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2020 DRAFT V4.2
Cobb Metro Fast Pitch League
Guidelines and Points of Interest
Revised 9-3-2020
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Form a five + member Metro Executive Board, with at least one member being a High School Coach as advisor. The Executive Board consists of Metro League Coaches/Asst. Coaches to hear league disputes and eligibility requests. Rulings of the Metro Executive Board are final and are not open to appeal to the varsity coaches. In cases involving one of the Metro Executive Board members, that Metro Executive Board member will remove themselves from the discussion and vote.
ELIGIBILITY
Cobb County Metro League and GHSA eligibility guidelines will be strictly adhered to.
A player must reside within the school district OR the parent must be a county employee in the school feeder pattern. In multiple household families, the parent with primary guardianship as defined by the divorce decree or court order defines the school of record.
Any exceptions made (and there should be next to none) must be petitioned to the Metro Executive Board for final approval. The Coaches Board does not need to approve any exception if the Metro Executive Board turns down the request but the Coaches Board will need to approve any exceptions the Metro Executive Board makes. Players are not eligible until the Metro Executive Board rules. 5th grader eligibility is up to the individual school.
No team will be allowed to use an ineligible player during a league game even if the opposing coach approves. If an ineligible player is used, the offending team will be barred from post-season play. If the game was played with the approval of the opposing coach then the game will count as a league loss for the purposes of seeding for the postseason tournament.
If a team insists on fielding an ineligible player after having been notified of their ineligibility by the Metro Executive Board then the team will be dismissed from the league for the remainder of the season and remaining teams will not be allowed to knowingly play games or scrimmages against that team or face being dismissed as well. The Metro Coach’s Board would rule on dismissal of offending teams.
All teams will be required to submit a roster to the Metro Executive Board by an annual deadline date set no later than prior to the first official event. The roster must contain player’s complete name, address, and birth date. Each player will sign a form stating that they live within their team’s school district and are eligible to attend the feeder high school. Proof of residence will be submitted for each player via Driver’s License and Current Utility Bill with address.
No players may be added to a roster or moved from one roster to another without prior approval of the Metro Executive Board. Silver teams can have no more than 3 8th graders on their roster at any time.
Players may not switch between teams unless a team’s roster drops to 9 players due to injuries. At that point the coach must go to the Metro Executive Board for approval to switch a player from one team to the next. This must be done prior to the player participating in a game with the new team.
On the first Tuesday after Labor Day each school will be allowed to move up to two players from one of their rosters to the other. This will allow for adjustments based on player improvement or coach’s judgment in assigning players to their original teams. That means two players can be moved up and two players must be moved down or any combination of the above. Changes must be sent to the Metro Executive Board by that Tuesday after Labor Day in order to be approved for play in that weekend’s games.
After Labor Day, if a team drops below 9 players, the team can appeal to the Executive Board for a temporary move. The player will be able to play for only 1 team in a given day. If the player is playing down from Gold to Silver, it must be a non-8th grader – no matter how many 8th graders are on the Silver team.
All teams are responsible for reporting any potential ineligible players to the Executive Board for investigation if they feel a player does not meet the Cobb County or GHSA eligibility guidelines.
SEASON OVERVIEW AND DIVISIONS
The Regular Season will consist of 12 league games with a schedule to be processed once we know how many teams we have on the last Friday in July. (Scheduling issues may limit the number of games to 10 or 11).
Ø Metro teams are allowed to play outside games through the weekend of August 10-11. August 11 is the FIRM deadline for any outside scrimmages/games.
Ø Metro teams are not allowed to play in any outside in-season tournaments or games that are not scheduled through the Metro league. Penalty for violating this rule will be the ineligibility of that team from the Post Season Tournament.
Ø The league will be split into Gold and Silver divisions as declared by the school on that date, subject to Metro Executive Board approval.
Ø If a school only has 1 established program team and they feel, based on their talent level, they are better suited to play Silver, they can appeal to the Metro Executive Board. All decisions are final.
Ø Game ejections during the season will follow GHSA, which states a 2 game suspension. When an ejection occurs, the opposing team, the victim and the umpire crew are to inform the Metro Executive Board within 24 hours.
Ø To avoid ejections, whenever possible, umpires can restrict the coach to the dugout as a warning.
All games will be scheduled as follows. Only conflicts will need to be discussed by the coaches:
Ø Saturday “Gold” games 10am
Ø Saturday “Silver” games 12:30pm
Ø Sunday “Gold” games 2pm
Ø Sunday “Silver” games 4pm
Ø Week night games all start at 7pm
Ø Any changes to the schedule must have both coaches confirmed with the scheduler and the umpire coordinator.
Games will mostly be scheduled for play on Mon, Sat, and Sun. However a Wed or Thurs could be scheduled when needed.
Each team will be responsible for finding a location to play all their home games. If a team has a home game scheduled and does not have a field available then they will be responsible for getting together with the opposing coach and working out either a different date or playing it at the away teams location if that is possible. It is up to both coaches to be flexible in trying to accommodate rescheduling of games before a forfeit will be called. Only the Metro Executive Board can declare a forfeit
Geographical area of the Program:
The league will remain a Cobb County only Program. The focus of the program will remain on Cobb County teams. However, other County HS feeder teams may be approved by the Metro Executive Board on a case by case basis (out of county participants must be approved annually, even if their program participated the previous season).
Standings:
Ø Both coaches shall email their game results to the Scheduler every Tuesday morning for the Metro website to be updated.
Ø Please make sure your scores are correct as the runs against count for tie-breakers. A maximum of +/-7 runs is allowed as a differential. IE a 15-0 score is only recorded as a 7-0 final score for tie-breaker purposes.
Tie Breakers:
1. Winning percentage
2. Head to Head – If 3 teams are tied only works if one team beats the other two in head to head, then remaining 2 teams continue from here
3. Runs Scored against in games only involving tied teams
4. Runs Scored against
5. Runs Scored involving games only among tied teams
6. Runs Scored
7. Coin Flip
8. ANY time the decision can be reverted back to head to head record to break a tie this method will take priority over other choices.
Game balls must be 12”, Yellow, .47 core balls and must have the NFHS stamp on them or else the umpires will not allow you to use them. Supplying game balls is the responsibility of the home team. For Metro games, balls are allowed to be put in play with small scratches.
Mound Distance: Gold 43 feet; Silver 40 feet
Metal Spikes: No Metal Spikes in Gold or Silver Divisions; no matter age of player.
All teams must carry insurance. Insurance contact information listed at end of document.
REGULAR SEASON GAMES
Time limits: No new inning after 1:30
Ø If the teams are tied after game time has expired, they will complete the inning.
Ø If they are still tied after the conclusion of the inning, the game will go to ITB (no matter what the current inning is).
Ø If 7 innings are completed BEFORE time expires, the ITB will be implemented beginning in the top of the 8th inning.
Ø There is a two hour max time limit on all games (including weekends). If the teams are tied after the max time limit has expired, they will complete the inning.
Ø If they are still tied at the conclusion of the 2 hour max, the game will end in a tie.
Scenario #1: If teams are tied in the 10th inning at 9:00pm (or 2-hour max time limit), the inning will be completed. If the teams are still tied after completion of the inning, the game will end in a tie.
Scenario #2: If there is a varsity game that goes past 7:00pm on a Monday night, it is starting to overlap the game time for the Metro game. Factoring in the curfew, there must be at least 75 minutes of game time available to make a regulation game (unless a run-rule occurs).
Run limits:
7 innings OR
15 run differential after 3rd
12 run differential after 4th
8 run differential after 5th
Covid19 Update:
For the 2020 season only, the Gold Division will be allowed to bat up to 10 players with unlimited defensive substitutions. This will help increase participation and development as well help umpires stay in accordance with the GHSA covid19 rule amendment. The adopted GHSA rule amendment also allows this exception for sub-varsity softball for the fall 2020 season. Please notate the extra player in the lineup as an EP on the lineup Card.
Game balls - Home teams supply at least 2 new game balls before the start of the game. Once new game balls are supplied by the home team, each team must keep the game ball that was used during their turn of a defensive inning when exiting the field. Any ball that leaves the field of play must be sanitized by the home team before putting back in play through the catcher. You may need to keep extra game balls on hand to keep the speed of the game going. All game balls must be 12” .47 core with the NFHS stamp on them and may be checked at any time by the umpire. Please return all game balls to the home team at the end of the game.
For the Silver division, there will be free substitution on DEFENSE. Substitution on offense is limited to the last recorded out.
Silver Division Only
Ø Free Substitution on Defense: This applies to anyone in the dugout. The rule is design to develop as many players as possible without having to bat all players in the lineup. The only defensive substitutes that need to be announced is the Pitcher and the catcher. The other defensive substitutions do not need to be announced to umpires or put into the batting lineup.
IE. Team has 11 players on roster. The team bats 9 in the batting lineup. The team rotates the 2 extra players in the dugout on defense every other inning without penalty.
NOTE: For Offensive purposes, a line-up card with batting order must be presented at the plate meeting. Further details on offensive subs mentioned below.
Ø Offensive Substitution: Silver teams can bat a normal 9 player line-up card up to all players on their roster. This is set at the plate meeting and cannot be changed. Any players on the lineup after 9 are noted as EP’s (extra players) on the lineup. If a team decides to bat 9 players and 1 EP out of a 12 player roster, any of the remaining players in the dugout would be used as offensive substitutes. Offensive substitutes must be announced to the umpire when entering the game. The offensive substitute will be tied to spot in the line-up of the player they come in to hit for. The original starter and the offensive substitute have 1 re-entry into the batting lineup. Once the starter or the sub uses their reentry they cannot be used on offense for the rest of the game. In the Silver division only, the player can still play defense.
IE. Team bats 10 players and has 2 subs. Sub 1 goes in to hit in the 2nd position on the lineup in the 3rd inning. This is announced to the umpire. In the 5th inning the original starter reenters the game and must reenter at the 2nd position in the lineup. In the 7th inning, the coach decides to reenter Sub 1 into the game again to hit in the 2nd position of the lineup. Once this is done the original starter is burned and can no longer bat on offense for the rest of the game. But the starter can play defense.
Ø Courtesy Runners: Courtesy runners are for the pitcher and catcher only. If a team bats 9 and has 2 subs then the subs will be the 2 potential courtesy runners. If a team bats all players, the courtesy runners will be the last completed at bat. Unlike the Gold division, a player can be a courtesy runner even if they have been in the game, as long as they are not in the batting order at the time of entering as a courtesy runner. A player cannot courtesy run for more than one player in the same inning.
Ø Pinch Runners: Only subs can be pinch runners for an offensive base runners. The offensive substitution rules apply and this must be announced to the umpires.
Ø Silver teams may bat all of their players. There will NOT be an automatic out unless a team drops below 9 players during a game. IE if a team starts with 10 or more and a 10th player must leave the game, the 10th player spot in the lineup is passed up WITHOUT penalty.
INCLEMENT WEATHER, SHORTENED GAMES, OR ORTHER ISSUES FOR REGULAR SEASON GAMES
The following GHSA rules apply. (These GHSA rules are listed as a convenience to those coaches not familiar with GHSA rules.) We have modified slightly due to the league using time limits for all games.
The suspended game rule will be used:
(a) When a game is stopped before it becomes a legal game, it is considered to be "no contest" and any replay will begin from the first inning. A legal game is 4.5 innings if home team is winning, 5 innings if visiting team is winning. Due to time limits, a 75 minute minimum will also count as a legal game.
(b) When a game is stopped after it becomes a legal game and a winner can be determined, the game is completed.
(c) When a game is stopped after it becomes a legal game and a winner cannot be determined, any replay will begin from the point of interruption.
Termination of the game due to weather, unplayable conditions, or mechanical malfunctions:
(a) The umpires may halt play for up to two (2) hours when conditions do not allow play to continue. The two hour weather delay is applied to weekend games only.
1. The two-hour interruption(s) is cumulative. NOTE: On a weeknight, the weather delay will be a cumulative 45 minutes max, in order to meet the 9:00pm curfew and minimum of 75 minutes played. If weather stops a game before it becomes official (4.5 if home team is winning, 5 if home team is losing) OR (75 minutes of playing time), the game will be rescheduled and replayed from the beginning. Depending on the game situation, the team that is losing may concede the game in lieu of rescheduling.
2. The game must be terminated when the two-hour time period has elapsed. If the first game of a doubleheader is terminated, the second game will be postponed.
3. The two-hour period does not include time needed to prepare the field for the resumption of play.
(b) Umpires must wait for at least 30 minutes before terminating a game for unplayable field conditions.
In any softball game, if a team does not show up within 30 minutes of the scheduled game time:
A forfeit shall be declared unless the delay is unavoidable and the visiting team notifies the home team. In emergency situations, the game may be started late, or may be rescheduled.
The tie-breaker procedure for extra-inning games will be used:
Procedure: At the beginning of the eighth inning (and all subsequent half-innings), the player who was the last batter in the previous inning is placed on second base and regular rules apply thereafter. The game continues until a winner is determined.
POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT
The first games shall start on or about the Thursday following the last scheduled end of season game. The tournament shall separate into two divisions, Gold and Silver. Each division will compete for their respective Championship. The Metro Executive Board reserves the right to move a Silver team to the Gold bracket if it is shown they are a true Gold team based on regular season performance.
Ø Maximum Fee 2020: $250 per team.
Ø Gate Admission is a Team Fee: $150.00 per Team
Ø Minimum games (2)
Ø Double Elimination format
Ø Game ball will be provided by Host Team
Ø Seeding will based on regular season standings as provided by Scheduler
Ø 1 hour 20 minutes for all games in the tournament EXCEPT the Championship and IF games.
Ø 1 hour 30 minute game time for the Championship and IF games.
Ø Time begins on the First warm-up pitch of the Game.
Ø Same Run Rules as regular season.
Ø Home team decided by higher seeded team. No Re-Seeding in case of upsets. The only EXCEPTION is if a lower seed advances to the Championship through the Winner’s Bracket, they will be designated HOME team for the Championship. The IF Game will be a coin toss.
Ø Trophies are expected for both First and Second Place teams.
Ø The order of rules followed shall be Metro, GHSA, FHSA, and then ASA.
UMPIRES FOR REGULAR SEASON GAMES
The league will schedule the regular season games at the beginning of the season. The umpires associations that we have used in the past have been NGAUA and Steve Marcus group of ASA umpires and these two groups are used by the majority of Varsity/JV games in Cobb County. Paying for umpires for each home game is the responsibility of the home team. When games are rescheduled, it is the responsibility of the home team to schedule their umpires for the make-up. If a game needs to be cancelled, it is the responsibility of the home team to notify the umpire association. All rescheduled games must be reported to the Executive Board in order to update the Master Schedule. Cost is $47.00 per Umpire/$94.00 for Individual Game OR $43.00 per Umpire/$86.00 for Game Double Headers.
NGAUA Softball Umpire Scheduler
Shawn Schumacher
(C) 678-449-4130
Allatoona, Campbell, Cherokee, Creekview, E Paulding, Etowah, Harrison, Hillgrove, Hiram, Kennesaw Mtn, Marietta, McEachern, N Cobb, N Paulding, Osborne, Paulding, Pebblebrook, River Ridge, Sequoyah, S Paulding, S. Cobb, Wheeler, Woodstock
NGAUA Softball Umpire Treasurer
Powell Hazzard
(C) 678-644-1781 **Powell will be billing all NGAUA fees to the High School Programs/Booster Clubs
SUU (Softball Umpires Unlimited) Umpire Scheduler and Treasurer
Steve Marcus
(C) 770-402-8754
Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Walton
TEAM INSURANCE AND USA TEAM REGISTRATION INFORMATION
T.W. Lord Associates
(Email: Hazel@TWLord.com)
770-427-2461
Attn: Tommy Lord, 25 Dodd Street, Marietta, GA 30060
Approximate cost is $100.00 per Team ($200 total payment for Gold and Silver)
Put “Cobb County Metro Fast Pitch Association” and your schools name on the page with the list of players and Booster Club Mailing address.
Each team is responsible for having their insurance and providing Proof.
****you do not have to use T.W. Lord if your schools uses another INS Provider
USA Softball Team Registration
Attn: Steve Marcus, 414 Woodruff Xing, Woodstock, GA 30189-3145
Make checks payable to: USA SOFTBALL
$20 per team ($40 total payment for Gold and Silver)
Mail with coaches’ names, school name, and team name information
All teams must carry this for their facility/game officials/team to be beneficiaries in a potential liability situation
LEAGUE CONTACTS
PRESIDENT
Dana Stephens (Kennesaw Mtn. program)
SCHEDULER (REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT BRACKET)
Johnny Barnett (South Paulding program)
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS
Joe Rocco (Pope program)
Mike Maher (Lassiter program)
Tonya Carlisle (Head Coach—Cherokee HS)
Lisa Chapman (Head Coach—Kennesaw Mountain HS)
LEAGUE WEBSITE
https://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=cobbmetrofastpitch
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GOLD
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DIVISION |
SILVER |
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· 4.5 INNINGS IF HOME TEAM LEADS · 5 INNINGS IF VISITING TEAM LEADS · 75 MINUTES IF SHORTENED DUE TO WEATHER/OTHER REASONS |
OFFICIAL GAME
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· 4.5 INNINGS IF HOME TEAM LEADS · 5 INNINGS IF VISITING TEAM LEADS · 75 MINUTES IF SHORTENED DUE TO WEATHER/OTHER REASONS |
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· 90 MINUTES COMPLETE THE INNING |
GAME TIME
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· 90 MINUTES COMPLETE THE INNING |
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· 9PM ON SCHOOL NIGHTS—COMPLETE THE INNING |
CURFEW
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· 9PM ON SCHOOL NIGHTS—COMPLETE THE INNING |
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· IMPLEMENTED IN TOP OF 8TH OR AFTER 90 MINUTES HAS EXPIRED · PLAY UNTIL THERE IS A WINNER OR UNTIL 9PM CURFEW SCHOOL NIGHT GAMES (OR MAX 2 HOUR TIME LIMIT)—COMPLETE THE INNING.IF GAME IS STILL TIED AFTER COMPLETION OF INNING PAST CURFEW (MAX TIME), GAME ENDS IN TIE |
ITB
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· IMPLEMENTED IN TOP OF 8TH OR AFTER 90 MINUTES HAS EXPIRED · PLAY UNTIL THERE IS A WINNER OR UNTIL 9PM CURFEW SCHOOL NIGHT GAMES (OR MAX 2 HOUR TIME LIMIT)—COMPLETE THE INNING. IF GAME IS STILL TIED AFTER COMPLETION OF INNING PAST CURFEW (MAX TIME), GAME ENDS IN TIE |
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· 9 - (Covid19 Fall) 10 |
# OF BATTERS
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· 9 UP TO ENTIRE ROSTER |
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· REQUIRED AT PLATE MEETING FOR OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE SUB REPORTING |
LINE-UP CARD
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· REQUIRED AT PLATE MEETING FOR OFFENSIVE PURPOSES |
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· ALL OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE SUBS REPORTED FOLLOWING GHSA GUIDELINES FOR RE-ENTRY |
SUBS
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· ALL OFFENSIVE SUBS REPORTED AND FOLLOW GHSA GUIDELINES FOR RE-ENTRY · FREE SUBSTITUTION FOR DEFENSE |
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· COURTESY RUNNER ATTACHED TO POSITION AND USED FOR PITCHER AND CATCHER ONLY FOLLOWING GHSA GUIDELINES |
COURTESY RUNNER
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· IF TEAM BATS 9, EXTRA PLAYERS USED FOR COURTESY RUNNER FOR PITCHER AND CATCHER ONLY. THEY MAY COURTESY RUN EVEN IF THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN THE GAME AND REMOVED · IF TEAM BATS ALL PLAYERS, THE LAST RECORDED OUT WILL SERVE AS COURTESY RUNNER. A PLAYER CANNOT COURTESY RUN FOR MORE THAN ONE PLAYER IN THE SAME INNING. |
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· 15 RUN LEAD AFTER 3 INNINGS · 12 RUN LEAD AFTER 4 INNINGS · 8 RUN LEAD AFTER 5 INNINGS · 1 RUN LEAD AFTER 7 INNINGS |
RUN-RULE
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· 15 RUN LEAD AFTER 3 INNINGS · 12 RUN LEAD AFTER 4 INNINGS · 8 RUN LEAD AFTER 5 INNINGS · 1 RUN LEAD AFTER 7 INNINGS |
The Cobb County Metro Fastpitch program is a league of high school fastpitch feeder teams comprised from middle school players. The goal of the program is to bring together future players into their respective high school fastpitch programs. The program is open to rising 6th-8th graders; some schools are open to rising 5th graders also. To learn more about your specific high school's feeder program, select your high school under Menu. Please refer to the contact information of your respective school for more information and Metro teams try-out dates.
Teams typically hold try-out middle of June through the end of July. The season starts in the middle of August. The season ends with the end-of-season tournament scheduled for early-mid October.
There are also several fastpitch camps in June sponsored by the high schools. Please visit the high school websites.
Game Schedule Notes
Please note that the official game schedule is the one provided by your team coach and changes communicated by your team coach, as changes occur through out the season.
Common Questions Answered
• No new inning after 90 minutes or 7 innings (ITB if tie)
• No metal spikes
• Game balls and umpires provided by home team
• GHSA playing rules with ASA standards:
i) Jerseys must match and have unique numbers
ii) Headgear (hats, visors, sweatbands), if worn, must be the same color
iii) Hair control devices are not headgear, and need not match
iv) Jewelry may not be worn; any metal or hard item constitutes jewelry. Items that are not metal may be judged unsafe by an umpire; if not determined unsafe, they may be worn
