Welcome to the 2019 Season!
Mowing Schedule:
May 20 & 27 - UCC
June 3 & 10 - 7th Day
June 17 & 24 - Nativity
July 1 & 8 & 15 - Pine Grove
July 22 - 7th Day
July 15 - Nativity
HEADWATERS CHRISTIAN YOUTH
CHURCH SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL LEAGUE
PURPOSES: 1. To bring glory to God through friendly, inter-church competition.
2. To give those who enjoy softball an opportunity to play and compete
without compromising their convictions or standards.
3. To afford social contact to Christians from other churches and
communities.
4. To exercise and develop the physical aspect of our total person.
5. To investigate the possibility of league competition during other seasons
with other sports.
APPLICATION: Any church wishing to enter a team needs to contact the HCY office.
ROSTER: The number of players on a team roster is unlimited & at the discretion of the sponsoring church.
ELIGIBILITY: A player must be 13 years or older in the Recreational Division. To play in the Competitive Division, a player must be 15 years or older by the end of the season. Both men and women are eligible. 11 and 12 year olds will be allowed to play with a written permission by parents and coaches submitted to the League Director prior to playing in the game.
1. Two churches may join together to make one team.
2. No one can be recruited from one team to play on another team.
3. A player can play in both Recreational & Competitive Divisions.
ENTRY FEE: The entry fee will be set by HCY on a yearly basis. Entry fees go toward purchasing game balls and general expenses of operating the League. Fees paid after the deadline will be increased by $30. Softballs will be given out only after the fee is paid in full and you cannot play until the fee is paid.
EQUIPMENT: HCY will provide game balls but not practice balls and bats. Game balls become the possession of the home team. A mat 18" wide by 36" long with the plate painted on it will be used for the purposes of calling balls and strikes. Players will only use ASA approved SINGLE WALL one piece bats. Absolutely no double wall or composite bats will be allowed. Managers will inspect the opposing team’s bats prior to the game.
TEAM RULES: NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, SMOKING OR PROFANITY will be permitted by any players or their cheering sections while on the grounds. Team managers are responsible for enforcing these rules. Any violation will be ejection from the game for that player/fan.
UMPIRES: Each team needs to supply one umpire for each game. Umpires must be 18 years old or older and should have a good knowledge of the game. We will make an effort to supply umps for as many playoff games as possible (teams will be assigned to ump games if not playing).
PROTESTS: Judgment decisions by an umpire may not be appealed or challenged. Application or misuse of rules may be challenged and resolved by the umpires and team managers ONLY.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:
1. All games begin with prayer. All players present will attend this pre-game prayer.
2. Both teams reports the weekly results to the League Director.
3. The League nor HCY does not provide health/medical or accident insurance for players or spectators. Individuals or churches should supply their own. Team managers must inform their own players.
4. All teams are strongly encouraged to follow their own church’s Youth Protection Policy or to use the HCY policy as a template for their own team to offer guidance for youth/adult interaction.
5. All correspondence should be sent to the HCY office, Box 662, Rhinelander, WI., 54501. Any changes in the league rules must be approved by the League Director and the majority of the teams involved.
6. SAFETY REMINDERS – all fans must be outside of the out of play lines at Nicolet or behind the fence at other locations, and players need to be aware after scoring a run that the play may still be going on and the ball may be coming in for the next play at home plate.
GAME RULES: Official Slow Pitch Softball rules will apply with these exceptions:
1. Each manager is expected to play each eligible player present at least two (2) innings or one time at bat.
2. All starting players must play for two innings before substitution. All players can be substituted for any fielding position and can be substituted back into the game. In the Recreational Division, a manager will be able to substitute freely in the batting order so as to play all the players. However, from the 6th inning on, if a player returns, (s)he must be placed in the batting order previous to their substitution.
3. A team must have a minimum of eight (8) players to play a game. You must have three (3) qualifying players on the field at all times. A qualifying player is a female, OR a male who is 11-14 years old or at least 51 years old.
4. In the Recreational Division, no more than seven men, aged 15-50, can be on the field.
5. Intentional offensive interference by an opposing player is an automatic out.
6. A batter will receive only two (2) strikes or three (3) balls. Foul ball on the second strike is out.
7. If a team is ahead by ten (10) or more runs upon the completion of the fifth (5th) or sixth (6th) inning, the game is decided. Otherwise, play will continue to the end of the seventh (7th) inning. If an early game is decided by the 10-run rule, the teams must vacate the field. Championship games will go the full 7 innings. The umpire can end the game earlier for safety reasons.
8. A runner can leave the base only after the batter has hit the ball.
9. In using the mat for the purpose of calling balls and strikes, the ball must make contact with the mat in order to be a strike. Home plate is the white painted portion of the mat.
10. In early games, do not start any new inning after 7:20 p.m. If the game is tied, the game will go into the records as a tie, or the teams can reschedule to finish the game. If 5 innings have been completed and one team is ahead, the game is decided.
11. The arc of the pitched ball must be at least three (3) feet higher than the point where the pitcher let go of the ball. The arc can be no greater than fifteen (15) off the ground; otherwise, the pitch is an automatic ball.
12. If the base runner has stopped his motion to the next base and the pitcher with the ball is within five (5) feet of the pitcher's mound, the runner cannot continue to the next base and must return to the base he just crossed.
13. A player may not wear metal spikes. Rubber spikes are acceptable.
14. A mat will be place along side the foul ball side of first base and the runner must step on that mat anytime the runner is running past first base. Exception to this rule is when there is no close play and the runner is rounding first base in anticipation of heading to second base.
15. The runner is not to touch home plate when attempting to score. If a runner touches home plate, it is an out and no run scores. A line extending from the first base foul line will be extended about 6 feet and the runner is to cross that line in order to score. The runner is out if the catcher or whomever covering home plate steps on home plate with control of the ball in their possession while the runner crosses the line. The play is like a force out. Anytime the runner desires to return to third base before crossing the home plate line, the runner can do so. The only time there could be contact between the runner and the catcher is if the catcher has to retrieve the ball away from the plate. The runner is not allowed to touch the opposing team's player when that player is standing on home plate.
16. An extra player (EP) can be placed in the batting order if the ratio of the number of men to women/children on the field is correct. The EP can be any player and can play in the field at any time but must stay in the same batting position during the game (no more than ten players on the field at once). If you add the EP after the first pitch, that player bats in the 11th position.
17. A courtesy runner may be used by a player who is not able to run the bases. This runner is to be the last out. If it happens that the person needing the courtesy runner is the lead-off batter, then the last out of the last inning will be the runner. The person in need of a courtesy runner shall use a courtesy runner for every at bat during the game. The courtesy runner is to stand behind the line that is extended through left field/3rd base. If the runner crosses the line before the ball is hit, they are out. This is a judgment call by the home plate umpire.
18. The highest seeded team will be the home team for all playoff games. 1st & 2nd round games in the championship bracket will be played at Tomahawk, Minocqua or Harrison. The
championship game will be played on a neutral diamond.
