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Overview of CDCSL Rules
ASA Playing Rules (inlcuding this list of illegal bats ) will be in effect in all CDCSL games with these modifications. The term “player(s)” used below refers only to official roster players of a CDCSL team. The umpires respect our rule modifications since they do not compromise their safety, the safety of players or spectators. However, the umpires are only familiar with the official ASA rules and using them to resolve a dispute regarding our league’s unique rule modifications is pointless. Any dispute regarding the rule modifications should be resolved between the two head coaches.


Roster Rules

A CDCSL roster consists of a maximum of twenty (20) men, generally, 18 years of age or older. Exceptions maybe made at the discretion of the coach and with the approval of the commissioner. Players that are members of, or regularly attend, the “Sponsoring Church,” that is the church for which the team is named, must equal no less than 75% of the total roster. Non-church members cannot exceed 25% of the total roster. All players must sign a waiver before they can be allowed to participate in a CDCSL game. Any player, below the age of 18, must have their parent or guardian sign their waiver form before they are allowed to play in a CDCSL game.

Players listed on the Official Team Roster will be given one of two designations as a means of measuring the teams compliance with respect to player eligibility as outlined in the preceding paragraph. A player who is a member of the “Sponsoring Church” will be given the designation of “SC.” Those players not qualifying for the designation previously mentioned, are considered “Non-Church” members and are given the designation of “NC.” Finally, immediate family members of participating, Sponsoring Church players may receive the “Sponsoring Church” (SC) designation. The deadline for roster changes is Monday at noon of a team’s seventh game of the regular season. Five changes are allowed; the commissioner will consider special circumstances. A Pastor, Minister, Reverend, etc., of the Sponsoring Church(es) must sign off on the roster indicating that the men listed as “SCs” are members or regular attendees of his church.

A player must appear in four (4) regular season games to be eligible for the playoffs. If a player is at and able to play in a game that is canceled and does not count, this game can still count as one in which the player appeared in.

A player may not change teams during the season for any reason. Players must play for their church if their church sponsors a team in the league unless the Captain of the sponsoring church team(s) allows the player to play for another team.

A player who decides to change teams in the off-season, must notify his previous captain by April 1st or he will be deemed ineligible to play on another team except his previous team for the upcoming season. The only exception is if the previous coach allows a post-April 1st move. If a player does not play for an entire season, he may play for the team of his choice (providing the rule in the preceding paragraph is met) in a following season.


Game Start Times

All games in (including all playoff games) have a 6:00pm start time, 6:15pm forfeit time.



Number of Players to Start/Play Game

A team must have no less than eight roster players to start and play an official CDCSL game.

A full team consists of no more than ten players playing in the field at one time.

The extra hitter (EH) rule is in effect and a team’s lineup may consist of eleven batters.

A team who has eight players at game time may opt to wait until a ninth and tenth player to arrive or forfeit time, whichever comes first. Once the 10th player arrives (between game time and forfeit time) the game must begin. A team may start or play a game with eight or nine players without having to take automatic outs for the other potential places in the batting order that are not filled.

If a ninth or tenth player has not arrived by forfeit time, the team(s) with only eight or nine players must begin playing at forfeit time.

If a team begins a game with eight, the ninth and tenth players may be added to end of the line-up until the 1st pitch of the third inning.

A team beginning with ten or less players forfeits the use of a designated hitter (DH), EH and defensive only (DEFO) player for the remainder of the game.

A team with no legal substitutions remaining may continue to play with one less player than it started with, even if that player left the game due to an ejection, with his spot in the batting order remaining as an automatic out when it come up. However, a game shall not continue if any team “drops below” eight players.


Shortened/Suspended Games

A regular season game maybe shortened at the discretion of the umpire (usually due to inclement weather, darkness, etc.). The game is deemed official if four innings are completed (three and one-half innings if the home team is ahead).

A playoff game shall not be shortened unless the run-ahead rule applies.

If, in the judgment of the umpire, a playoff game must be stopped due to rain, darkness, etc. the game will be suspended and completed in its entirety.

The umpires are entitled to a full game compensation for a suspended game and another full game compensation for the completion of the suspended game.

All games (including playoffs) will be subject to a fifteen (15) run-ahead rule. The conditions, as set forth by the A.S.A., for the run-ahead rule remain the same.


Forfeits

If a team forfeits, that team loses the game. The losing team in a forfeit is required to pay both umpire fees for that game (both theirs and their opponents).

Paying both fees will use up a teams entire deposit amount (see “Team Fee Breakdown” under the Registration link). A team who forfeits must replenish that deposit with the commissioner before their next game.

A team who has one or more forfeits during the previous season will be required to begin the season with one more forfeit fee on deposit then they had forfeits. A team with one forfeit last year, for example, must have two forfeit fees on deposit to start the New Year.

All teams will have their forfeit deposits refunded to them following the season.

When a team forfeits two or more times during a season, the League Board of Directors will review the viability of that team for next season.


Pitching Rules

It is desirable if a pitcher is a church member of the sponsoring church unless he is covered under the leagues grandfathering rules by having been a pitcher in the league during the 2009 season or before. The Commissioner and the League Board can decide on a case by case basis. The Commissioner’s Office maintains a list of pitchers that are banned from playing in the CDCSL. Please contact the Commissioner before recruiting outside players to pitch for your team. Any team with a banned player on their roster will forfeit each game that occurs while a banned player(s) appears on that team’s roster.

The pitchers arm may not make one complete rotation (windmill type) during delivery.

Pitchers may not use a slingshot, or side-arm delivery and may not step behind the pitcher’s plate during his wind-up or delivery.

At the start of a pitcher’s wind-up both feet must be in contact with the pitcher’s plate.

For delivery, the back foot must remain in contact with the pitcher’s plate (obviously, the back foot may come off the pitcher’s plate because of delivery follow-through).


Other Miscellaneous Modifications

Designated Hitters (DH) including defensive only (DEFO), and extra hitter (EH) are allowed. Switching a DH with other players currently in the game (in the lineup or on the field defensively) is allowed without restriction as long as no one person occupies more than one position in the batting order at anytime during the same game. As per ASA rules, a starter may re-enter the batting order once for the sub that initially replaced him and subs may not re-enter at all.

Runners may not advance on illegal pitches, wild pitches or passed balls, including the batter after a dropped third strike.

While bunting is allowed, stealing and leading are not permitted. A batter is not allowed to show the bunt and then swing at the same pitch. This is called "slashing". Therefore, if he shows the bunt, he must either bunt or take the pitch. The penalty for slashing is that the batter will called out, and at the discretion of the umpire, may be subject to ejection from the game.

A runner may not leave the base he currently occupies until the batter hits the ball or the ball reaches home plate. It is permissible for a runner to leave the base he is occupying, when the ball reaches home plate, in anticipation of the ball being hit, provided he returns to that base if the ball is not hit.

A courtesy runner may only be used for a player under either of the two following circumstances: 1) for a player who is 60 years of age or older or 2) for a player who is injured and either the injury has been declared at the beginning of the game between both coaches or the injury happened during the game. In both circumstances, the runner must be the person who made the last batted out and may only be used once the batter has reached base on his own. Updated 4/26/19.

Each team’s captain, or his designee, is responsible for maintaining the game stats live in Gamechanger as the game is occurring. In the event that the game is not able to be scored live, Gamechanger should be update with the complete game stats by 9:00pm, the night of the game.

The home captain is also responsible to call rainouts for games being played at their home field. The captain should notify the visiting captain and the commissioner by 4:00pm.

Runners do not advance on an illegal pitch.


Playoff Seeds

For Championship:
Seed 1 – CDCSL First Place
Seed 2 – CDCSL Second Place
Seed 3 – CDCSL Third Place
Seed 4 – CDCSL Fourth Place

Consolation Round:
Seed 5 – CDCSL Fifth Place
Seed 6 – CDCSL Sixth Place
Seed 7 – CDCSL Seventh Place


Tie Breaker Rules

These are the steps for breaking ties in the standings.

1Head to Head Record
2Net Runs Amongst Tied Teams2
3Net Total Runs
4Tie-Breaker Game

This is if a playoff spot is at stake. If either team wants to skip this step or if they can't agree to a day, skip this step.
5Coin Toss



Please e-mail the Commissioner, Steve McClellan, with any questions.
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