Ad Hoc:
These are just rules of organization! If you don't want to do this formally with set teams, league scoring, etc., this same idea can be used when you have 15 players who want to play, instead of the 20 normally required in softball (assuming 4 outfielders). In that case, split yourselves up into three teams and just follow these guidelines to still have a good, full, competitive and cooperative game.
Coaches:
As available, coaches (or extra players) can serve as rotating 1st and 3rd base coaches and home plate umpire if there are no officials or a scorekeeper (if no officials are part of the play or league, each team should count on having at least 6 and maybe even 7 participants, though only 5 will play at a time). If you are rotating players around in positions each inning too (see the Field Positions and Progressions page for more on rotating players), then the coach and umpire (or scorekeeper) positions can become part of the rotation.
If each team has one coach, the Batting team coach should coach 3rd base, the Outfield team coach should coach 1st base, and the umpire or scorekeeper should be the coach of the Infield team (to avoid any pitch and score calling bias in favor of the pitcher’s or the batter’s teams).
Scoreboards:
Traditional softball and baseball scoreboards have settings for only two teams at a time. It is suggested to use the Home Team section for the leading team, and the Visitor Team section for whoever is at bat. The umpire, coaches, team captains, or a designated score-keeper should track the full scores. If you have a contemporary scoreboard that is entirely programmable, a third team can be displayed and tracked (may require some re-programming).
Take Me Out To The Ballgame? (The After-Third Inning Stretch (Halftime!)):
Because each inning has nine outs instead of 6, full games never get to a seventh inning (unless tied). So, instead of a longer seventh-inning stretch, there should be an end-of-third inning stretch, played after the 27th out (this is the half-way point of the game).
Background:
The idea for 3TS came to the author while he was a part of an after-work recreational softball league. "We were always able to get at least 5 people to show up for a game but had a really hard time trying to find or count on all 10, and it was no fun always forfeiting. So, I started thinking about how we could play with fewer players over all (15 instead of 20), as well as how to make it work on the field (considering the pitcher part of the outfield was the key) - and the idea of having three teams play at once occurred to me! Problem solved and a whole different way of playing together opened up too." Special thanks to Mark Strandskov for the idea of rotating the position each player plays, every inning too.
Remember:
Have fun! And good luck! We hope you enjoy these rules of organization.