their heads back while running to dislodge their helmets. The current rule only penalizes players who intentionally remove their helmets during live-ball action. It is hard to penalize someone whose helmet falls off because it’s either too large or too small. The chinstrap would at least keep the helmet on the head.

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7

1-8-4

Mandatory use of head/face protection for defensive players.

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8

2-9 New

Add Section 9 to rule 2 as follows:

SECTION 9 EQUIPMENT INSPECTION

All equipment that needs to be inspected by the umpires (bats, helmets, and catcher’s gear) must be displayed and made available at least 15 minutes prior to the start on the game. Rationale:  Currently, equipment inspection is listed under the Points of Emphasis. There needs to be a rule stating this plus a penalty for non-conformance.

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9

2-63-2

Intentional Walk (Base on balls)  (S.P.). A request made to the umpire by the defensive coach or catcher, for the purpose of awarding the batter first base. No pitches are thrown.

Also page 60, rule 8, section 1, article 1(c)

    c. an intentional base on balls is awards (S.P.), or a fourth ball is called by the umpire.

Rationale:  Teams should be allowed to intentionally walk batters in fast-pitch without having to throw four pitches. In NFHS Baseball, the rules allow defensive catchers and/or coaches to request that a batter be intentionally walked without pitching to them. Same rule should apply in NFHS Softball.

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10

3-2-11

Change to:

Shoes are required equipment. All players must wear shoes with plastic, nylon, canvas, leather or similar synthetic material uppers. The soles may be smooth, have soft or hard rubber cleats or rectangular metal spikes. Spikes must not extend in excess of ¾ inch from the sole and may not be round. Shoes with detachable cleats that screw into the sole of the shoes are permitted.

NOTE: Metal toe plates and metal cleats are permitted.

Rationale: Metal cleats provide better traction on nearly all surfaces, especially on hard, wet or under-maintained fields. Metal cleats also help to prevent slippage on bases, especially home plate. Therefore, injuries may likely be reduced or prevented. Current rules prohibit runners from illegal tactics when sliding, which will minimize the risk of defensive players being “spiked.” Nearly all softball players transitioning from high school to college wear metal cleats (NCAA rules permit their use); indicating the superior functionality and risk-minimizing characteristics of the equipment. Further, NFHS Baseball Rules had permitted the use of metal cleats until the committee voted to prohibit them in 1984. That vote was reversed in 1989, due to lack of data indicating they were unsafe; the committee indicated both types of footwear should be permitted. Rules regarding the use of metal cleats should be the same for both baseball and softball. It is illogical and indefensible for the NFHS to prohibit high-school age females from wearing the same footwear they permit high-school age males to wear when they compete on the same surfaces.

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11

3-4

Restrict the coach to the dugout for a second unreported substitution infraction.

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12

4-2-3

Recommend 10-run slaughter rule after 4-1/2 or 5 innings for all High School Softball Varsity and JV games. Rationale:  15 runs are too many and all the private schools and JV teams in Virginia use the 10-run rule. This would make the rule consistent at all levels and be the same as Baseball.

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13

4-2-6

By state association adoption, a tie-breaker procedure may be instituted at a point in the game specified by the state association.

If a game is tied after seven complete innings of play, the game shall continue in the 8^th inning using the International

Tie-Breaker (ITB) system.  See page ??? for an explanation of the Tie-Breaker procedure.

TIE-BREAKER PROCEDURE

At the start of each half-inning beginning in the top of the 8^th, the offensive team will begin its turn at bat with the player scheduled to bat ninth in that half inning being placed on second base. If the Pitcher or Catcher is that ninth batter, then a courtesy runner may be used. Another player may also be legally substituted for the runner. Rationale:  1. With all the emphasis being placed on the health of fast-pitch pitchers today, it is unwise to have young women throw hard for twelve or more innings in a single game. The safety of the players is of most importance.

2. No one likes to play for three hours and have the game ‘called’ with a tie score due to curfew or insufficient daylight.

3. Using the ITB will both save wear and tear on the pitchers’ arms and reduce the likelihood of games ending in a tie.

4. The NCAA rulebook mandates the use of the ITB.

5. Some state associations have left it up to the districts to decide whether or not to use the ITB. This creates a problem in inter-district games where one team uses the ITB and the other does not. Making the ITB a book rule will eliminate this problem.

6. In state tournament games, many teams have to travel great distances to play. If a game goes 15 innings and is not completed, then both teams may have to travel again the next day to complete the game. Also, if the first state semi-final game goes 17 innings, then the second semi-final will start more than an hour and a half later than scheduled.

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14

6-1-1

Prior to starting the delivery (pitch), the pitcher shall take a position with the pivot foot on or partially on the top surface of the pitcher’s plate and the non pivot foot in contact with or behind the pitcher’s plate both feet in contact with the pitcher’s plate. Both feet must be on the ground within or partially within the 24 inch length of the pitcher’s plate. Rationale: The MSHSAA Softball Advisory Committee recommended that the MSHSAA Staff submit a rules change proposal to the NFHS Softball Rules Committee that would prohibit pitchers from stepping back during their pitching motion to make the high school rule the same as other rules codes (ASA and NCAA).

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15

6-1-1

Prior to starting the delivery (pitch), the pitcher shall take a position with the pivot foot on or partially on the top of the pitcher’s plate and the non-pivot foot in contact with or behind the pitcher’s plate. Rationale:  All other softball rule codes except one (USSSA) require the pitcher to have both feet in contact with the rubber when starting the delivery. Pitchers playing in tournaments or moving onto college softball must now adjust their ‘high school’ delivery to adapt to different playing rules. If all softball rules were the same, then pitching coaches can deal with only one set of requirements when instructing their pupils.

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16

6-2

Require State associations to establish pitching limitations.

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17

6-2-5

Change PENALTY to read:

For excessive warm-up pitches or if the defensive team delays the games by consuming more than one minute in order to huddle or return balls to the dugout, the pitcher shall be penalized by awarding a ball to the first batter of that half-inning. This does not apply if the umpire delays the start of play due to the reporting of substitutes, conferences with partner or coach, player injuries, etc.

Rationale: 

1.    The penalty of awarding more than one ball to the batter for two or more excessive warm-up pitches is too severe. The umpire should not allow more than five, but if a sixth one is thrown, then the umpire must stop the warm-ups and penalize the pitcher.

2.    The current practice of teams huddling in the circle after the catcher throws down to 2^nd is causing unnecessary delays in the game and adds 5-10 minutes to the total game time.

3.    As there is currently no penalty for consuming more than a minute between innings, this penalty would be easy to enforce, yet not put an undue burden on the pitcher.

4.    The 2005 rulebook addressed huddling under Points of Emphasis, but there is no rule basis to penalize teams for delaying the game by huddling.

5    An alternative ruling would be to declare the team huddle as the first charged defensive conference for that half-inning, but that will unduly penalize the pitcher should the coach need to confer with her in that inning.

X

18

7-3-1

Change Article 1 to read:

ART. 1…A batter shall not delay the game by failing to promptly take her position in the batter’s box within 20 10 seconds, or by stepping out of the box when the pitcher is on the pitcher’s plate.

PENALTY:  (Art. 1) If a pitcher is committed to delivering the pitch, the batter leaves the box at the risk of having a strike called while being out of position.  For failure of the batter to be ready within 20 10 seconds after the ball has been returned to the pitcher, the umpire shall call a strike.  If it is the third strike, the umpire shall call time and declare the batter out.

EFFECTS:

1.  After entering the batter’s box, the batter leaves it at the risk of being charged with delay.  The batter may request time-out if she desires to step out for a valid reason and, if granted, the 20 10-second count will begin anew when the ball is declared live.  The umpire is authorized to refuse to grant time-out if the batter repeatedly causes delay of if her leaving the batter’s box appears to be an attempt to worry the pitcher or to gain some other advantage.

Rationale:  By the way the rule is written now the batter has 20 seconds to enter the batter’s box after the ball is returned to the pitcher.  The problem is that the pitcher also has 20 seconds to deliver the pitch. (Rule 6-2-3)  WHO DOES THE UMPIRE PICK TO PENALIZE?  The pitcher can’t deliver the pitch if the batter is not in the batter’s box.  Almost every other rule code allows the batter 10 seconds to enter the box.  This keeps the game moving and there seems to be no problem within their codes when it comes to this rule.  THIS IS PLENTY OF TIME.  Now by allowing the batter 10 seconds to enter the box this give the pitcher the other 10 seconds(of their 20) to step on the rubber and deliver the pitch.

Case Play affected by the rule change:  7.3.1 SITUATION A (corrected ruling on this play that was given for 2007 season)

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19

7-3-1

Change Article 1 to Article 1 (a) and add the following as Article 1 (b): The batter shall keep at least one foot within the batter’s box between pitches when taking signs from the coach.

Penalty: After a warning from the plate umpire, a penalty strike shall be called. If it is the third strike, the umpire shall call time and declare the batter out. Rationale:  The current rule only prohibits the batter from stepping out of the batter’s box when the pitcher is on the pitcher’s plate. There have been many instances where the batter takes three or more steps towards third base after every pitch in order to get the sign from the third base coach. Then the batter has to walk back to the batter’s box and ‘dig in’ again. This delays the pitcher (and the game) as she is not able to start her delivery until the batter gets reset. Adding this rule will help speed up the game during an at-bat and will prevent delays designed to worry the pitcher. I believe A.S.A. has a similar rule. Because players are sometimes forgetful, each batter would be given one warning during each at-bat before the penalty strike is called.

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20

7-3-1

Change to read:

The batter shall not delay the game by failing to promptly take her position in the batter’s box within 15 seconds, or by stepping out of the box with both feet once she has initially taken her batting position, unless to vacate the batter’s box to allow for a play by the catcher or other fielder.

Penalty: Change 20 seconds to 15 seconds; The first violation for stepping out of the box without being granted ‘time’ would result in a warning; the second time during that at-bat would result in a strike being called on the batter.

Effect (1): Change 20 seconds to 15 seconds

Rationale:  Most other softball rules codes allow only 10 seconds get into the box. Twenty seconds to too much time. One establishing herself in the batter’s box, the batter should remain there until she ends her at-bat. Too much time is being spent between pitches taking signals out of the box or going through routines that involve superstition and/or rituals. This change would assist greatly in moving the game along.

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21

8-6-13

Prohibit head first slides.

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22

10-1-2

Current: Umpire jurisdiction begins upon the arrival of one umpire within the confines of the field and ends when the umpires leave the playing field at the conclusion of the game.

New: Umpire jurisdiction begins upon the arrival of one umpire within the confines of the field and ends when the last umpire leaves the confines of the field at the conclusion of the game. Rationale:  Umpire jurisdiction should end the same way it begins. If it is necessary to go through a dugout in order to get to the playing field, then umpire jurisdiction begins when an umpire enters a dugout. Umpires should still have jurisdiction over the game while exiting the playing field through a dugout. It is possible that unsportsmanlike behavior will occur while the umpires are still in the dugout, but with the current rule, they have no authorization to penalize or report the behavior as they have ‘left the playing field’. To go along with this change, there needs to be a definition added to Rule 2. “Confines of the Field” – The area that includes the playing field (as defined by fences or dead ball lines), both dugouts or team bench areas, and both bullpens, which may be outside the fences delineating the playing field.

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23

10-4-1

Umpires working the plate in fast pitch shall wear a throat protector that is part of or attached to the mask and steel-toed plate shoes. Rationale:  Obviously safety is the rationale.  In addition, perhaps insurance carriers may provide coverage at lower premiums if additional safety equipment is required.

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24

10-4-2

If an undershirt is worn under the powder blue shirt, it shall be navy blue and short-sleeved. Rationale:  White is so old fashioned.  The navy looks so much better with the powder blue.

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Prop

Rule

Reference

Proposed Editorial Change

Passed

Failed

Discussed

No Action

0.1

1-5-4

Edit as follows:

All bats shall meet the 2004 ASA Bat Performance Standard, bear either the 2000 or 2004 ASA certification mark, and not be on the ASA non-approved list as found on www.asasoftball.com.

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1

1-6-7 New

Eye Shield – if worn attached to the batting helmet, an eye shield must be constructed of a molded rigid material that is clear and permits 100 percent (no tint) allowable light transmission.

X

1.1

1-7-1

Add to the end:

Plastic visors attached to the catcher’s helmet are prohibited.

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2

1-8-5 New

Add new:

Art. 5…All equipment shall be worn properly and as designed by the manufacturer. Any equipment judged by the umpire to be potentially dangerous is illegal.

Rationale: Clarification.

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3

2-24

Divide current section into articles for clarity as follows:

Art. 1… A force play is a play in which a runner (or two or three runners) loses the right to the base occupied and is forced to advance because the batter becomes a batter-runner. 

Art. 2…For a given runner, a force play ends as soon as the runner touches the next base or a following runner is put out.

Art. 3… If a batted ball is caught before it touches the ground there can be no force play(s).

Art. 4… If a forced runner, after touching the next base, retreats for any reason towards the base she had first occupied, the force play is reinstated and she may again be put out if the defense tags the base to which she is forced.

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4

2-36

Do we need to address in the definition of obstruction discarded faceguards or other discarded defensive (personal) equipment?

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5

2-42-1