See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 501 for information regarding:

• Maximum Number of Contest   

See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 502 for information regarding:

• Daily and Season Player Participation Limitations

See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 515 for information regarding:

• Contests

• Last Date to Join a Team

• Practice Sessions Before First Contest

• Season Begins

1) Schools may continue to conduct practice and training for all squad members, including the students who have been eliminated from further individual competition in a League-sponsored series, until completion of the state tournament conducted by the League in that activity.
2) Dual contests may be scheduled after the start of the official League tournament series providing the school does not exceed the maximum number of games/matches/meets permitted in that activity.

C.      No school may engage in any meet or meets, practice, training or other activities between the end of the season and the opening of the next season.

D.      During the Summer Vacation Period (Bylaw 208 3 Non-School Competition and Training—Team and Individual Sports) members of a high school team may participate on a non-school team and they may receive coaching or training from a salaried or non-salaried member of the student’s sophomore, B-squad, junior varsity or varsity high school coaching staff in that sport provided the school has approved a summer coaching waiver for the coach or coaches of that sport.

See General Section of the Athletic Rules & Policies Manual for information regarding the following:

• Athletic Directors Checklist

• Coach's Responsibility: Student Eligibility Checklist

• Multiple Level Teams at Sub-Varsity Level

• Official Squad Size

• Revenue Sharing Plan

• Substitution in MSHSL Tournaments

• Weather Conditions (heat, cold, lightning)

OFFICIAL MSHSL POLICIES FOR THE CONDUCT OF GIRLS' FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL

A. Batting helmets shall be equipped with a NOCSAE-approved face mask/guard.
B. Double First Base. The double-first base is required for all games both (B-Squad, JV & Varsity) regular season and post season.  
C. Helmets: Each batter, on-deck batter, students/players in coach's box, runners and retired runners must wear a batting helmet with a permanently affixed NOCSAE stamp. Any and all non-adult ball/bat shaggers are required to wear a batting helmet in live ball territory.
D. Bats: All bats must meet the 2004 ASA Bat Performance Standard bearing either the 2000 or 2004 certification mark and not be on the ASA non-approved list. Certified bats meeting this standard may be found at www.asasoftball.com. 
E. Courtesy Runner Rule: The courtesy runner rule is in effect for interscholastic softball.
F. Metal Cleats: Players are now permitted to wear metal cleats and metal toe plates.
G. The COR and Compression for fast-pitch softballs shall not exceed 375 lbs. All softballs shall be marked with COR and Compression.
H. Suspended Game Rule: is in effect for all games both regular season and post-season.

GAME ENDING AND 10-RUN RULE
A game ends when the visiting team completes its half of the 7th inning provided their runs are fewer than the number scored by the home team in 6 innings.  A game also ends when, after 5 innings of a 7 inning game, a team is 10 or more runs behind and has completed its turn at bat.

DEFINITION OF REGULATION GAME
It is a regulation game if: (a) five full innings have been played; or the home team at bat has scored an equal or greater number of runs in four or four-and-a-fraction turns at bat than the visiting team has scored in five turns at bat; or (b) play has gone beyond five full innings and is called when the teams have not had an equal number of completed turns at bat. The score shall be the same as it was at the end of the last completed inning; unless the home team, in their half of the incomplete inning, scores a run (or runs) which equals or exceeds the opponent's score, in which case, the final score shall be as recorded when the game is called.   

NOTE:  Games called are over if they are regulation, even if less than 7 innings have been completed.  

SUSPENDED GAME RULE
A suspended game is any game that is ended before it becomes a regulation game, or a regulation game that has a tie score when ended. A suspended game shall be continued from the point of suspension at a later time. The line-up and batting order of each team shall be exactly the same as the line-up and batting order at the moment of suspension subject to the rules governing the game.

NOTE:  The Suspended Game Rule is in effect for all regular season and post-season games (sub-section, section and state).

TIE REGULATION SEASON GAMES
Each year during regular season play some conference games, after going five full innings or more are called because of rain, darkness or other cause while the score is tied. According to the rule this is a tie game. Batting and fielding records are counted but the game is not counted in computing percentages of games won or lost. There is, however, by rule this choice; by conference adoption, a regulation called game with a tie score shall be counted as half game won and half game lost for each team.

Time Limit/Tie-Breaker
The League has adopted time limit/tie-breaker procedures for invitational tournaments only.

MOUTHGUARDS
The use of mouthguards is strongly recommended. Mouthguards that have been cut down or modified in any manner are illegal equipment. Colored mouthguards are required for hockey. Any color mouthguard is permitted for all other sports, including transparent.

VIDEO TAPING ANOTHER SCHOOL'S GAME
It shall be an ethical violation to tape another school's game, meet or contest without their permission.  Further it may be a violation of the laws governing copyrights.  Each school owns the copyrights to their games, meets and contests.  Taping another schools game without permission could constitute a violation of the copyright law.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SUBSECTION, SECTION AND STATE GIRLS' FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL TOURNAMENTS

CLASSES
The Girls' State Fast-Pitch Section and State Tournaments will be conducted in three classes - A, AA, and AAA.

Official Ball

Dudley Yellow Softball (SB12LRF-NHFS Item Number 4H311Y).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Tournament managers will inform member schools of policies, procedures, dates, sites, and times of subsection/section games.

OFFICIAL SQUADS
The official squad for tournament participation is 18 players, 2 student managers and 3 coaches.  The official squad may include less than 18 players (number who dress for games) but schools may not include additional student managers, coaches, or faculty representatives to reach the maximum for the official squad.  Personnel in each dugout shall be limited to the members of the official squad plus one additional person either a coach or faculty rep.

COACHES
Coaches, when on the field, are required to be in team uniform or properly attired. Only one high school coach in uniform is permitted to occupy each coaching box.

SECTION AWARDS

It is a violation of MSHSL policy for a member school or a representative of a member school to establish, distribute or accept any awards not provided by the MSHSL for section or state tournaments.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR SPECTATOR CONDUCT 
In order to elevate standards of sportsmanship and encourage the growth of responsible citizenship among the students, member schools, fans and school personnel, the MSHSL held a Sportsmanship Summit and asked student participants to identify behavior expectations they felt should be in place at every school event.

These minimum behavior expectations provide a foundation upon which member schools, conferences, administrative regions and the League’s Board of Directors can build specific guidelines for activities under their control.

MSHSL Bylaw 409, RESPONSIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATING TEAMS, STUDENTS AND SPECTATORS, speaks to this issue, directly, and Bylaw 409-2 specifically states that, “School officials shall be held responsible for the proper conduct of teams, team members, students and home spectators regardless of where the contest is being held.”

In all MSHSL activities, each participating school shall designate a person or persons from that school to serve as crowd control supervisors or chaperones.  MSHSL tournament staff may require school administrators to contact the tournament manager prior to the start of the tournament game so that they can be immediately contacted to respond to behavioral issues regarding their team members, students and/or spectators at the tournament site.  Each supervisor or chaperone should be immediately identifiable to the students and to the tournament site ushers and other security personnel.  This will help to coordinate crowd control between school supervisors and tournament site personnel.

MSHSL MINIMAL BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS FOR REGULAR AND POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT COMPETITIONS:

• Respect the American flag and the National Anthem.

• Spectators must wear clothing that covers the entire torso.  Those who do not comply or who wear clothing that is vulgar, obscene or that in some other way inappropriate, as determined by school/tournament personnel, will be removed from the arena/stadium if they do not cooperate with this behavior expectation.

• The use of appropriate language is expected at all times.  Profanity, negative chants, booing, trash talk, name calling, personal attacks or other acts of disrespect are unacceptable and must be immediately addressed by school and/or tournament administrators.

• Respect the game/contest.  Under no condition shall anyone other than the members of the official squad enter the playing surface.  No one may interfere with the contest in any way.

• Hand held signs, which do not obstruct the view of others, will be permitted provided they are in good taste.  Signs, message boards, “white” boards or other similar items contest/tournament officials deem to be in poor taste will be removed.

• Artificial noise makers (i.e. megaphones, cowbells, sirens, whistles, thunder sticks, and other similar items) are not allowed.

• Laser lights are strictly prohibited.

TOURNAMENT SITE AND DATES

Site: Caswell Park, Howard Drive, North Mankato
Dates: Thursday and Friday, June 4-5, 2009

STATE TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING SCHOOL INFORMATION
Specific information for qualifying schools is available on the MSHSL Administrative Web site under "Tournament Information."

PROJECTED PAIRINGS