The manager of every team shall at a time and place determined by the league - but before the season starts, date and sign an affidavit acknowledging that he/she has read and fully understands the "Safe Equipment Rule".  Furthermore the manager attests that he/she shall fully explain the "Safe Equipment Rule" its' intent, penalties and affect to every player on the manager's team now and in the future.  The manager, by signing this affidavit, consents to full and complete cooperation with the "Safe Equipment Rule" and softball league and park staff.

Safe Equipment Rule

The City of South Bend, Department of Parks and Recreation - Softball Program in accordance with ASA/USA "Official Rules of Softball" reserves the right to withhold or withdraw approval of any equipment which, in the ASA's sole determination, significantly changes the character of the game, affects the safety of participants or spectators, or renders a player's performance more a product of the player's equipment rather than the player's individual skill.

Any bat whose physical characteristics and/or properties have been intentionally altered or modified for the purpose of improving performance. Examples of changing the characteristics of approved equipment would be icing, cooling or heating equipment, wall thinning, barrel shaving, loading, accelerated break In (ABI) techniques and painting.

It shall be the position of the City of South Bend, Department of Parks and Recreation - Softball Program that any individual participant, or group of participants, or team that in any way conspire to introduce illegal, altered or non-approved equipment into a game(s) shall be suspended from further participation for a period of not less than three (3) years and up to life from participation in the softball programs.

When team representatives pickup team materials, they shall be required to sign the attached affidavit, which acknowledges their legal responsibility to inform team participants the Safe Equipment Rule its' ramifications and penalties.  The team representative further agrees that their team shall only utilize ASA legal and approved equipment.

Whenever a participant is struck by a batted ball, that in the judgment of the umpire, the participant struck did not have adequate reaction time to avoid, the ball and bat shall be confiscated.  The umpire shall provide the bats' owner with a "property tag", which shall serve as proof of ownership.  Failure of any participant to fully and immediately cooperate with the umpire shall cause the player to be suspended and the game to be forfeited.

The umpire shall deliver the confiscated ball and bat, the accident report and a copy of the "property tag" to the Belleville Softball Staff within twenty-four (24) hours.  The Belleville Softball Staff shall examine the confiscated ball and bat, review the accident report, and discuss the incident with the umpire and the injured participant to determine whether or not the confiscated equipment shall be submitted to the ASA National Equipment Testing Center.  This process shall be completed within fourteen (14) days of the incident.  At that point the confiscated bat shall be either (1) returned to the rightful owner, or (2) sent to the ASA National Equipment Testing Center.

If the equipment is submitted to the ASA National Equipment Testing Center and the bat (1) is determined to be legal, the City of South Bend, Department of Parks and Recreation - Softball Program shall replace the bat, or (2) if determined to be illegal, altered or non-approved the participants shall be suspended as outlined above and the results shall be shared with the legal representative of the injured participant.

ALTERED BAT: When the physical structure of a legal bat has been changed.

BALL COMPRESSION: The load force, in pounds, required to compress a softball 0.250 inches when measured in accordance with the ASTM test method for measuring compression-displacement of softballs.

BALL COR: The coefficient of restitution of a softball when measured in accordance with the ASTM test method for measuring coefficient of restitution of softballs.

ILLEGAL BAT: A bat that does not meet the requirements of an official bat or warm-up bat.

ILLEGALLY BATTED BALL: Occurs when the batter hits the ball fair or foul and an illegal, altered or non-approved bat is used.

NON-APPROVED BAT: A bat that does not meet the ASA specifications and is on the current non-approved bat list, no penalty to the previous

PARTICIPANT: A starting player, substitute, manager, coach or other team representative located in the dugout, team area or playing field.

BAT WITH DENTS: In determining whether or not a bat with a dent(s) is legal, an umpire should use a bat ring to slide over the barrel of the bat.  Should the bat ring slide over the entire barrel, the bat is legal.

BATTING WITH AN ILLEGAL BAT: When a batter uses an illegal or altered bat and reaches base safely, and the next batter steps into the batter's box with the same bat, the following penalty is in effect.

A.     If noticed before a pitch is thrown to the next batter, the umpire should call the batter who used the bat and is now on base.

B.     If the bat is altered, the player is ejected from the game and the tournament.  The bat is removed from the game, runners put out prior to discovering this infraction remain out, and runners not put out return to the base they occupied at the time of the batted ball.

C.    After the pitch to the current batter, that batter is called out and there is no penalty to the previous batter for using the illegal or altered bat.

SPORTING BEHAVIOR: The values of softball competition are based on good sporting behavior and fair play.  The following are examples, although not limited to, of unsporting behavior:

A.     Coaching tactics that endanger the safety of participants.

B.     After equipment check, illegal equipment being put back into play.

C.  Use of equipment for other than its intended design.