HUDSON VALLEY SENIOR SOFTBALL
Rules
HUDSON VALLEY SENIOR SOFTBALL LEAGUE 2025 LOCAL RULES
An * indicates 2025 changes
OVERVIEW AND GAMES
1. USA/ASA rules apply with exceptions as noted below. This league is governed by the Executive Committee {EC] which consists of a Commissioner, Administrator and five senior members for the league. These members are appointed and not elected since the inception of the league in 1996. All qualified EC candidates will be considered when openings arise subject to EC validation.
2. The game times are 9:30 AM. Rain dates are any Friday of the year depending upon weather and starting date of league season.
3. All games are 8 innings in length with the first 7 innings having a 5 run cap. There is no limit on runs teams can score in the last or extra innings played.
4. All managers and umpires must abide by the League rules and schedules and cannot create their own rules, schedules or ban players from games.
5. Rain shortened games are complete when the trailing team bats 5 times.
6. Standings tie breakers will be determined in order by: head to head, then runs given up, then runs scored, coin flip
7. The playoff positions will be determined as follows: (1) winning percentage, (2) run differential, (3) head-to-head,(4) coin flip.
8. All playoffs are single elimination.
9. Playoff schedule will be as follows:
9 Team Single Elimination
1st Round: #8 Seed vs #9 Seed
2nd Round: #1Seed vs 8/9 Winner
#4 Seed vs #5 Seed
#3 Seed vs #6 Seed
#2 Seed vs #7 Seed
3rd Round: 1/8/9 Winner vs 4/5 Winner
3/6 Winner vs 2/7 Winner
Championship: 1/8/9/4/5 Winner vs 3/6/2/7 Winner
EQUIPMENT AND FIELDS
1. Metal cleats are not allowed. All players must wear either rubber cleats or sneakers during the game. No bare feet.
2. Only USA/ASA approved stamped bats can be used. Miken Two, triple wall, titanium and painted bats are prohibited. Players using illegal bats are subject to suspension.
3. Only USA/ASA certified softballs 300 compression and .52 core can be used. The bat MUST contain one of the aforementioned stamps on it.
4. Playoff fields and dugouts are determined by the highest seed team.
5. The league uses 4 main fields: Whitesell and Digilio on Wilbur Blvd. Rainout fields are Beale, College Hill and Stitzel. Sports Park Sr. and Jr. on Jackson Rd. Rainout fields are: Red Oaks Mill or Sheafe Road
6. Outfielders must remain behind a one hundred fifty foot (150ft) arc until the ball is hit. If a fielder is less than 150 from home plate at the time the ball is hit, and catches a fly ball, the batter is awarded first base and all other runners advance 1 base.
7. *Players age 80 and over can use tournament bats.
PLAYERS
1. The minimum age for players is 60 by Dec.31 in the year of play.
2. The use of non-league players will result in a forfeit.
3. Teams have 14 players.
4. Any player who is not on the official roster list maintained by the Administrator that plays in any position of offense or defense will cause the game to be forfeited.
5. Replacement and fill-in players will be assigned by the commissioner and league administrator. They will be within .5 rating of the player being replaced and chosen from the waitlist. Replacement players will remain on a team until the original player returns at which time the replacement player returns to the waiting players list. Fill-in players are players taking the place of an absent roster player to get the team to 9 players and will also be chosen from the waitlist, then bye team. Requests will be handled in fifo order.
6. Each player must have their own health insurance and medical coverage to be used in the event of on field game injuries sustained.
7. A maximum of 11 players are permitted on defense; a minimum of 9 players are required to start a game. Teams with less than 9 players will forfeit that game if a temp player is not available.
8. Teams of 9 players or less may use one defensive player borrowed from their opponent whose manager assigns the loaned player each inning.
9. All players in the lineup must bat and play at least 4 innings on defense if the game goes the entire 8 innings. Each team may use 1 or 2 batters as extra hitters who do not have to play defense as a player choice and not a manager’s assignment. In the event of an injury any extra hitter may play on defense. No player can be a courtesy runner only.
10. Late arriving or injured players may enter the game when ready but they must bat last in the lineup. Absences require manager notification.
11. All players must pay a nominal fee due by opening day and sign the league waiver form. By paying this fee and signing this form, players agree to abide by the regulations established by the EC.
12. Pitchers must wear a pitcher’s mask. If there’s a pitching change, the manager must clean the team’s mask before it can be used by another pitcher.
13. The Pitching screen is optional for the pitcher. When a pitching screen is brought out on the field, the screen must be no more than 6 feet in front of the pitching rubber left or right edge justified and CANNOT be intentionally moved while a live ball is in play, eg. tipped over to allow the outfield throw home, and will remain there until the end of that half inning, unless wanted by the opposing pitcher.
14. Any untouched batted ball that hits the pitching screen will be declared a dead ball and any runners will return to their base.
15. Once a batted ball is touched by a player the screen becomes part of the playing field and any ball coming in contact with it will be considered live until the end of play.
16. All clothing and equipment must be worn appropriately, Refusal will result in their being removed from the game.
FIELD RULES
1. *FIGHTING AND FOUL LANGUAGE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! If both managers agree that a player should be ejected from a game, they can do so, but they must notify the board or commissioner that they did so. The board will then decide if the ejection was needed and what if any further action should be taken.
2. All players must conduct themselves properly and abide by city or town Park Rules.
3. All bases are 60 feet apart. The alternate first base must be used by the runner when there is a play at first on any ball not hit to the outfield.
4. The actual third base must be used until a play is completed. After that the runner can stand on the alternate third base for safety reasons. If a fly ball is caught and the runner has not left either third base, he can run home from there if desired. If he was off of either third base prior to the fly ball being caught, he must return to the actual third base before advancing or being forced out.
5. The alternate home plate must be touched or the ground must be touched on or past a line drawn even with first base.
6. A runner who interferes with a defensive player making a play on a batted or thrown ball is guilty of INTERFERENCE and is an automatic out. This includes any act on part of the runner; intentional or not. Contact is not necessary. However if a fielder who does not have the ball blocks the runner from the base he is going to this is OBSTRUCTION and the runner is always safe. There does not have to be contact to be OBSTRUCTION.
7. In order to avoid a collision between the runner and fielder, defensive sliding is allowed at any base including the alternate home plate. Runners are not allowed to take out the fielder. Any runner who prevents a fielder from trying to complete a force play, tag play or double play will result in an automatic out of the runner.
8. A runner can be tagged out at any base except home plate. All plays at home plate are force plays providing the runner has crossed the commit line between 3B and HP 20 feet from Home Plate. Any runner who has crossed the commit line and is tagged is safe and awarded home plate. Once a runner crosses this line he cannot return to 3B safely, if he does an automatic out will be called and the ball is dead.
9. Players are not allowed to call timeout, they can only request the umpire to do so.
10. The base runner must remain in contact with the base until the batter hits the ball.
11. If a ball is thrown out of bounds or into the dugout the runner is awarded the base he is going to plus one more base predicated on the position of the fielder when he released the ball. If a live ball contacts equipment left in the field of play it is a dead ball and runners must return to the last base touched.
12. Fair balls hit over the fence on the Whitesell, Digilio, Sheafe Road, Stitzel, Red Oaks Mill Sr. or College Hill fields are home runs. On any other field it is a double.
13. The forward line of the batter’s box is three feet from the center of home plate will be enforced. An out will be called on any batter who hits ahead of this line.
14. In order for a foul ball caught by the catcher to be an out it must go over the batter’s head.
15. Players who miss 8 or more regular season games for personal no compelling reasons, excluding injury, are ineligible for the playoffs.
16. Any manager may protest a game. He must inform the opposing manager he is protesting during the game and then follow the USA Rules for filing an appeal.
17. Players throwing equipment or violating Park Permit Conditions are subject to suspension by the EC only. Severity of the infraction involved is considered. All grievances must be presented to the EC in writing.
PITCHING AND COURTESY RUNNING RULES
1. The distance between home plate and the pitching rubber is 50 feet. Pitchers may start from 6 feet behind but in line with the pitcher's mark. The height of a legal pitch is between 6 and 12 feet. A ball is called by the umpire for each illegally pitched ball not swung at by the batter. If the batter swings at an illegal pitch he makes it legal.
2. The strike zone is the entire home plate board size, made of wood, as per USA Senior Softball rules 2024-2025 size: 19" x 34.5". A pitcher can indicate to put the batter on first base (intentional walk).
3. *Anybody can take a courtesy runner from the plate and anybody can be a courtesy runner for the batter, once per inning.
The courtesy runner, from the plate, must stop at first base and proceed no further unless one of the following conditions occur: On a home run over the fence, the courtesy runner, from the plate, does not even have to run. According to USA rules, the batter and the runners just walk off the field to the bench.
If there is an overthrow only to first base that goes out of play, the courtesy runner advances to second base only.
If the hit is ruled a ground rule double, e.g. stuck under fence, rolls out of play down the line, over a short field fence etc, the courtesy runner, from home plate, gets second base.
4. Managers may not assign a courtesy runner if the batter or runner does not want one. A courtesy runner is in the game when announced by the manager.
5. Courtesy runners may not be substituted for, except in case of an injury. If a courtesy runner's turn at bat comes up when he is on a base he is out there but gets to hit.
6. The starting place for a courtesy runner from home plate is from behind a line or temporary base placed in line with the 3rd baseline and out of the way of the batter and umpire.
7. *A batter using a courtesy runner from home plate must make every effort possible to avoid interfering with a batted or thrown ball. Interference calls are judgment calls made by the home plate umpire. If both the runner and his courtesy runner touch first, the at bat is an out.
UMPIRE'S RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The umpires must be active players of the teams on the field except for playoffs.
2. The primary responsibility of all umpires is to get the call CORRECT. Home team slanted umpiring has no place in our game and repeat offenders can be banned from umpiring by the EC.
3. The home plate umpire makes all fair and foul ball calls and all plays at the 3B bag and home plate. The field umpire makes all other calls including those on the base paths in the outfield and all plays at 1B and 2B. Each umpire may request help from the other umpire on plays where he is blocked out or did not see the entire play. If both umpires did not see the entire play the call goes to the defense.
4. Umpires may not eject any player or coach from the game.
5. No self-team umpiring is allowed beginning with the second round of the playoffs; an eliminated league player must be used. Managers shall select the umpires with each manager having the right of one refusal only.
6. Any disputed call shall be resolved by the umpires according to league rules. Only the managers may confer with the umpires.
7. In the event of a rule infraction the umpires cannot supersede league rules. Managers may protest any rule violations not umpire judgment calls.
8. Managers may request opposing managers to refrain from using certain players as umpires.
TOWN AND CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE PARK PERMIT CONDITIONS
1. Every player in the Hudson Valley Senior Softball league must abide by the Park Permit Conditions.
2. Groups of 20 or more people using the Town and City parks will comply with the Town and City of Poughkeepsie Codes and the laws of the State of New York.
3. The permit holder agrees to dispose of all trash and litter in trash receptacles.
4. No person shall consume any alcoholic beverage in a park or have in his or her possession an open container of an alcoholic beverage unless authorized by the Town or City Board.
5. All parks have been designated as tobacco free zones.
6. These permits may be revoked at any time if it is determined by Recreation Department personnel or the Town or City of Poughkeepsie Police that the conditions set forth in policies governing the permit are not being complied with.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rick Wetzel Commissioner
Gary Lasko Administrator
Mike Spinelli Treasurer
*Russ Bock Sunshine Chair
Stan Smilkstein Senior Advisor
*Greg Miller Player Representative
Tom Derito Player Representative