Current ASA softball rules will govern wiffleball play except for the following modifications.

I. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY

1. Participation is limited to currently-enrolled, fee-paying FSU students, faculty members, and full-time staff. FAMU & TCC students and members of the community are not eligible. All areas of eligibility are covered in the Intramural By-Laws which are available through the Campus Recreation Office and online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.

2. In order to participate in an Intramural contest each player must present their validated FSUCard. Exceptions must be directed to the Intramural Sports Office for consideration by the IM staff during regular business hours (9:00am-6:00pm). Bring a photo ID and proof of payment to obtain a waiver from the IM staff. No such waiver will be granted on the field.

3. All players must sign-in at the sign-in table or with a supervisor at the game site prior to each game to be eligible to participate.

II. TEAM COMPOSITION

1. Players can compete on one team, regardless of league classification.

2. Six (6) players will play in the field. Teams must have 4 players to start a game.

3. A team's batting line-up must include all six fielders. In addition, teams have the option to bat an additional 6 players (to total 12 in the batting line-up). The decision on the number of players in a team's batting line-up must be made prior to the game. The batting order must be listed on the scoresheet prior to game time.

4. Once a game has begun, late arriving players may not be added to the batting order and will become substitutes. In the event that a team begins a game with 4 or 5 players, late arriving players may be added to the line-up in order to field 6 players. In this case, these late arrivals will be permitted to bat.

5. A team's roster may include an unlimited number of players.

III. EQUIPMENT

1. All players must wear shoes. Tennis shoes and soft-soled shoes are legal. Sandals, flip-flops, and boots are not permitted. No metal, hard plastic, or polyurethane spikes or cleats or shoes with detachable cleats are allowed.

2. Bats, balls, and bases will be provided by the Intramural Sports staff at the game site. Teams must use the equipment provided by Intramural Sports. No outside bats, balls, or bases are permitted.

3. Fielders may NOT use baseball/softball gloves or mitts or any other catching equipment. Hats may be worn but may NOT be used to catch the ball.

4. Jewelry is NOT allowed to be worn by any participant during an intramural event. This jewelry consists of any visible rings (including wedding bands), watches, necklaces, earrings, studs, bracelets, and any other such similar jewelry. Only medical alert bracelets are permitted. A player is subject to ejection for failure to remove any jewelry after first warning.

IV. GROUND RULES

1. The distance between each base will be approximately 36 feet. The pitching rubber is approximately 30 feet from home plate.

2. The ceiling, rafters, a/c ducts, basketball goals, scoreboards, and any other objects hanging over fair territory are considered in play. Batted balls may be played off each of these objects. Balls caught before hitting the ground will be considered outs. Once a ball contacts an overhanging object in fair territory, it cannot be considered a foul ball (even if it rolls over a foul line). Any balls that become lodged in these objects will be results in a ground-rule double for the batter. All other runners are entitled to two bases based on their position at the time of the pitch.

3. (Leftfield)
A. Balls that hit the net portion of the left field curtain will be homeruns.
B. Balls that roll under the curtain in left field will result in a ground-rule double for the batter. All other runners are entitled to two bases based on their position at the time of the pitch.
C. Balls that hit the lower red portion of the curtain are considered in play. Catching the ball off the lower red portion is NOT an out.

4. (Centerfield)
A. Balls that bounce or roll into the opening in centerfield between the curtain and the bleachers are in play and should be fielded. Runners should advance at their own risk.

5. (Rightfield)
A. Balls that land on the home-run porch -- the area above the last folded row of bleacher seats but in front of the top row of seats -- or hit any area above the home-run porch will be considered homeruns. The ball does not need to stay on the home-run porch to be considered a home run.
B. Balls that become lodged in the rightfield bleachers will result in a ground-rule double for the batter. All other runners are entitled to two bases based on their position at the time of the pitch.
C. Balls that ricochet off the bleachers are considered in play and may be caught before touching the ground for an out.
D. Players may not climb the bleachers in order to catch or field a ball.

6. (1st Base Line Curtain)
A. Thrown or batted balls that roll under the curtain down the 1st base line will result in a one base award for all baserunners and the batter based on their position when the ball rolls under the curtain (not at the time of the throw).

V. GAME TIME & LENGTH

1. Game time is forfeit time. A team needs at least 4 legal players to begin the game. Any team that forfeits a game will not be eligible for the playoffs. If the forfeiting team wishes to play the rest of its regular season games, the team captain must come into the Intramural Sports Office by noon on the next working day to present their case.

2. Each game has a 50-minute or 7-inning limit. Any inning started before the end of the 50-minute time period will be completed. No innings will begin after 50 minutes.

3. Regular season games can end in a tie. Extra innings will be played only if they start before the 50-minute time limit. All tournament games will continue until a winner is determined.

4. (7-run Limit)
There is a seven (7) run limit per team per inning. In no instance may a team score more than 7 runs in an inning; i.e., if the offense has scored 6 runs and the batter hits a home run with the bases loaded, only 1 of the 4 runs will count (to total 7 for the inning).

5. (Mercy Rules)
A. If one team is ahead by 15 runs after 4 complete innings (3 1/2, if the home team is ahead), the game will be called.
B. If one team is ahead by 8 runs after 5 complete innings (4 1/2, if the home team is ahead), the game will be called.

VII. PITCHERS

1. Teams will pitch to their own hitters. A member of the defensive team may position themselves no closer than 3 feet from the pitcher to act as a fielder.

2. Pitchers (of the batting team) will not be responsible for playing defense. When the pitcher is struck by a batted ball before it passes a member of the defensive team, the batter is out and runners must return to the base occupied at the time of the at bat. In all other situations, the pitcher must move clearly out of the way of a defender making a play or the potential path of a throw. If, in the umpire's opinion, the pitcher interferes with any part of a defense's play, the umpire may call out a runner or the batter as appropriate. The ruling will follow guidelines similar to "interference" and "obstruction" in the ASA softball manual.

3. The pitcher for the offensive team may be one of the batters in the line-up or the offensive team may choose to have an "all-time" pitcher. The all-time pitcher must be signed-in on the scoresheet as a substitute.

VIII. PITCHING

1. In the act of delivering the ball to the batter, the pivot foot must remain in contact with the pitcher's rubber until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

2. A legal delivery shall be a ball that is delivered underhand or overhand at any speed. The ball may not contact the ground prior to being hit.

3. Each batter will receive a maximum of 3 pitches. If a batter allows three pitches to pass and has not hit the ball, he/she will be out.

4. The pitcher has 10 seconds between pitches. If he/she exceeds this time, the batter will lose the right to a pitch (from 3 down to 2, down to 1, then out).

IX. BATTING

1. The batter must keep two hands on the bat prior to and when contacting the ball. One-handed swings that hit the ball into fair or foul territory will result in the batter being called out.

2. Batted balls must clear the strike box -- a diamond approximately 6 feet per side in front of home plate -- to be considered a fair ball. Balls that bounce in this area and do not leave the box (completely cross the line) in fair territory OR are fielded by the defense within this area will be considered strikes. If on the third pitch, the batter will be out.

3. Any foul ball on the third pitch is an out. Fouls on the first and second pitch are only strikes.

4. There are no walks.

5. There is no bunting. The batter must take a full swing at the ball. A batter who bunts the ball is out and the ball is immediately dead.

6. In the event that a team is batting with only four players and a player is on base when it is his/her turn to bat, the player shall vacate the base to come to bat. No out will be recorded. No ghostrunner will be permitted. The runner simply loses his/her chance to score a run.

X. RUNNING

1. Runners cannot lead off or steal bases. Baserunners may leave the base when the pitch is contacted by the batter. Runners who leave base prior to the ball being contacted by the batter are out.

2. Sliding is not allowed. Runners who slide are automatically out.

3. If the runner makes contact with a base and the base slides away from its original position on the court, the runner is safe (if it occurred before the tag or putout) and is not liable to be put out while base is dislodged. If the runner attempts to advance to another base, he/she is liable to be put out and must return to the marked area on the court where is base should be, not the actual dislodged base.

4. The base path for a runner is the direct line between the player and the base to which he is advancing at the time a play is being made on that specific base runner and the three feet to either side of that direct path. Note: this path may be different from the straight line connecting two bases. For example, a player who has run past 1st base a distance of about 10 feet decides to run for second. His/her base path for any tag plays is the direct line from where he/she made his turn towards 2nd base (10 feet down the line from 1st) and 2nd base. This is different from the direct line from 1st to 2nd base. For plays between home plate and 1st base, the runner shall run in the 3-foot lane of the foul side of the foul line. A player who runs outside his/her bath path (including the 3-foot lanes on either side) in an attempt to avoid a tag shall be declared out.

5. Baserunners are responsible for avoiding all collisions with fielders anytime a fielder is making a play on the ball (fielding, throwing, catching). If the baserunner does not avoid the collision, play will be ruled dead, the baserunner is called out, the batter is awarded first (unless involved in the collision), and all runners return to their original base unless forced to the next base.

6. A defensive player cannot stand in the base path or obstruct the path of a base runner unless he/she is making a play on the ball. In the event the defense obstructs a runner, the umpire shall award the runner and each other runner affected by the obstruction the bases they would have, in the umpire's opinion, reached had there been no obstruction. It is also obstruction when a fielder without the ball fakes a tag. In this case, bases are awarded as a normal obstruction AND the fielder will be ejected from the game.

7. Any runner in fair territory and not in contact with a base that is struck by a fair batted ball is out except when (a) the ball has passed an infielder and in the judgement of the umpire, no other fielder had a chance to make an out, (b) when a runner is hit with a fair batted ball over foul territory and no other fielder had a chance to make an out, or (c) when a runner is touched with a fair batted ball after it is touched by any fielder, including the pitcher. In the event of one of these 3 exceptions, all runners must return to their previously occupied base and the batter-runner is awarded first base. If the award of first to the batter-runner causes another runner to be forced, that runner will advance to the next base.

8. In case of a possible double play, the baserunner must get out of the way of the thrown ball. Baserunners who fail to get out of the way may be charged with interference resulting in both the baserunner and the batter-runner being called out on the play.

9. When a defensive player has the ball and is waiting for the runner, and the runner deliberately, with great force, crashes into the defensive player, the runner is declared out and will be ejected from the game. The ball will be declared dead and all runners must return to the last base they legally occupied. If the act is to be judged flagrant by the umpire, the runner closest to home will also be called out.

10. There is no overthrow rule. Runners may advance at their own risk until play is declared dead by the umpire.

11. A courtesy runner may be used in the event of injury only AND upon agreement with the opposing team's captain. The courtesy runner must be the player who recorded the last out. In co-rec games, the courtesy runner must a player of the same gender.

XI. FIELDING

1. Defensive positioning is restricted by the following:
A. Each team must provide a catcher. The catcher must field from behind the batter and may not cross home plate until the ball is hit.
B. If a team provides a "fielding pitcher", the "fielding pitcher" may align themselves on either side of the offense's pitcher no closer than 3 feet from the pitching rubber. The "fielding pitcher" may not position themselves in front of pitcher's rubber (closer to the plate) until a ball is hit.
C. No infielder, other than the "fielding pitcher", may position themselves inside the diamond (inside the 1st/2nd/3rd base diagonals) until the ball is hit.

2. Diving is not recommended when fielding a ball due to the chance of injury caused by the hard playing surface.

3. The batter is out in situations similar to softball (forceouts, flyouts, etc). Runners may NOT be hit by a thrown ball -- "pegged" -- to be put out.

4. Fielders may NOT slide or dive at a runner in an effort to tag him/her. In this case, the runner is awarded two bases from the point of the violation.

5. There is no infield fly rule.

XII. APPEAL PLAYS

1. An appeal play is one in which an umpire cannot make a decision until requested by a member of the defensive team. Appeals must be made prior to the next legal or illegal pitch or before the defensive team has left the field.

2. Once the ball has been returned to the infield and time has been called, any infielder (including the pitcher or catcher), with or without possession of the ball, may make a verbal appeal on a runner missing a base, a runner leaving a base too soon, or the batter batting out of order. The plate umpire should acknowledge the appeal, and the administering umpire should then make a decision on the play. Baserunners cannot leave their base during this period, as the ball remains dead until the next pitch.

XIII. OTHER RULES

1. There will be a coin-toss prior to each game to determine the home team.

2. A player who is bleeding or has blood on his/her uniform cannot participate until the bleeding is stopped or the uniform is changed.
A. If the player accomplishes this task within a reasonable time (to be determined by the supervisor), the player may remain in the game.
B. If the situation is not handled in a reasonable amount of time, the player must leave the game and be replaced. If no substitutes are available, play will continue without the player. The player, then, may re-enter the game when he/she is deemed legal for participation.

3. The pitcher may receive a maximum of 3 warm-up pitches prior to each inning. Infield practice is prohibited prior to any inning.

XIV. SPORTSMANSHIP

1. Sportsmanship is an important part of intramural sports. Teams receive sportsmanship ratings at the conclusion of each game on a scale of 0 to 4 with 4 as an excellent rating. Teams must average a 3.0 during the regular season to qualify for the playoffs.

2. Teams are responsible for keeping their spectators under control. Misconduct of spectators and players may result in ejection and/or forfeiture of the game. Spectators must remain in the out-of-play areas. Only players are permitted in the playing area.

3. Any player who uses foul language, violently protests a call, or curses an official or supervisor, will be removed from the game and will automatically be suspended from his/her team's next game. In addition, he/she will have to meet with the Director of Intramural Sports during office hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) before he/she is eligible to participate again. Any player who touches an official or supervisor will be placed on suspension from all Intramural activities for a minimum period of one calendar year from the time of the incident.

4. If at any time a team has 2 players or spectators ejected from the game, the offending team will immediately forfeit the game.

5. FSU Intramural Sports does not recognize the use of coaches. Only the team captain may speak to the umpires regarding administrative matters (protests, ejections, disqualifications, etc.).

6. Teams shall assist in removing trash and equipment from their game area at the conclusion of their game.

7. Umpires and supervisors are college students employed by FSU Campus Recreation to provide a service to the participants of FSU Intramural Sports. Officials are employed regardless of experience to fulfill a need for a large number of officials to cover all the games being played. Officials undergo clinics and evaluations to help them to constantly improve in their abilities. Supervisors are trained to handle conflicts that occur during games and are there to answer questions that participants may have regarding Intramurals. The supervisors can be identified by the FSU IM shirt or sweatshirt they will be wearing. FSU IM supervisors are veteran officials or trained tournament personnel who have complete authority to make decisions regarding problems or special situations. Supervisors have been selected for their knowledge of intramural sports regulations and rules, maturity, professionalism and a sincere interest in intramural sports.

8. Additional information regarding sportsmanship may be obtained from the Intramural Sports office or online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.

Call the IM Sports Office at 644-2430 or email us for more information.