GVA Men’s Ball League Rules

The GVA Men’s Ball League plays men’s fastpitch softball, adhering to the WBSC Official Rules of Softball Fast Pitch 2022-2025 with the following exceptions to ensure fair competition for all teams:

Roster and Eligibility

Rosters are capped at 20 players.
All players must complete the league signup form before being eligible to participate in a game.
A player cannot be on two team rosters at the same time.
If a team has all 20 players on the game sheet for a game, all must bat (except the pitcher, who may elect to pitch only and not bat).
Once the lineup is set at the start of the game, it is final, and no new player can enter the game. If a player leaves the game mid-way through, it will result in an automatic out when their spot in the batting order comes up, except in the case of a legitimate injury. If a player is late to the game, they should be moved to the end of the batting order before the game begins. If the full order has been completed once, the player will be scratched from the lineup and ineligible to join the game.
All players who bat must play at least 1 defensive inning for their game to count toward playoff eligibility.
Teams must transition quickly between fielding and batting—players are encouraged to hustle back to the bench and out to the field to reduce downtime and increase the chance of completing a full game.
Sparing Rules: Spares must be from the team’s 20-player roster. If a team only has 7 players available from their roster, they may use 1 spare that is not on another roster to reach 8 players and play shorthanded. Teams with 6 or fewer players forfeit. Teams with 8 players cannot add a spare to reach 9. These numbers are adjusted up by 1 when playing with a rover.
Playoff Eligibility: Players must participate in at least 5 of the 10 regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs.

Pitching Regulations

There are no pitch count limits or rest periods between appearances. Teams are encouraged (but not required) to use multiple pitchers per game to support new pitchers learning the game.
A motion that constitutes an illegal pitch shall be declared a dead ball.
The league permits three pitching styles:
- Half-Whip: The pitcher’s arm motion is restricted to a half-circle swing (not a full windmill), delivering the ball underhand from a distance of 44 feet.
- Conventional: The pitching motion is underhand, with the arm moving in a circular path toward the target. A snap of the wrist and a drive through the ball complete the delivery, delivered from a distance of 40 feet.
- Orthodox: The ball is pitched underhand in a straight or flat line using a ‘figure-eight’ or bowling motion, delivered from a distance of 40 feet. Example Video

Batting and Base Running

All 20 players on the game sheet must bat (except the pitcher, if opting out).
Run Cap: Teams are limited to 4 runs per inning, except in the 6th and 7th innings, which are open (no run cap).
Mercy Rule: A game ends if a team leads by 10 or more runs after 5 innings.
No designated runners are allowed; players must run their own bases.
No lead-offs are permitted. Stealing is allowed only after the ball crosses the plate (leaving the base early results in an out). This rule may change to “when the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand” in the future as the league’s skill level evolves.

Fielding and Defensive Play

Games are played with standard positions (9 players on the field).
No rovers are permitted, except when the home run fence is not installed (before mid-June), during which teams may add one outfield rover to compensate for extra territory. The rover may not be used as an additional infielder.

Game Duration and Scheduling

Each game has a 1.5-hour time slot, starting at its designated time with no warm-up break between games.
Teams must warm up on the second diamond if the field is in use and be ready to start promptly at the scheduled time.
No new inning may begin after 1 hour and 20 minutes (e.g., for a game starting at 8:07, no new inning after 9:27).
The 6th and 7th innings are open (no run cap). If time allows, 7 innings will be played; on nights with fewer games, more time is allotted to ensure a full 7 innings.
Regular-season games will end in a tie, with no extra innings played, even if time remains.
With 2 outs, catchers and pitchers may leave the bases to prepare for the next inning, and the player who was the last out takes their spot on the base.

Equipment Standards

All players must wear batting helmets while batting and base running for safety.
Steel cleats are prohibited.
All bats are open for the 2025 season.

Game Field Specifics

The home run fence will be installed in mid-June. Until then, the ball remains live in fair territory with no home run boundary.
There is no urinating behind the benches. Players must use the port-a-potties located up the hill if they need to go.
The home team will be seated on the bench beside the first base line, and the away team will be on the third base bench. Benches are pre-assigned based on the schedule, with each team having an even number of home and away games in the season.

Uniforms

All teams must wear uniforms. Jerseys are mandatory for the season, and teams are expected to ensure any spares wear jerseys as well. Pants are not mandatory in 2025 to reduce startup costs but will be required starting in 2026. Hats are optional.

Scoring and Playoff Format

Points System: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss.
Playoff Format: After the regular season, 3rd place plays 6th place and 4th place plays 5th place in a best-of-three play-in series. Next, 1st place plays the winner of 4v5, and 2nd place plays the winner of 3v6 in a best-of-three series. The winners advance to a best-of-three finals. Adjustments to the duration of the play-in and second-round series may be made if there are many rainouts.

Player Conduct:

Fighting is prohibited and will result in an ejection and a suspension from the league for a minimum of 1 game. An automatic out will be recorded when the ejected player’s spot comes up in the batting order.
Verbal abuse of officials will result in ejection from the game and a possible suspension. An automatic out will be recorded when the ejected player’s spot comes up in the batting order.
There is no drinking alcohol on the benches, for both players in the lineup and any coaches or players who are not playing.

Rainout Policy

Rainouts will be called no later than 5:00 PM. Team reps will be notified, and a notice will be posted on the league’s website and social media pages. Rainouts will be rescheduled to a later date.
An umpire may also declare a rainout mid-game if the playing conditions become unsafe.

Rule Evolution

These rules are the starting point for the 2025 season. They may evolve during the season at the discretion of the league commissioner and team representatives as the league progresses.