League Rules and Regulations

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the league shall be to promote Christianity through good fellowship and clean, wholesome sports activities. All participants acting in a Christian manner while representing their local church can achieve this goal.

General Rules

Games will begin with a combined prayer time.
Games will be held at Bethesda Christian Church on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday Evenings.
Managers are expected to set a good example of sportsmanship and are responsible for their team's actions. They are the spokesman in all disputes and must make sure that their players know all of the league rules and procedures.
Umpires are here to call the games and rule on forfeits. All of their decisions are final.
Two umpires will be utilized per game, a home plate umpire and a base umpire.

Rosters and Player Eligibility

This league will have players that are at least 18 years old and out of high school to participate in the league.
Players can only participate on one team.
Players can be added to rosters by contacting one of the league supervisors.

Player conduct

Absolutely NO PROFANITY or UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT shall be tolerated either on the field or in the team area. One warning for the team shall be issued to the coach or player. A second occurrence will result in immediate ejection of the player. Ejected players will immediately leave the premises.
Any player who intentionally plays in a manner that would, IN THE OPINION OF THE UMPIRE, inflict bodily harm on another player, will be ejected from the game. Ejected players will immediately leave the premises.
Ejected players will be allowed to return on the next scheduled game.
Use of tobacco and tobacco products are not allowed on the playing fields or on the team benches.
Alcoholic beverages shall not be brought on the premises of Bethesda Christian Church. There shall be no drinking of alcoholic beverages on the premises before, during, or after the game.

The Game

Unless otherwise noted here this league adheres to all ASA Rules.
USSSA bats will NOT be allowed. If a player is caught using a USSSA bat during or immediately after an at bat, he will be called out and all runners will return to their previous base. A second offense will result in an ejection from the game. A third offense will result in an ejection from the league.
Managers are responsible for enforcing the use of ASA bats only.
Teams will have 10 regular season games starting at 6:15PM or 7:30PM depending on the schedule.
Games will be played to completion (7 innings), unless the 1 hour 10 minute time limit is exceeded or the mercy rule is imposed.
A team must have a minimum of eight (8) players to begin a game. Any players arriving late must be added at the end of the batting order.
Each team will have a uniform consisting of a minimum of numbered jerseys with their church name on front.
Home and visiting team managers shall review the ground rules with the umpire as soon as possible before the start of the game
Teams may choose to bat Additional Hitters (AH) in the batting line up.
Each batter starts with a one and one count. A 3-2 Count will be enforced. A “one foul to waste” rule is in effect. The second foul ball (or foul tip) after the first strike constitutes an out.
A two home run per team per game rule will be enforced. All home runs after the second home run will be ruled a double.
Once a batter has reached any base, a pinch runner may be inserted for any reason. If a runner is on base and it is his turn to bat, a new pinch runner will be allowed to take his place with no penalty.
Interference with a fielder by a runner when a double play is deemed possible by the umpire will result in a double play being called. If a runner is advancing from third base, that runner will be called out.
Games will not be played under protest. Protestable matters may be discussed by the coaches at the time of occurrence, but the UMPIRE’S DECISION IS FINAL.
Each team is required to keep an official score book of the game.

Mercy Rule

Play will cease and a team will be declared the winning team if its score exceeds the opponent’s score by 15 runs after 5 complete innings of play.

Forfeits and Rainouts

If a team has at least 8 players at game time – the game will start.
A team that begins play with 8 players must have 9 players at the start of the 4^th inning, or will forfeit the game. The game will be ruled a forfeit and reflected as such in the standings.
If a team does not have the required 8 players at game time the game will be ruled a forfeit and reflected as such in the standings. The forfeit score will be 7 – 0.
In the event of rain, teams should still show up at the designated field. After the start of a game, the umpire will determine “playable” field conditions. All rained out games will be rescheduled.
A game that has gone five full innings (4 1/2 if the home team is leading) will be considered a complete game. If a game is halted in progress due to weather conditions, it will be rescheduled and replayed.
Rainout games will be made up on the next available day and every attempt will be made to accommodate team schedules.

Post-Season Tournament

All teams will advance to a single elimination tournament to determine league champion.
Playoff games will observe all regular season rules, including number of innings, time limit, home run, and mercy rules. The higher team seed in the standings will have choice of home or away.
A three game championship series final will be played by the two remaining teams. Each team will have a home game and game #3 will be a coin flip.
The championship games will observe all regular season rules, including number of innings and home run rules. However, there will be no time limit and the mercy rule will not apply.
Players must have participated in 4 games of the regular-season games played by their team to be eligible to play in the playoffs. Team rosters will be checked against each team’s official scorebook to verify playoff eligibility. If an ineligible player participates in a game then that game will be forfeited.

Rosters and Eligibility

Teams representing their local church will consist of a minimum of 9 players and a maximum of 18 players.
Men who are active participants or who are legitimate prospects in the church whose team they are playing for are eligible.
Each team must have 5 players on the roster who are active members of the church being represented.
Coaches must submit a MACSL Adult Sports Waiver for all players on the roster before the first game of the season or when new players are added to the roster.

Leadership

The league will have a Commissioner and League Supervisor who are active members of Bethesda Christian Church. These men will oversee all league operations, work with Team Managers to handle any issues and insure that the league runs smoothly.
The league will have umpires who will work to insure that the league rules are enforced on the field.
The League Supervisors and umpires working with Team Managers will handle all league business requiring leadership decisions.

Teams Must Have

A Team Manager to handle all payments, rosters, and schedule notifications.
Team managers must give contact information to be notified in the event of a rainout or other timely announcements from the league.
Deposit of $200.00 paid at the Spring Meeting in March. Attendance at this meeting is mandatory for league participation.
Final Payment of $520.00 to be paid to the designated League Supervisor no later than July 1st.
Teams must have shirts of the same color, preferably with numbers clearly displayed on the back.
A completed Waiver Form for every player before they step on the field for the first game.
The Teams shall supply a new ball for each game.
Each team is required to keep an official score book of the game. These scorebooks will be turned into the League Supervisors after the last regular season game.
After the game, both managers shall concur as to the final score. The score will be reported by the umpire to the Commissioner.