League Rules

By-Laws
(Revised 1/2018)

By-Laws 10 & Under
(Revised 1/2018)

By-Laws 8 & Under
(Revised 1/2018)

League Interplay Rules
(Revised 2019)

League Rules, T-Ball
League Rules, Draft
(Revised 2015)

PAJARO VALLEY 
GIRLS SOFTBALL LEAGUE

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I – NAME
This organization shall be known as the Pajaro Valley Girls Softball League, hereinafter referred to as the “League” or “P.V.G.S.L.”

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE
Section 1. Objective: To teach the girls in our community the ideals of good sportsmanship,
honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority through their participation in a team sport. Because of the skill level at different ages we have set the following goals and competition levels as follows:

(a)Tee Ball: Tee Ball is considered an introduction to softball for girls ages 5-6, 7 (first time player) and as such our main concern is sportsmanship and learning the basics. Score is not kept, all players play the whole game, and all players bat in each inning regardless of number of outs.
(b) 8 and Under Division: Since this is still an instructional level we do not want to encourage excessive competition so there are no “standings” in this division. Score is kept to teach the girls that aspect of the game but win/loss record is not recorded. All players bat with ten players on defensive play.
(c) 10 and Under Division: Since this is instructional level to 12 & under we do not want to encourage excessive competition but there are “standings” in this division starting 2011. Score is kept to teach the girls the aspect of the game and win/loss record is recorded.
(d) 12 and Under Division: At this level we stress more competition for the girls as they improve their softball skills. Score is kept as well as divisional standings for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place etc. We do however also stress that everyone be given the opportunity to play as much as possible to develop the potential of each and every girl in our program. 1st  & 2nd place trophies are awarded.
(e) 14 and Under Division: This is considered a competitive level of softball. Many of the girls at this age are competing on their Junior High teams and we want their league play to coincide with that. These girls are strongly encouraged to perform at their best to reach their highest potential. We do however still want to stress that we encourage all girls to participate and maintain our league standard of minimum playing time per game for each child. (See addendum) At the end of the season trophies are given for 1st and 2nd place.
(f) 15 through 18 Division: This is our oldest division of girls and therefore the most competitive. Many of these girls play softball at our local high schools and we want our league to strengthen their skills so that they may better represent our local school teams. We still maintain our basic league objective that any girl who wishes to participate is entitled to the minimum playing standards. Trophies are awarded to the 1st & 2nd place teams.

Section 2. Responsibilities: To achieve this objective the P.V.G.S.L. will provide a supervised program under the Rules and Regulations of the A.S.A. (Amateur Softball Assoc.). All Directors, Officers and members shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or the winning of games is secondary, and the molding of future citizens is of prime importance. The P.V.G.S.L. shall operate exclusively as a non-profit educational organization providing a supervised program of softball games for girl’s ages 5-18.

ADDENDUM to ASA RULES
We follow the A.S.A. rules with the following exceptions:

(1) Uniforms: League uniform shirts must be worn by all players and must betucked in at all times. Uniform pants must match in color and in length (all shorts or all long pants). Hats can be visors or full hats. They do not need to be all the same hat.
(2) Minimum Playing Time: Each player who is eligible to play must play a minimum of half the time limit assigned to that game or she must play the WHOLE next game. Score keeper (Home Books) must note the time game started so coaches know when half time is to make their changes.

(a) If a manager/coach is suspected of not complying with this rule, the umpire shall inspect their score book. If the manager/coach is found to be in violation of this rule, he/she can be immediately suspended and must face a review board in order to be reinstated.

(3) Slide Rule: Whenever there is a play being made at home plate the runner must attempt to slide or she will be called out by the umpire. This call is left to the umpire’s discretion as to what constitutes a slide and a “play at home plate”.
(4) No pitcher shall start pitching in consecutive games (exception: 14 and up division and HS division). A pitcher should pitch as least 3 batters or one inning before being pulled out. This rule is in place to encourage teams to have at least 2 pitchers so as to not rely only on one girl to do all the pitching for that team. If any coach or manager feels that a team is abusing this rule by continually entering their best pitcher too early in a game, it should be brought to the attention of the Board. The Grievance Committee and the Board of Directors have the power to establish a new rule if necessary to control the situation. SEE AMENDED RULES for more on pitching.
(5) Weekday games will be 90 minutes (unless posted different on schedule). The time will start when the umpire starts the game and will end exactly 90 minutes later. If the game ends without completing an inning the score will revert back to the last complete inning. The umpire will make every effort to keep the game moving quickly especially in between innings. On Saturdays the time limit will be 90 minutes for the 10 and under division and 1 hour 45 minutes for all other divisions (unless posted different on schedule).
(6) Runs per Inning Rule: There is a limit to how many runs per inning a team can score and each division is as follows:

8 and under: 5 runs
10 and under: 4 runs plus one out, or 3 outs
12 and under: 6 runs
14 and under: 10 runs
15 and older: No limit

Once the limit has been reached the ball is dead, that half of the inning is over.

(7) Only rained out games are rescheduled, if possible.
(8) A game can start with only 8 players on a team and must have at least 8 to continue the game. If a team has only 8 players to start the game, their batting order is complete with 8, and the ninth spot is not an out. If a team starts with only 9 and something happens to a player where she cannot continue to play, then that person is scored as an out whenever her spot comes up in the order. If a team starts with 8 and the ninth player shows up before her turn in the batting order and she has played defensively she may be added in the ninth spot.
(9) If a girl misses 2 consecutive games and at least one practice without notifying the coach she may be dropped from the team.
(10) 8U and 10U have additional addendums to the above rules and ASA rules.