2025 South Dakota Changes, Clarifications & Reminders
- Per action at the March 1, 2023 Board of Directors Meeting, the SDHSAA will allow softball programs a five-year grace period to allow coaches the ability to coach the SDHSAA-sanctioned softball team and a summer team for the years of 2023-27. If a coach coaches their SDHSAA-sanctioned softball team and is hired to coach a youth program or team in the summer, the said coach WILL be allowed to coach that summer team through the summer of 2027. After that time, schools need to prepare to make alternate plans to hire separate coaches for these programs during the out-of-season time to stay in line with out-of-season rules.
- Beginning January 1, 2027, uniforms may only bear a single manufacturer’s logo, school name, school logo, mascot and/or the participant’s name. Advertisements, messages, team slogans, etc. will no longer be permitted.
South Dakota Association Adoptions
- Doubleheader – two varsity games on the same date against the same opponent. Games may be shortened to any combination, with a minimum of two (2) five-inning games, and count as regulation games. Doubleheaders count as two games toward the allowable number of contests.
- Triangular – may be played to no less than five innings.
- Sub-varsity contests – Each host school will determine the length of sub-varsity contests. Allowable length of sub-varsity contests is five/seven innings, or 60-90 minutes (with the 10-/15-run rule in place). Each host school should determine the format prior to the contests and inform opponents of how the contest will be run. Contests may be played with any of the following: free substitution, unlimited number of batters, and a run rule per inning may be implemented per mutual agreement by coaches prior to the contest. Contests should stay within the rules as much as possible with some allowances giving more players the ability to play without specific restrictions.
- Run Rule – A game ends after five (or 4 1/2) innings when a team faces a deficit of 10 or more runs and has completed its turn at bat. A game ends after three (or 2 1/2) innings when a team faces a deficit of 15 or more runs and has completed its turn at bat. This is effective for both regular season and postseason play.
- Double First Base – required for all regular season (sub-varsity and varsity) and postseason games.
- International Tie Breaker – In the event that a tie exists at the end of a regulation contest, the following tie-breaking procedure shall be followed:
- Teams will play another inning, starting with a runner on second base in scoring position.
- At the start of the inning in which the tie-breaker rule is used, the offensive team shall begin its turn at bat with the player who batted last in the previous half inning being placed on second base. Umpire and scorekeeper will determine that the proper runner has been placed on second base.
- Play continues until a winner is determined based on the completed inning(s).
- Suspended game – any game that ends before it becomes a regulation game, or a regulation game that has a tie score when it is ended.
- If weather, darkness or similar issues interfere with play and the game is called with fewer than five innings completed (ended by the umpire before it is a regulation game), the game will be suspended and continued from the point of suspension at a later time. The lineup and batting order of each team shall be exactly the same as at the point of suspension.
- Rule 4-2-2: If the game ends because of weather conditions, or darkness interferes with play so that the game is called (ended) by the umpire, it is a regulation game provided:
- Five full innings have been played; or the home team at bat has scored an equal or greater number of runs in four or four and a fraction turns at bat than the visiting team has scored in five turns at bat; or
- Play has gone beyond five full innings and is called when the teams have not had an equal number of completed turns at bat. The score shall be the same as it was at the end of the last completed inning; unless the home team, in their half of the incomplete inning, score a run (or runs) which equals or exceeds the opponent’s score, in which case, the final score shall be recorded when the game is called.
- If after five innings, the game is suspended due to weather, darkness or similar issues that interfere with play and the game is tied, the game will end.
