Rules

  ENCHANTED LAKE            SOFTBALL CLUB

  THE  BIRD  LEAGUE      

General Overview

This page is a general overview of the rules and style of play.  Complete rules can be found in the pdf document at the bottom of this page.

Enchanted Lake Softball Club (aka ELAC, Enchanted Lake Athletic Club, The Bird League) is an ADULT MIXED SOFTBALL LEAGUE (MEN AND WOMEN), organized in 1978 by Melvin Kim and Mike Machado, Kailua residents, as an Adult social fun program. The program started with SIX teams and has grown to the current 10 team league, with all teams named after birds, hence the sometimes description of a “FOWL” League, or “The Bird League”.  PLAYERS MUST LIVE OR BE FROM THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE ISLAND.  (SOME EXCEPTIONS)

AGES: MEN 30 YEARS AND OLDER, WOMEN 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  An EXCEPTION is made for men at  the age of 27 years and older if they are a volunteer / coach in a recognized youth sports program.  (Like Little League)

SPECIAL NOTE: This program is not for the serious or “macho-type” baseball player (although a few have snuck in) whose primary purpose is to play “tough” and win at all costs.  Most of our league members consider the game to be an excuse to have fun and “incidental” to the socializing that follows the games.

AVERAGE TEAM SIZE: 15 to 17 players, with (6 to 8) women per team.

ALL games played at KEOLU PARK FIELD.  Five games played every SUNDAY beginning at 9:30am. The last game starts at 3:30pm. There are no scheduled team practices.  Basic Slow Pitch Softball played with a few special safety rules.

MEN HIT “MOUNTAIN BALL PITCHING” - A 14 inch softball pitched in a high arc (8 feet and above) from a pitcher’s mound located 43 feet from home plate. The ball must land on a large mat (home plate) to be called a strike.

WOMEN HIT A SLOW-PITCHED – A 12 inch softball pitched with an arc of 4 to 8 feet from a pitcher’s mound located 43 feet from home plate.  The ball must land on OR in the ORANGE painted box (mat or home plate).

TEN players are on the field defensively at one time with at least 4 women on the field.  A minimum of 3 women must play defensive at all times if you have only nine players.  The least a team can play with is 8 defensively as long as 2 women are on the field.  All players are guaranteed a minimum of 3 complete innings of playing time on the field.  Everyone bats in the batting Line-up for the whole game.  (New rule of picking up borrowed players added to prevent forfeits)

LEAGUE SAFETY RULES INCLUDE: A prohibition against women pitching; no sliding or diving into bases; over-running of second and third base is permitted; (if you over run 2nd base turn to your right or run straight on the grass and 3rd base turn to your right or run straight to touch the fence); anytime you over run 2nd or 3rd you must retouch that base before you can advance to the next base; no bunting; and we allow  “COURTESY” runners for those with “bad wheels”.  There is no throwing out a batter runner going to first base from the outfield.   Standings are kept.  However, no trophies or awards are given to the winners. The only prize for winners is “BRAGGING RIGHTS”, but NOBODY listens.

THE CLUB PLAYS TWO (SPRING AND FALL) SEASONS each year.  The Spring season begins in early February, usually the week after The Super Bowl, and ends in June. The Fall Season usually begins in mid-August and runs through early December.

PLAYER COMMITMENT: Players are asked to participate in a t least 75% of a team’s games (3 out of every 4 games played).            DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO MEET THIS COMMITMENT.

Note:  Complete rules are included in the pdf document below.   We advise all captains and players to download, review and know the rules.   

THE NEWEST RULES THAT WERE ADDED OR CHANGED SINCE THE OFFICIAL RULE BOOK WAS COMPLETED.  

THIS UPDATE WAS PUBLISHED DURING THE 2019 SPRING SEASON.

1.  The Official Pitching Specifications are:  MEN (14 inch) softball must be 8 feet minimum height ( average 2 feet over head) to unlimited height.     WOMEN (12 inch) softball must have arch of at least 4 feet off the ground to a maximum of 8 feet in height.

2.  The Home  Run Rule:  Called the one up rule;  No Team may have more than one (Over the Fence) Home Run more than the opposing team at anytime.  Once a team hits a Home Run and is one up ahead of the opposing team in the number of Home Runs, That team cannot hit another Home Run until the opposing team hits a Home Run to equal or a second Home Run to then be one up in the Home Run count.  Any subsequent (Over the Fence) Home Runs that are hit while a team is one up over the opposing team will result in that hit being called a foul ball and a strike added to that batters count.  A foul ball is a strike and is an out during One Pitch games.   (EXAMPLE)   The first team that hits an (Over the Fence) Home Run is automatically "One Up" in the Home Run count, and cannot hit another (Over the Fence) Home Run until the opposing team hits at least one (Over the Fence) Home Run to tie the Home Run count or at most hits a second (Over the Fence) Home Run to now be "One Up" over the opposing team.  No team will be able to hit more than two Home Runs while at bat in that inning.  This Home Run rule does not apply to (In the Park Home Runs) which are limitless.

3. No defensive player may throw out from the outfield any batter running to first base upon a hit ball .  Outfield is any part of the grass area that is behind the infield dirt area beyond 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bases.  Any fielder including infield players who step out into the grass area behind the infield are now in the outfield and cannot make the throw to first base to make the batter out before reaching the base upon that hit.  A defensive player (infield or outfield) must either throw the ball to a player in the infield or themselves be in or on the dirt area of the infield to legally attempt to put the batter runner out going to first upon the hit.  Example: An infielder who backsteps into the grass area to catch a ball must return to the dirt area before he attempts to throw the batter runner out going to first.   Example:  An outfielder who catches a ball in the grass area behind the infield must run to and throw from the dirt area to attempt to get the batter runner out, or he may relay or throw the ball to a player in the infield or (dirt area) who can make an attempt to put that batter runner out.  This does not apply to a batter runner who has already reached first base and has stepped off the bag towards second base.  He may be put out if caught off the bag.  Penalty:  Any attempt by a defensive player in the outfield to throw out a batter runner at first base will result in that batter runner being awarded second base and base runners advance when forced by the award.

More to come.