SOFTBALL
EDITOR: BRAD TITTRINGTON
btittrington@referee.com
RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY
LINEUP LOGISTICS Know the Differences in Card Infractions
By Brad Tittrington
D
Ellen Degler, Chanhassen, Minn., takes a lineup change from a coach. It is important to know the differences in lineup infractions to make sure you enforce the proper penalty if one of them occurs and avoid a potential protest.
DENNIS HUBBARD
uring the course of a game, and a season, a lot of things can go wrong when it comes to lineup cards. One of those situations involves an inaccurate lineup card. It is important to know what constitutes an illegal lineup card and how it differs from other violations. An inaccurate lineup card is one in which a starting player or substitute is listed incorrectly, such as an inaccurate name, inaccurate number or wrong position number. Too often, coaches, and even some umpires, confuse this situation with an illegal substitute (which will be described later). The penalties are much more severe for an illegal substitute so it is important for umpires to know the difference. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to an inaccurate lineup card is the player’s name takes precedence over the uniform number. If the player’s name is listed correctly, but the uniform number is listed incorrectly, it’s the name that matters. For example, if Jones is listed as the leadoff batter and the number listed is No. 1, but she is actually wearing No. 2, that spot on the lineup card belongs to Jones, not to whoever is wearing No. 2. However, the lineup card is still inaccurate and susceptible to a penalty if brought to the attention of the umpire. For purposes of this article, we are only going to examine if the number on the lineup card is inaccurate. When it comes to the penalty for an inaccurate lineup card, it varies by code. In NFHS, the first offense is simply a warning to the offending
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6/16/2022 11:21:50 AM