NSA rules

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Playing in our first NSA tourney this weekend. Anyone tell me the major differences from ASA or high school rules? Especially need to know the lineup rules. I''m checking the online rulebook now, but any additional info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
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There are "EP"s in NSA. Extra players that allow you to extend your batting line-up an additional 2 players. You do not have to use the EP rule, you can use only one EP or you can use 2 EPs. This also allows for more liberal field substitutions.

The Courtesy Runner is also different in NSA. The pitcher and catcher are allowed to have a coutesy runner after reaching base. The courtesy runner can be the last out or a player that has not been entered into the game yet. An EP is considered "in the game." But if the EP was the last out , then the EP can be utilized as a courtesy runner.
 
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The NSA pitching rules are pretty much exactly the same as ASA. They do not allow the backward step that is allowed in NFHS/high school.

I can't think of too many others off-hand, besides the EP/substitution/courtesy runner already mentioned.

One oddball rule that I can remember coming up once in twenty years is that NSA prohibits the batter, when she becomes a batter-runner, from carrying the bat with her all the way to first base. This is an out in NSA, not in ASA or NFHS.

With all the changes ASA made this year to their double first base usage, I can imagine that there might be some differences between the way NSA interprets some plays using the safety base.

If I recall, there are some minor differences to the NSA approved bat list as compared to ASA and NFHS.

I have run into some issues with NSA umpires that seem to be well versed in SLOW PITCH rules, but tried to apply these rules in a FASTPITCH game with miserable results. For instance, in NSA if a slow pitch batter hits a foul with two strikes it counts as a strike and the batter is out. If the third strike foul is a caught fly ball, the ball becomes dead and runners may not advance. Actually had an umpire try to enforce this in a fastpitch game one time!

I have had one NSA umpire tell me that it is an NSA interpretation that a batter running on an uncaught third strike, when she is not allowed to, is to be considered interference. Yet, I have had another tell me that this is not interference and is ruled the same as ASA!

One good thing about NSA: they publish their rule book on-line. For 2006, they have also put together their first case book and it's on-line, too. I see that Bill already found that, so here's a link for anyone else interested.

http://www.playnsa.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=7
 
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OK, lets make this interesting...

with the EP's, say your line up is 9 position players & 2 EP's and you batted around. An inning or two later, one of the players gets hurt. You have no other players on the bench. Do you then have to take an out when her spot comes up again in the batting order?
 
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Mike, The EP position in the order is the same as any other. If you do not have a replacement it counts as an out. I had this happen a couple of years ago in a championship game and I learned my lesson to never exhaust my bench in a game.
 
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See NSA Fastpitch rule #4-4.

A team must have the required number of players to start or finish a game....If a team starts with the EP's (10 or 11 batters) the team must finish the game with the same number or be penalized as follows: With no substitute to fill the vacant spot, the vacated spot becomes an automatic "out" each time the vacant spot comes to bat.

Additional notes: A team must have 9 players to begin a game. If playing with 9 players loses one of them with no available substitute, a team may continue to play with 8. The automatic out is enforced as above.

When a team is playing "short" with an automatic out, the defense may not, with two outs, walk the previous batter in the order to get to the vacant spot. This also includes committing catcher obstruction or hitting the previous batter with a pitch to get to the vacant spot.

If any of these occur with two outs, the vacant spot is skipped, no out is enforced and the batter following the vacant spot is the next batter.

If a team has a vacant spot and a legal substitute arrives, the sub may immediately enter the game.

Which just goes to show you...whenever you tinker with one rule, you usually affect a half dozen other rules, and wind up having to write another half dozen to cover all the possibilities!
 
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