N O L A S O F T B A L L L E A G U E




2012 RULES OF PLAY

I. General
  • All Rules and Regulations of adult slow-pitch Amateur Softball Association (ASA) apply unless explicitly stated otherwise in these NOLA Softball League (NSL) Rules of Play.
  • NSL Rules of Play are designed to closely match the NAGAAA Instruments of Governance so that NSL teams winning NAGAAA berths are familiar with and accustomed to these rules.
  • Proposed changes may be submitted by anyone in writing to any Manager or Trustee, Commissioner or Competition Coordinator. Any changes/additions will be addressed at the next Manager’s Council.
  • The Manager’s Council is comprised of all Team Managers and Co-Chaired by the Commissioner and Competition Coordinator. NSL players and non-playing members are always invited and encouraged to attend any meetings of the Managers Council.
  • Managers may appoint any other team member to fulfill any part of their duties at any time.


II. Schedule
  • NSL 2012 Schedule may be altered at any time by a majority vote of the Manager’s Council. Changes that result in additional games and/or additional expenses must also be approved by NSL Board of Trustees.


III. Rosters
  • Player Registration for Spring Season closes on March 25, 2012. No players may be added to rosters after March 25, 2012, without consent of the Managers Council. Final Ratings Rosters are due March 26, 2012.
  • Players may transfer to a different team up to March 25, 2012, by submitting their request in writing to both Managers. The new Manager must approve of the player change.


IV. Ratings
  • Any of the 27 player rating questions for any player may be protested by any Manager or player (self). An individual player may protest their own ratings to the Managers Council, but should first attempt to work it out with their own Manager.
  • Protests specifying the question(s) challenged must be submitted by email to the Commissioner or Competition Coordinator on or before April 16, 2012.
  • The Manager’s Council will convene with a minimum one week’s notice to hear any protests. A majority of the Managers Council present and the Commissioner must agree on each final player rating.
  • The Commissioner or Competition Coordinator may call a special meeting of the Managers Council to review any player rating in question on the GSWS berth teams prior to the GSWS.


V. NAGAAA & GSWS
  • Each Division will have a berth to the GSWS. That berth is determined by a double-elimination tournament in each division.
  • Home team and/or seed order will be determined by the teams’ winning percentage of regular season final standings. In case of a tie, runs scored minus runs given up will be used. Then coin flip.
  • The playoff will be held on the final weekend of play and the tournament schedule will be approved by the Manager’s Council in advance.
  • Within one week of winning the berth, each team must formally and finally declare their intentions to attend the GSWS2012 to the Commissioner. If the team winning the GSWS berth does not accept it, the second place team is awarded the berth, and so on.
  • The NSL will pay the GSWS Entry Fee for the both the C and D Division playoff winners.
  • All NAGAAA rules and regulations for GSWS2012 must be adhered to by NSL teams when they participate in the playoff tournament.
  • In order to help with GSWS expenses, each team is required contribute a minimum of $500 in fundraising to the NSL by the date of the playoff tournament.


VI. Games and Equipment
  • Managers must be present and in charge of their team at all times during competition, field set-up, and any team events/functions. If the manager will not be present, he/she must inform the other managers, Commissioner and Competition Coordinator of his/her designated replacement by 9 a.m. on game days or prior to an event.
  • Game time is 50 minutes and will be called by umpires.
  • Ties will be settled by ASA International Tie-Breaker Rules. At the beginning of each half inning, the batting team shall begin its turn at bat with the player who is scheduled to bat last in that respective half-inning being placed on second base. A substitute may be inserted for the runner following regular substitution rules.
  • Line-Up to be submitted to Umpire and opposing Manager/Coach no later than 5 minutes prior to Game Start.
  • Teams may bat up to 11 players, with one being a designated hitter.
  • Batters start with 0-0 count. One courtesy foul is allowed after two strikes.
  • Pitching arc must be between 6 and 12 feet. (ASA = 6-10)
  • Official Ball – Worth YS44RLA3 12” Yellow Cover Cor. 44 375 lb
  • All equipment must comply with ASA and NAGAAA guidelines.
  • The team listed second on the schedule is the Home team.
  • The Home team is responsible for keeping score in the official NSL book.


VII. Field Set Up
  • The home team playing the first game on each field is responsible for ensuring proper field set up, which includes striping of fields and proper base setting. The home team must provide a minimum of four players, beginning no later than 30 minutes prior to game time. Failure to have the field in proper order by game time will result in a forfeit against the home team.
  • The home team playing the last game on each field is responsible for field breakdown and collecting all NSL equipment (home plate, three bases, pitchers stripe, scorebook, catcher’s mask, striping materials, mallet, crowbar, four orange cones, extra balls) into the division bag. The Manager of that team is responsible for delivering that bag by Wednesday to the manager of the home team of following week’s first game of same division. NOTE: If the last game is a scrimmage, the division team for that day’s competition is responsible for field breakdown and bag transfer.


VIII. Rain Outs
  • Rain Outs will be called by the Commissioner and reported on nolasoftball.com and Facebook no later than 9 a.m. whenever possible on Game Day. All Teams/Managers/Players are responsible for checking the website to find out game status.
  • As a general rule, the NSL does not reschedule rain outs because the Spring Season already includes many games and in past seasons when we did reschedule, most teams forfeited after Memorial Day. However, in the event of excessive rain outs, some games may be rescheduled if a majority of the Managers Council approves. If additional costs are involved, the Board of Trustees must also approve.


IX. Conduct
  • Players are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship at all times. No cursing is allowed by players during games. No alcohol is allowed in dugouts or on the fields. PLAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IF INTOXICATED AND SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN LINE UPS OR ALLOWED IN DUGOUTS.



These 2012 NSL Rules of Play were finalized and approved unanimously by the Managers Council on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 6 p.m. at John Paul’s in an open meeting.


*On Thursday, May 9, 2012, the full Managers Council approved a motion to change the NSL 2012 Rules of play regarding the two (2) additional GSWS Berths. Previously, the NSL had been eligible for only two (2) GSWS Berths, however with 10 teams qualifying for NAGAAA’s league size of 10-19 teams, we now are eligible to send four (4) teams to the GSWS2012. After healthy discussion, the Managers Council passed the measure unanimously. The new rule reads as follows:

Each division winner of all regular season play will be awarded a berth to the GSWS2012. Those two teams will not play in the NSL Playoff Tournament on May 20, 2012. In keeping with the current rule, the winners of each division in the NSL Playoff tournament will be awarded the additional two berths to the GSWS2012.

Download Rules as PDF