OHIO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT
2008 DIVISIONAL GIRLS FAST PITCH SOFTBALL

RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. A meeting for all participating coaches will be conducted on Sunday, May 4, 2008, 2:00 p.m., at a pre-determined site. Coaches are expected to attend this meeting. Official Entry Blank and Eligibility Certificate will be brought to the meeting. Mailings to all participating coaches will take place no later than April 11, 2008, advising coaches of the meeting site. Rules, regulations, and the online seeding process will be explained in the mailing.

2. Shoes are required equipment. Shoe sole or heel projections other than the standard shoe plate are prohibited. Metal toe plates and metal cleats are permitted. However, metal cleats cannot be L-shaped. Cleats must be rectangular and not extend in excess of ¾ inch from sole. Detachable cleats are permitted if the cleats screw into the sole of the shoe.

3. If a coach is male, it is recommended a woman (non-high school student) should accompany the team. This does not have to be a faculty member.

4. All teams in the sectional tournament will be seeded. This seeding will determine the team’s entry onto the bracket.

Seeding process. Per direction of the State Board of Control, all teams in a bracketed tournament will be seeded. The manager will distribute voting procedures and materials to each coach in a mailing no later than April 11, 2008. This will enable each coach to vote and have the votes back to the tournament manager by Saturday, May 3, 2008, 12:00 p.m., before the manager’s meeting on Sunday, May 4, 2008, 2:00 p.m. The manager will distribute to each coach at check-in the results of the seed voting. All ties will be broken prior to the placement of teams on the bracket. In Open Placement tournaments (formerly Open Draw Tournaments) or tournaments involving two or more sectionals in which schools go to the sectional of their choice, the team may go on any bracket provided that the bracket is open and it is that coach’s turn.

Once seeds have been determined for each team in the tournament, the seeds will go onto the bracket in order of seed. The first seeded team will go on followed by the second seeded team. Any seeded team may choose to pass, and if does so, the next seeded team will be given a choice to go on the bracket. After a seeded team goes on the bracket, the seeded team that passed will again be given an opportunity to go on the bracket. This process will continue until the bracket is filled.

Any team that does not show up at the tournament manager’s meeting will go on the bracket last. Any school that does not get seed voting to the manager by Saturday, May 3, 12:00 noon, will not be permitted to vote at a later time. Any school that does not meet voting requirements but does attend the placement meeting, will receive the votes that the school received for the seeding process and will be seeded accordingly. If a coach is late for the seed meeting, and has missed his opportunity to go on the bracket, his absence will be determined as a pass, and he will be given an opportunity to go on once he is in attendance.

Throughout the sectional tournament, the higher seeded team will be the home team, and the home team will occupy the dugout along the first baseline. In the District Tournament, the team occupying the top line on the bracket will be the home team.

5. Eighteen (18) players are eligible. The coaching box may be occupied by one (1) coach and one (1) member of the team, or two (2) coaches, or two (2) members of the team.

6. COACHES UNIFORM - Base coaches must wear identical team uniforms or a shirt with collar identifying their school in school colors with complimentary pants or shorts. Absolutely no jeans or sandals will be permitted to be worn while in the coaching box. Appropriate shoes must be worn. Coaches not appropriately dressed shall not be permitted in the coaches box.

7. The wearing of a head protector is compulsory for batter, runner, catcher, the on-deck batter, and any player coaching in the coaching box. It is the duty of the Tournament Manager to see that no team dresses more than eighteen (18) team members. Each time a team plays, the coaches are responsible to not only turn in the list of starters, but also a list of team members on the bench. This list is to be given to the umpire in charge at least ten (10) minutes prior to the game time.

8. Time of games: School days - two (2) games - same diamond. First game to start no earlier than 3:00 p.m. One (1) game - start no earlier than 4:00 p.m. Non-school days - no starting restrictions.

9.  District Board Motion - All softball teams adhere to the twenty (20) minutes practice rule for Sectional and District Tournament games. The motion states that no softball team can practice (warm-up) on any tournament softball field until forty (40) minutes prior to starting time of game. This also applies to double-headers.

10.  SOFTBALL PROPOSAL ADOPTED DECEMBER, 1992 BY STATE BOARD: The Board approved the proposal that all tournament games be played on regulation size softball fields, adhering to the proper dimensions, base path distances, and EXCLUDING any baseball fields.

11.  A team must appear for the game at the scheduled time. A team must get verification of postponed game from Tournament Manager, otherwise game will be played as scheduled at the drawing.

12. Forfeiture of any game by a team relinquishes all rights to awards or trophy.

13. SOFTBALLS FOR EACH GAME WILL BE FURNISHED BY THE DISTRICT BOARD. EACH TEAM WILL ALSO FURNISH ONE (1) SOFTBALL. THE DISTRICT BOARD WILL FURNISH ALL SOFTBALLS FOR THE DISTRICT SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT. By State Board Motion, the .47 cor optic yellow softball will be used for all 1999 OHSAA tournament games.

14. Officials being assigned to officiate in either the Sectional or District Tournaments will come directly from the state approved list issued by the State Office. Officials will earn $55.00 for the sectional games and $70.00 for the district games. Reimbursement for mileage will be $1.00 per mile after fifty miles. Officials for the District Finals will be assigned by the District Secretary.

15.  The tournament managers are to use the approved list of officials voted on by the coaches for the sectional tournaments. The list of approved officials will be provided by the district board.

16.  Per adoption of the District Board, no school will be allowed to participate on their field in a neutral field tournament.

17.  Per request by the Coaches’ Representatives and adoption by the District Board, the sectional tournament will not open until Monday, May 12, 2008, and end by Saturday, May 17, 2008. Inclement weather may force the tournament to go longer, and if this happens, the tournament will run into the week of District Tournament. The spacing between games should not be any longer than twenty-four hours.

18.  The decisions of the umpires are final and protests arising from the decisions of the umpires will not be considered.

19.  Changes in schedule after drawing will be done at the discretion of the Tournament Manager.

20.  Admission for all sectional tournaments is $5.00 for school age children and older.

21.  Admission to District Tournament games will be $6.00 per session.

22.  If a team fails to appear and is not ready to play within thirty (30) minutes of scheduled starting time of tournament game, the space on the bracket shall be declared vacant. The opposing team will then be awarded a bye into the next round of competition.

23. Each Sectional Tournament will qualify two (2) teams to the District Tournament the week of May 22-24, 2008. The District winners will qualify to the Regional Tournament.

District Tournaments will be played at the following sites:

Division I Lakota East High School

Division II Kettering Fairmont High School

Division III West Carrollton High School

Division IV Tipp City High School

24. ALL FINANCIAL REPORTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN TEN DAYS ATER THE TOURNAMENT IS CONCLUDED IN TYPED FORM USING THE OHSAA FINANCIAL REPORT.
E-mail your report to Bob Huelsman at uc69@earthlink.net in order for him to review.

IF REPORTS ARE NOT SUBMITTED WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE TOURNAMENT, YOU MAY BE ASKED TO MEET WITH THE DISTRIST BOARD TO REVIEW YOUR STATUS AS A MANAGER. THE BOARD HAS ESTABLISHED A 30-DAY PERIOD FOR ALL TOURNAMENT REPORTS TO BE FINALIZED. [OHSAA Auditor Management Letter, Balestra, harr, & Scherer, CPA’s Inc.]

Rev.  3-24-08