Adult Softball Rules

Rainout Hotline 775-353-7811 This number provides rainout updates and other important information. On days with possible rainouts, the hotline will be updated as conditions change. We cannot determine morning-of whether evening games will be canceled, but we will decide as early as possible. The front desk does not have additional details, so please do not call them. Because conditions can change quickly, if you are unsure after 5:00 p.m., contact your coach or go to your scheduled game.

Eligibility and Roster

1. Twenty (20) players per team.
2. All players must be 18 years old before they can participate in an adult league.  NO EXCEPTIONS!
3. Players may play on multiple men’s or coed teams, but not on more than one team on the same night. For example, a player may play on Monday, Thursday, and Friday coed teams, or on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday men’s teams. All players must carry a photo ID during games.

Playing Rules for All Adult Leagues  

1. No alcoholic beverages or ice chests may be brought into either complex. Anyone violating this rule will be removed from the facility. A second offense results in a one-year suspension from all Sparks softball complexes. Alcohol consumption in the dugouts or parking lots is also prohibited.

2. League play will be governed by the 2026 USA Softball rulebook.  Exceptions are covered in this packet.

3. Slow-pitch teams may start with nine players and add a tenth or eleventh as eligible players arrive. If a player is injured and no legal substitute is available, the team may continue with nine or ten players. This exception applies only to injuries; if a player is ejected and no substitute is available, the game is a forfeit.

4. Games begin at 6:30 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 8:50 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. When scheduled times are delayed, the umpire declares the field ready for play which is now the new “scheduled” game time.  If a team can show that its arriving player is entering the parking lot or gate at game time, the umpire will wait; if that player is the ninth, the game will start.

      i. For the 6:30 p.m. game only, if a team cannot field enough players at game time, the clock starts and the ready team is awarded two runs. After five minutes, if the team still cannot take the field, it is a forfeit. If neither team can field a lineup after five minutes, it is a double forfeit.

5. Time Limits: No NEW inning may start after 1 hour and 5 minutes of playing time.  Games are 7 innings, or official after 5 innings if stopped for darkness or weather. The umpire announces and keeps the official start time; coaches should confirm it. Games will be decided by two extra innings max so long as time has not expired. If time expires or 9 innings are completed, the game ends in a tie.

6. Games are called by the mercy rule if a team leads by 12 runs after five innings. If the home team trails by 10 or 11 runs to start the seventh inning, the flip-flop rule applies in all leagues.

7. Scheduled games may be cancelled in advance by the Sparks Parks and Recreation Department due to inclement weather and/or other unforeseen situations.  Otherwise, the umpire at the playing field will make the final decision relative to playing conditions.  For updates call the RAINOUT HOTLINE 353-7811; it will be updated as soon as possible. DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE - THEY WILL NOT HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.  After hours, Facility Coordinators will call managers, when possible.  If in doubt, show up!

8. Balls: Managers must present one new softball to the umpire at pre-game. Pitchers may not warm up with official game balls. Teams without a new ball must purchase one from the facility coordinator for $7 before the game. In coed play, the home team provides the 12" ball and the visiting team provides the 11" ball. The City of Sparks uses a core 52/300 compression optic yellow Dudley ball. Teams must immediately retrieve any home run balls they hit.

9. After each pitch, the catcher must immediately return the ball to the pitcher unless making a play on a runner. Infielders may handle the ball only after putouts.

10. Warmups must stay in the designated areas.  Managers must arrive early with lineup cards fully completed (last name, first initial, position) and give them to the umpire. The umpire is the official scorekeeper; all substitutions must be reported.

11. All leagues use a 1 and 1 count to start each at-bat.  This means that each batter will begin each at bat with 1 ball and 1 strike.  

12. Foul Ball Rule: Any foul ball after two strikes is an automatic out.  The umpire will call “FAIR BALL ONLY”.  The batter will be called out if he or she hits a foul ball after the FAIR BALL ONLY call.  Runners may advance at their own risk if a foul ball is caught.

13. Uniforms: Players must wear matching, numbered shirts with a team name or sponsor in an identical color.  One run is charged for each player entering without a proper uniform. Enforcement dates will be listed on schedules.

14. Teams must have a practice permit to use Sparks facilities and must yield to youth leagues. Alcohol is prohibited on school grounds; violations may result in dismissal from the league without refund.

15. Metal Cleats Are Not Allowed. Players must change shoes or be substituted; otherwise, they are disqualified.

16. The Sparks Parks and Recreation Department reserves the right to accept or reject any team or players registered for league play, and to reject a team name that is considered inappropriate.

17. Teams may use an extra player (EP) during league play.  The EP can go in the game as a defensive player.  The replaced defensive position continues to bat. Teams starting with an EP must finish with one. Teams may continue with nine players if someone is injured. In coed, EPs must include one male and one female to maintain a 6 male and 6 female batting order. If an EP is ejected and no substitute exists, the game is a forfeit.

18. Sliding is allowed, but only players properly trained in sliding techniques are encouraged to slide. Bases at Shadow Mountain are fixed and not breakaway.

19. All leagues will use the mat at home plate to determine balls and strikes. Any pitch hitting the mat on either side is a strike.

20. The orange portion of the double first base may only be utilized by the batter-runner, and the white base only by the first baseman. After reaching first, the runner must use the white base and may use it to round toward second if no play is being made at first.

21. At the start of each half-inning or when relieving, pitchers may take up to one minute and no more than three underhand, moderate-speed warm-up pitches. No overhand or fast pitches are allowed.  
     i. First violation: ball awarded to the batter, gets a ball, and a warning is issued.
     ii. Second violation: pitcher removed from pitching position but may play another position.

22. Use of a non-approved or unrecognizable ASA/USA softball bat will result in:
     i. Immediate ejection
     ii. 2-year suspension from ALL USA Softball play
     iii. 30-day suspension of the responsible coach/manager
     iv. Forfeit if no substitute is available for the ejected player

Use of an altered bat will result in a lifetime ban from all USA Softball play. The City of Sparks may test bats at any time. Refusal will result in immediate suspension. The City of Sparks Parks and Recreation Department reserves the right to ban any equipment they feel is necessary for the safety of their participants. Make sure that all bats have the approved ASA/USA Softball stamp and are on the USA Softball approved bat list located on the teamusa.org website.  
23. The pitching height for USA Softball is a minimum of 6 feet and a maximum of 10 feet.  Pitchers do not have to have a foot on the pitching rubber or line to throw a pitch.  The pitcher may stand anywhere from the pitching rubber up to 6 feet behind and within the 24-inch width of the pitcher’s plate. Both feet must be firmly on the ground. No box will be marked; umpire discretion applies. Pitches outside this area are illegal. All other USA Softball pitching rules apply.

24. Home Run Rule – Teams are allowed 4 home runs, then the 1-up equalizer. Additional home runs are outs.

25. Stealing is not permitted in league play.

26. Blood Rule: Anyone bleeding or with blood on their uniform must leave the game until treatment can be administered. If medical care or treatment is administered quickly, the individual may return to the game. The length of time considered reasonable is left to the umpire’s judgment.  Uniform rules are waived if a change is required.  Umpire Responsibilities:
     i. Stop the game and allow treatment if the injured person would affect the continuation of play.
     ii. Immediately call a manager, trainer or other “authorized person” to the injured player.
     iii. Apply substitution and re-entry rules as necessary.

27. All leagues use 70-foot bases.

Manager’s Responsibilities

1. Sunflower seeds and all shell nuts are prohibited at Golden Eagle Regional Park.

2. No smoking, electronic cigarettes, or vapor cigarettes are allowed in any City of Sparks park. No eating or alcoholic beverages will be permitted on the field or bench during games.  If an umpire observes a uniformed player drinking during a game, he or she will get one warning.  A second offense results in ejection and forfeit.  

NOTE: NO drinking alcoholic beverages before a league contest.  If it is apparent to the umpire that a person is intoxicated, they will not be allowed to play.

3. Managers are responsible for their spectators and control abusive or disruptive behavior. Failure may result in forfeit.

4. Any manager (registered or acting) who plays an illegal or non-contracted player will be REMOVED from the league and a new manager selected from the team’s remaining eligible players.

5. Teams must retrieve their own foul and home run balls.

6. Managers must review all rules and regulations with their teams. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse for violations. Review this manual with your team prior to the start of the season.

7. Managers should inform their players that accident and liability insurance is available and can be purchased through USA Softball.  

8. The City of Sparks recommends that pregnant players not participate due to safety risks.

9. Managers must model good sportsmanship. Do not argue with officials; you may ask a question, but once answered, move on.

Coed Softball League Rules and Regulations

1. If there are only 9 players present, the team must start with 4 women and 5 men, or 5 women and 4 men, and increase the playing roster to 10 players (5 men and 5 women) as soon as possible. Listed below are the maximum and minimum number of men and women that can be on the field at any given time.

5 MEN and 4 WOMEN
4 MEN and 5 WOMEN
5 MEN and 5 WOMEN

2. Teams must alternate male-female while at bat, regardless of the number of players they have.  EXAMPLE:  If a team has 4 men and 5 women playing, they would bat as follows:

Male #1
Female #1
Male #2
Female #2
Male #3
Female #3
Male #4
Female #4
Male #1
Female #5
Male #2
Female #1

In this situation, you will not bat behind the same player every time, but you would follow the same player of your gender. (i.e. female #2 always bats after female #1.  Male #3 always bats after male #2).  

3. If you don’t slide, you must avoid the throw (second to first or third to second). You may not yell or distract the defense.

4. Any walk to a male batter will result in a two-base award. The next batter (a female) must bat.  Exception – with two outs, the female batter may choose to walk or bat.

5. Fielders must stay in their starting defensive positions for the entire inning unless there is an injury or ejection. Any gender may play any position.

6. The coed outfield commit line has been removed and is no longer used.

7. Teams may use a male or female pitcher, though a male pitcher is recommended due to the short pitching distance.

8. The coed league uses the mat and plate (23" x 42") for called strikes. Any pitch hitting either surface is a strike.

9. Any runner who intentionally collides with a defensive player is out and ejected.

10. Women bat with an 11" ball; men bat with a 12" ball. If the wrong ball is used, the offense may accept the play or have the previous batter re-hit with the original count restored.

Protests

1. Protests based solely on an umpire’s judgment (e.g., balls and strikes, safe/out calls, fair/foul balls) will not be considered.

2. Protests will be considered only when based on a misinterpretation of a rule or when an umpire fails to apply the correct penalty.

3. If a protest arises, the manager or captain must notify the umpire and the opposing team immediately and before the next pitch that the game is continuing under protest. A written protest must then be submitted to the Recreation Manager at the Alf Sorensen Community Center within 24 hours, along with a $20 fee (cash, check, or money order). If the protest is upheld, the fee is refunded; if denied, the fee is forfeited.

4. Procedure for Protesting Illegal Players
     i. A suspected illegal player must be reported to the umpire between innings.
     ii. The umpire will request identification from the player, which must be provided promptly.
     iii. Play continues while the Field Coordinator verifies the player’s eligibility against the team roster.
     iv. If the player is illegal, the game is forfeited, and the team’s manager may be suspended and replaced by one of the remaining players.
     v. Illegal player protests are not allowed after the start of the bottom half of the second inning unless the player in question entered the game after that time.
     vi. A player unable to provide acceptable identification will be considered illegal.

Player Code of Conduct

1. Any player who strikes an official is immediately suspended until the case has been considered in a court of law. Assault and battery charges must be filed by the official concerned, or the suspension will be dropped against the player.  If the player is found guilty of the charges in a court of law, he or she may be suspended for a period of not less than one year and up to indefinitely, depending on the severity of the case.

2. A player who pushes, shoves, uses profanity toward, or otherwise abuses an official will be suspended for a minimum of one year from the date of the incident.

3. Unsportsmanlike conduct will NOT be tolerated.  PENALTY: Suspension from league play and probation for the remainder of the year.  This includes arguing calls.   Unsportsmanlike acts are defined to include, but are not limited to:
     i. Unnecessary roughness toward an opponent
     ii. Intentionally spiking or running into a player.
     iii. Fighting. (minimum 3-game suspension; season-long suspension likely)
     iv. Abusive or obscene language - if the umpire hears it, you are ejected
     v. Throwing a bat in anger or disgust
     vi. Deliberately delaying the game 
     vii. Personal insults or harassment of opponents

4. All managers, coaches, and players must read, sign, and follow the Player Code of Conduct.

5. Good sportsmanship means respecting opponents and remembering the purpose of the league— having fun. A positive attitude makes the season better for everyone.

Awards
1st place will receive 14 Championship Shirts. The City of Sparks will no longer award 1st place trophies for winners in each division.  

Tie-Breaker Procedure

1. Head-to-Head Competition: Unless 3 or more teams are tied, then use win-loss percentage among teams.
2. Run Differential among tied teams.
3. If still tied, run differential for all games during the season.
4. If all others are equal, a coin toss will decide 1st and 2nd place.
     a. The team closest to a number between 1 and 20 gets to call the toss