Softball Rules & Regulations

Softball's worldwide growth has taken off--spreading from weekend warriors and recreation leagues to professional circuits and international competitions. Of course, there would not be a game if it weren't for the rules. As leagues have formed and grown, the rules have expanded and become more defined to help promote the sport. While different leagues and different levels of play have all modified the rules to best fit their athletes, there are some basics which remain the same.

  1. Playing Field

    • The dimensions of the field, distance between bases and the minimum unobstructed space surrounding it vary depending on the level of play (ranging from junior or women's fastpitch to men's slowpitch). However, it is recommended that each field has a warning track--though it is not mandatory if the playing field uses a temporary fence. In addition, each field should be drawn with a 1 meter line (running parallel to the baseline between home plate and first base), two batter's boxes, two on-deck circles, a catcher's box and two coach's boxes. Home plate and the pitcher's plate must be made of rubber.

    Equipment

    • Bats should be one smooth, rounded, solid piece of material and made of wood, metal or any other composite material that is sanctioned by the International Softball Federation's Equipment Standards commission. Likewise the core of the ball must be pre-approved with a smooth cover that is cemented around it. The color should be either white or yellow optic and range in circumference from 27.9 cm to 30.2 cm.

    Coaches, Players and Substitutes

    • The head coach must sign the team's lineup card, which is given to the official scorer or umpire before each game. Each team may also have two base coaches who stand in the coach's boxes along first and third base while his/her team is on offense. Each team consists of nine to 12 players (depending on the level or variation of the game and the appropriate league rules) who, with the exception of the catcher, can play anywhere on the field within fair territory. The only exception is the catcher who must be stationed in the catcher's box.

    The Game

    • Unless it has been previously stated in a league's rules, the determination of which team will bat first is chosen by a coin toss. A regulation game is seven innings long unless the "home" team (the side that bats second) is leading after six and a half innings. If a game is tied after seven innings, the offensive team starts its turn at bat by placing a runner at second base. The runner is the offensive player scheduled to bat ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth in the inning (depending on league rules).

    Scoring

    • The official scorer must make all decisions regarding how players advance from one base to the next--whether it is a hit or an errors. However, the judgments must be compatible with the umpire's decision or the official rules. The scorer lists the players in the order in which they bat until the player is either removed from the game via ejection or substitution or until the game ends. In addition, the scorer will keep track of defensive putouts and assists as well as sacrifices, runs batted in and pitching statistics.