CCS Softball Bylaws

Central Coast Section (CCS) SOFTBALL BYLAWS
(** pending approval by CCS Board of Managers)

1. SCHEDULED MEETINGS	7. OFFICIALS	13. SPORTSMANSHIP
2. TOURNAMENT DATES / SITES	8. PRE-GAME WARM-UP	14. ELIGIBLE ATHLETES
3. TOURNAMENT FORMAT	9. AWARDS	15. PRACTICE AT CHAMPIONSHIP SITES
4. QUALIFICATION OF TEAMS	10. GAME BALL	16. TEAM TRAVEL SUBSIDY
5. SEEDING & AT-LARGE	11. PASSES	17. REPORTING RESULTS
6. RULES	12. GAME SUPERVISION	18. PROGRAMS / ROSTERS
		19. TOURNAMENT INFORMATION


**Section 1. SCHEDULED MEETINGS
A.	Seeding: SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008, 1:00 PM, @ the CCS office
B.	Evaluation: TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008, 6:00 PM, @ the CCS office.

**Section 2. TOURNAMENT DATES / SITES

The 2008 CCS Softball Championships will be conducted:

1st Round:	Wednesday / Thursday, May 14 / 15, 2008
Quarter-Final:	Friday / Saturday, May 16 / 17, 2008
Semi-Finals:	Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday, May 20 / 21 / 22, 2008
Finals:	Saturday, May 24, 2008

SITES: The CCS Commissioner and/or staff shall be responsible for all contracts for sites used during the CCS Play-offs. The CCS Commissioner and/or staff have sole authority to schedule or cancel sites, as well as full discretion as to the assignment or re-assignment of teams to times and sites throughout the CCS Play-offs. The CCS Commissioner and/or staff have the final authority in any disputes over sites or times of play, and the decision of the CCS Commissioner is not subject to appeal, due to the immediacy of running the Tournament for the good of the whole. Neutral sites are not a policy of the CCS and should not be expected in any rounds of play. Sites will be assigned by the CCS for the good of the Tournament.

Section 3. TOURNAMENT FORMAT
A.	All teams will enter a single-elimination bracket format as follows: DIV. I: 13-Team Tournament; DIV. II: 13-Team Tournament; DIV. III: 13-Team Tournament
B.	These 39 teams will be placed into Divisions I, II and III, based upon their school's current year's Grade 9-12 CBEDS school enrollment figures (will be posted on the web November 2007). The 13 highest-enrollment schools qualifying for the Tournament will play in Division I; the next 13 highest-enrollment schools will play in Division II; and the remaining 13 schools will compete in Division III.

Section 4. QUALIFICATION OF TEAMS

**A.

League Champions and other Automatic Qualifiers will qualify from Leagues, as follows:

BVAL-6	MBL-2	PAL-4	SCCAL-2	TCAL-2	WCAL-2
CPSAL-2	MTAL-2	PSAL-2	SCVAL-4	WBAL-2	*CAL-1*
plus >> additional At-Large teams to fill the brackets, as needed. (At-Large teams must have at least a .500 record in League, or overall, to apply.)

When two [2] or more basic Leagues join together to form two [2] or more supplemental Leagues, the following shall apply:

When two [2] or more supplemental Leagues are formed by the joining of two [2] or more basic Leagues that each had two [2] Automatic Qualifiers to CCS Play-offs, the new supplemental Leagues shall retain the total of their previous Automatic Qualifiers (e.g., Leagues A and B each have two [2] Automatic Qualifiers. When new supplemental Leagues are formed combining A and B, they will have a total of four [4] Automatic Qualifiers).

The League Board of Managers having governance authority over the supplemental Leagues shall determine in its bylaws how those Automatic Qualifiers will be allocated from the supplemental Leagues. In the absence of a basic League tournament to determine Section qualifiers, the League MUST allocate an automatic berth to each of the supplemental League Champions.

Section 5. SEEDING & AT-LARGE SELECTION PROCEDURES

All teams (including Automatic Qualifiers and At-Large applicants) MUST complete the Season Summary Sheet (At-Large/Seeding) Form, and submit it to the Seeding Chairperson BEFORE THE BEGINNING of the Seeding meeting. If the Season Summary Sheet is NOT submitted BEFORE THE BEGINNING of the Seeding meeting, the team WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOURNAMENT.
(See APPENDIX for SEASON SUMMARY SHEET (AT-LARGE/SEEDING) FORM -- SOFTBALL)

The following objective criteria will be used for purposes of selecting At-Large and seeding:

POINT-SYSTEM:
LEAGUE CLASSIFICATION >>>	A	B	C
Win (including forfeits)	3.0	2.5	2.0
Tie	2.0	1.5	1.0
Loss	1.0	0.5	0.0
Bonus Points *
Playing a League Champion (in a non-League contest)	2.0	1.5	1.0
Being a League Champion	5.0	4.0	3.0
* Bonus-Point values are to be pro-rated in case of competition with, or being, a shared-Champion (e.g., tri-Champion = 1/3 of point-value; co-Champion = 1/2 of point-value)

C.	Each team will receive the appropriate points for all games played (to include practice games, League games, and tournament games), excluding League Play-offs.
D.	AT-LARGE SELECTION To select the At-Large teams who qualify for the Tournament, the teams' points-per-game average will be used, and calculated as follows:
	1.	Add the total points earned by the team, based on Sections 5-B. & -C. above;
	2.	Divide that total by 17, or the number of games played, whichever is greater;
	3.	This number will be used to qualify the At-Large teams.
**E.	LEAGUE CLASSIFICATION (Click here for list of schools and their League Classifications for Softball)
	1.	"A" Leagues: DAL; MHAL; PAL(Bay); TCAL; WCAL
	2.	"B" Leagues: ECAL; MBL; MTAL; SCCAL; STAL
	3.	"C" Leagues: *CAL*; CPSAL; PAL(Ocean); PSAL; WBAL; WVAL
	4.	An out-of-Section opponent will be classified as being in an "A" League if that opponent finishes its season with a winning percentage of 75% or higher. All other out-of-Section opponents will be classified as "B" League teams.
F.	BRACKET PLACEMENT Teams will be seeded according to their point total, with the following exceptions:
	1.	A team finishing lower in League play cannot be seeded higher than a League-mate with a higher League finish. It must wait until its League-mate is seeded, and then it will receive the next seed.
	2.	If possible, League-mates will not play in the first Round.
G.	BREAKING TIES The following will be used to break ties for At-Large selection and/or Seeding:
	1.	Head-to-head competition;
	2.	Random draw.
H.	If, after seeding all teams by criteria points, at least nine [9] of the League Representatives agree that significant misplacement has taken place, then a subjective change in placement may occur, by agreement of at least nine [9] League Representatives.


Section 6. RULES
A.	The 2007-08 National Federation Softball Rules will be used.
B.	Home Team:
	1.	The "Home Team" shall be the team listed on the bottom of the bracket in the first round.
	2.	For all subsequent Rounds the higher-seeded team in each of the brackets shall select one of the following options before the scheduled time for the start of infield practice:
		a.	"Visitors" (start first inning at bat); OR
		b.	"Home" (start first inning in the field); OR
		c.	Choice of 1st- or 3rd-base dugout.
		d.	The lower-seeded team's coach will then have the choice of the remaining option(s).
	3.	The Site Director will present these options to the two opposing coaches approximately 40 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time.
C.	The "10-Run Rule" will be in effect after five (5) complete innings, and the "15-Run Rule" will be in effect after three (3) complete innings in all Rounds of the Tournament.
D.	The "ASA Tie-Breaker" will be implemented in all Rounds if the game-score is tied at the conclusion of the 9th inning.


Section 7. OFFICIALS
A.	The CCS Commissioner will contract with local accredited Officials Associations for the assignment of game officials throughout the Tournament.
B.	Two [2] umpires will be used for all games prior to the Semi-Finals. Three [3] umpires will be used for the Semi-Finals and Finals.
C.	For all games prior to the Semi-Finals, the Association serving the higher-seeded team during the regular season will generally be contracted to provide officials. Beginning with the Semi-Finals, neutral officials will be assigned for all contests, unless two teams that are served by the same officials association are paired; in that case, officials from the teams' common home association will generally be contracted.


Section 8. PRE-GAME WARM-UP PROCEDURES
A.	The designated Home Team will take the field 30 minutes prior to game time for 10 minutes of warm up.
B.	The designated Visiting Team will have the field for the next 10 minutes for infield warm up.


Section 9. AWARDS Awards will be presented on the field immediately following the Championship Game in each Division, as follows:
A.	6 Team Trophies: 1 awarded to the Champion and Runner-Up teams in each Division;
B.	108 Medals: 18 awarded to the members of the Champion and Runner-Up teams in each Division;
C.	3 Plaques: 1 awarded to the Coach of the Champion team in each Division.

Section 10. GAME BALL

The "Official Tournament Ball" is the Wilson A9016BSST (cork-centered ball). This ball, supplied by CCS, will be used in all rounds of the Section Tournament.


Section 11. PASSES
A.	Teams shall enter the gate with their coach.
B.	Schools will be allowed six [6] Adult Supervisory free admissions, in addition to the team and coaching staff. The names of these individuals must be listed on the Pass Gate List Form, signed by the Principal, and provided at the gate in order for these individuals to be granted complimentary admission to the contest. (See Section 12. below.) (See APPENDIX for PASS GATE LIST FORM)
C.	It is the responsibility of the school to submit this form in a timely fashion so that its supervisory personnel can be admitted easily and without charge.

Section 12. GAME SUPERVISION
Adequate student/spectator supervision MUST be provided by each school participating in the Tournament. School Administrators/ faculty who attend the contest should introduce themselves to the CCS Site Director, and tell him/her where they will be located throughout the contest in case their assistance is needed. It is the responsibility of the school supervisory personnel to prevent and correct any inappropriate behavior of their students or spectators. (See Section 11.B above for pass information for supervisory personnel)

In order that all persons may experience maximum enjoyment at CCS athletic events, and to enhance and encourage good public order, it is the policy of the Central Coast Section/CIF that all persons wishing to audibly cheer or support a particular team be seated in an area designated for, or most closely associated with, the team in question.

Seating of persons audibly cheering for a particular team in the cheering section of, or areas most closely identified with, the opposing team is to be avoided whenever possible, and such persons shall be directed by staff to the appropriate seating location for their team.

Section 13. SPORTSMANSHIP

The member schools of the CIF/Central Coast Section are committed to providing a sportsmanlike environment for students, coaches, and spectators.

Our Sportsmanship Definition is:
A person who can take a loss or defeat without complaint, or victory without gloating,
and who treats his/her opponents with fairness, courtesy and respect.

The following behavior is unacceptable at all CIF/CCS High School contests:

berating your opponent's school or mascot	artificial noise makers
complaining about officials' calls (verbally or in gestures)	obscene cheers / gestures
berating opposing players	negative signs

To this end, each school is required to submit a signed Sportsmanship Contract for each of the three seasons-of-sport before any of its teams is allowed to participate in any CCS Play-off contest.

Each Principal is required by the CCS Board of Managers to meet with any team from his/her school participating in the CCS Tournament to review CCS Sportsmanship Information.
(See APPENDIX for REQUIRED PRE-GAME SPORTSMANSHIP MEETING INFORMATION SHEET)

Coaches and Captains will meet with the Site Director 45 minutes prior to game time to remind them of the importance of good sportsmanship and to make certain their Administrator has reviewed this information with them in the past week.

Administrators from both schools in each contest will attend a mandatory meeting with the Site Director 15 minutes prior to game-time. (The Coach cannot represent the school at this meeting.)


Section 14. ELIGIBLE ATHLETES
A.	All players must be in good standing with their League, school and the CCS in order to compete. No ineligible athletes will be allowed to compete.
B.	Any player or coach who is disqualified from a Tournament contest for FLAGRANT MISCONDUCT or UNSPORTSMANLIKE BEHAVIOR will be disqualified from all remaining contests in that sport that season.

Section 15. PRACTICE AT CHAMPIONSHIP SITES

No arrangements for practice at competition sites are allowed once the site of the Tournament has been announced by CCS. See the "General Tournament Information" Section of this Tournament Guide for specific policy. Schools found in violation of this rule may be barred from further participation in the Section Play-offs.

Section 16. TEAM TRAVEL SUBSIDY

Travel is subsidized @the current mileage rate, round-trip, for up to four [4] vehicles. If a bus is utilized, that should be computed as equivalent to four [4] vehicles. The Travel Subsidy Form must be completed, signed by the Athletic Director, and returned to the CCS office within 10 days of the school's last CCS Play-off contest.
(See APPENDIX for TEAM SPORTS TRAVEL SUBSIDY FORM)

Section 17. REPORTING RESULTS

It is the responsibility of all teams to report their results in a timely fashion to the media in their area, as well as to CCS -- 408-224-2994 X20. Contest results will be posted on the CCS website [www.cifccs.org] as soon as possible.

Section 18. PROGRAMS -- ROSTERS

Official Rosters are due to CCS no later than MAY 1st, in order to be included in the Tournament program.
(See APPENDIX for TOURNAMENT ROSTER - SOFTBALL)

Section 19. TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

The Participant Information Bulletin will be mailed to all schools and the media approximately three (3) weeks prior to the start of the Tournament.


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