Rules

Unity Athletics Association (UAA) Softball Rules

First and foremost, this league is run as a Muslim League so therefore, all participants are expected to carry themselves in a manner that is respectful to Islamic principles.

In the spirit of this, no profanity, in any language, shall be tolerated. A team has the right to place a grievance with the umpire if profanity was uttered in any language including English. Umpire may warn and/or expel the player(s) from the game/park. UAA Board will review all umpire ejections and may add to the suspension period. Repeat offenders will be suspended from future games or the league. 

 No smoking is allowed anywhere near the diamonds. Any player found smoking within 50 metres of the diamonds will be subject to a warning. Repeat offenders may receive up to a $50 fine that will be donated to charity and may be suspended/removed immediately from the league and also reported to the city. 

 Equipment

1. No METAL cleats or METAL jewelry will be allowed, you will be forced to remove them before entering the field of play.

2. All players are required to wear their current season jersey, failure to do so will result in a $10 fine (that will be donated to charity) payable before the next scheduled game. If the fine is not paid before the next scheduled game, another fine will apply and the player will not be allowed to play.

2a. If a jersey is lost, the player must inform his captain immediately and the captain will work with the Board on a resolution.

League Rules

1. Minimum of 8 male players, 16-years-old or over, that are registered to the team (or are an assigned league-approved sub) are required to play a game. If any team is found in breach of this rule at the game, a minimum of one game will be forfeited and the team may face further disciplinary action.

2. A 24-hour advanced notice is required if a team is to forfeit a game. Notifying the league less than 24 hours in advance may result in disciplinary action by the Board.

3. A maximum of two substitute players may be used from a league approved subs list. A substitute player can only be used if the team has 6, 7, 8 or 9 regular players. The substitute(s) can only play the catcher position or right field and must bat last. A team can use two substitute players maximum to get to 10 players. In the instance of a team having 9 regular players and using one sub, the player must play the catcher position and bat last. In the instance of a team having 7 or 8 players and using two subs ,the players must play catcher and right field and bat last. In the instance of a team having 6 regular players and using two subs, the players must play right field and first base with the other team providing a catcher who will not be playing as part of the team but is only there to return balls to the pitcher.

4. A minimum of 60% of the games or weeks must be attended for a player to play in the playoffs. Captains who wish to seek exceptions to this rule must appeal to the UAA Board two weeks prior to the playoffs and be subject to a private hearing. Exceptions will be granted only in the event of unanimous approval by the Board.

5. Illegal player: Any player(s) who are not eligible will not be allowed. Anyone who has not played a minimum of 60% of the games or weeks, will not be allowed to participate in the playoffs. If any team is found in breach of this rule, they will forfeit or be dismissed from the playoffs.

6. Pictures: UAA suggests a team picture or individual pictures from all players. All teams are suggested to participate.

Game Rules

1. Game is played in 7 innings, 1st and 3rd bases are 65 feet apart, 2nd base is 90 feet from home plate. Pitching distance is between 50 and 60 feet, commit line of 28 feet, Strike Mat / Home Plate: A 2 foot by 3 foot mat.

2. 5-run mercy rule is in effect in every inning from 1st inning to the 6th inning.

3. Only 7th inning is open or the final inning called by the umpire.

4. Batting lineup must be submitted before start of game and not in the middle of the first inning.

5. No player can be added to batting line up after the completion of the 1st inning or 10 minutes after scheduled start time, whichever comes later.

6. After 1 pitch has been taken by a player batting out of order in a lineup and is realized by the other team or an organizer, the player up to bat will be out and the rightful player in the lineup will go to bat.

7. If a player is injured during play and cannot continue then he will be skipped in the batting lineup and NOT deemed as an out.

8. Grace period of 10-minutes from scheduled time will be observed before a team forfeits.

9. Any team found delaying the game by the umpire or non-playing Board member will receive a warning and may forfeit the game.

10. No new inning shall start after one hour and fifteen minutes.

11. If time is running short, the umpire will announce time left before cut off. If the visiting team is trailing and allows the home team to bat and time runs out during their at-bats, those runs and at bats will count towards stats and run differential.

12. If a game runs for more than one hour based on the umpires clock/judgement, the game will be considered complete and the last completed inning will be considered the final score. 

13. Complete game is 3 innings: All games will be deemed as complete after 3 full innings of play. Whichever team leads at the end of the inning will be proclaimed the winner. If the score is tied, then both teams will receive a point. An inning is complete when the home team (team batting second) has completed all 3 outs. If the game is called off before the 7th inning is complete, then the score after the 6th inning will be used to determine the winner.

14. Rainouts: Any games cancelled or stopped due to weather conditions will be deemed as a tie, unless 2.5 innings have been completed. The home team leading after 2.5 innings or if the away team is up by 7 they will be proclaimed as the winner. An inning is complete when the home team is up to plate. If the game is called off before the 7th inning is complete, then the score after the 6th inning will be used to determine the winner.

Batting Rules

1. All at-bats start with 0-0 count, Third strike foul is an out.

2. If a batted ball hits the mat or the plate it will considered a foul ball.

3. A batter is not allowed to switch sides of the plate after taking the first pitch.

4. Any ball hit in play is considered fair even if it doesn't reach the pitcher as long as it is considered a legal swing by the umpire.

5. When a homerun is hit over the fence, the batter and base runners have the option of walking straight back to their dugout or they can touch all the bases. There is no need to touch the next base. The batter that hit the homerun is expected to retrieve the ball if no one else has already.

6. If a batter touches first with the bat in his hand, he is out. 

Base Running Rules

1. Lead-offs are forbidden. Runner(s) may leave a base only when the ball makes contact with the bat, plate or ground.  Any player that is caught leading off by the umpire will be ruled out. 

2. Sliding is permitted except at Home plate and 1st base.

3. UAA enforces a scoring line. No player can be tagged out at home plate. Player will be called out if he touches the home plate while coming around to score a run.

4. A maximum of 5 courtesy runners are permitted during a game. The last player ruled out can only be the courtesy runner unless allowed by the opposing team. Each team is allowed to designate two players as non-courtesy for the season.

5. If both teams agree to unlimited courtesy runners for an injured player, the rest of the team will only have 4 courtesy runners for the rest of the team. The injured player with the designated courtesy must stop at first base if they hit unless the ball goes over the fence as a home run.

Pitching Rules

1. Pitching distance is between 50 and 60 feet, and Strike Mat / Home Plate: A 2 feet by 3 feet mat.

2. A pitched ball must have a minimum height of 6 feet and a maximum of 12 feet, as per the judgment of the umpire.

3. The pitcher must have a pivot foot that does not move during the pitching motion.

4. The pitch must be released while the pitcher is standing parallel to the plate but he can stand up to 10 feet behind the rubber.

5. Pitchers must make an attempt to pitch to all batters.  For clarity, a pitcher may not throw a pitch that is blatantly unhittable because the pitch is a considerable distance away from the home plate mat. Any unusual pitches deemed by the umpire to be suspicious will result in a warning. A second warning will result in an ejection of the pitcher and the pitcher may be subject to additional penalties by the UAA Board, including suspension or fine.

6. It is not mandatory for a pitcher to wear a mask while pitching, but it is recommended. Shin guards are optional but highly recommended. 

Score and Standings

1. A Win is two points, Tied games (including rain outs determined pre-game or games called before the 3rd inning) are one point, and a Loss is zero points.

2. The criteria used for tiebreakers are: Points, Wins, Run Differential, Head to Head, Runs Scored.

3. A forfeit is a loss of 10-0. The winning team players are credited with a game played while only the players that are present when the forfeit is called from the team that forfeited gets a game played credit.

Umpires and Discipline

1. Each Captain of the team must identify themselves to the umpire before the start of their game. Only a Captain is permitted to discuss an umpires call (including appeals) with the other Captain and the umpire. Umpires decision is final during the game and CANNOT be reversed by the league.  Teams will be given two appeals maximum per game with the second only being granted if the first is successful.

2. Game umpire is the ultimate authority in the park. Any ejection will serve a minimum one game suspension. That player will be skipped in batting lineup as an out for the remainder of the game.

3. If the umpire finds anyone made a play with the intent to injure someone, that player will be automatically ejected and subject to further suspension and a fine.

4. Any argument with an umpire, resulting in an umpire’s decision to eject the player(s) will be an automatic next game suspension for the same player(s) for the first offence. A second ejection will result in a $50 fine and a heavy suspension. The Player(s) will be made aware of their future suspension lengths by the UAA Board within 5 days.

5. Any ejected/suspended player(s) must leave the park immediately or their team shall forfeit the game and the player may receive additional suspension. The UAA Board will review all umpire ejections and may add to the suspension period based on a disciplinary hearing. Repeat offenders may be suspended from future games or season. Suspended players are not permitted at the fields, if seen at the field the team will receive a forfeit.

6. Scorekeeper or a UAA Board member present at the park may serve as witnesses to the facts of a dispute. Scorekeeper or a UAA Board member must be informed with the intent to lodge a complaint and/or appeal before the end of the game or it will be negated.

7. The UAA Board will convene to hear the appeal. The hearing must be attended by the appellant/agent by Thursday night at 8 PM on a conference call. Failure to attend the hearing shall negate the appeal.

8. Captains are responsible for throwing away all litter/garbage in and around the dugout at the end of each game. Failure to do so will result in a $50 fine. Stat keepers will note which teams are responsible.

9. Any player or players involved in the consumption of any drugs or alcohol near the playing area shall be suspended and the team will be fined $200. The team that this player or players belong to will be put on probation until further notice.

ASA and USSSA Altered Bat Suspension Policy

UAA only allows ASA or USSSA 1.2 approved bats. All bats must be stamped by ASA or USSSA 1.2 to be eligible for play. Any bats that are altered in any way will result in confiscation and suspension from play in Canada. The offending player(s) will have two choices: 1. The player(s) can allow the umpire or UAA representative to inspect the bat and the umpire or UAA representative can reach a conclusion as to whether the bat may have been altered or, 2. The player(s) can refuse to allow the representative to inspect the bat and take an immediate three (3) year suspension from any and all ASA Canada play with no right of appeal. Exception: Bats that have the approval stamp, but that were subsequently banned, will not be permitted.

Rules are subject to change without notice by UAA.