As with the men the BAU will adopt the NSA CO-REC rules with some exceptions (detailed below).
Rules Summary (Please consult your NSA rule book)
§ An equal amount of female and male players must play at the same time (with the exception of a team playing with nine (9)).
§ The lineup must alternate male/female. You can lead off with a male or female but after that the lineup MUST alternate sexes.
§ If an AH (Additional Hitter) is used then one of each sex must be used. A starting lineup can NEVER have eleven (11) athletes.
You may start
with 9 players. It may be 5 men & 4 women or 4 men & 5 women, but
an out must be taken where the 9th or 10th batter would have been. A team must have 9 (with taking an out), 10,
or 12 batters listed in the lineup. 11 can never be listed on the lineup
card (unless a player is lost to injury during the course of the game – in
which case an out must be taken for the “empty” spot left by the injured
player)
Exception to NSA Coed Rules
Males will hit a BAU-certified 12” COR .44, 375lbs-compression softball.
Females will hit a BAU -certified 11” COR .44, 375lbs-compression softball.
When
the umpire has called four balls, the batter-runner is awarded first base. The ball
is dead. Any walk to a male batter will
result in a two base award. The next
batter (a female) WILL bat. EXCEPTION:
With two outs, the female batter has the option to walk or
bat. A male batter-runner advancing to
second base without touching first base shall be called out if properly
appealed.
Uniform
The BAU will
allow any colored shirt with a store bought number. No duplicating
numbers by the same sex. If a male and a female have the same number,
then an "M" and "F" must be noted in front of the number on
the lineup card. Example: M17 for the
male batter and F17 for the female batter.
Courtesy
Runner
Courtesy
runners must be same sex as the injured player. Follow BAU rules for courtesy
runners.
Definition of
Infielder and Outfielder
For the purposes of these rules
“infielder” will be defined as any player starting the play with his or her feet ”on the dirt” of the infield. “Outfielder” will be defined as any player
who begins the play with his or her feet “on the grass” of the outfield.
Defensive Positioning
There must be equal amounts of male and female players in the game on defense, regardless of positioning (with the exception of a team playing with nine (9)). However, THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON WHERE EACH GENDER MUST PLAY IN ON DEFENSE.
Minimum Outfielder Distance
At no time can more than four defensive
players begin a play in the infield (not counting the pitcher and
catcher). Outfielders must start the
play no closer than one hundred seventy five feet (175’) from home plate. A chalk line will mark the minimum 175’
distance. Outfielders cannot proceed
closer than the 175’ line until the ball has been batted.
Throwing Out at First From
the Outfield
Any batted ball that is fielded by a defensive
player that started the play in the outfield cannot result in the batter being
forced out at first base. Any such
attempt will result in a “safe” call and is attempted at the risk of the
defending team. This means that if an
outfielder attempts to throw a batter/runner out at first base the ball is a
live ball. If the throw results in an
overthrow then play will continue and runners can advance. Note: Force-outs from the outfield to 2nd,
3rd or Home base is perfectly legal and acceptable. Note:
Infielders may “range” into the outfield once the ball has been hit and throw
the batter/runner out at first base.