C O L L E G E V I L L E 2003 Bylaws

Article 1 ‑ General Provisions

1.1 Name

The name of the organization shall be the Collegeville Softball Association (CSA).

1.2 Headquarters

The headquarters of the Collegeville Softball Association shall be located within a 7‑mile radius of Collegeville.

1.3 Objectives

The objectives of the Collegeville Softball Association are:

1) To promote amateur sports within the Collegeville area for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry.

2) To provide adult men and women in the Collegeville area with the chance to play softball in a "fun" environment. It is not the intent of the Association to attract only the top quality players, rather to provide the players with the chance to improve their skills and to meet other people with similar interests.

3) To organize and support social and civic projects in the Collegeville Area.

1.4 Quorum

A quorum for the Collegeville Softball Association will consist of two‑thirds of its members in good standing. No league business requiring a full league vote can be transacted in the absence of a quorum.

1.5 Amendments

This code may be amended by a two‑thirds majority of a full league vote. In the event that a proposal for an amendment is made for the first time and voted upon at a single meeting, the motion may then only carry if the vote in favor of the motion constitutes two‑thirds of the entire voting membership of the Collegeville Softball Association. This code may only be amended during the playing season by a unanimous league vote of those teams in good standing.

1.6 Variances

Variances must be requested by the interested party by petitioning the Executive Committee. The variance will be considered by the Executive Committee and formally submitted to the next full league meeting. The variance must be ratified by a two‑thirds vote of the league at a full league meeting. If approved, it will be listed as an addendum to the Constitution and By‑laws and maintained by the secretary. The variance will remain intact until such time as it is removed by a two‑thirds vote at a full league meeting.

Article 2 ‑ Government of the Association

2.1 Code of Ethics

If benefits are to be derived from this association, the highest standard of sportsmanship must be applied to the players, coaches, and others associated with the CSA, everyone must conduct himself so that he is a credit to the sport and to the association.

For the Collegeville Softball Association to be a success, everyone associated must give their best efforts in the development of the association. If we accomplish this, we will have an association in which you will be proud to be a member.

2.2 Officers of the Association

The Collegeville Softball Association will have a President, Vice‑President, Treasurer and Secretary. Collectively, this group of officers will be known as the "Executive Committee". One person may assume the duties of more than one office. In this case an "At Large officer" will be appointed by the committee.

Duties of the Executive Committee:

1. President

The president shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the association performing all duties usually pertaining to this office including specifically the following:

1) He/she shall preside at all league meetings and all meetings of the Executive Committee.

2) He/she shall see to the enforcement of the objects, provisions, and purposes of this constitution.

3) He/she shall arrange to have the treasurer set up and maintain an account in a recognized banking institution in the name of the Collegeville Softball Association.

4) He/she shall personally verify the Association's bank balance on a monthly basis.

5) He/she shall arrange for an audit by the Executive Committee of the Association's accounts during May and October of each year.

6) He/she shall appoint any ad hoc committees deemed necessary during the course of his/her term in office.

7) He/she shall be responsible for negotiations for and the acquisition of playing fields.

8) He/she shall schedule all regular season and playoff games. This shall include all makeup games due to rain, protest, etc.

2. Vice‑President

The Vice‑President shall perform those duties assigned by the President including specifically the following:

1) In the absence of the President, the Vice‑President shall perform the duties of the President.

2) He/she shall be the overseer of the committee system. He ensures that all designated committees are productive. He will act as a tie‑breaker for any deadlocked committee votes.

3) He/she must maintain the Collegeville Softball Association's calendar of events. He is responsible for assuring the proper items are placed on the agenda of each meeting to meet the requirements dictated by the calendar. He/she shall assure that new events are added and obsolete events are removed.

4) He/she shall be responsible for collecting eligibility data. He/she must be prepared to report this data at those times during the course of the season when this data is critical (e.g. roster cutoff time, playoffs).

5) He/she shall sit at all meetings of the Executive Committee.

3. Secretary

The Secretary shall perform those duties assigned by the President specifically including the following:

1) He/she shall keep for the permanent record an account of the proceedings of all meetings of the association's officers and team managers which shall at all times be available to and the property of the association.

2) He/she shall conduct all correspondence of the association including notices regarding meetings.

3) He/she shall keep a record of all game scores for a period of at least one year and maintain and distribute weekly the standings of the association during the playing season.

4) He/she shall sit at all meetings of the Executive Committee.

4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall perform those duties assigned by the President including specifically the following:

1) He/she shall keep an account of all the receipts and expenses of the association and be prepared to present a financial report at any CSA meeting.

2) He/she shall maintain a statement of the current financial condition of the association available upon request by the president or association officers.

3) He/she shall establish and maintain an account in the name of the association in a recognized banking institution.

4) He/she shall make regular deposits of all money received in a recognized banking institution in the name of the association.

5) He/she shall sit at all meetings of the Executive Committee.

5. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee will perform as an administrative body whose function is to ensure that procedures are in place to assist the officers in carrying out their responsibilities. It will be comprised of the officers of the league, no two voting members of which can be from the same team. The Executive Committee is empowered and solely responsible for interpreting the Constitution and By‑ laws of the association for the purpose of expediting league proceedings. In this capacity the Executive Committee shall perform the following:

1) In the event of a vacancy in one of the league officer posts, the Association President shall provide and approve candidates for the vacancy.

2) The Executive Committee shall arbitrate all official game protests.

3) The Executive Committee shall audit the association's bank accounts as directed by the President.

4) The Executive Committee will meet as required throughout the year to consider ongoing league business not requiring the attention of all association representatives.

2.3 Association Entry Fees

Association entry fees will be determined by the Executive Committee for the upcoming season. These fees, along with the association budget must be ratified by a simple majority during the January meeting of the CSA. The entry fee for the 2003 season will be $900.00.

All fees must be paid by check or money order only. Entry fees must be submitted in total no later than the March meeting of the Collegeville Softball Association, with a deposit of $300.00 submitted no later than the February meeting.

Checks should be made payable to the "Collegeville Softball Association".

Article 3 ‑ Enforcement of Association Rules

3.1 Member in Good Standing

A member in good standing is a team that enjoys the privileges of full membership in the Collegeville Softball Association. A majority decision of the entire Executive Committee must be reached to drop a team from the rolls of teams in good standing. When a team is declared to be "not in good standing" it is restricted in the following areas:

1) The team will lose all games for which it is scheduled while it is not in good standing.

2) The team no longer has voting rights in Collegeville Softball Association league meetings and is not required to be counted when determining a quorum.

3) A team will lose its turn in the order used to pick home fields. The team will be placed at the bottom of the list.

4) A team will only be removed from good standing for the reason of owing money to the association.

3.2 Association Security Deposit

Over and above the normal association fees, each team is required to have on deposit with the CSA the sum of $50.00 against possible future fines that may be levied against them. The balance of this deposit is due at the time the last full payment of the Association Membership fee is due. If not paid in full at this time, a team may be dropped from good standing until such time as this balance is attained.

At the end of the season the balance of this deposit will be applied to the next season's deposit. If requested, a team may receive this balance at the end of the season via a Collegeville Softball Association check. A team has the right at any time to inquire of the treasurer about his team's current balance.

Should a team's balance drop below the minimum balance of zero dollars, the Executive Committee may drop the team from good standing in the association. This status may remain in effect until such time as the team's balance is restored to at least a zero balance.

3.3 Fines

Fines are to be levied at the discretion of the Executive Committee. A majority opinion is required. The Following offenses are subject to fines:

1) Absenteeism and Tardiness

Absenteeism from Collegeville Softball Association meetings must be discouraged. Given the meetings in question have been called with at least 48 hours notice, absenteeism will be dealt with in the following manner:

a) A $10.00 fine may be levied for being absent without notifying in advance a member of the Executive Committee.

b) A $20.00 fine may be levied for being absent from three meetings in a single fiscal year, despite notification of a member of the Executive Committee.

c) A $1.00 fine may be levied for every 15 minutes late the team representative is for a scheduled meeting. The total fine is not to exceed the penalty for being absent without notice.

2) Use of Alcoholic Beverages

a) A $25.00 fine will be levied for use of alcoholic beverages at a league game.

b) A second_offense by a team subjects the team to expulsion from the association.

3) Ejection from a Game

a) Each ejection will result in a $10.00 fine along with a one game suspension.

b) The second ejection of a particular player will result in a two game suspension in addition to the $10.00 fine.

c) A third ejection of a particular player is cause for the Executive Committee to take corrective action towards the individual and/or his/her team.

4) Forfeits

a) A $25.00 fine may be levied for each game forfeited.

b) Subsequent to a team's third forfeit during any season, the team's representative may be required to appear before the Executive Committee to show "just cause" as to why his/her team shall remain a member in good standing of the Collegeville Softball Association and continue the remainder of its season schedule.

c) In the case of inclement weather the forfeiture of game will be the only penalty for not having enough players to start the game. The fine will be waived.

5) Conduct at Collegeville Softball Association Meetings

Members and guests attending a CSA meeting must conduct themselves in a manner that is considerate of the rights and objectives of all members of the association. Only voting members have the right to be heard. The privilege of speaking at the meetings is a courtesy that is extended to guests.

A team is entitled to its designated (voting) representative and one guest. Beyond this, all other attendees of the meetings must be announced and approved by the voting members.

Disruptive behavior (e.g. unsolicited remarks or shouting) by a voting member or guest subject the responsible team to a fine not to exceed $25.00. Should the disruptive behavior continue, the Executive Committee may consider dropping the team from good standing for a period of time to be determined by the Executive Committee.

3.4 Protests

1) Third Party Protests

The Collegeville Softball Association acknowledges the right of a team to lodge a "third party" protest. This is a protest that is filed by someone not involved in the contest in question, but in all other respects must conform to the standards for protests recognized by the CSA. Below is listed those circumstances that are subject to "Third Party" protests.

a) If a team or two conspiring teams engaged in a game break the rules of play in such a way as to illegally use ineligible players or illegally increase the eligibility of a player, the game is subject to a third party protest. If the protest is upheld the result is that the team or teams that agree to the infraction will lose the game (i.e. it is possible for both teams to lose).

2) Protest Fee

In order to discourage unnecessary or ill advised protests, the league will impose a $20.00 fee for each protest filed. Should the protest be upheld, the fee will be returned to the account of the protesting team. If not, the fee will be retained by the association.

Article 4 ‑ Association Rules of Play

The Official Rules of Softball and the ASA (Amateur Softball Association) Regulations as adopted by the Amateur Softball Association of America, shall be considered a part of the Constitution and By‑laws of the CSA (Collegeville Softball Association). In case of a conflict between these rules and the special rules of the CSA, the rules and regulations of the CSA, as they are specifically written, shall have precedence.

The following makes up the special playing rules of the Collegeville Softball Association. These rules are exceptions to specific rules of the ASA rule book and are therefore referred to by the RULE and SECTION number assigned to them in that document, where possible. Any situations not covered in the following will be resolved using the standard ASA rules.

4.1 The Playing Field (ASA RULE 2)

2) SECTION 2: Ground rules will be established in a uniform manner for each field by the Executive Committee.

4.2 Equipment (ASA RULE 3)

1) SECTION 2: The official CSA ball will be selected by the Executive Committee.

4.3 Players and Substitutes (ASA RULE 4)

1) SECTION 1: A team must be able to field a defensive line‑up of at least 8 players or that team will forfeit the game.

2) Miscellaneous

a) Team Rosters: Team rosters are required. A maximum of thirty (30) players may be on a given roster. A player will be officially on the team's roster when he has played in his first game of the season. A team's final roster must be submitted to the league's Executive Committee before starting the fifth scheduled game as defined by the published regular season schedule.

b) The CSA team for which a player plays his first game of the season is the CSA team for which he must play the remainder of the season.

c) A team may make five (5) roster additions during the season if that team has 25 or less members at the beginning of the season. Any player added to the roster to fill a vacant spot counts as one (1) change.

d) Box scores need not be turned in to the Executive Committee. Teams are on their honor regarding the number of games played for playoff eligibility.

e) In order for a player to participate in the playoffs he/she must have appeared in a minimum of one third of the regular season games.

f) The winning team must call in the score by 9:00 PM Thursday to the Secretary of the CSA. Penalty: $10.00 fine.

4.4 The Game (ASA RULE 5)

1) SECTION 1: Home team is listed first in the schedule.

2) SECTION 2: The fitness of the field shall be decided by the home team manager prior to the game. After the game begins it is up to the umpire.

Note that tie games will not be replayed unless it is a playoff game (subsection G).

3) Miscellaneous

a) *** GAME TIME will be 6:30 PM *** There will be a 15 minute grace period before a forfeit can be declared. Double Headers will start at 6:15 PM.

b) If an umpire does not show up for the game, the game may be played provided that both teams agree. Other games will be rescheduled by the Committee.

c) The Collegeville Softball Association recognizes the use of a 15 run rule. This rule provides that should any team be beating another by 15 or more runs after 5 innings of play, the game is officially over. If the home team is winning by such a margin, they need not bat in their half of the inning. If the home team is losing by such a margin, they are entitled to bat in their half of the inning. The run rule for the first game of a double header shall be 10 runs.

d) Any rainout of a single game shall be made up as of a double header the next time the teams are scheduled to play.

4.5 Pitching (ASA RULE 6)

1) Section 3 (Legal Delivery): 6’ to 12’ Arc

2) 4.6 Batting (ASA RULE 7)

1) Miscellaneous (Extra Hitter)

a) Players may be added to the bottom of the order. i.e. a team may start a game with 8 players and add the 9th and 10th, etc.

b) A team may choose to have one or two (2) extra hitters (EH) in the lineup. This means that a team may have 12 players in the offensive lineup. The extra hitter is optional.

4.6 Baserunning (ASA RULE 8)

1) "Rabbit Rule"

The Collegeville Softball Association will allow for a single player to be designated as the "rabbit" for a game. This player will be permitted to be a pinch runner once each inning. This "rabbit" must be designated in the scorebook prior to the game.

The “rabbit” may be removed and placed in a regular playing position during the game. If this is done, the team may no longer use a “rabbit”.

Article 5 ‑ Bracket Playoffs

A post‑season bracket playoff to commence after the regular season will determine the champion of the CSA.

5.1 Format

Qualifying teams, seeding, tie‑breaking sequences, and playoff format will be established based on the number of teams and divisions currently in the CSA:

1. Qualifying Teams

a) Single Division

The top eight (8) teams will qualify for the playoffs.

b) Two Divisions (randomly assigned)

The top two (2) teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs along with the next two best records regardless of division.

c) Two Divisions (A & B Divisions)

The top five (4) teams from the "A" division will qualify for the playoffs along with the top two (2) teams from the "B" division.

2. Seeding

Seeding will be based on overall record except in the case of "A" and "B" divisions where the top five seeds will be awarded to the five (5) qualifying "A" teams.

3. Tie‑Breaking Procedures

a) All ties within a division will be settled before going on to ties between teams from different divisions.

b) Tie‑Breaking will be done in the following order:

1) Head‑to‑head record between the teams

2) Team's record within the division (not used for breaking ties outside a single division)

3) Run Differential in games between the teams

4) If more than two teams are tied and one of the above two tie‑breakers either eliminates one or more teams or decides in favor of one or more teams, then we will start over with head‑to‑head record to settle any remaining ties.

5) Any ties unable to be settled by the above will be decided by a playoff game between the teams.

4. Playoff Format

a. 8-Team Bracket

The playoff format will be a bracket tournament with Quarter Final Matches being best of three games as follows:

Match 1: Seed 1 vs Seed 8

Match 2: Seed 2 vs Seed 7

Match 3: Seed 3 vs Seed 6

Match 4: Seed 4 vs Seed 5

The higher seed will be the home team for the first and third game of the match.

The Semi Final round will be best of three matches as follows:

Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 4

Match 6: Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 3

The Championship Series will be a best of five match.

The higher seed will pick the field to be used for the playoff matches with the exception that each team will choose their home field for the championship series. The higher seed will be the home team for games one, three and five.

b. 6-Team Bracket

The playoff format will be a bracket tournament with Quarter Final Matches being best of three games as follows:

Match 1: Seed 3 vs Seed 6

Match 2: Seed 4 vs Seed 5

The higher seed will be the home team for the first and third game of the match.

The Semi Final round will be best of three matches as follows:

Match 3: Seed 1 vs Winner of Match 2

Match 4: Seed 2 vs Winner of Match 1

The Championship Series will be a best of five match.

5.2 Eligibility

Eligibility will be determined using the association's eligibility statistics. A list of eligible players for each team in the playoffs will be provided prior to the start of the playoffs to each representative of a participating team.

5.3 Rules

Rules presented in Article 4 are in effect except that:

1) During the playoffs one umpire will be assigned to each game until the championship series which will have two umpires assigned to each game.

2) To play an official game, at least one umpire must be present, otherwise the game will be scheduled on the next playoff date.

3) All playoff games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Article 6 ‑ Variances to CSA Constitution and Bylaws

The variances listed below are statements of rules which represent exceptions to the standard CSA Constitution and Bylaws. They have been constructed to meet certain specific problems or situations that are outside the normal tolerance of the Bylaws but are best dealt with on an individual basis.

These variances should be removed once it can be shown that they are no longer necessary.

Variance 1: Home Run Rule

Each team will be permitted a maximum of five (5) home runs per game on fenced fields. Any balls hit over the fence in addition to the five allowed shall be outs.

Variance 2: Playoffs

All eight (8) teams will be included in the playoffs during 2003.

Summary of Rule Changes for the 2003 Season

Change 1: Extra Hitter Rule Change (See 4.6 Batting - ASA Rule 7)

1) Miscellaneous (Extra Hitter)

a) Players may be added to the bottom of the order. i.e. a team may start a game with 8 players and add the 9th and 10th, etc.

b) A team may choose to have one or two (2) extra hitters (EH) in the lineup. This means that a team may have 12 players in the offensive lineup. The extra hitter is optional.

Change 2: Legal Delivery (See 4.5 Pitching - ASA Rule 6)

1) Section 3 (Legal Delivery): There is no maximum height from the ground.

Pitching is now unlimited arc. A ball that hits the plate is a strike.

Change 3: Some Games May Be Scheduled On Wednesdays