Temiscaming Slo-Pitch
Temiscaming Slo-Pitch
Temiscaming Slo-Pitch

Slo-Pitch – Rules

2020 Season

 

The Temiscaming Slo-Pitch league abides to the 2018 SPN (Slo-Pitch National) Rulebook. That being said, the league does have some in-house rules which are listed below.

 

DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS AN UMPIRE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. IT WILL BE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE UMPIRE TO GIVE YOU A WARNING OR EJECT YOU FROM THE GAME IMMEDIATELY. DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF YOUR ACTIONS, YOU MAY BE SUSPENDED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON AND POTENTIALLY ANY SUBSEQUENT SEASONS.

 

  1. You are allowed to tag from 3rd base.

 

  1. If  a runner passes the hog line (halfway between 3rd base and home plate) they cannot go back to 3rd base. They must continue to run home. The defensive player must touch home plate with possession of the ball before the runner crosses the plate safely. The defensive player cannot tag the runner once they have passed the hog line. The runner cannot slide at home plate or they will be an automatic out.

 

  1. The left and centre fielders cannot throw the ball to 1st base unless they are on the infield. However, if a batter were to fly out and the runner on 1st base was to tag up and decide to return to 1st base, the left and centre fielders are allowed to throw to 1st base.

 

  1. The infield fly rule is in effect when you have less than 2 out with runners on 1st and 2nd or the bases are loaded. If the batter hits an infield fly, the umpire must call INFIELD FLY, BATTER’S OUT. When the infield fly is called and the ball is caught, it’s treated exactly as an ordinary flyball out. However, if the infield fly is called and the ball lands fair without being caught, the runners can proceed to the next base and are not required to tag up. Ultimately, the runners choose to run at their own risk.

 

  1. There is an imaginary line between the bases, the infields cannot pass that line before the ball is hit. The runners cannot run out of that line or they may be called out for breaking their baseline.

 

  1. The Temiscaming Slo-Pitch league requires all bats to have the USSSA compliance mark (Thumbprint) on the bats.

 

 

  1. The league’s homerun rule is the “Match Homerun Plus One”. Teams must match homeruns and can only be ahead by 1 homerun. (Ex” Team “A” hits a homerun first, they cannot hit another one until Team “B” has hit one out to even it up. After that, either team can hit it out to take the advantage). If a team hits a homerun to go up by 2, the batter is out.

 

  1. If a player gets injured during the game and cannot run, they must still bat and have a teammate of the same sex run for them. The runner must hold the fence behind home plate until the ball is hit then they can begin to run. Players cannot use this rule if they were hurt before the game started. THIS PLAYER WILL COUNT AS ONE OF THE TEAMS 3 COURTESY RUNNERS. Write the number of courtesy runners on the bottom of the scoresheet.


  1. The minimum number of players to play is 8. The minimum for each sex is 4 men and 4 women. If a team does not have a minimum of 8 players, they are allowed to pick up players from other teams to make the minimum number required to play. Teams can also pick up an additional 2 players to make up 10, if the opposing team agrees, otherwise the team must remain at 8 players. Any spare pickups must be added to the bottom of your lineup after your regular players.

 

  1. Each team must have a minimum of 4 women on the field at all times. NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

  1. Teams are allowed 7 guys and 4 women on the field. For the batting lineup, teams must alternate men and women. At the end of the lineup, teams can have 2 men bat back-to-back which would make it 3 men in a row once back to the top of the lineup. If a team is playing with 7 men and 4 women, they may only have 6 guys batting. The 7th guy must double bat with another guy in the lineup.

 

  1. If a runner touches the ball while running to the bases or if the runner is hit by a ball, they are automatically out.

 

  1. Runners cannot lead off of the bases. They must wait until the ball has been hit. If the batter tips the ball, the runners are allowed to run off the base but must return.

 

  1. While running to 1st base, runners must touch the orange bag if the ball is hit in the infield. If the runner continues to run in a straight line and decides to return to 1st base, they are allowed to motion to whichever side they prefer without crossing the foul line. If a runner crosses the foul line, the defensive player has the right to tag the runner out. Should the runner stop running and decide to run to 2nd base, they must touch the white bag in order to advance. If the runners intentions are to run directly to 2nd base after hitting the ball in the outfield, they must touch the white bag.

 

  1. Batters cannot throw their bats after hitting a ball. They must let it drop down. Umpires will give a warning for the 1st offence. The 2nd and subsequent offences will result in an automatic out.

 

  1. When it is not a force play, the defensive player must tag the runner and not the base.

 

  1. At bat, a batter’s feet cannot pass the imaginary batters box at the plate. If they do so, they will get a warning. A 2nd offence may result in the umpire calling the batter out.

 

  1. Steel cleats are prohibited. This is to avoid injuries.

 

  1. Batters cannot bunt, chop or hit without a full swing. It will be considered a strike and if it’s the 3rd strike, the batter will be out. It is at the discretion of the umpire to call this an illegal hit.

 

  1. The home team must supply 1 new game ball per game. The league uses Hot Dot balls.

 

  1. For the playoffs, all players on a team’s roster must have played a minimum of 5 games during the regular season (including spares) to be eligible to play in the playoffs. Should a team be short players, they must get approval from the opposing team to pick up players to meet the minimum requirements. Otherwise, the team loses by default.

 

  1. The playoff format for this season will be decided at a later date.

 

  1. If 2 teams are tied for 1st place, the tiebreaker will be who had the better record in the head-to-head competition. If the teams are still tied, there will be a 1 game playoff.

 

  1. UMPIRING RULE; Each team must supply an umpire after their game. There is a $100 umpiring fee that will be returned if a team supplies an umpire after all of the required games. If a team misses a game, it will cost them $50. After 2 games missed, they will be required to pay another $100 or each of their games will be considered forfeited until the $100 has been paid. Reminder, if a team’s game gets rained out, make sure that the umpires are still around in case the other games will be played and to avoid the $50 penalty.

 

  1. Games will be played on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. Game times will be 6:45pm, 8:00pm and 9:15pm. The 6:45pm game umpires the 8:00pm while the 8:00pm game umpires the 9:15pm game. The 9:15pm game will umpire the 6:45pm game.

 

  1. All game sheets must be kept in the binder and whichever team plays the late game must return the binder and the key for the lights to the holding box attached to the Snack Shack.

 

  1. The minimum age to play is 15. However, all players under the age of 18 must have their parents sign a consent form. Also, every player must sign the league waiver form.

 

  1. All pitchers who are less than 18 years old must wear a protective mask in order to pitch. NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

  1.  Pitchers will not be allowed to step past the rubber pitching mound while pitching. They must also stand within the pitching zone.

 

  1. Pitchers must pitch with a 6-12 foot arc. If not, the umpire must call it an illegal pitch. The batter may swing at an illegal pitch if they choose to. An illegal pitch will count as a ball if the batter chooses not to swing.

 

  1. A foul tip on the 3rd strike is an automatic out.

 

  1. If a pitcher walks a male batter on 4 straight balls, the batter will automatically get 2nd base if a female is batting behind them and the female batter will have a choice whether to hit or take the walk. If the pitcher gets at least 1 strike on the male batter and ends up walking them, the male will only go to 1st base and the female must hit.

 

  1. Each game is scheduled for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Try to finish 7 innings within that time. The game time (1 hour and 15 minutes) only starts when the game commences. The only person to decide when open inning will be called is the umpire.

 

  1. To help speed up the game, we ask that each team hussles on and off the field between innings. There will be a 2 minute limit in between innings getting on and off the field. Once the time limit exceeds, the inning starts regardless if the team is ready or not. The umpire must keep track of this time. There will be NO warming up on the field before or during the game.

 

  1. Please remove all liquid containers and trash from the bench at the end of your game.

 

  1. NO SMOKING OR CONSUMING ALCOHOL ON THE PLAYING FIELD.

 

  1. A pickup player cannot be a pitcher from another team.

 

**League stats will be viewable on volsdebut.com and search for Temiscaming Slo-Pitch**