High
School Softball Rules Change
Enforces Stricter Penalty for Illegal Bats
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 6, 2011) — The use of altered
or non-approved bats in high school softball will draw an additional penalty
for both players and coaches beginning with the 2012 season.
At its June 6-8 meeting
in Indianapolis, the National Federation of State High School Associations
(NFHS) Softball Rules Committee also clarified rules regarding ball color and
the use of headwear during competition. All changes were subsequently approved
by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The penalty for the use
of an altered or non-approved bat, which previously was an out on the batter,
was expanded to state, “when the illegal bat is an altered or non-approved bat,
the batter and the head coach are also ejected.”
“For blatant violations
such as this, the committee wants to stress accountability for both coaches and
players,” said Mary Struckhoff, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the
Softball Rules Committee. “This is a very significant change since safety and
integrity issues are at stake.”
The committee also
deleted “white” from the list of permissible colors for softballs. The ball(s)
must now be optic yellow, which will assist schools in ordering and
manufacturers in producing the actual product being used for competition.
In Rule 3-2-5,
“headwear (caps, visors, sweatbands, ribbons, etc.), if worn, must now be
white, black, beige or school colors. The colors are not required to be solid
nor the same for each team member.” Permitting more colors and options for
players regarding headwear is consistent with requirements in other NFHS
sports.
“The committee wants to
allow student-athletes to have more flexibility,” Struckhoff said. “This change
will also allow for players to promote more school spirit.”
The final rules change
involves Rule 1-5-2a, which removes the requirement that the bat knob protrude
at a 90-degree angle from the handle. The rule now states that each bat knob
“may be molded, lathed, welded or permanently fastened. Devices, attachments or
wrappings are permitted except those that cause the knob to become flush with
the handle.”
“The committee is
primarily concerned with the performance portion of the bat – the barrel –
especially when other portions do not pose any undue risks to participants,”
Struckhoff said.
Major editorial changes
approved by the committee include:
- Rule 1-5-1c:
Clarified that shaving, rolling or artificially warming the bat barrel are
prohibited.
- Rule 2-4: Revised
and updated the definitions of legal and illegal bats.
- Rules 2-5-3;
3-5-6; 7-5 New: 7-4-12; 8-6-15; 8-6-16: The rules were edited and updated
to clarify offensive interference.
- Rule 3-2-12 Note: A new note was added authorizing state associations to grant
exceptions to NFHS playing rules for participants with disabilities,
special needs and/or extenuating circumstances.
- Rule 8-9-2 New
Exception: Clarified the procedure to follow when the visiting pitcher or
catcher of record, having used a courtesy runner in the top half of the
first inning, is injured/disqualified and unable to play defense in the
bottom half of the first.
- Rule 10-1-2 New
Note: A note was added clarifying the administrative
responsibilities of umpires through the completion of required reports.
A complete listing of
all rules changes approved by the committee is available on the NFHS Web site
at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Athletics &
Fine Arts Activities” on the home page, and select “Softball.”
Softball is the fourth-most
popular sport for girls at the high school level, according to the 2010-11 NFHS
Athletics Participation Survey, with 378,211 participants nationwide. The sport
ranks fourth in school sponsorship with 15,298 schools sponsoring the sport.