This page provides information regarding playing rules for Metro Omaha Softball summer AND fall league competition.

Please click on a link below to view more information on the topic.

2010 General Information
Field Conditions/Rainout Information
Emergency Number
Refund Policy
Softballs
Bats
Age Limit-Adult Leagues
Equipment
Intentional Walk
Protests
Games in Progress Called due to Inclement Weather
Rainout Dates
Lineups and Keeping Score
Player Eligibility
Reporting Scores/League Standings

2010 Girls' Fast Pitch League Rules

2010 Adult Slow Pitch League Rules
 

Field Conditions/Rainout Information
Field conditions/rainout information will be available after 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For Sunday league play in particular, information will be available after 12 noon for leagues starting in the afternoon. For leagues starting at 5 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, information will be updated after 3 p.m.

RAINOUT NUMBER FOR 2010 – 991-4026

The Metro Omaha Softball office will remain open until about 7 p.m. Monday-Friday throughout the season to address emergencies or problems with league play scheduled for the evening.

 Emergency Number - 7 p.m.-10 p.m.       740-7183

The weather is the single most unpredictable factor affecting any softball season.  Metro Omaha Softball umpires will use following criteria for canceling games in progress as taken from Appendix D of the NCAA rule book and as recommended by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL):

"Thunder always accompanies lightning, even though its audible range can be diminished because of background noise …The current recommendation of the NSSL is to consider terminating play when the lightning is six miles away ("flash-to-bang" time of 30 seconds or less). This…was developed as a practical way to make a judgment in situations where other resources…are not available."
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Refund Policy
After Metro Omaha Softball has filled your league, no refunds will be issued unless another team takes your spot in the league. After the season begins, NO refunds will be issued.
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General Rules for Metro Omaha Softball League Play
All Metro Omaha Softball girls' fast pitch leagues will follow the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) code with the exceptions and clarifications that follow.
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Softballs in 2010 …The official softballs for all league play will be

• Men’s Open and “Super C” Leagues only – Any 12-inch .40 COR softball maximum compression of .325.  YELLOW COVER, BLUE STITCHING ONLY (Classic M or Classic M+ ONLY).

• Adult Slow-Pitch (male) – Any 12-inch .44 COR softball maximum compression of .375, white or optic yellow cover, ANY color stitching.  The same ball is also used for men in all Co-Ed leagues.

• Adult Slow-Pitch (female) – Any 11-inch .44 COR softball maximum compression of .375, white or optic yellow cover, ANY color stitching.  The same ball is also used for women in all Co-Ed leagues.

• Men's fast pitch – 12-inch .47 COR SOFTBALL .400 compression, optic yellow with red stitching. 

• Youth fast pitch

• 10U – ANY 11-inch .44 or .47 COR SOFTBALL optic yellow/red stitching.

• 12U-14U-16U-18U – ANY 12-inch .44 or .47 COR SOFTBALL optic yellow/red stitching.

SPECIAL NOTE – GAME OFFICIALS MUST BE ABLE TO READ THE “COR” AND COMPRESSION DESIGNATION ON THE BALL OR IT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE PUT INTO PLAY.
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Banned Bats

ALL bats in Metro Omaha Softball league play (the ONLY exceptions are the Men’s Open and “Super C” leagues) will follow the Amateur Softball Association’s list of non-approved bats that failed an ASA sponsored field audit and that also carry the most recent ASA Certification Mark (2004).  This is also available on ASA national website, www.softball.org under the “Certified Equipment” page.

ALL bats used in Metro Omaha Softball league play MUST have a certification stamp.  However, the following BATS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED AT ALL in 2010 Metro Omaha Softball League competition:    

• Combat – VIRSP3 Lady Virus      

• Easton – SCX2 Synergy, Easton SCX22 Synergy 2, Louisville Slugger, FPC305 Catalyst (-8), Louisville Slugger SB304 , Louisville Slugger SB34 , Genesis Louisville Slugger SB404

• Miken –  MSF Freak, Ultra, Ultra II, Ultra Maxload

• Nokona – Tomahawk                 

• Schutt – Red/Silver Schutt Bat                

• Worth – EST9, QESTFP, SBWK(Wicked), SBWKA, WWSC, Wicked Comp. (SP Only, WWSCA, XEST9X, XGold, XPST4, XRed, XWICKX Wicked (SP Only)

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Age Limit - Adult Leagues

• All Adult Leagues – Player must be at least 16 years of age to participate in a Metro Omaha Softball adult league. Players ages 16-18 must have parent/guardian sign roster/waiver. Players in this age bracket must be age 16 on January 1 of the current year.

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Equipment

• Teams are responsible for providing all of their own equipment.

• Bases are provided at all complexes. At all non-complex fields, ALL teams should be prepared to provide their own bases and pitching rubber.

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Intentional Walk

• ALL adult men’s, women’s and Co-Ed slow pitch leagues – A batter can be intentionally walked WITHOUT BEING PITCHED TO.

• ALL men’s, women’s AND youth fast pitch leagues – The batter MUST BE PITCHED TO.

• All co-ed leagues will follow the ASA code (Rule 8-Sec. 1, C, 3) with regard to male/female walk rule.

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Protests
Protests can be filed on any umpires' rule interpretation, but not a judgment call. Before the next pitch - legal or illegal - the umpire must be notified that you are going to continue to play the game under protest. The umpire will gather the teams together and announce that a protest is being lodged. Both scorebooks must reflect the same score and, if necessary, the ball/strike count and positions of the runners. The umpire will initial both books. Your protest - along with a $30 filing fee - must be turned in at the MOS office, in writing, within 48 hours of the game. Your filing fee will be returned if the protest is upheld by the MOS Protest Committee.
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Games in Progress Called due to Inclement Weather
Any game that is called due to threatening weather and/or rain will be considered a complete game if:

1. 4 complete innings were played, or

2. 3 1/2 complete innings were played and the home team is ahead. If the game does not meet these two conditions, MOS will attempt to re-schedule the game from the point that the game was suspended. In this case, teams MUST record the number of outs remaining, pitch count and identify the batter so the game can continue correctly.

3. If a game is called in the top of inning 6 or 7, then the score will revert back to the last complete inning played for the purpose of determining a win/loss.

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Rainout Dates - All Adult Leagues

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Lineups and Keeping Score - POINT OF EMPHASIS AGAIN IN 2008
All teams should keep an official scorebook. In all leagues, teams should exchange lineups at the start of the game. Umpires will only become involved in lineup issues if a batting-out-of-order situation occurs. The home team scorebook will be the official scorebook. Umpires will become involved in score-of-the-game issues only if there is a conflict between the scorebooks of both teams. At such time, the umpire will confer with both managers and resolve the situation before the game will continue (the clock will NOT be stopped during the discussion). If the issue cannot be resolved, then the score in the home team scorebook will be the official score. Teams should periodically check the score with each other to avoid the potential of conflicting score information.

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Player Eligibility
If a team has questions about the eligibility of a player on another team, then an inquiry should be submitted in writing to the Metro Omaha Softball office. Player eligibility refers only to a player NOT being listed on a team's roster.

In adult slow pitch leagues if a team has reason to believe that a player is "playing out of class"—meaning that player is playing "down" in a classification—an inquiry must be filed in writing to the Metro Omaha Softball office. The inquiry and any other resulting activity will be handled by a panel consisting of designated members of the Metro Omaha Softball Advisory Committee, which—at its discretion—may call the player and coach of the team in question to attend a special hearing.

In such cases, umpires WILL NOT become involved in handling any dispute. This is strictly an administrative matter and teams will be instructed to contact the Metro Omaha Softball office.
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