2025 MWA Fall League Rules

 

General Rules:

Team Rosters – Rosters must be submitted before sept 23, and up to 14 players. Rosters will be viewable to all teams. Teams not posting their roster before that time frame will forfeit. A team playing with a player none rostered player will forfeit the game(s) in which the unregistered player participated.

 

Game Times / Ready for Play -- Eight (8) Rostered Players (or qualified substitutes) are

REQUIRED to be at the field and ready to play no later than 15 minutes past a game’s scheduled

start time. A minimum of Seven (7) Rostered Players MUST BE PRESENT OR a Forfeit is declared or rescheduled for another date. 

 

Substitutes – Substitute players from other MWA teams are permitted. They can play at any position and shall bat at the bottom of the lineup.

 

No substitutes are allowed during the playoffs.

 

Teams may not use subs if they have at least ten (10) rostered players at the game.

 

If a team has nine (9) rostered players, they can add one (1) substitute. If only 8 rostered players, 2 subs may be added to lineup. If only 7 rostered players, 3 subs may be added to lineup.

 

Regular rostered players must get priority playing time (no added substitute player can play more than three 4 innings in the field if there are 10 total players or more).

 

Pitching Rules - MLB Pitching and Balk Rules are to be followed. No pitching limits will be in place however we expect all managers to keep their pitchers arms in mind.

 

Unsporting Conduct -- Any unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated and will be addressed immediately. Fighting will result in a mandatory 3-game suspension, served in uniform on the bench. 

 

Slaughter / Mercy Rule – Ten (10) after 5 innings. In order to get as many innings in as possible and keep the game moving if any team is to score 10 runs in an inning prior to the 5th the top or bottom inning will end once the 10th run is scored.

 

Time Limits - No new inning should begin one hour and forty-five minutes after the scheduled game start time. Regular season games can end in a tie. The time limit for Playoffs no new inning after the 2 hr mark. 

 

Home Team Provisioning - Home team is to provide Two New Wilson A1010 Baseballs. 

 

Bats -- Bats used must conform to the IHSA Rules and Regulations. BBCOR or wooden bats. If an illegal bat is discovered before the hitter enters the batter’s box, the home plate umpire will instruct the removal of the bat and warn both benches of illegal equipment. If it is used and discovered, the batter is out and play resumes at the point before that batter came to the plate and both benches are warned. 

 

After the warning, any player discovered using an illegal bat will be called out and will be ejected; his position in the batting order will subsequently register an automatic out each time that position is to come to bat throughout the remainder of the game.

 

Ejections -- If a player is ejected from the game for any reason, his position in the batting order will

record an automatic out. The same is NOT TRUE for a player who is unable to finish the game due

to injury, in that event, the position in the batting order is skipped and

the next following position shall be the legal batter.

 

Batting Order & Substitutions - Continuous Batting Order and Free Substitution for all MWA games, except for pitchers (no pitcher re-entry as pitcher). However if you’d like to bat 9 and have DH for Pitcher you can or if you’d like to bat 10 with an EH you can as well. It will be completely up to each manager how they decide to play their players.Players arriving late will be allowed to enter the game after its’ scheduled start time.

 

Runner for Catcher/Pitcher -- If the catcher who caught the last pitch in the previous half inning or

the pitcher of record is on base, a “Courtesy Runner”, that was the last recorded out, may take that

player’s place on base. The catcher of record MUST be substituted with two outs in an

inning. Teams can designate a pin runner for the entire game. However Once that pinch runner is placed in the lineup he can no longer be used as a pinch runner. The pinch runner must now be the last batted out.

 

Reporting Scores - The winning Manager shall report score to the president upon games completion. Forfeit postings shall record a 7-0 score.

 

Playoff Player’s Qualification – In order to compete in the Playoffs, rostered players only can participate. 

 

Extra-Inning Games: After the seventh inning, MWA will revert to the last batter of the

previous inning being placed at second base with no outs and a fresh count. This rule will NOT apply in the playoffs

 

Dugout rule - Home team takes third base dugout. Away team takes first base Doug out.