RE/MAX-BP SLO-PITCH LEAGUE RULES

All Bats Used in CO-ED softball in Fort McMurray for the 2026 season must be affixed with the 2026 Compression Tested sticker, the USSSA thumbprint, or any NSA ASA marking and must not be listed on the ASA banned bat list. Any player who steps into the batter’s box with a bat not affixed with any of the above mentioned markings will be called out and immediately ejected from the game. 

Bat Protest – At any time throughout the 2025 season an opposing team can have the bat of another team tested. Please see below the procedure for protesting bats. If any of the steps are missed or by passed you forfeit your right to question an opponent’s bat. 

Step 1 The Team Captains must be made aware of the bat in question and the bat will be pulled from play. 

Step 2 A Call must be made before the conclusion of your game to Mike Vickers 780-838-5795. Mike will come to the field and collect the bat in question. If he cannot be reached immediately the umpire will hold the bat in question until it can be picked up by Mike. 

Step 3 A $400.00 bond must be put up to the league by the team protesting the bat. Once the bat has been tested one of the following 3 scenarios will play out. 

1) If the bat passes the initial Compression test the $400.00 will be forfeited to the league and the bat will be returned to the owner. 

2) If the bat fails the initial compression test, the bat will be cut open and checked to see if any tampering has been done to the bat such as adding weight to the barrel or shaving the inner walls of the bat. When the inspection of the bat has been completed and it is determined that the bat has not been altered but has just worn in beyond the 1.20bpf required to be used in NSA, the $400.00 bond will be given to the owner of the bat to help with the replacement cost of the bat. 

3) If the bat fails the initial compression test and also fails the internal inspection test of the bat once it has been cut open and the bat has been proven to have been tampered with, the owner of the bat will be suspended for no less than 5 years from all NSA sanctioned softball leagues & tournaments in Canada. The coach or manager may also be suspended or issued a fine based on the investigation. In this case, the bond will be reimbursed to the team or captain who initially protested the bat. No compensation will be given to the offender.

 

RE/MAX-BP SLO-PITCH LEAGUE RULES

• NEW 2025 RULE:  In the event that a team is short players for League play teams can now pick up 2 Male and 2 Female players who are on another roster. 
• Rosters must be entered by June 13th. Roster will be locked for the playoffs on Aug. 8th.
• If any team forfeits more than 6 regular season games they will not qualify for playoffs.
• All players will be required to register individually for insurance on the NSA website.
• Big Ball Small Ball for league play. Ladies must hit the Small Ball and do not have the option of hitting the Big Ball. Therefore there will be no more bunting with the introduction of the Small Ball.
• Intentional Walk Rule--If a male batter receives 4 straight balls, without a strike, he is awarded second base, regardless of who is on deck.  The on deck batter must take their turn at bat however if it is another male and they too receive 4 straight balls, without a strike, they are also awarded 2nd base.  A female receiving 4 straight balls, without a strike, is awarded 1st base only.
• Games are to be seven innings long or one and a half hours long, weather and lighting permitted. No new Innings may start after 1 hour and 20 mins.
• Five full innings or four and a half innings if the home team is ahead will constitute a complete game due to inadequate weather or lighting.
• Scores will revert to the last complete inning (if you play five full innings and rain starts in the sixth and you cannot complete it, you go back to the fifth inning score.) 
• Rained out games are awarded one point each for each team. Games tied at the end of the game (seven innings, rain delay or darkness) will be left as a tie and one point will be awarded to each team. Rained out or defaulted games are not re-scheduled.
• No extra innings will be played and the games will not be finished at a later date.

POINTS

WINNING TEAM: 2 points

LOSING TEAM: 0 points

TIE: 1 point per team

RAINOUTS: 1 point per team

DEFAULTS: 2 points to the non-defaulting team

UMPIRES 

• Each team must have a carded umpire and are required to ump at least 8 games throughout the season. If a team does not meet the 8 game requirement they will not qualify for the playoffs. There is an Umpire opt out option that can be filled out before the start of the season at a cost of $900.00. Limited to the first 10 teams.
• If Umpires are present Umpires rulings are final and are not up for debate! Any abuse of umpires will result in an ejection from the game. The situation will then be under review and the Executive, in conjunction with the Umpire In Chief, will make a further determination with respect to suspension for additional games or, depending on severity, the entire season. THERE WILL BE ZERO TOLERANCE OF UMPIRE ABUSE.​

PLAYER LINE UPS 

• Each team may field up to ten players.
• The extra person can be used as a second infielder or forth fielder (“rover”). 
• Each team shall have a minimum of seven players to start the game.
• Each team must have a minimum of two women. 
• You may play with six men and three women, provided the forth woman has a place in the batting order and when she comes up to bat, she is one automatic out!
• You can also play six men and two women, provided the last two women have a place in the batting order and when they come up to bat, they are two automatic outs! 
• NOTE: In the case of a team having at least four women while still being short players, the team plays the game without the automatic out, if none of the missing players are in the batting order. If players, male or female, show up after the game has started, they can be added to the bottom of the batting order. The female goes into the automatic out spot on the roster. The male is simply added to the bottom of the batting order.

EXTRA HITTER 

• If your team has the full ten players (6 men and 4 women) you can also use upto 2 EH's (Extra Hitters) one being Male and 1 being Female. If you only use 1 EH they can be either male or female. (You can't use 2 EH's of the same gender.
• This allows you to put extra batters in your batting order.
• The EH can switch with any player on the field at any time, as long as there are at least four women left on the field. This switch is not considered a substitution but the batting order must remain the same no matter how many times the EH changes.
• The EH does not have to be the last batter in your line up. 
• YOU CANNOT ADD THE EH AFTER THE GAME HAS STARTED!!!
• Should the EH be unable to finished the game and there are no additional players to add, the EH is scratched out of the batting order. He/she is NOT considered an automatic out.

SUBSTITUTIONS 

• Substitutions may be made provided you have the correct number of men and women in the batting order. You can only substitute a player in and out once. If the substituted player wants to be put back into the game, he/she can only go in for the player who originally took his/her place.

COURTESY RUNNERS 

• Each team may use a maximum of 3 courtesy runners per game per gender.
• Pitcher's can get a courtesy runner if on base with 2 outs. This will not count against your count of 3 per game. 
•    Your substitute runner must be a male for a male and a female for a female. It does not have to be the last person out or the last person who batted however if you chose to use a courtesy runner and that individual is on base running while it is their turn to bat, they are an out at the plate. So ensure you use a courtesy runner who will not come up to bat while they are running for someone else.

HOME TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES 

• The home team must supply one new ball and one fairly new ball. The league will provide each team with 1 1/2 dozen big and small balls (3 Doz total) that must be used during the season.  If you wish to purchase extra balls ($90/dozen), please contact the league at rbpslopitch@gmail.com
• Each team should keep score to avoid disputes later. At the end of the game, the winning team score sheet shall be considered the official score sheet. 
• Score book has been provided for you by the league. Keep these scores in case of a discrepancy.
• Both teams are now responsible for submitting the score on this league website Click on “Submit Scores”. Name refers to your team name, not your name. The winning team name is the first name then your opposition. “Not sure” “Blue jersey” or “Adam’s team” is not a team name. Know who you are playing and fill it in properly! If a team defaulted without notice, please click on the box. If your game did not have a carded umpire, please click that box as well.
• In the event of a default, submit a 1-0 score. 100-0 is not possible so please refrain from submitting that. If the fields have been closed by the RMWB, there is no need to submit anything.
• Rain outs agreed by both teams result in a 1-1 score.  Both teams need to submit this online.  If one team is disputing whether or not the game should be a rain out then the team disputing the rain out submits a 1-0 win for them and the team that wanted the rain out or believes it should be rain out submits 1-1 tie.  The stats coordinator is notified of all discrepancies in score submissions.  If most people did not call a rain out that evening then the team that wanted the rain out gets a loss.  If most of the games were in fact rained out as agreed by most teams, the game is recorded as a 1-1 tie.  You cannot force another team to play in what they deem unsafe conditions.  However, you cannot use light sprinkling of rain to cancel a game either.  

***ROSTERS*** 

• Rosters are locked on (Aug. 8th) before playoffs start and no players can be added after unless special circumstances and approved by the league.
•  If you play with non-rostered players during the playoffs and a protest is made to the umpire during that game you will default the game. 

PITCHING 

• The ball must be delivered in one continuous motion (pump style pitching is not allowed) at a moderate speed underhand with a perceptible arc. The arc must be no less than six feet in height and no more than 12 feet.  The pitcher is not required to pitch from the circle but must be within a reasonable proximity to the circle.  As with other NSA rules, the league reserves the right to modify NSA rules to suit league needs.  While NSA rule book states if there is a female pitcher a male back catcher is required, this is not in place for this league.  You may have both a female pitcher and female back catcher.   
•  It is mandatory for pitchers to wear a mask. The league highly recommends all infielders wear protective masks but it is only mandatory for the pitcher.  The league also recommends batters wear a protective helmet as well.

HOME RUN RULE 

• Walk off in effect once a Homerun is hit. This means players don't have to run the bases or touch first they can just literally walk off the field. This is in place to help speed up the game. 
• The league has instituted a +3 (per gender) home run rule on all diamonds. 
• This means men and women can hit 3 home runs and they do not go against each other's count. 
• This means you can only be up 3 home runs (over the fence per gender) on your opponent at any time.
• If your team hits 3 home runs (over the fence), you may not hit any more home runs until your opponent hits at least one.
• At that point, your team can hit one more over the fence home run. Should a team hit a ball over the fence when they have no home runs remaining, it is considered a strike.
• The normal rules apply on the strike count so if the person already has 2 strikes against them, it is an out. If they have no strikes against them, it is strike 1.
• In the park home runs do not apply to this rule. This applies only to over the fence home runs.

FOOTWEAR 

• No player is allowed to wear metal spikes or hard sole shoes (work boots). Sandals are not recommended for play. Any player caught wearing metal cleats will be ejected from the game and may also be ejected from the league.

EQUIPMENT 

• Each team must supply its own equipment. All diamonds used by the league have permanent bases installed as well as strike mats and in almost all cases permanent batters boxes.
• The League HIGHLY RECOMMENDS the cleaning of equipment between innings.
• The league recommends that all infielders, including the catcher, wear protective equipment.  It is mandatory for all pitchers to wear a mask.

BATS 

• All bats must be tested at the beginning of each season and affixed with an approved sticker before use in League play.
• As mentioned above bats for 2026 play must be affixed with the new 2026 sticker, and have  the USSSA thumbprint, NSA or ASA markings, and not be listed on the banned bat list to be eligible for use in league play. Bats will be again tested before playoffs and a new sticker used.  See BAT POLICY under rules heading.
• The bat shall not be more than 34 inches in length and no more than 38 ounces in weight and shall meet the BPF standard of 1.20 on the entire length of the barrel. 
• Wooden Bats are allowed. 
• Should a player use a bat that is not affixed with any of the above mentioned markings and the player has taken their spot in batters box, that person is out, ejected from the game and all runners return to their original base; if anyone was on base.

 

PLAYING RULES 

• The official rules of NSA Canada will govern except where they conflict with the League constitution and bylaws which take priority.
• If a batter makes contact with the ball with one foot completely outside of the batters box the batter is called out.
• The infield fly rule DOES NOT apply in this league UNLESS there is an official umpire present. In a game without a carded umpire, there is no infield fly rule.
• If an infield fly has been called, the ball is live and the runners may advace at the risk of the ball being caught. If the hit ball becomes a foul ball it is treated the same as any other foul ball and the batter is not out unless it is a thrid strike foul ball.
• If a pitched ball hits a player, there is no walk. Players must earn their bases.
• No lead offs. Contact between the bat and the ball must be made before the runner may leave his/her base. Leading off will result in the base runner in question being called out. 
• In the case of a third strike (foul ball) play is dead and the runner cannot advance.
• The runner may only over run 1st base.
• On all fenced in diamonds, the ball is always in play unless it goes out of the playing field. All bases must be earned on an over throw unless the ball is out of bounds.
• The base runner may run on a fly ball providing he/she tags up first.
• Sliding is permitted on all bases except first and home. You may slide back to first base.
•  A game is defaulted after a 15 minute wait
• There is a maximum of 7 runs per inning, including the last inning. The last inning is not open.
• Mercy Rule. If a team is leading by fifteen runs after five full innings or four and a half if they are the home team or 8 runs after 6 complete innings.
• All plays at home plate are force outs providing the runner has crossed the 20’ commitment line. The catcher MUST touch the white plate and the runner must cross the safe line.
• The catcher may make a play on the runner anywhere on the third base line up to and including home plate. They do not have to wait for the runner to cross the commitment line. This means that yes you can in fact be tagged out by the back catcher while running home if the catcher is pulled off the plate to catch or pick up a ball. 
• ****PLEASE NOTE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE RUNNERS AND CATCHERS, RE/MAX-BP SLOPITCH LEAGUE IS NO LONGER USING THE HOME PLATE MAT FOR THE RUNNER. THE SAFE LINE IS NOW OUR OFFICIAL RULE. ANY RUNNER TOUCHING THE HOME PLATE MAT WILL BE CALLED OUT! ****
• No new innings to be started with 10 minutes remaining in the scheduled game time:

- No new innings to be started after 7:50 PM for 6:30 pm start times

- No new innings to be started after 9:20 PM for 8:00 pm start times

• Bunting is NOT ALLOWED for females.

DEFAULTING GAMES 

• If a team fails to field a team, and must default a game, it is the defaulting teams’ responsibility to contact the other team and umpire to let them know they will not be able to play.
• In failing to contact/inform the other team that you are unable to make it (this is common courtesy people), than the team who showed up submit the score on line and advise the statistician by clicking the “default” box. If the team did notify you, simply submit the win.
• When submitting scores for a defaulted game, please select the forfeit option for the team that couldn't field enough players for that game.
• MOST COMMONLY MISINTERPRETED RULES 
• Fair or foul balls have to do with where the ball is first TOUCHED by a defensive player (when it’s a fly ball) and not where the player is situated. If your body is in foul ground, but your glove is in fair ground when the ball is touched, IT IS A FAIR BALL. Same the other way- if your body is in fair ground but you touch the ball in foul ground, IT IS FOUL. 
• If there is a ball hit and that play ends the inning by either a single, double or triple play, NO RUNS SCORE. (If the initial play causes an end to an inning, error free, no runs can score). 
• A batter can indeed move from batting left to right or vice versa as long as the pitcher has not begun the delivery. IE: first pitch batting left, second pitch batting right, third pitch batting left is ok! 
• Runners can advance if they tag up on a caught foul ball except on 3rd strike out. Should a batter, while making contact with a ball, step on the mat or plate, the batter shall be called out!! 
• Re/max-BP Slo Pitch League is not responsible for lost, stolen or vandalized equipment/ vehicles. It is play and park at your own risk!!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION!!!

HAVE A GREAT BALL SEASON.