PRESEASON SOFTBALL MEMO
Wednesday, May 5, 2026
PLAY BALL! I hope everyone’s first day of practice went well. Several of our staff celebrated the first day by making a trip to Harlan Rogers Park to view the new fields and press box. Everything looks amazing! Seeing the new fields and renovations in anticipation of the new State Tournament format has us pumped for the 2026 season.
As always, the preseason memo has lots of information. Please take some time to read the information below!
Important Season Dates:
First Practice Date: Monday, May 4
First Competition Date: Monday, May 18
First Tournament: Friday, May 29
Regional Tournament Dates
Class 1A & 2A: July 6, 8, 10, 13
Class 3A, 4A, 5A: July 9, 11, 14
State Tournament
July 20–24 at Harlan Rogers Park, Fort Dodge
Scholarship Dates: May 18 – Eligibility resumes at 12:01 a.m. on June 7.
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 for rankings.
Individual and Team Limitations
A team is permitted to play no more than three games in any single day. Tournaments may include no more than 16 teams. No more than four games per team may be played in any tournament. A school may play only one tournament at a time and play no more than three games on a calendar day. No junior varsity teams are allowed in varsity tournaments except in emergency situations (must be approved by the IGHSAU).
Individuals may play a maximum of 65 games and play only three games per day (including all levels of play). EXCEPTION: A varsity player who enters the game only as a courtesy runner and serves only in that capacity for the entire game shall not be charged with a game played toward the three-game daily limitation. If she enters the game in any other capacity (i.e. pinch hitter, pinch runner, or defensive player), the game counts, and she is subject to the three-game daily limit. This exception applies only to the varsity level player and is intentionally narrow in scope. The intent is to allow younger players to fully participate at lower levels and still be available for this limited varsity role without reaching the three-game limit.
Eighth grade students are eligible to practice (including scrimmages) with the high school team on the first date of practice and compete on the first date of competition. Eighth graders may compete on the junior high team, high school team or both. If competing in junior high and high school, they may play only three games on a calendar day.
Sixth graders may participate (practice or play) on the junior high team on the first day of practice, as set by the school district.
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. There are several schools that have NOT taken care of this mandatory requirement. This must be completed before your first game!
NFHS Rules Book: 2026 NFHS Softball Rule and Case books were mailed to your school in March to your athletic office. If you have not received yours, please visit with your AD.
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 lineup cards at the IGHSAU office, feel free to drop by. The IGHSAU offices are located at 5000 Westown Parkway, Suite 150, West Des Moines, IA 50266.
2026 Rule Changes: 2026 NFHS rule changes can be viewed by clicking here.
New Iowa Adaptations: Iowa rule adaptations can be viewed by clicking here. Changes of note: pitchers are permitted to utilize electronic devices. In the rule meeting, it was stated that the pitcher’s communication device must be worn on the glove hand. This is correct if the pitcher is wearing a communication device that is worn on the wrist. Teams utilizing the head set communication devices may still wear the devices in the ear.
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 has been posted 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.
Scrimmages: Scrimmages between member schools shall be permitted between the first legal practice and the final day of the State Tournament. Teams may travel up to and including 100 miles from the home high school base for scrimmages, provided 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 Max Seeman at the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (515-418-3608 or max.seeman@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.
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 2026 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.
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.
Official Game: Games may not be shortened even 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: Games will end if a team owns a 10-run lead after four innings (or if the home team owns a 10-run lead after 3.5 innings) or owns an eight-run lead after five innings (or 4.5 innings if the home team is ahead). 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.
Umpires: Make sure that the umpires you hire are certified by the IGHSAU to work for the 2026 softball season. The IGHSAU updates the list of certified umpires on the website regularly throughout the season. The current list (posted May 4) can be found on the IGHSAU website by clicking here. I advise everyone to double check the list of umpires working your contests, even if you have assignors hiring umpires for you. You are risking forfeitures if you use an uncertified umpire in a contest. ALSO – all high school softball games (this includes JV and ninth grade games) MUST have two certified umpires working. Junior high contests may utilize one certified and 1 non-certified umpire for contests.
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 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 May 4. Sixth graders may participate (practice or play) on the junior high team on the first day of practice.
Cheering in the Dugout: Dugout cheers are encouraged if they are positive in nature. Cheers that are negative in nature and directed at the opposing team will not be tolerated this season. NFHS Rule 3-6-13-b (Page 39) states: “Unsporting acts shall not be committed including, but not limited to … b. use of profanity, intimidation and/or deceitful tactics, baiting or taunting …” If officials working the game are notified about negative cheers during the game, they will be instructed to issue a warning to the offending dugout. Any subsequent offenses will result in the head coach being restricted to the dugout, followed by ejection.
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. ALL stat categories must be kept. If we are asking for a stat, the expectation is that the information is kept. If you are having issues with Bound, please get in touch with me and I’ll be happy to help. Another great tool I recommend is having parents and fans download the Bound Mobile App. All the information on Bound is also available on the Bound app, including driving directions to away games, matchups, rosters for each game, and statistics.
Posting Your Scores: The IGHSAU will have a daily score page on the website and 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 as soon as possible. When a score is posted, it is automatically posted to the Bound site and the IGHSAU daily score page. Coaches should plan on adding scores when playing games at a neutral site.
It’s On the Website! If you haven’t done so already, please view the softball page on the IGHSAU website. There are many items that are important to you, and I have also tried to post information from the NFHS that is 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 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
Senior Associate Director/Softball Administrator
