Cuny-zink NATIONAL LEAGUE RUles

1. The Cuny-Zink National League is open to any male 45 and over in the calendar year of play (that is, 45 years of age or turning 45 by December 31). 
2. All players may bat and play defense at least 3 innings.  If sick or injured, a player must leave the game; however, it is left up to the individual’s decision.  Players must play offense and may play defense or not at all. Coaches will place players where he feels they will best help his team. Trades may be made, if first approved by all coaches, the players involved, and by the director of the National League. 
3. Team rosters will typically be 13 players, though sometimes a team may start a season short a player or may have an extra player, depending on the total number of players registered and the number of teams the league is trying to field that year. A player registering late may be assigned to a team that is short a player at the start of the season, after review by the league director and the other coaches. 
4. Teams typically field 11 players on defense, though a team may play with fewer than 11 players, down to a minimum of 9, including the pitcher and catcher. Regardless of the number of players available to play, a team must have 8 of its rostered players present. A team with fewer than 8 of its rostered players present and/or fewer than 9 players available to take the field must forfeit the game. 
5. Short of Players & Substitution Rules: 
• A non-shorted team coach may give all his players over 11 players to the team short of players. 
• A non-shorted team coach may allow players from other National League teams to play on the team that is short (these are considered “pool” players). 
• A non-shorted team may also allow players from the 60 & Over Central League to play on the team that is short, provided that the shorted team has at least 8 of its originally rostered players present. 
6. The home team is the official score keeper. Players arriving late will be placed at the end of the batting order.  If the late batter is replacing a pool player, then the late player will take his place in the batting order. 
7. Coaches will follow these rules for substitute players: 1st sub player must bat last, 2nd sub player must bat second from last, and 3rd sub player must bat third from last (and so on). 
8. NEW FOR 2024: A coach in need of substitute players should endeavor to fill the catching, first base, and right field positions before any others (and thereby shuffling his other players to fill whatever positions are short). That is - in general - substitute players should be used first in those three positions and bat from the bottom of the line-up as specified in Rule 7 above. However, in situations where a team is lacking a key defensive position player (shortstop, for instance), such that to use any other NL rostered or substitute player potentially creates a safety issue, the coach short that key defensive player can ask for the approval of an opposing coach to use a substitute player in that key position. Safety is the paramount concern in these particular situations. The substitution should not be used to creat undue competitive advantage.
9. If the shorted coach and non-shorted coach cannot reach an agreement on substitute players, then the game is declared a forfeit.
10. For tournament play, players must be drawn from opening day (or shortly thereafter, revised) rosters, provisional players added during the season (registered with the league by the provisional deadline, and having paid a pro-rated fee at the discretion of the director), or the Central League. All player additions must be approved by the league director prior to the start of tournament play.
11. If an injury occurs after a game has started, a team can only replace an injured player with a team rostered player (no pool player can be entered into the game). 
12. Continuous batting will be used.  You may skip a sick or injured batters turn at bat and he is out of the game.  His turn at bat is not an out.  A player is automatically out if he/she is ejected; their turn at bat becomes an automatic out in the lineup. 
13. On pitch height we will use (6-12ft) arc limits.  
14. For “home plate,” a rubber mat or wooden, painted board will be used. Any ball hitting the plate or mat will be called a strike on the batter, subject to U.S.A. rules (Exception to rule 6 sec3 h) and Rule 15, below: 
15. Any ball that hits behind or outside of the plate or mat will be called a “ball” on the batter.  Additionally, any ball that bounces back toward the pitcher after striking a mat or wooden plate will be called a “ball.” In other words, for a pitch to be eligible to be called a “strike,” it must hit on the rubber mat or wooden board and go in any direction except back toward the pitcher and infield. 
16. Senior Bats (BPF 1.21 rating) are permitted, provided a pitching protective screen (see below) is used at all times.
17. All batters come up to their time at bat with a one ball and one strike starting count (1 & 1). After the batter has two strikes, they will be allowed ONE “free” foul ball. This applies to balls hitting the pitching screen, as well. That is, after two strikes, if a ball is hit back into the pitching screen, it counts as that player’s “free” foul. The next foul ball, no matter where it’s hit, including the pitching screen, results in that batter being out. 
18. Two base bags will be used at 1st base, one white on the infield side of the baseline and one orange/red that extends into foul territory.  The runner must touch the orange/red bag on a play at 1st base.  The fielder must touch the white bag on a normal play to 1st base.  EXCEPTION: On any force-out attempt by the fielder from the foul side of 1st base, or on a errant throw that pulls the defensive player into foul territory, the defensive player and batter/runner can use either the white or orange/red bag.
19. Courtesy runners may be used at any time, but any particular courtesy runner may only provide that function one time per inning.  That is, the penalty for a player “courtesy running” more than once in any inning is an out.  Once a courtesy runner touches a bag he is considered in the game.  If a courtesy runner is on base when it is his turn to bat, he is declared out at the plate. Runners may not be used to circumvent this rule.  A courtesy runner may only be replaced in the event of sickness or injury.  The sick or injured player must then leave the game. 
20. Sliding into 1st , 2nd or 3rd base is PERMITTED. However, if an offensive player makes malicious contact with a defensive player he will be called out. A defensive player may not block a base without control of the game ball. If a player over-runs 2nd or 3rd base they can be tagged out. No sliding at home plate #2; it will be an automatic out. 
21. Home plate and 1st base are treated the same as a force out.  The catcher must touch home plate #1 (located between the batters boxes) before the runner touches home plate #2 (located 8 ft. from the back tip of home plate #1).  The catcher may never tag the runner who passes the commitment line, the defensive player must touch home plate #1 to accomplish the put out. 
22. For plays at the plate, the catcher must be standing on the painted, five-sided home plate portion of the rubber mat or wooden board upon receiving a throw. Proper placement of the catcher’s foot/feet on such a throw is subject to the umpire’s discretion and call, but as a rule, touching a portion of the rubber mat or wooden board outside of the five-sided home plate section is the equivalent of standing on grass or dirt, and not a base. 
23. Once a runner touches the ground on or past the commitment line (roughly half-way between 3rd base and home plate; at Kettering Field, approximately in line with the home plate end of the third-base dugout), the runner must come home or be declared out. 
24. A runner is out if he touches or crosses over any part of home plate #1, batter’s box, or strike zone.  The purpose of this rule is to avoid contact at the plate.
25. The pitching rubber, per WSL rules, should be 53 feet from home plate and pitchers should endeavor to pitch within six feet of this rubber (or roughly 53-59 ft from home plate). 
26. The pitching screen must be placed near the middle of the pitching mound, approximately between first and third bases, and not more than half the width of the screen to the pitching rubber or center of the mound; that is, not more than 24” off the center line between home plate and second base. Its location is subject to umpire approval. Coaches, pitchers, and umpires are encouraged to review the screen position and any potential in-game adjustments to the screen position BEFORE play begins. 
27. A batted ball hitting the screen will be constituted as a foul ball. 
28. When a ball is pitched, pitchers must endeavor to remain behind the pitching screen until the ball is hit. Upon contact, the pitcher may become a defensive player (like any other player) and field the batted ball. 
29. Scoring limit shall be (5) runs per inning.  
30. There is no limit on home runs per-player or per-inning. 
31. Unlimited scoring in the 7th inning and any extra inning is permitted, subject to game length-of-time (Rule 33 below).  
32. The mercy rule is employed when one team is ahead of the other by 15 runs after 5 innings have been completed.
33. A normal game should last 70 minutes or less. At the 60-minute mark, the umpire should alert each coach that the existing inning will be finished, and that the next inning will be the final/open inning (the 7th inning). All future, extra innings (beyond the 7th) will go to a one pitch-per-batter format and employ the Tie Breaker rule (Rule 34 below). The full seven innings will be played unless the score is tied. 
34. Tie Breaker Rule will place the last batter of the previous inning on second base to start the extra innings.  No courtesy runner for the runner at second base will be allowed until the first batter of the extra inning completes his turn at bat. 
35. No games are to end in a tie.
36. Complete league games must go 4 ½ inning or more (Cuny-Zink NL Rule). Anything less will count as a called/suspended game to be completed at a later date. According to WSL Rule 4, Section 10, Effect Section 10 (adopted by the National League):  When a suspended game is resumed, it must be resumed under conditions that prevailed PRIOR to the interruption that caused the suspended game. Thus, upon resumption, the game will need to include the original score, the same batting order (and defensive positions) for each team, the place and person* in the batting order at the time the game was called, runners on base, the number of outs and the count for balls and strikes, if possible. It is imperative that teams retain this information in order for a suspended game to be resumed and completed with attributes as close as possible to the original game situation.
    
37. Annual/Seasonal Draft: The National League no longer uses retained, or “frozen,” lists of players from year-to-year. That is, each draft involves a collection of past and new individual players, age 45 and over. The coaches will meet prior to the season to appraise league players and then begin the allocation of talent across however many teams can be adequately staffed that season (often a minimum of six teams, each ideally featuring rosters of 13-14 players). The allocation of players will utilize a “serpentine” (back-and-forth) series of rounds, assigning players to numbered teams (i.e. first round, in a league with 6 teams: Team 1 through Team 6; second round, Team 6 through Team 1; and so on) until all players are drafted. If the league has enough players for additional teams, a similar draft pattern will be used. The coaches will then assess the numbered teams for balance/parity, making trades, if necessary, and then draw, via lottery, which team will be assigned to which coach. After a coach has been assigned a numbered team, the draft may or may not include the additional step of using a lottery to assign team colors. 
38. All players coming into the National League must be vetted and approved by the league director. Any players registering for the league and season after the draft date – called “provisional players” – may be temporarily assigned to a waiting list. The league director will then discuss with coaches the most appropriate placement of those players either onto existing teams for the duration of the season, or as a available substitute players. Provisional players will be able to register up through the 50% point (games or weeks) of the season, after which they will be encouraged to register for the Fall Season. (Provisional Players are also subject to a higher post-draft/in-season registration fee). 
39. ALL PLAYERS MUST SIGN AN ELECTRONIC (CUNYZINKSOFTBALL.COM) OR PRINTED VERSION OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE’S PLAYER/PARTICIPANT RELEASE/WAIVER before practicing or playing with Cuny-Zink Softball. This form must be presented/acknowledged by the league director before such play begins. 
40. All players must also agree with – and be subject to – the Cuny-Zink National League’s Player Code of Conduct, as devloped by the D.A.S.C. (Dayton Amateur Softball Commission). The League Rules, Player Release/Waiver and Code of Conduct are all posted at www.cunyzinksoftball.com.
    

2024 Cuny-Zink Softball National League Rules approved by the League Director and Coaches, April, 2024.