GENERAL CLUB RULES

• All players must be 18+  and Canadian Residents

• All sports with WRSC are no contact. 

  • Rules of sports will be altered to remove contact

• We are a scent-free environment. Please refrain for wearing any scents while participating in activities (eg. perfume, cologne, after shave, eau de toilette, etc.)

• If you are sick or not feeling well (even if you tested negative for Covid-19), please do not attend any activities or gym sessions.

• Sturdy, athletic footwear is required. 

  • Metal spikes are not permitted. Plastic ones are welcome. Flip flops, slippers, and/or bare feet/socks are never allowed for warmups or play.

• Hard shell knee pads, elbow pads, or wrist guards are not allowed unless specified by the sport’s rules. 

  • Soft pads and hard, soccer-style shin guards are welcome whenever a player would like to wear them.

• All injuries must be reported to either your captain or Bolt

• All participants must fill out a waiver before participating.

• Respect and Consent are mandatory. 

• All players are required to sign in on the Game Sheet upon arrival.

• All referee’s calls are final and are not to be disputed/argued. Any issues or questions should be directed to your captain.

• All fouls/penalties will follow our stoplight system: 

  • Green: Not recorded or tracked. Oopsie, everyday, unintentional fouls that are not overly aggressive

  • Yellow: Warning fouls resulting from dangerous, aggressive, overly competitive, or rough play. Can also be given for verbal interactions that violate our code of conduct. 2 Yellow fouls in one game or 4 in a season results in removal from the game and could result in further disciplinary actions.

  • Red: Overly aggressive, intentional, malicious, or targeted actions, including verbal actions. Results in immediate removal from the game and further disciplinary actions. 

SOFTBALL RULES

Logistics.

Every game will start with a 7 minute warm up (ending signaled by umpire) and 3 minutes to get on the field/get ready to bat.
Games will start no later than 10 minutes after the game time.

Teams will play as many complete innings as they can in 45 minutes as determined by the umpire & club coordinator.

The last 5 minutes will be for game wrap-up & switch over. 

There are no timeouts for teams.
Players are allowed 10 second timeouts to adjust equipment, report field issues, and/or report injuries on base or in the field.

Equipment
No metal cleats are allowed.
Plastic cleats are welcome, but optional.
Sturdy, closed toed athletic shoes are mandatory.

Athletic Groin Protectors (cups) are heavily recommended.

WRSC bats & Balls MUST be used. No outside bats are allowed unless approved by the Club Coordinator. Please email windorrainbowsportsclub@gmail.com to request approval.

Every Batter, runner, and pitcher must wear a league provided helmet with face guard and chin strap buckled or their own helmet with a face guard highly recommended. Every catcher must wear the club catcher’s mask or their own catcher’s mask, approved by the Club Coordinator.

WRSC Rules of Softball

Batting

• All batters will have 4 pitches to hit a fair ball before being required to hit off the tee.

  • Once the tee is in use, the batter can try 3 times to hit a fair ball, before needing to throw the ball into play instead of hitting it.

  • A player can opt to use the tee right away and gets 7 swings before needing to throw the ball into play instead of hitting it.

  • A player can opt to throw the ball from home plate instead of hitting it.

• Ground Rule Doubles are in effect. If a ball bounces over the fence, after hitting the ground, a player, or anything else in fair play, it will be an automatic double for all runners.

  • A ground rule double will also be given any time the ball is thrown over the fence by the fielders or into the dugout. 

• We have no infield fly rule. All fly balls must be caught to issue an out.

• A player is declared as being out when:

  • The ball is hit and then caught without hitting the ground.

    • All runners on base are safe at their original base on caught fly balls 

    • This counts even if the ball is foul, but a dropped foul ball with the fielder in fair territory is considered fair.

  • It is a force out and a player who has the ball stands on the base before the runner makes it to the base. 

  • A fielder with the glove or hand that is holding the ball tags a runner who is not on base.

• If the play is not a forced out (the player on 2nd or 3rd base has no one on the base behind them), then the player MUST be tagged to be considered out

• An inning is complete when each player on the team that is batting has had a turn to bat and a fielding player is holding the ball on home plate.

  • If a team has less players than the other team, they will bat more players to make up the difference, but MUST bat different extra players each inning.
    Ex: Blue has 7 players and Red has 10. Blue will choose 3 players to bat twice in the 1st inning, but 3 different players must bat the 2nd inning. 

  • Teams MUST announce their last Batter.

• Once the first team to bat’s inning is complete, it is the turn of the opposition to have their at bat.

Running Bases

• Players can walk to bases, jog, sprint, or opt for another player to run for them. Any negative speak about this choice is not allowed.
  *This cannot be used strategically (getting a faster runner to run an important play) and will be enforced by the umpire.

• No runner can pass another runner. 

• Only one runner per base.

• Once the pitcher has the ball on the mound, a runner may only advance to the base they were already halfway to.

  • The pitcher is allowed to resume play and get the runner out at the base they are advancing to, but all other runners can now run as well. 

  • Once on the base, the runner cannot continue if the pitcher has the ball and is standing on the mound. 

  • If runners turn back towards a previous base, they must return to that base and stay there, but if they don’t touch it before the base player at the next base has the ball and touches them, they are out.

• Runner much touch every base in order to score a run. If you miss a base, you can be out if the team gets the ball to that base. 

• There is no stealing or leading off. Runners must keep 1 foot on the base until the ball is hit. 

• 1st base is the only base you can “run through”. All other bases, you must stop on the base and are only safe if you have a foot on the base. 

• There is no sliding allowed. 

• When running home, runners are to run between the two orange cones instead of home plate. This avoids collisions. 

  • Any runner who touches home plate is out and the run does not count.

Fielding

• Fielders are forbidden from throwing the ball directly at a runner to get them out. Any runner hit by a thrown ball will be deemed safe at the next base. 

• If you are going to try and catch the ball, you must call “I’ve got it” loudly and proudly.

• Any ball caught in the air after a hit, even if it is foul is an out on the batter.

• The running lanes are the direct line between two bases where runners need a clear path to get to the next base. Please be mindful of this. If you are playing a base and trying to get an out, you should be standing on the CORNER of the base that is pointing to where the ball is. This keeps the runner out of the path of the ball to your glove.
  
  

Umpires

Umpire decisions are final.

Players are NEVER to make a call in the field that the umpire has not already announced.

Players are also NEVER allowed to dispute a call out loud , but should let their captain know respectfully and calmly. Disputing a call out loud creates a competitive environment and makes other players uncomfortable.

Players are allowed to ask the umpire clarifying questions, along the lines of :
“Was I safe?”

“Was that an out?”
“Timeout, I need to adjust something”

Players cannot ask the umpire justification or argue a call. They are to go to their captains and the captains are to approach the umpire calmly and respectfully at the next stoppage of play for questions like: 

“I thought we were allowed to steal, just not second”
“Why did you call that safe?”

“Why was that not an out?”

If an umpire is not present, the captains (or an assistant if  a captain is not present) will take the place of an umpire. 

GREEN CARD EXAMPLES

• Illegal steal / leading off

• Sliding

• Standing in the running lane/runner interference

Green fouls constitute an automatic out/safe, depending on which team violated the rule (ex: Leading off=runner out, sliding=runner out, standing in the base line=runner safe etc.)

Mobility equipment is permitted, but any use of the equipment that results in contact to another player's body will be issued a yellow/red foul, depending on severity. 

The game is won by the team with the greater number of points at the end of the game.