Veterans Softball Tournament & Family Fest 2022

Sat Jul 23 2022 at 08:00 am to 06:00 pm

Beverly Park | Chicago

The Center for Veterans and Their Families at Rush
Publisher/HostThe Center for Veterans and Their Families at Rush
Veterans Softball Tournament & Family Fest 2022
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Veterans Softball Tournament & Family Fest 2022! Bring out the Clinchers and bring the family too!!!
About this Event
Softball Tournament & Family Fest!

This event is intended for military veterans and their families. The Chicago Park District and the Road Home Program at Rush are partnering up to provide a day of fun for the whole family! DJ, Activities, Bouncy Houses, Mission BBQ and a 16-inch Veterans softball tournament. Hurry and register!


  • 50% of each team must be made up of veterans
  • Registrations will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. 12 Total Teams
  • A player can sign up as an individual or with a team. If they choose to sign up as an individual, they will be placed on a team with other individual players or help fill teams that need players.
  • Each team must have a minimum of 10 players (at least 4 females)
  • Rules will be shared prior the event, see below for proposed rules of play

Tournament Rules -

**Subject to change - we will brief everyone the morning of the tournament

1. A “strike mat” will be used to determine balls and strikes. If the softball touches any part of the mat on a legal pitch (6’-12’ arc), it will be considered a strike. Pitches touching any part of the plate

WILL BE considered a strike as well (Because of the small size of the strike mat and the difficulty of pitching, we have increased the strike zone to include the plate to promote teams to swing more and give pitchers a larger target.) **IMPORANT DISTINCTION** The strike mat is only used for calling balls and strikes. The strike mat is not home plate. Therefore, when a runner is trying to score, he or she must touch home plate in order to score. If he/she touches the strike mat and not home plate, and then is tagged, the runner will be tagged out.

2. All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count.

3. NEW RULE - WALK RULE: If a male batter is walked in 3 pitches (meaning no strikes were thrown or foul balls were hit) and a female follows him in the batting order, the female has the choice to take a walk or bat. (Exception: ***if the bases are loaded (at the time a male is at-bat) and a male is walked and a female follows him in the order, that female must bat.)

Umps will enforce this rule upon request; however, they will not be responsible for notifying the batter in each walk situation.

4. A batter with two strikes is allowed one foul ball. On the second foul with two strikes, the batter is out. In other words, you are allowed one courtesy foul ball with two strikes.

5. All games are seven innings or one hour (warm up time included); the last inning will start 10 - 15 minutes to the hour. The ump will enforce this rule and will make the call at the top of the final inning. If a game is tied at the end of seven innings, extra innings will be played only if there is time.

If there is not time (at least 10 minutes left in the hour), the game will end in a tie. Note: Due to differing circumstances in each and every game, some games will finish short of an hour in length, while others might run over the hour mark. Please respect your ump’s call in this matter. He/she must keep all games on time in fairness to teams playing later hours and due to facility permit restrictions.

6. 10 players (at least 4 females) in the field at all time. (THERE ARE NO POSITION REQUIREMENTS of any players, i.e. there need not be 2 females in outfield and 2 in the infield) You are never allowed more than 6 men in the field at one time. We will allow a team to play with a minimum of 8 players (at least 2 females). If only 2 women are present at game time, each woman must bat twice in the first 10 batters. If a team has less than the minimum required number of players it is up to the opponent and/or umpire as to what is allowable.

7. Teams may bat more than ten players; however, these teams must bat the same ratio (3 to 2) of men and women as fielding men and women. In situations where additional players wish to bat, the line up must come as close to a 3 to 2 ratio as possible, even if some women need to bat twice in the batting order. ***Men CANNOT bat twice in the lineup to achieve a 3-2 ratio if a team plays with more women than men. Prior to game time, ask your ump for a score sheet. Line-ups must be given to the ump for every game.

8. There are no guy-girl batting order rules other than the 3 to 2 ratios and the scenario. (i.e. You may bat 6 men followed by 4 women or vice-versa) The batting rules are governed by the number of males in the line-up. examples are as followed:

I.e. 6 men 4 women

7 men 4 women

8 men 5 women (1 out of 4 batting twice if needed)

9 men 6 women (2 out of 4 batting twice if needed)

10 men 6 women (2 out of 4 batting twice if needed)

11 men 7 women (3 out of 4 batting twice if needed)

12 men 8 women (4 out of 4 batting twice if needed)

Etc., etc., etc.

*6 men 2 women (both batting twice) *If playing with the minimum # of people

9. All players in the field must be listed in the batting order. There are no designated hitters allowed. Any attempt at doing so must be brought to the attention of the umpire prior to game time and can only be deemed allowable by the opposing captain.

10. Game mercy rule: 10 runs up after five complete innings (home team always gets their final at bats when the last inning has been called).

11. There will be a 7 run limit per inning during innings 1-4. (Exception: unlimited runs may be scored if one of the innings 1-4 is declared the final inning of the game.) Unlimited runs may be scored in innings 5, 6, and 7, or in any extra innings.

12. No leadoffs or stealing allowed. Runners may leave the base once the ball crosses the plane of the plate or is hit by the batter. If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out.

If this is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be first up in the next inning.

13. Games start on time!!! Teams must be prepared to play.

Forfeit rule: 10 minutes after game time. If one team has less than the minimum number of players (8 total-2 females) at ten past the designated start time, the team that is short players will forfeit. If however, the opposing team wishes to allow the team to play with less than the minimum amount of required players, the game may be played as an official game. The opposing team must notify the umpire that they would like the game to be played as an official game.

14. Base runner to defensive player contact will be closely watched by the ump. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an “out” and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher. Sliding is allowed. Any sliding into a base to break up a double play, or any intentional (in the eyes of the monitor) interference with the defensive player will result in the runner and the batter being called out.

15. NO METAL SPIKES ARE ALLOWED.

16. A foul ball above the batter’s head may be caught for an out.

17. All thrown balls are deemed out of play when:

• The ball is thrown over the fence

• The ball is thrown beyond the fence

• The ball is thrown beyond the imaginary line extending from the end of the backstop (if there is no fence).

• This imaginary line applies to overthrows and caught fly foul balls.

• If the ball is overthrown and hits the fence behind the 1st or 3rd base lines but does not travel out of play, this is NOT considered out of play and the runner may advance, BUT at his/her own risk.

• On overthrows out of play, the runner is granted the base he/she is going to (at the point of the throw) plus one more base. They will be awarded two bases from the last legally established base. Note: in cases where a base runner runs past first base, he/she must make a clearly aggressive turn towards second base to be granted 2nd and 3rd in overthrow situations.

18. On an infield fly (any fly ball within the infield with significant arc and deemed an “easy catch”) with less than 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the batter is automatically out and runners can advance, BUT at their own risk.

19. All outfielders must remain behind the chalked and/or coned “outfield line” (if applicable - consult with your ump before your game to determine if this rule is enforced) when a female is up to bat. In most cases the “outfield line will be determined by where the infield dirt meets the outfield grass. If the “line” is not clearly marked it us up to the umpire’s discretion if an outfielder is too close to the infield. There cannot be more than 7 players on the infield at any one time. Once contact has been made the outfielders may cross the line. If an outfielder crosses the line before contact has been made the female may be awarded first base.

20. In 16” softball women are allowed to wear gloves if they choose. Men cannot.


For additional questions regarding the rules of play, please contact Andrew Grose at the Chicago Park District at (312) 745-2172

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Beverly Park, 2460 West 102nd Street, Chicago, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00

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