Following are the highlights of the rule changes approved by the SPAA board.
Rule 3 – Roster and Revisions
*Sec. 7 – The team manager or interim team manager should have a copy of the approved team roster and all approved roster revision forms in his/her possession. If a roster check is called at the field, the game shall continue under protest. A SPAA board member or board representative shall be called to the field and have the player(s) in question write their name, address, phone number, birth date, hair and eye color, and parents names on a piece of paper and sign it. The game will go on and be played as scheduled. The manager calling the roster check must turn in a $25.00 roster check fee to the SPAA office within 1 business day from the time the roster check was called. Once this is done, the SPAA office will check the validity of the player(s) in question. Within one (1) week from the game in question the SPAA office will send a letter to the managers with the findings. Should the player(s) be found to be illegal the $25.00 fee will be refunded and game will be declared a forfeit. If the player(s) is valid, the protest fee will not be refunded and outcome will remain the same. If player in question is found to be illegal, each game(s) in which this player participated shall be declared forfeited and the manager shall automatically be suspended from all games until he/she goes in front of the SPAA board of directors where further action may be taken. If there is no league-approved roster on file, it is an automatic forfeit and any previous games played may be reviewed. The manager could face up to a game suspension for each game played before the roster was turned in.
Roster checks must be called before the last out of the game is made.
Rule 5 – Player Transfers
*Sec. 4 – Individual players may play on 2 teams within the same age group beginning at Atom I for the boys and 10 & Under for the girls. One of the teams must play in the top division for that age group. The top division for boys in Atom I & II, as well as, Juvenile II, and Junior, is American Blue. The top division for boys in Bantam I through Juvenile I is AA unless there is no AA league then it would revert to the American Blue Division. The top division for girls in the 10 & Under through 16/18 & Under would be the Double Header league unless there is no Double Header league then it would revert to the American Blue division.
No more than 6 AA or DH players may play on any one American blue team and no more than 2 AA or DH players may play on any team ranked lower than American Blue. No more than 3 American Blue players may be on any one team lower than American Blue.
A multiple team approval form must be properly filled out and filed with SPAA before the player may participate on the second team.
Rule 1 – Softball/Baseball Participation
*Sec. 15 - Shoes with metal spikes or metal cleats to be worn by any players are strictly prohibited except for Midget II, Juvenile 1, Juvenile II and Junior age players for boys and 16/18 & Under for girls. If a player is in violation, he/she will be ejected from the game. Also, if he/she is an offensive player at the time of the violation, the player is “out” and no one may advance due to his time at bat.