07/06/2020
MIDLAND SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
2020 COVID-19 RULES & GUIDELINES
The following rules and guidelines are to be used for the current season onward until amended; and are 100% in place for the safety of all players, coaches/managers, umpires and those friends and family we are around in our lives.
1. Waivers:
All players and non-players (managers/coaches who are part of the team but do not play) must be paid and have a Covid-19 waiver signed to be eligible for League play, no exceptions.
Each player and non-player must have a waiver for each separate team that they participate with.
The MSA president has signed the required waiver for the city on behalf of the MSA and is held liable to the city for the entire league maintaining social distancing as best we can and for adhering to the playing rules and guidelines we have set in place.
2. Who is and isn’t allowed at the fields, and where, for social distancing, and per agreement with the City of Midland:
Players and non-players, only, may be inside the field complexes, which at Redcoats 9-13 constitutes the perimeters of the outfield fences; and at all other fields constitutes the area near and surrounding the dugouts, the backstop areas and down the foul lines until past the infield. There are no exceptions to this rule which will allow us to play softball under our agreement with the City of Midland.
Children, family, friends, fans, etc. may watch from outside the perimeter or the fields at the Redcoats 9-13 complex, or, at other fields, may watch from outside of the areas of plays. Children, family, friends, fans, etc. are not allowed inside the complex / areas of play, no exceptions. This is keeping in adherence with the agreement with the City of Midland.
To enable players/non-players to adhere to social distancing, the dugout area may be extended down the fence lines.
At Redcoats 9-13, only the teams playing in designated game time slot may be inside of play area, which is inside the warm-up “hold” area. The next teams arriving should go to a dugout side and wait and warm up in the warm-up “hold” area. This area will be designated by some manner of paint, lines, markers, flags. Teams should remain there until preceding team has cleared their dugout/play area.
There may be, on occasion, MSA board members, MSUA umpires or City of Midland crews, who have to carry out their duties and temporarily need to be inside of the areas of play.
3. Once your game is over, we are asking teams to promptly vacate the playing areas so the next team may enter. You may not congregate around other games’ play areas. For social distancing, please leave the complex or play areas. Parking lots are not part of the complexes, but it is city property, so we must still practice social distancing there as well.
4. Softballs:
All co-ed games will utilize a 12” softball (men’s) only. There will be no switching of softballs.
Umpires will handout new and used softballs to each team at the beginning of the game. They will have spares if the softballs are lost.
Each team will utilize and keep their softballs on defense for the entirety of the game.
The defensive team is responsible for getting all batted balls. Offensive teams should not interfere with any pitched or batted balls to limit number of people touching the same softball.
Game time will be still running, so please return balls promptly and extra time will not be granted due to retrieving of softballs.
All softballs must be returned to umpires at completion of the game.
5. Bats must be placed outside of dugout prior to game for visual inspection by umpires. Bats need to be turned and have their MASA district 16 hologram sticker facing outward and legible. Once inspected, please bring the bats inside of the dugout.
6. Umpire interactions should maintain social distancing where best possible. There will be no requirement for the manager to sign the game card at the completion of the game.
7. There will be no stealing in any slow pitch games, therefore a “courtesy step” as some would describe it is an out. Runner should stay on the base until the ball has landed or has been contacted by the bat.
8. No “good game” or “high-five” lines are permitted, to minimize interactions across teams.
9. Teams wishing to pray together before/after games must practice social distancing to do so.
10. It is highly recommended and encouraged to refrain from using seeds, gum, to***co, etc., as to further minimize risks from the act of spitting the aforementioned things.
Let’s do our best to follow these rules and guidelines and we should be able to get out ahead of and stay out ahead of reducing risks to everyone involved in our program.
Thank you for your understanding.
