Softball Preseason Memo – April 23, 2024
The softball season is almost upon us. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and you can enjoy a great preseason. This memo contains items I’d like to bring to your attention before the season begins in earnest.
Important Season Dates:
First Practice: April 29
First Competition Date: May 20
Regionals: 1A-2A: July 8, 10, 12, 15; 3A-4A-5A: July 11, 13, 16
State Tournament: July 22-26
Rules Meeting: All coaches are encouraged to view the rules meeting, but head coaches are required to view the softball rules meeting before the start of the first contest. This rules meeting is available in your Bound account.
NFHS Rules Book: All coaches should have received the 2024 NFHS Softball Rule Books. If you have not received yours, please double-check with your AD to ensure they do not have your rulebook. If you need a rule book, please contact me at jasoneslinger@ighsau.org.
2024 Rule Changes: The NFHS Rules Changes were discussed in the 2024 Online Rules Meeting, but they also can be reviewed by clicking here.
New Iowa Adaptations:
Pitching Chute Required: Pitching chutes will be chalked in the pitching circle. It is difficult for umpires to call illegal pitches. The chalk-drawn chute will aid in the enforcement of legal pitching and help umpires call illegal pitches more accurately. Click here to view how the chute should be chalked.
Electronic Communication Allowed: A coach may use a one-way communication device to communicate to the catcher (not the pitcher) to call pitches. Coaches may NOT use an electronic communication device(s) to communicate with any other team member while on defense or any team member on offense. The coach cannot use the electronic communication device outside the dugout/bench area.
The complete list of softball adaptations can be viewed by clicking here.
Lineup Cards: The IGHSAU has lineup cards available upon request. The lineup cards are free, but there are shipping charges: $5.00 for a package of 50 cards, $10 for 100, and $15.00 for 200. You may click here to order your lineup cards. If you are in the Des Moines area and would like to pick up a set of line-up cards at the IGHSAU office, feel free to drop by to pick them up.
Preseason Prospectus Available: The preseason prospectus has been posted on the website. You can also download it by clicking here. This is not a required form, but it does provide very useful information as I prepare rankings.
Site Availabilities: A list of schools that have applied to host regional softball contests can be viewed by clicking here. If you are listed, please double-check your dates. If you are not listed but wish to have your softball facilities considered as a host site for regional softball contest, please fill out the Site Availability Form in your Bound account.
Classifications - A new tentative softball classification was posted on April 23 and can be viewed by clicking here. Please take some time to view your BEDs number, especially if you are in a cooperative sharing agreement. Please contact me if you see any errors. Classification numbers become final after the first week of practice.
Softballs: The Dudley SB 12L RF Y FP — Red stitch (.47 COR) is the official tournament ball required for the postseason. The Dudley ball is only required for the postseason. Any softball that has the NFHS Stamp is legal during the regular season. There was some confusion about a new ball being adopted by the NFHS. The NFHS changed the minimum specifications of softballs, but there is no new ball. The new specifications were applied by softball manufacturers last season. As long as your softballs have the NFHS stamp, you have nothing to worry about.
Scrimmages: Scrimmages between member schools shall be permitted between the first legal practice and the final day of State Tournament play. Teams may travel up to and including 100 miles from the home high school base for scrimmages, providing such is affected without losing school time. A team may exceed this 100-mile limit on a non-school day with local school administration approval. Iowa teams may scrimmage a high school team from another contiguous state (plus Kansas), provided that the school is a member institution of that state’s activity association and falls within the 100-mile scrimmage radius.
If a school is scrimmaging at an out-of-state school, the scrimmage rules of that state shall apply. Iowa scrimmage rules will apply for scrimmages held in Iowa. A scrimmage shall be defined as that which takes place between member schools at one site on one calendar day, as well as an established definition relating to the mandatory absence of scorekeeping, stats compilation, and spectator charge. For a player to be charged with a scrimmage, she must have participated in the scrimmage.
Licensure and Concussion Training - All coaches working for your junior high and high school softball staff (paid and volunteer) must be appropriately licensed and have completed the annual concussion training. Individuals cannot “coach” in any capacity, either during practice or competition. If you have any questions regarding coaching authorization, contact Kelly Faga at the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (515-418-1403 or kelly.faga@iowa.gov.)
Concussion Course - All coaches must also view “Concussion in Sports – What you need to know.” You may access the meeting by clicking here if you have not viewed it yet.
Preseason Prospectus: The preseason prospectus can be downloaded by clicking here. I compile the softball rankings during the regular season, and the prospectus is an excellent tool for me to learn more about your team and the teams in your area. It is not required that coaches fill out the form, but the information is always helpful. The prospectus is a downloadable PDF you can complete and return to me at jasoneslinger@ighsau.org.
Bat Certification - Softball bats must bear the 2004 ASA certification mark AND NOT be listed on the USA Softball non-approved bat list with the ASA certification marks. To be clear, for a bat to be approved for use in IGHSAU competition, it must bear the ASA Certified 2004 mark or the 2020 USA Softball Certified mark (These marks can be found on the 2024 IGHSAU adaptations page) AND NOT be listed on the USA softball non-approved bat list. If there is no mark, it is ILLEGAL. If a bat has one of the two permissible marks, please make sure it is also NOT on the illegal list.
The current list of Non-Approved bats can be found by clicking here.
Rosters and Statistics in Bound - If you have not done so already, please get your schedules and rosters posted in Bound. It is mandatory to post softball stats. The IGHSAU will check every Tuesday during the regular season to ensure schools are updated. ALL stat categories must be filled in. If we are asking for a stat, the expectation is that the info is kept. If you are having issues with Bound, please get in touch with me, and I’ll be happy to help. A great tool I would also recommend having your parents and fans download is the Bound Mobile App. All of the information on Bound is also available on the Bound app, including driving directions to away games, match-ups, rosters for each game, and statistics.
Keeping Score: Every year, I get asked various questions about keeping the score book, the rules on scoring, how ERA is kept, etc. I love answering those questions, and I refer to the NCAA Baseball and Softball Scorebook. The book offers great interpretations on scoring decisions. You can download it by clicking here.
Reporting Your Scores: The IGHSAU will have a daily score page on the website and a daily score page on the Bound website. The score page is only as good as the information that is posted to it. The basic rule of thumb is this: the home team should post scores on Bound after each contest(s) as soon as possible. When a score is posted, it automatically is posted to the Bound site and the IGHSAU daily score page. Coaches should plan on adding their scores when playing games at a neutral site.
2024 Umpire Clinic—The 2024 IGHSAU Officials Clinic was held virtually this year and recorded. A lot of good information was discussed at the clinic, and I recommend coaches take the time to view it. Click here to view this year’s officials’ clinic.
On-site Administrator - On-site administrators and site managers are required for all home contests. Please designate an adult for each location if hosting a baseball/softball doubleheader. If the AD is responsible for baseball and softball at one site, they should designate another qualified adult (not the head coach) as a designee in case they are unavailable. Umpires have been advised not to begin games unless the designated site supervisor/administrator is present and identified to them.
Lightning and Weather Delays - Take a few minutes to visit with school site administrators regarding lightning and weather delays. Before the start of any game, the host school administration is responsible for monitoring the weather. Once the game is in progress, the umpires are responsible for delays due to thunder and/or lightning. If thunder is heard or sky-to-ground lightning is observed, CLEAR THE FIELD and follow your school’s inclement weather plan for teams, fans, and workers. A 30-minute delay is mandatory after each lightning strike. During this delay, gather more information via websites and the National Weather Service. Software is available that helps indicate the distance of the lightning strike and the storm’s movement.
Field Markings - Please be advised of the proper field markings. Media boxes no longer need to be marked and media are discouraged from being on the field during the game.
Official Games - Games may not be shortened even if by mutual agreement of coaches. By rule, the home team must be ahead after 4 ½ innings or the visitor after five complete innings. IGHSAU margin-of-runs rules are as follows: a 12-run differential after 3 or 4 innings (2.5 or 3.5 innings if the home team is leading by 12 or more runs) and a 10-run differential rule after 5 or 6 innings (4.5 or 5.5 innings if the home team is leading by ten or more runs). If a time limit is placed on games during tournaments and the game is not official, tournament procedures should include completing the game. If bad weather is forecasted, consider playing the varsity game first so that it will not be shortened.
Game Ending Procedures - All regular-season games must be legal, per NFHS rules, i.e., home leading after 4 1/2 innings. This includes any games played in tournaments. For schools hosting tournaments and are now preparing tournament information for the participating teams, please provide written communication on the game-ending procedures for the tournament, mainly when there is a time limit or weather delays. Those procedures should also be shared with umpires and discussed at the pre-game conference with coaches during the tournament.
Ejection Policy: If a coach/player is ejected from a game, they do not coach/play for the remainder of that game/match. They may coach/play in other competitions later on that same day. Any sanction issued by the school or State Office will be served on a subsequent date after a review of the filed reports.
When a coach is serving a suspension, they may not coach and must be out of sight and sound at the contest venue. They are not permitted to watch the contest(s) as a spectator unless they have a daughter playing in the game (s). If a player is serving a suspension, she may not be in uniform or participate in the contest(s) or pre-game warm-up but may be in street clothes on the bench, dugout, etc.
If you have an ejection, an ejection report must be filed with the IGHSAU by the umpire and the player/coach ejected. The report may be downloaded by clicking here.
Junior High Softball - It is up to the local school when junior high softball can start. Junior high softball cannot begin before the varsity season starts on April 29. Sixth graders may participate (practice or play) on the junior high team on the first day of practice.
It’s On The Website! If you haven’t done so already, please view the Softball Coaches and Administrators page on the IGHSAU website. There are many items that are important to you and I have also tried to post information that comes from the NFHS that is often times helpful. I will also post memos and correspondence from Officials Coordinator Cathy Creighton. I recommend checking the page for updates often.
Tell Us About Your Milestones—The IGHSAU wants to hear about anything unique that happens during the season. Please let us know if a coach reaches a milestone victory or a player achieves a specific milestone (100th career wins, school records, no-hitters, etc.). We will be sure to mention it through our Twitter account. You can email me with any milestone achievements.
Thanks again for taking the time to read, and best wishes to all of you as you begin your season. Please feel free to call or email with any questions you may have. Best wishes to you and your squad this summer!
Jason Eslinger
Associate Director/Softball Administrator
