ARTICLE XIX - AAA SOFTBALL DIVISION – COMPETITIVE

Section 1. Limited to girls league ages 8, 9, 10 & 11.

Section 2. Teams are selected by draft and are normally but not necessarily limited to a roster of 12 players.

Section 3. Continuous Batting Order shall be used in this division. Each team shall field 9 players defensively and minimum play rule is in effect.

Section 4. Pitching – During the 1st half of the season, the pitcher shall be a player and pitch from the distance of 35 feet. For each at bat, the player will pitch until A) the batter puts the ball into play, B) the batter strikes out, or C) 4 balls are called on the batter. After ball 4, a coach from the offensive team (1st or 3rd base coach only) shall come in to pitch with the existing strike count on the batter. The umpire shall continue to call balls and strikes until the batter puts the ball in play or strikes out. Anytime a batter is hit by a pitch, then the coach will come into pitch as described in this section. During the 2nd half of the season, the pitcher shall be a player only.

Section 5. A pitcher is limited to pitching in only 3 innings per game.

Section 6. During the 1st half of the season, base runners may only advance one base per steal attempt. This rule is to help encourage catchers to attempt to throw out base runners without further consequence of a bad throw.

Section 7. The offensive team will be retired when either the defensive team completes 3 outs or the offensive team scores 5 runs; except in the 6th inning or beyond when there is no run limit.

Section 8. AAA Softball Division Champions will be determined by a playoff system which will be played at the conclusion of the regular season. See Article XXVIII for details about the playoffs.

Section 9. District 4 Softball Interleague playing rules shall supersede these local Bylaws if applicable to this division. District 4 Interleague rules can be found at http://www.llcad4.org/softball.html