Rules and Regulations

This page outlines specific policies and procedures for the USSSA Fastpitch Program in South Carolina. It includes information on the Roster Procedures, Heat Policy, and Code of Conduct.

Rule Book

You will find the complete rules and regulations in the USSSA Rule Book.

View Rule Book

For the 2022 USSSA Fastpitch Rule Changes, click here

Roster Procedures

IN SOUTH CAROLINA USSSA ONLY – We allow players to finish out the Fall season with their original team. Due to this, the USSSA system may determine that some of your players will be too old to participate in the age group that they played in the Spring/Summer. If this should happen please enter all "age eligible" players to the online roster and print the roster then handwrite in the players that the system deems as "too old" on the printed roster. Basically, the ages change on a National level is in August, but in South Carolina we force the teams to move up as of Dec 31st.

South Carolina USSSA recognizes that the fall season is a time where players and teams are trying to find their correct fit. For this reason, we hold a more liberal roster policy in the fall; however, please adhere to the following points of reference:

A player must be age eligible for the team who is adding her;
Players should not be on 2 rosters at the same time, nor can they play for 2 teams during the same weekend (regardless of age or classification);
A coach adding a player to their roster must make sure she has been removed from the roster of the other team she was playing with;
Once the event has completed and a player is to return to a previous team, the player must be removed from the second team and be re-added to her original team;
In order to maintain program integrity, we expect any player who is added to a roster shall not impact that team's classification status;
Teams playing in the SPRING/SUMMER season must have online rosters NO EXCEPTIONS in addition to providing a PAPER copy of their online roster to the tournament director at check in before their first game!

Equipment Regulations

View Regulations

Insurance

All team must present a copy of insurance when they check in the morning of a tournament. It is NOT required that a team carry USSSA insurance; however, it is strongly suggested that teams check with their insurance provider to make sure they are covered for a USSSA tournament if they are not covered under a USSSA policy. If you are interested in purchasing USSSA insurance please click on the link below:

View Insurance Program

South Carolina USSSA Conduct Code

The goal of the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) is to offer our members a quality product in all aspects of the program. This begins with the service and cooperation they receive from our state office and ends with their experience on the playing field. To this end we are committed to making their tournament experience a positive one, both in terms of competitiveness and the comfort they experience in bringing their coaches, players, parents and sponsors to our many venues. To ensure that all of our tournaments are an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and that nothing which occurs during the operation of those tournaments reflects negatively toward the USSSA, its members, the park staffs or host towns, the following rules will serve as our conduct code at all times.

The team manager must have full control of him/herself and all team personnel (i.e., players, coaches, family members, etc), at all times, both on and off the playing field.

In the event of a disputed play or decision, only the team manager or captain(s), as designated at the start of the game, may consult with an umpire or tournament official. Other coaches, players and spectators are to remain in the team's designated area and not participate in the discussion unless called upon by an umpire or official. Smoking and the use of other tobacco products are prohibited on the playing field as well as the players' bench area.

Managers are to report any unsportsmanlike conduct or derogatory acts to the tournament director, whether committed by someone from the manager's own team or another. This is to allow the director to prevent adverse situations from further developing into something that would be detrimental to the tournament or its participants.

Any substantiated report by hotel/park/town management regarding a USSSA registered team's destruction or abuse of hotel/park/town property or failure of that team to pay any financial obligation to said hotel/park/town are grounds for permanently barring that team from all future USSSA participation.

Failure to adhere to these or any other rules and procedures as set forth in an USSSA sanctioned event may result in actions taken against the team or individual held responsible. Such penalties include reprimands, fines, probation, suspension (game, event, year or multi-year) or permanent expulsion from USSSA sanctioned events.

Local Rules

The address and directions to each park can be found under "venues" on the task bar.
Any team playing in a USSSA sanctioned tournament must be properly registered through the USSSA National Website. The annual team registration fee is $50 which includes the USA Elite Select sanciton, and is done online with a credit card at www.usssa.com. The team registration is effective August 1 – July 31 of the following year.
Teams should report to the site/tournament director before their first scheduled game to check in and complete registration. All teams must provide proof of adequate insurance. The insurance need not be issued through USSSA, but must provide at least $1 million in liability coverage. Teams should have copies of birth certificates with them at all times. Failure to show a birth certificate for a player when the player's eligibility is questioned, or showing one that is determined by the tournament director or State Office to be fraudulent, will result in the player being ejected/suspended, further sanctions may be levied against them, the team, the manager and/or player(s). A SIGNED or GUARDIAN APPROVED roster must also be submitted at this time. Failure to provide any of the above mentioned forms for inspection upon request, throughout the tournament, could result in loss of game, ejection from tournament etc. with no refund on monies previously paid.
A 15 minute grace period is offered for the first round of games ONLY; however, the director's discretion may be used if unique circumstances warrant otherwise.
Pool play and bracket time limits will vary from tournament to tournament. Championship games will have a one hour and thirty minute time limit (FOR TWO DAY TOURNAMENTS ONLY), if the game is tied once time has elapsed or 7 innings are completed the International Tiebreaker Rule (ITB) will take effect to determine a winner. The If Necessary game will be determined by the ITB rule to crown an overall champion. In Championship play undefeated (winner’s bracket) team gets choice, regardless of seed.
ROSTER BATTING OPTION (not applicable to the Elite Select Program) - Allows a team the option to bat its entire roster (all players physically present) in lieu of a "traditional" lineup. Teams choosing to roster bat may disperse additional players - starters who aren't listed as defensive players - anywhere in their batting order to bat everyone present. If a player leaves the game for any reason, it creates an absent player (automatic out) situation.
LAST COMPLETED AT BAT COURTESY RUNNER OPTION (not applicable to the Elite Select Program) Teams may now use the last completed at bat if no unused substitute is available. Under this change, a team will always have a courtesy runner option, even if using roster batting.
In an effort to keep the tournament on schedule all teams should be ready to play 30 minutes prior to their scheduled game time OR your game could be declared a FORFEIT.
If inclement weather impedes the normal progress of the tournament, the director reserves the right to change the tournament format in order to achieve the maximum number of games played or to declare an order of finish.
Protests on any issue other than an umpire's judgment will require a $100 cash fee. Protests on an umpire's judgment will not be allowed and no fee will be accepted. Protests on rule or procedural interpretations during a game must be made before the next pitch and will be decided upon before the game is allowed to continue. Protests on rule/procedures that occur at the end of the game must be made before the next game begins on that field. Protests on player eligibility must be made before either team starts their next game and will be decided upon before either team continues play. The protest will be decided by any part of the following: State Director, tournament director, site director, tournament UIC, site UIC or any of their designees. If the protest is upheld the $100 will be refunded. If the protest is denied the fee will be forfeited.
Please refer to the USSSA Rulebook for rules and penalties regarding the use of ineligible players. Player participation is defined as either actively playing in the game or appearing anywhere on the official lineup that's presented prior to the start of a game. Examples of ineligible players include, but are not limited to, playing on two teams in the same event, not being listed on the team roster that was presented to the tournament, violating the age requirement, playing under an assumed identity, use of a fraudulent birth certificate, not presenting a birth certificate when requested to do so, ect.

The Registration "Year"

We are currently in the 2022 season. The softball "year" for USSSA runs from August 1 to July 31. All tournaments scheduled after August 1 are considered 2022 events and in order to participate in them a team must be registered for 2022. In short, all the teams that were created and all rosters that were submitted for the 2021 season expired on July 31, 2021.

Under the USSSA website, a manager establishes a one-time account, and then creates teams under that account from year to year. On or shortly after July 1 managers should create their 2023 team, particularly if they plan on playing any USSSA tournaments between August and December. Otherwise, they can certainly wait until next year to create their team.

Before a manager can create a 2022 team, he/she must complete a background check through their managers account. Once that is cleared, he/she can then create their team for 2022. Managers must enter their roster online just as they did for 2021,print the roster and have each player and parent sign it. One thing that makes entering your roster easier the second time around is that any player that previously played on a team that the manager has under their account will already be in the system. If the manager wants to retain that player for 2022 (or at least the fall of 2021) then all he/she has to do is highlight the player under the "Add Former Player" section and hit the submit button.

NOTE: If a player has played a prior season with USSSA, do not create another account for this player. Please make sure the correct spelling was used from the prior season. If a player cannot be located, please email scfastusssa@gmail.com.