Concord Girls Softball League

10U 2023-2024 Rules

The Concord Girls Softball League’s 10U league is designed to introduce the girls to the game of Fastpitch. In most cases, this is the first year the girls will be pitching. We encourage the players, coaches, and parents to be very patient with the girls, coaches, and umpires. We should all be involved in the league for the development and well-being of the girls.

Umpires – This is a developmental age, and the girls are often learning along with their coaches. Thank you for taking a moment to explain calls to help us all grow in our roles. We greatly appreciate your part in our games and you sharing your extensive knowledge of the game.

Overview

Innings                                                   5

Bases                                                     60 ft

Stealing                                                  2nd and 3rd base, not home; runners may steal one base at a time 

Ball Size                                                 11 inch

Pitching                                                  35 feet (kid and coach)

Age Cut off                                             Age as of December 31, 2023

Umpires                                                 Carded, paid

Division Coordinator                             Tom Valentino

General Rules

1. Unless otherwise noted on the league schedule, games begin at 6:30pm. Warm-ups are encouraged to be done in the outfield. Infield warm-ups are allowed by the visiting team at 6:00pm and the home team at 6:15pm leading into the start of the game.
2. Forfeit occurs if a team cannot field 8 players within 15 minutes of the official start of the game.
3. Home team:
 Supplies the game ball and pays umpire (funds provide by league).
 Uses the dugout on the first base side.
4. Catchers must wear chest protectors, shin guards, and masks.
5. Batters and base runners must wear helmets with face masks.
6. Pitchers and Infielders are required to wear fielding face masks. Outfielders are strongly encouraged to wear fielding face masks.
7. A game must go 5 innings OR the full amount of time to be considered complete. The time limit for games is 90 minutes. No new innings can after 90 minutes, but the current inning will be finished. A new inning starts immediately after the 3rd out of the prior inning.
Umpires have final decision for weather and darkness conditions. If a game is tied after 5 innings or 90 minutes, 1 additional inning will be played. (Example: If a game is tied after 5 innings, a 6th inning is played. If a game is tied and the time limit has expired after 4 innings, a 5th inning is played.) If a game remains tied after 1 extra inning, the game is declared a tie.
8. A game that does not go the regulation time of 90 minutes or to the bottom of the 3rd inning (with the home team ahead) shall be called a suspended game, unless agreed upon by the coaches. The game will resume from the point it stopped with the same batting order, lineup, pitch count, & outs. Any player not present will be scratched from the lineup, without penalty. If new players arrive, they will be added to the end of the batting order, and the game will continue until it is complete.
9. Every player plays a minimum of 2 innings defensively.
10. Continuous batting order & free substitutions. Any player taken out of the game due to injury/Illness and misses a batting turn may not re-enter the game and will not be considered an out.
11. Outfielders must be standing in the grass of the outfield when the play begins.
12. Lighting/Thunder Rule: If the umpire sees lightning or hears thunder, the game shall be delayed 30 minutes from the last occurrence. All individuals have the right to leave an athletic site or activity, without fear of repercussion or penalty, to seek a safe structure or location if they feel they are in danger from impending lightning activity.

13. Bat Throwing: On the first offense, a player receives a warning. On the second offense, the batter is called out. On the third offense, a player may be removed from game.
14. Cheering: No negative, taunting, intimidating, defeating yelling or cheering. Cheer only in support of your own team. One team warning, second is forfeiture. We want to ensure a positive, productive, safe environment at all times.
15. Ejections: The umpire has the right to eject any player, coach or fan for misconduct. The Concord Girls Softball League Misconduct Policy is as follows:
 Parent misconduct will result in a warning. If the conduct continues, the parent and head coach will be ejected by the umpire from the game.
 Any coach who is ejected will receive a 1-game suspension for his/her first offense. (Coach may not attend any practices in between ejection and the game for which they are suspended.)
 If a coach is ejected for a second time in a season, the coach will have a 3-game suspension (including practices in between).
 A third time a coach is ejected, the coach will be suspended for the remainder of the season up to and including the tournament.
 All ejections must be reported to the CGSL Board for tracking.
 All individuals ejected from a game must leave the field area for the remainder of the game and immediate post-game period.
16. Sliding is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. If a play is attempted at the base/plate, a runner can be called out if they do not slide. This is for the safety of both players, and actual contact does not need to be made. This will be at the umpire’s discretion.
17. Call-ups can be requested from the 8u Division if a team is short players under the following stipulations:
 Call-up player cannot miss a game from their original team.
 Call-up player cannot play more innings in the field than anyone else on the team.
 Call-up player must bat last in the lineup.
 There is no limit on the number of call-up players allowed, but the total number of players cannot be more than the number of players required in the field plus one additional. Example: 10U requires 10 players in the field so you can call up players to give you a total of 11.
 If you are not able to find an 8u call-up player on your own, please reach out to the 10u division coordinator for assistance.

10U-Specific Miscellaneous Rules
1. Once the ball is thrown to the pitcher and she has control within the circle area (or in best
judgment according to the umpire if the circle isn't visible), the ball becomes dead and no further advancement of runners is permitted. If the runner is halfway or more than halfway, the runner can continue to the next base. If they are not halfway, they must return to the previous base.
2. After the 4th walk/hit by pitch within an inning, a coach from the offensive team will pitch
for the remainder of the inning.
3. Once the coach enters the game to pitch, the coach will finish the inning. (The next inning, a player will pitch again.) Batters for the remainder of the inning receive up to 7 pitches from their coach. Swinging strikes/foul balls will be counted. Swinging and missing on the 3rd strike will be considered a strikeout. If the final pitch is a foul ball, the batter will be given another pitch. A player will not be called out on a foul ball.
4. There is no bunting and stealing when there is a coach pitcher.
5. A ball striking a coach pitcher will be a dead ball and not counted against the batter as one of the pitches.
6. Pitchers can throw a maximum of 3 innings per game. You can alternate pitchers in different innings. Example: One pitcher throws innings 1, 3, 5, and another throws 2 and 4.
7. The walk count for the inning does not reset if a pitching change is made mid-inning.
8. 10U team fields 10 players in a game but can have as few as 8 (10th player is an outfielder, 4 max in outfield LF, LC, RC, RF).
9. Teams may play 2 travel players in the infield (or 1 infielder/1 pitcher) at a time. Catcher is considered an infield position. Additional travel players on the team may be in the outfield or on the bench to rotate in during other innings.
10. There is no infield fly rule.
11. There is no dropped third strike.
12. Runners can leave the base once the ball is released by the pitcher. If an umpire determines a player left the base early, the offensive team will receive a warning and the player will be sent back to the base from which she started. On ensuing offenses after a team has been warned, base runners will be called out for leaving early. When a runner is deemed to have left early from a base, an immediate dead ball is to be declared by the
umpire.
13. Modified Stealing: Base runners may steal one base at a time except home. No extra base on an overthrow / missed throw. A runner may only advance home on a hit or walk. When a coach is pitching, base runners cannot steal and must remain on the base until the ball is hit.
14. Overthrow is defined as an attempted put out of a base runner at a base where the ball goes past its intended target.

 On an overthrow to first base, runners may attempt to advance one base if the ball remains in play. If the ball goes out of play (beyond or over the fence), the runner will automatically be awarded one base.
 On all other overthrows after a batted ball is put in play, the ball is considered live if it is still in play (i.e., runners can continue advancing until the ball is secured by the pitcher in the pitcher’s circle).
17. Run limit per inning: There is a hard limit of 7 runs per inning, per team, including the final inning of the game. Any runs scored on a play after a team scores its 7 th run of an inning will not be counted.
18. Pinch Runners may be used for injured players or catchers. Should be the player last out in the current inning. If there are no outs in the current inning, then the last out player from the previous inning is acceptable.