Portage Parks, Recreation and Senior Citizen Services 7900 S. Westnedge Avenue, Portage, MI 49002 269-329-4522 - www.mypark.portagemi.gov - City ...

2021 Softball

Portage Parks, Recreation and Senior Citizen Services
  7900 S. Westnedge Avenue, Portage, MI 49002
                   269-329-4522

           www.mypark.portagemi.gov

2021 Softball

Organizational Meetings
All team managers (or other team representatives) should attend one of the meetings to register a team for the 2021
Adult Softball Summer League. This meeting will be held virtually this year, on the link found at mypark.portagemi.gov
under the Adult Softball Tab. Information will be provided about the registration process, rule highlights, updates and
more. New teams are welcome! Summer league team registration will be open from February 22 - March 26.
Tuesday, February 16
Over 50 League Meeting: 5:30 PM
Adult League Meeting: 7 PM

Mypark.portagemi.gov under the Adult Softball, found on the left side of the page

2021 Spring/Summer Leagues
All leagues subject to availability and minimum number of teams. Teams are accepted by date of registration and
division placement is at the discretion of department staff. Space is limited!
Monday ············ Co-Ed Leagues
Tuesday ············ Co-Ed, Over 50 Leagues
Wednesday ······ Men’s and Doubleheader Leagues
Thursday ·········· Men’s Leagues

Team Registration for All Leagues                                               Deadline: Friday, March 26
Late Team Registration for All Leagues (an additional $50 applies)              Deadline: Friday, April 2
Need 10 Players on the Roster By:                                               Deadline: Sunday, May 2
Player Registration Ends:                                                       Deadline: Saturday, July 3
Teams may register mpark.portagemi.gov, beginning February 22.
Manager Instructions: Team manager must register the TEAM online and submit payment by credit card (online only)
or check/cash (at the parks office) by March 26. A $50 late fee will be applied for any team registrations between
March 27th—April 2nd. Managers can then invite players to register with this TEAM. Players are not considered to be
on the roster until their registration is complete. At least 10 players must registered by Sunday, May 2 11:59 pm
otherwise games following will be forfeit. Up to 10 roster additions (for a total of 20 players) can be made until July
3rd.
Player Instructions: Once your TEAM is registered by the Team Manager, you may receive an email inviting you to join
the TEAM (if you don’t receive an invite, just visit the website above to register). Next, simply follow the prompts to be
added to the Team roster and complete registration. Players must register online.
Fees:   RESIDENT team Co-Ed and Men’s 12 game season                              $600
        NON-RESIDENT team option (see below)                                      $700

        Over 50 team, 12 game season plus tournament                              $700
        Doubleheader team, 24 game season                                         $1,070
League fees include all ASA approved game balls, umpires*, field preparation, Michigan Amateur Softball Association
team registration fee, trophies & awards, score books and ASA rule books.
*Due lack of umpires and to prevent multiple game cancellations, teams may be asked to call their own game. See
below for more information.

2021 Softball

Payment
Payments are to be made either online with a credit card, or in the Parks Office with check or cash. Payments will not
be accepted at the fields.
Which fee do I Pay? What makes my Team a RESIDENT team or a NON-RESIDENT team?
You are a RESIDENT team IF: 7 or more of your rostered players have a Portage address.
You are a NON-RESIDENT team IF: 7 or more of your rostered players with non-Portage address.
Late Registration                                                                              Deadline: Friday, April 2
Teams registering late will be assigned to leagues/nights as spots are available. Late registrations will not be
accepted if it makes a division have an uneven number. A $50 late fee applies. No exceptions, including Sponsor Check
hasn’t arrived. In the case that the sponsorship check has not arrived, the coach will be expected to front the money
and have the sponsor make the check out to the coach.

Practice Period
From March 30 through May 2, outside of weekend tournaments scheduled for April 11th at South Westnedge Park
only), the softball fields at South Westnedge Park will be reserved for league teams on a first come, first serve basis, no
call ins/reservations. Please keep practices to an hour and a half or less, so that everyone can practice. Scrimmaging
is also encouraged in situations where two teams hope to use the same field

Start of the Regular Season                                                                          Monday, May 3
Teams will remain in their divisions for the whole season, unless very obvious situations arise where a team needs to
be moved up or down, at the discretion of the Recreation Program Manager.

League Schedules, Game Cancellations, Postponements and Make-Up Dates

mypark.portagemi.gov
League schedules will be posted online by 5:00 p.m. on Friday April 23. Additional updates throughout the season,
cancellations and make-up games will also be announced on this web page. Once the schedule is posted, changes to
game times and dates will not be accommodated unless field overlap is discovered. Therefore, any requests for special
circumstances must be submitted, in writing, by the registration deadline, April 2nd. Requests are not a guarantee and
will be considered on a case by case basis.
In most cases, games will not be cancelled prior to 4:00 p.m., unless the fields have already been deemed unplayable.
Managers and players may call the softball hotline at 329-4523 for a recorded message with current rain–out
information. The Parks and Recreation Department will make every effort to reschedule rain-out games in a timely
manor. Due to field availability, make-ups may require multiple games on league nights, weekend games or games on
nights other then a teams regular league night. Makeup weeks are scheduled after the first six weeks and the last six
weeks.

“Calling Your Own Game”

Due to the dwindling number of umpires in the area, the is a small chance you might have to call your own game in a
emergency. The Recreation Program Manager only does this as a last resort, so not to cancel and reschedule the game
and ensure that all games get played. If it is needed for teams to call their own game, a strike mat is provided as well as
general rules set by the Recreation Program Manager. Everyone reviews these rules together. If you are interested in
being an umpire please contact the Parks Office at 329-4522.

2021 Softball
Trophies and Awards
Team trophies will be awarded to the division winners of each regular league. Individual awards (up to 15 players) will
be presented to the overall league winners.

Uniform Recommendations
Team shirts with numbers are recommended as they benefit players and umpires. Each team member should be
clothed in the uniform as supplied by their sponsor. If sponsored uniforms are not available, t-shirts of the same color
with 6” Arabic numeral on the back are recommended.

Score Protests
Teams have 30 days to challenge the score of a contest. After 30 days, that score will remain the same.

General “Game” Reminders
      ASA bat restrictions are in effect for all leagues and tournaments.
      Each team should confirm the score with the umpire after each inning and at the end of the game.
      Please remind all team members and fans that parking for softball games is not allowed on Parkland Terrace,
       the first street north of the fields at South Westnedge Park – violators are subject to tickets and fines. Please use
       West Lake Nature Preserve and the skate park area for over flow parking.
      Each team is expected to keep benches, bleachers and park grounds free of litter and all beverage containers.
      Profanity will not be tolerated while on park property.
      Umpires have the right to ask all jewelry be removed as a safety precaution.
      All leagues start with a 1-1 count on the batter with a free foul. Pitching arc is 6 to 10 feet.
      Home Run Rule for Men’s, Co-ed, and Church recreational level leagues: 3 home runs and 1-up limit per gender.
       For Men’s and Co-Ed Division 1 level leagues: 3 home runs and 1-up limit per gender. Additional home runs do
       not count and are ruled an out for all leagues.
      Mercy rule- game is considered complete if a team is leading by 20 or more runs after 3 innings, 15 runs or more
       after 4 innings, or 10 or more runs after 5 innings.
      Children are not allowed in the dugout.
      Game injury medical coverage and ambulance transport is the responsibility of each participant.
      The Parks Department reserves the right to update Rules & Guidelines at any time. All team managers will be
       made aware of any changes in writing within 7 days. It is the responsibility of the team manager to
       communicate rule changes to their players.

Conduct and Eligibility Policy
Failure to comply with the following specific policies will result in a $20 violation fee which is due prior to the next
scheduled game and possible removal from the Team roster and/or suspension.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:
         a player not meeting the minimum age requirement (15 years old as of May 1st of the current year)
         a player who is not listed on the roster or sub card or pay the appropriate fee prior to playing
         a player who cannot prove identity when requested by an Umpire or other league official
         a player who has been removed from a roster or suspended for that game
FALSIFIED INFORMATION: Any roster containing falsified information regarding residency of players is illegal.
ALCOHOL: Prohibited in Ramona Park. At South Westnedge Park, alcohol may be consumed after a game only in grass
     areas. Alcohol is prohibited in parking lots, bleachers and bench areas.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT, EJECTIONS and SUSPENSIONS: The Umpires have the authority to eject any Player,
     Coach or Manager from a game for what they deem unsportsmanlike conduct including profanity. Physical
     violence, or verbal threat of violence, between players or physical contact with Umpires or other staff will result in
     immediate suspension in addition to violation fees and further disciplinary action as determined by Parks
     management staff.
FORFEITS: Failure to call in a forfeit by 2pm on game day.

2021 Softball

City Tournament Information                                                                            August 7 and 8
Saturday August 7th—Upper Co-ed; Lower Men’s
Sunday August 8th—Upper Men’s; Lower Co-ed

                             TOURNAMENT APPLICATION PROCESS
-Each Division winner will automatically via email be invited to City Tournament. Those teams have 3 DAYS from the
sent invite to accept or decline the invitation by responding via email. If there is no response, the invitation will be
consider declined.

-The remaining tournament slots will open for any currently registered summer season Portage League team. A team
can register online at mypark.portagemi.gov. Registration will be begin July 5th and end July 30th. The Recreation
Program Manager reserves the right to move a team up or down a division to keep game play competitive.

-A $50 refundable deposit is required for every team to register for the tournament. The deposit will be returned to
the team representative 4-6 weeks after the tournament when the team shows for play. The deposit will NOT be re-
turned if the team fails to withdraw by August 1st 11:59pm and/or no shows the day of play. This deposit is pro-
cessed through our ActiveNet software.

-A team must be in good standing, with no behavior conduct violations, to be eligible for tournament play.

-All players in the tournament must be a rostered player in the Portage League. Only 2 pick-up players are allowed
per team; and is subject to change at the Recreation Manager’s discretion. These players must be from the same divi-
sion. There will be no exceptions of allowing players not a CURRENT ROSTERED PLAYER to play in tournament.

General Portage Park Rules and Regulations
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Prohibited in Ramona Park, Westfield Park and in ALL parking areas
PETS: Pets allowed except where posted. Pets must be restrained on a six-foot leash. Persons in charge of or in con-
trol of pets on park property shall be responsible for clean up and removal of excrement deposited by pet.
IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
     Destroy park property                                                 • Hunt or trap in park lands
     Have fires except in fireplaces or designated areas                   • Litter or pollute any park land or waterway
     Peddle or solicit in park lands without an official permit            • Cut or remove wood or flora
     Drive or park motorized vehicles except in designated areas           • Play any musical device loudly
     Use or discard tobacco products on Ramona Park beach                  • Loiter in parking areas
     Operate bicycles in park lands except on entry roads, parking lots, or designated bikeways
     Engage in any activity which, as part of that activity, includes the hitting of golf balls
     Leave vehicles unattended either overnight or in non-designated parking area. Violators may be towed.

                POLICE OFFICERS OR PARKS STAFF MAY REQUEST ANY PEROSN TO LEAVE FOR CAUSE .
         VIOLATION OF PARK RULES IS A VIOLATION OF LAW PUNISHABLE BY FINES AND COSTS (ORD.1062.11).