1.  Arrive 10 minutes prior to contest and check in with sport supervisor.

2.  Have a ball and strike clicker and your black and white referees jersey.

3.  There will be 3 referees from your company doing the same game.
     a.  Discuss with the other referees in your game, what calls you will make and any
          rules you wish to go over, so that you all call the same thing.
     b.  Decide who will be home plate umpire and who will be the 1st and 3rd base referees.

4.  Call the Midn 1/c coaches together from each team, introduce yourself and go over any
     basic rules that might be questioned.
     a.  flip a coin and have one of the coaches call heads or tails(use pick a number 1-5, if a coin
          is not available).  Winner of flip chooses home team or away.  Home team has last bats and
          is in the field on defense first.

5.  Umpire will call teams to play and call: Batter Up and then Play Ball!

6.  Responsibility of Home Plate Umpire:
     a.  Teams will not call their own balls and strikes.
     b.  The home plate umpire has choice of standing behind home plate and wearing a catcher’s
          mask or standing behind the pitcher.
     c.  To call each ball and or strike.
     d.  To call plays at home plate.
     e.  Overrule any calls made by 1st and 3rd base referees.
     f.  To keep the flow of the game going.  No delays.
     g.  To keep track of the outs for each team per inning.
     h.  To keep track of the inning number.
     i.  To make sure that no players wear metal spikes or metal cleats.  They must be rubber.
     j.  To ensure safety for all involved, especially ensure that the catcher wears a mask.
    k.  To call extra bases for all overthrows that go out of bounds and a base runner is on base.
     l.   To make sure that no base runner takes a lead or steals.
   m.   To make sure that no sliding rule is enforced.
    n.   To call all hits fair or foul.

7.  Responsibility of 1st and 3rd base referees:
     a.  To assist and back up the home plate umpire in all calls.
     b.  To assist home plate umpire in calling fair and foul ball that are hit down the 1st and 3rd
          base lines.
     c.  To call all plays at 1st base, 2nd base and 3rd base: discuss who will take 2nd base before
          the game starts. (Usually the 1st base referee)
     d.  To keep batting teams base coaches in their proper area and ensure they do not assist their
          base runners in anyway other than verbal or hand signals.(no pushing or touching)
     e.  No fake tags allowed(call it).
     f.  Warn against sliding into bases.
 

Basic Softball Rules


1.  Each team will consist of 10 players ( 9 players will be allowed under extreme circumstance).

2.  Every midshipmen from each team must play a portion of the game.

3.  Play 7 innings: 3 or more innings will constitute an official game if it is impossible to finish
     due to bad weather or time restraints.

4.  A base runner is entitled, to advance one base beyond the one to which they are going, when
     an overthrow goes under, over, behind, through or lodges in the backstop or the sideline
     areas.

5.  All regulation games played which end in a tie and cannot be continued because of time will
     be scored as tie games.

6.  No inning will be started after 1800 and all games will terminate by 1815 regardless of score.
     If an inning has not been completed by 1815, the score will revert to the last complete inning.

7.  A player who has been removed from the game may re-enter once but not in the inning in
     which they were removed.  A player who re-enters must enter the place in the batting order of
     the person they are replacing or re-enter in their original batting line-up.

8.  It is the responsibility of the runner to return to their base between pitches.  The pitcher is not
     required to look the runner back.  There is no stealing or base leading.

9.  A 3rd strike foul ball is an automatic out.

10. 15 runs is considered slaughter rule after 3 complete innings.

11. Any ball which goes into the water within the fair ball lines, whether in the air or on the
      ground, will be a double only.  No midshipman is to go into the water to retrieve a softball.

12.  Any ball which strikes or comes to rest against an obstruction in fair territory (i.e. light poles
       Buildings, debris, etc) will be considered a fair and playable ball which entitles the runner
       to advance as many bases as possible with the liability of being put out.

13. Any fair ball the leaves the immediate playing field and in the determination of the referees,
      is out of play, will result in all base runners advancing one base beyond the one to which they
      were going.

14. The batter is out on a fly ball caught in between the field playing areas.

15.  No sliding is allowed, NOT even if both teams agree (stick to this rule)

16. Fake tags will not be allowed.

17. Bunting is not allowed.

18. The umpire will warn the pitcher who delivers a ball with excessive speed while pitching.
      The ball must reach between a 6' and 12' arch from the ground.

19. It is not a strike, if the pitched ball hits home plate.

20. Who is not eligible to play?  Varsity baseball players or women’s club softball players.

Intramural Softball Referee’s Calls


(Balls and Strikes)

1.  Differentiate between the two calls by using your voice and positioning
     your body. This is a communication technique for players and spectators.

2.  Balls should be called while in the “set” or down position.

3.  Strikes should be called in the “Upright Position”

4.  Use the same vocal calls each and every time, as well as, the same
     movement patterns for the whole game.

5.  Erratic movement and voice will only cause confusion for the players
     and spectators.

6.  Timing the call: a legal pitch is not called until it is caught or hits the
     ground.  The Umpire then delays slightly and makes the call while facing
     the pitcher.

7.  Giving the count: count should be given only when requested; after a
     delay in the normal flow of the game, or when the batter has 3 balls and
     2 strikes.
     A.  Call balls before the strikes
     B.  Balls are indicated with the left hand
     C.  Strikes are indicated with the right hand
     D.  When giving the count raise both hands above the head, and follow
            the action with a verbal count.

8.  Umpire will stand behind home plate(wearing a mask) or behind the
    pitcher.

9.  Base Umpires (2) will stand: one behind first  base and one behind
     third base.

(Portions taken From: NIRSA Clinician’s Manual)

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