Superior Bigball League

 Superior Bigball League Rules

Equipment

• A new 16” softball will be used at the start of every game

• All fielders are allowed to wear gloves, however only the positions of Catcher and first base are allowed to wear First Baseman’s gloves. 

• Softball bats and Baseball bats are allowed.  

• Metal Cleats are not allowed. 

Field

• All Games are to be played at Wade Bowl Field on 12th Street. 

• Cancellations of games because of inclement weather or unplayable conditions at the field will be delivered to Team Captains by 4:30 the day of. 

• The Pitcher will pitch from the second pitching rubber, the furthest from the batter. 

Players

• There can be up to ten players in the field on defense. 

• A team can choose to bat more than ten players. 

• The minimum number of players a team can field is eight. A team can substitute to bring their team up to nine players but cannot substitute beyond that. 

Gameplay

• Standard Softball rules apply unless otherwise stated below. 

• Games will be seven innings long. 

• Pitchers may take up to 3 practice pitches at the start of every inning. 

• Bigball is a two strike, three ball league meaning that it takes three balls for a walk and two strikes for a strike out. 

• There are no extra foul balls, meaning that a foul ball on a 1-1 pitch will be a strikeout.

• Full swings must be used, meaning there are no bunts. 

• There is no base stealing allowed and runners are not allowed to lead off the base. 

• Runners cannot leave the base until the ball is hit as it is only 60 feet base to base. 

• This is an unlimited arch league, meaning that while a pitch must reach a minimum of six feet off the ground, there is no maximum arch height. 

• Any ball thrown below the six foot mark must be called “Flat” by the umpire. If a “Flat”pitch is not swung at it is a ball, if it is swung at and missed it is called a strike. 

• Both the Mat and the Plate make up the strike zone. 

• To avoid collisions, runners can score by touching either the Mat or the Plate. 

• Games will be umpired by members of the Batting team. 

• If tied after 7 innings, the game can continue one inning at a time until there is a winner or time runs out. 

• Innings are not to start beyond ten minutes prior to the next scheduled game, meaning in a 6:00 game, no inning is to start after 6:50. 

• Games can end in a tie, they can also end before seven innings are completed, therefore it is advised you hustle on and off the field. Players are also advised to be aware of the batting order to eliminate wasted time. 

Conduct

• Alcohol can be consumed in the Dugout areas only. It may not be consumed out in the field.

• There is no underage drinking allowed, regardless of whether or not a parent is present at the field. 

• There is to be no consumption of any illegal materials anywhere in Wade Bowl Park. 

• Smoking is limited to the immediate area of the dugouts/field, and must be kept at least 50 yards from the Park area of Wade Bowl Park. 

• There is no profanity. (There are a lot of children that watch the game.)

• There is No Fighting allowed. Any incidents of fighting will be reviewed by the League Board. Anyone involved in a fight is eligible to be suspended or banned from the league. 

• Teams that cannot follow these basic rules of conduct will be removed from the league or not invited back the following season.

Playoff Tournament Format 

• All Teams will be included in the Playoff Tournament

• Teams will be seeded based off of their regular season record. Any seeding tie breakers will be broken by the head to head record of the tied teams, if it is still tied we will move to the team record against the highest seed not involved in the tie. 

• It is a Double Elimination tournament, meaning once your team records two losses you are out. 

• Any player on the playoff roster must have played 3 times with the team in the regular season. (This can be verified with the scoresheets if necessary)

• A player may only play for one team in the Playoff Tournament. (No subs)

• You must field a minimum of 8 players for each game. Inability to do so will result in a forfeit of that game only. If this is your first loss, you have a chance to field a team in the next game. 

• A neutral umpire may be requested by either captain before each game begins. Both captains should agree on who the umpire is and the individual must be willing to umpire the game. 

• Any rule question or discrepancy should be directed to a member of the League Board. 

Any conduct violation is eligible for League Board review and any violation may result in player suspension, player ban, or a team wide ban. 

This is a family friendly league. Let us keep it that way for this year and many years to come. 

Any rule questions or comments can be directed to superiorbigball@gmail.com or send us a message at the Superior Bigball League facebook page.