A. Player Eligibility

1. To be eligible to play in the Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League (League), all players must be enrolled in an accredited NCAA school and have at least one year of remaining college eligibility. The equivalent of a rising college freshman is also eligible to play.

2. Additionally, all players must be amateur as defined by NCAA rules.

3. Players are not eligible to practice with any League team or play in any League games until a standard Player Contract is completed and signed (see Attachment A), a birth certificate provided, and the player fee paid. Additionally, all players, coaches and any other on-field officials (such as trainers, etc) must read and sign a copy of the Rules of Conduct before participating in any regular season games (see Attachment B).

4. The use of an ineligible player by a team shall result in the forfeiture of games in which the ineligible player participated.

5. A player will not be eligible to play in the League championship playoffs unless he has participated in at least 6 games scheduled by the League (participation is defined as any appearance made such as a pinch hitter, pinch runner, or a defensive replacement). A player's eligibility to participate in non-league postseason tournaments shall be determined by the rules of the organization sponsoring the tournament.

5A. Once the season begins, a player may compete as a member of only one team in the League, unless released. If a player is released, he will be made available to the other teams in the League in the reverse order (last to first) of the League standings at the completion of games played on the day of the release. Once another team claims a player, the releasing team may not reclaim him. If a player is not claimed within 7 days of the announcement of his release, he becomes a free agent. All players not on a team roster will be considered free agents. Free agents may join any team that will sign them. Free agents must sign and date a new Player Contract for the team he is joining before competing in any games for the new team.

5B. All player contracts expire at the end of the current season.

6. Once a player signs a Player Contract to play with a team, he becomes committed to that team for the upcoming season. If a representative of one team attempts to sign a player whom the representative knows has already signed with another team, that team representative shall be guilty of tampering. Evidence of tampering shall be presented to the Board of Directors. If the Board concludes, upon majority vote, that tampering has occurred, it shall impose the following fine): $500.00 for a first violation, $1,000.00 for a second offense that occurs within the same 12 month period following completion of the prior season, and $1,500.00 for each subsequent offense that occurs within that same period.

B. Teams

1. Team rosters may contain the names of up to 25 players who meet the eligibility requirements set forth above. Rosters shall be provided to the designated League official prior to the start of the season, who will then make the roster available to all League head coaches and general managers. Revised rosters shall be posted with the designated League official as changes are made throughout the season. The League will make the team rosters available for inspection to representatives from other teams, scouts, the media, and other members of the public. Each team shall also provide the opposing team with an accurate roster/lineup card prior to every game. Team rosters shall contain, at a minimum, the name and uniform number of each player. (At the end of the season, teams which win the right to represent the League in post season competition may need to adjust their rosters to comply with the rules of the organizations sponsoring the postseason tournaments.) The deadline for adding players to a team’s roster is July 15.

2. In accordance with NCAA rules, no team may have on its roster more than four players from the same NCAA Division I school. Furthermore, no team may have as a member of its coaching staff a paid coach from an NCAA member school if the team also has on its roster a player from that same school. These prohibitions apply not only to teams during the regular season but also to teams that represent the League in tournament play.

C. Playing rules:

1. The NCAA Baseball Rules shall govern all aspects of League play, except those aspects that are specifically addressed by the rules promulgated by the League (the "League Rules"). To the extent there is a conflict between the NCAA Rules and the League Rules, the latter shall govern.

2. All umpires will be supplied by the league.

3. All protests must be submitted in writing to the League President within 48 hours of completion of the game involved. A ruling on a protest shall be rendered as soon as possible. The President or his/her designee shall hear protests. Any party to the protest ruling may appeal to the protest to the League President, whose decision and remedy in the best interest of the League will be final. Any such appeal to the League President must be made within 24 hours of the receipt of the ruling. No person associated with any particular team in the League shall rule on any protest, directly or indirectly, involving his team.

D. Scheduling

1. League play will normally consist of at least 40 games. The team with the best overall record will be declared League Champion, and the team with the second best overall record will be League Runner Up. If two teams finish the season with identical records, a single play-off game will be used to break the tie to determine League Champion and League Runner Up.

2. The League President or his designee will schedule rainouts, suspended games, and playoff games. The President will reschedule rainouts and suspended games as the second game of a doubleheader the next time the two teams involved meet or, on the next open date for the two teams according to the league schedule, depending on field availability. Rescheduled league games shall take priority over any non-league games that are scheduled by the teams on open dates. If the President determines that the best interests of the League would not be served by following these guidelines, he will reschedule rainouts or suspended games as he determines is appropriate.

3. Time limits

a. All games shall be played in accordance with the time limits, if any, in effect for the field on which the game is played and as prescribed by the League schedule. Both managers and the umpires prior to the start of each game shall review time limits controlling the length of a game. For purposes of interpreting rules prescribing time limits, a new inning shall start at the instant that the third out of the prior inning is made.

b. Doubleheaders: Doubleheaders shall consist of a 9 inning game followed by a 7-inning game and shall begin six hours before the scheduled curfew. Each game in a doubleheader shall be complete at the end of 9 or 7 innings, or at the completion of any applicable time limit, or if the game is called for inclement weather, provided that at least 5 full innings are completed or 4 1/2 are completed and the home team is ahead at the end of 4 1/2 innings. When a doubleheader is subject to a curfew, the first game shall be played to completion without regard to a time limit, and the second game shall be played subject to the applicable time limit (no new inning may start within 30 minutes of the curfew and the game must end at the curfew).

c. Time limit games: In a game that is shortened as a result of a time limit or inclement weather and it is otherwise an official game, if the visiting team has tied the game or gone ahead in the top of an inning and the game is called before the home team is able to complete the bottom half of the inning, the game will be suspended and then played to completion (either 7 innings or 9 innings, as appropriate) at the next opportunity as determined by the League President.

d. Playoff games: Playoff games will have no time limits. Playoff games suspended because of curfew hours will be continued from the point of suspension at the next opportunity as scheduled by the League President.

4. A team that cannot field nine players within 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the game will forfeit the game.

5. If a game is halted after its start for reasons other than inclement weather (e.g., malfunction of field lights, darkness, crowd behavior), play shall be suspended and will be continued from the point of suspension at the next opportunity as scheduled by the League President.

E. Uniforms and Equipment

1. The League will designate the official ball. New balls must be furnished by the home team at the start of the game and thereafter at the request of the umpire.

2. Catchers must wear full equipment including mask, body protector, shin guards, and helmet.

3. All batters and base runners must wear a helmet with at least one flap on the side facing the pitcher. Batboys/ girls must also wear helmets at all times when the game is being players.

4. Unless the Board of Directors decides otherwise, only approved wood or approved wood composite bats may be used.

5. All players, managers and coaches must be fully and properly uniformed. Uniforms must be numbered and all must be of the same type and style including caps and hose. No duplication of numbers is permitted. Uniforms must be clean and presentable. All batboys/girls must wear appropriate baseball apparel. Batboys/girls may be changed throughout the game without notice to the other team.

F. Pregame

1. Only players, managers, coaches, scorekeepers and trainers on the roster are permitted in the team dugout during the game. Only designated batboys/girls wearing appropriate baseball apparel are permitted in the team dugout.

2. Home team shall take its choice of the first or third base dugout.

3. Subject to change by agreement of the managers, the home team may take batting practice from 90 minutes before game time until 60 minutes before game time. The visitors may take batting practice from 60 minutes before game time until 30 minutes before game time. The home team may take infield from 30 minutes before game time until 20 minutes before game time. Visitors may take infield from 20 minutes before game time until 10 minutes before game time, leaving 10 minutes before game time for grounds keeping.

4. Each team must supply a scorekeeper for its home games, who will serve as the official scorekeeper.

G. Conduct

All managers, coaches, players, and League officials are at all times expected to conduct themselves in a manner respectful of the game, the League, the umpires, the fans, and their colleagues. All coaches, players, and on field personnel must read and sign the League’s Rules of Conduct, which are listed as Appendix B.

H. Speed of Play

1. For the convenience of fans, regulation league games of 9 innings should be played in two and one-half hours or less.

2. Managers shall be responsible for ensuring that their players move on and off the field promptly between innings and for having their teams ready to play.

3. Umpires shall be responsible for allowing no more than 90 seconds between innings.

4. Managers shall be responsible for notifying their players of Rule 8.04 in the rules of baseball providing that in order to avoid unnecessary delays, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 20 seconds after receiving the ball.

5. Home teams shall have the opportunity to conduct special events lasting no more than 5 minutes at the end of two innings per game. (A maximum of two events per game.) Home team coaches/managers shall inform the umpire prior to the game when these special event will take place.

I. Post Season Tournament Play

1. A League post season tournament will be scheduled, comprised of teams decided upon by the Board at the beginning of the season. Generally, if the League is comprised of 5 teams, 4 will be eligible for the League post season tournament. If the League is comprised of 6 teams, all will participate in the League post season tournament. If the League is comprised of more than 6 teams, the Board will decide how the League post season tournament will be conducted prior to the beginning of the season. The tournament will be seeded double elimination.

2. The league shall announce at the earliest available opportunity, post-season tournaments available to League teams as official League representatives. The procedures for eligibility for representing the league in such tournaments will be established by the Board before the end of the regular season.

3. These rules do not preclude any team from participating in any non-League post season tournament for which the League is not automatically expected to provide a representative.