Softball rules change creates penalty for incorrect lineup cards
Softball rules change creates penalty for incorrect lineup cards
News Release
One of three new rules changes by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee outlines penalties for coaches who submit incorrect lineup cards. The changes, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors, will take effect with the 2010-11 school year.
Mary Struckhoff, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Softball Rules Committee, said the penalty was added to Rule 3-1-3 in an attempt to diminish some of the in-game confusion about lineup cards with wrong player/jersey number combinations. The new penalty states that a coach who submits an inaccurate card to the umpire will be issued a team warning upon the first name or number correction to the lineup card. A second change will result in the coach being restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game.
The committee referenced other team sports where accuracy in the roster and playing order are paramount. Softball is now included among those, and there will be a penalty for the confusion and delays that inaccuracies cause.
