Softball

2022 Spring Playoff Structure

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With 12 Teams in the League, only the TOP 8 TEAMS during the Regular Season will advance to the 2021 Durham Softball Spring Playoffs. The Teams that make the Playoffs will be determined by a seeded tie-breaker format, as described here.

The Top 8 Teams will play a single elimination tournament to determine the winner.

The Bottom 4 Teams will play a Consolation Tournament against each other to determine 9th-12th Place.

  • Every Win during either tournament will earn $50 for the Winning Team’s Charity.
  • The Championship Winning Team will earn $200.
  • The Consolation Winning Team will earn $100.
  • A total of $700 in donations will be awarded between our 19 Charities during the Playoffs.

Game Schedule: 

Sunday, June 5, 2022:

10:30am. Game 1. #10 Seed vs. #11 Seed.

11:45am. Game 2. #9 Seed vs. #12 Seed.

1:00pm. Game 3. #4 Seed vs. #5 Seed.

2:15pm. Game 4. #3 Seed vs. #6 Seed.

3:30pm. Game 5. #2 Seed vs. #7 Seed.

4:45pm. Game 6. #1 Seed vs. #8 Seed.

Sunday, June 12, 2022:

10:30am. Game 7. Winner Game 1 (#10/#11) vs. Winner Game 2 (#9/#12). Consolation Bracket Final.

12:00pm. Game 8. Winner Game 3 (#4/#5) vs. Winner Game 6 (#1/#8).

1:30pm. Game 9. Winner Game 4 (#3/#6) vs. Winner Game 5 (#2/#7).

3:00pm. Game 10. Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 (Highest Seed is Home Team). Championship Bracket Final.

Sunday, June 26, 2022: Rainout Date, if needed.

2021 Spring Playoff Structure

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With 10 Teams in the League, only the TOP 8 TEAMS during the Regular Season will advance to the 2021 Durham Softball Spring Playoffs. The Teams that make the Playoffs will be determined by:

  1. Win-Loss Record.
  2. Head-to-Head Record.
  3. Run Differential.
  4. Runs Scored.

The Top 8 Teams will play a single elimination tournament to determine the winner.

The Bottom 2 Teams will play a Consolation Tournament, which could be up to two games long.

Of the 4 teams to lose in Week 1, the Highest Seed will advance to the Consolation Championship against the winner of the 9/10 matchup. The winner of the 9/10 matchup will advance one more week to play the “Highest Seed to Lose” for one more game before the end of the season and a chance at the Consolation Championship.

  • Every Win during either tournament will earn $50 for the Winning Team’s Charity.
  • The Championship Winning Team will earn $200.
  • The Consolation Winning Team will earn $100.
  • A total of $700 in donations will be awarded between our 19 Charities during the Playoffs.

Play NC Field Attendant Job Description

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Play NC Field Attendant Job Description (Updated January 1, 2022)

Start: 10am         End: 6pm             Total Hours: Up to 8 Hours / Day for 13 Sundays

Pay: $15 / Hour

Where: Pineywood Park Baseball Field and Valley Springs Athletic Fields.

Description: Field Attendant required for adult softball league. Responsible for setting up field prior to game start each week and breaking down field at the end of the day. Will take player attendance, keep game score, verify registrations, and distribute jerseys. Will represent the league requirements by helping players adhere to safety measures.

  • Arrival: You should arrive at the field at 9:45am, or 15 minutes prior to the first game. You will be required to set up items listed here, in order of task priority:
    • BASES: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base need to be placed on the field.
    • SCORBOARD: Scoring system set up behind home plate.
    • LINEUP CARDS: Home and Away Line-up Cards should be hung from the fence near each team’s dugout.
  • First Aid: During the games, pay attention and offer any first aid supplies we have for minor injuries. Includes providing players with ice packs, bandages, gauze, wound spray, etc., as needed. Direct medical care is not expected.
  • Photography: Your goal will be to take a photo of every player during the game, or ~20 photos per game. These can be as artsy and creative as you’d like, so have fun with it! Photos will be uploaded after the games for league use.
  • Questions: While you are at the field, you will represent Play NC. If anyone has questions about the league, charities, or softball, answer them or get their name and email so we can reply later.
  • Registration Table: During the first 2 weeks, Players will stop at the Registration Table to sign waivers (if not already completed) and collect jerseys.
    • Week 1:
      • Verify that each Player has signed a Liability & COVID waiver.
        • Most Players should complete online, but we may need to collect their signatures in person.
      • Each Player receives a Jersey.
    • Remaining Weeks:
      • Any Player that missed Week 1 can sign their waivers and pick up their jersey at a future week.
  • Leaving: Preparing to end the day and leave the field.
    • After the last game has started, the Registration Table, Shirts, First Aid Kit, etc. can be packed away and returned to the parking lot.
    • Once the last game has finished, collect the Bases, Lineup Cards, and Scoreboard from the field.
    • Pack all items away and prepare them in storage for next week’s Arrival.

Requirements: 18+ Years Old. Must commit to work every Sunday of each season. Must be enthusiastic about helping local charities. Must wear Durham Softball shirt. Minimum surface knowledge of how to play baseball or softball preferred, but not required.

Fall 2022 – Date – Week of Games

Week Date
1 Sunday, August 14, 2022
2 Sunday, August 21, 2022
3 Sunday, August 28, 2022
OFF Sunday, September 4, 2022
4 Sunday, September 11, 2022
5 Sunday, September 18, 2022
6 Sunday, September 25, 2022
7 Sunday, October 2, 2022
8 Sunday, October 9, 2022
9 – Playoffs Sunday, October 16, 2022
10 – Playoffs Sunday, October 23, 2022
11 – Backup Sunday, October 30, 2022

Rainouts: If all games are Rained Out in a week, you will not receive payment for that week. If some games are Rained Out, you will receive partial payment for that week, relative to how many games were played.

2020 Durham Softball Schedule

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The Durham Softball League starts playing games during the first week of April each year. Easter is on April 12 this season, so the 2020 season will start on Sunday, March 29. The year will be split into two separate seasons (Spring and Summer), with the second season beginning one week after the first season’s Championship game.

Season Schedule

During 2020, there are 25 eligible weeks during the year where Durham Softball League games may be played:

Date Week of Games
Sunday, March 29, 2020 1
Sunday, April 5, 2020 2
Sunday, April 12, 2020 NO GAMES – EASTER
Sunday, April 19, 2020 3
Sunday, April 26, 2020 4
Sunday, May 3, 2020 5
Sunday, May 10, 2020 NO GAMES – MOTHER’S DAY
Sunday, May 17, 2020 6
Sunday, May 24, 2020 NO GAMES – MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Sunday, May 31, 2020 7
Sunday, June 7, 2020 8
Sunday, June 14, 2020 9
Sunday, June 21, 2020 NO GAMES – FATHER’S DAY
Sunday, June 28, 2020 10
Sunday, July 5, 2020 NO GAMES – JULY 4TH WEEKEND
Sunday, July 12, 2020 11
Sunday, July 19, 2020 12
Sunday, July 26, 2020 13
Sunday, August 2, 2020 14
Sunday, August 9, 2020 15
Sunday, August 16, 2020 16
Sunday, August 23, 2020 17
Sunday, August 30, 2020 18
Sunday, September 6, 2020 NO GAMES – LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Sunday, September 13, 2020 19
Sunday, September 20, 2020 20
Sunday, September 27, 2020 21
Sunday, October 4, 2020 22
Sunday, October 11, 2020 23
Sunday, October 18, 2020 24
Sunday, October 25, 2020 25
Sunday, November 1, 2020 26
Sunday, November 8, 2020 27
Sunday, November 15, 2020 28
Sunday, November 22, 2020 29
Sunday, November 29, 2020 NO GAMES – THANKSGIVING
Sunday, December 6, 2020 30
TOTAL 30 Weeks to Play 22 Weeks

The league does not play games on Sunday when national holidays fall on a Sunday or Monday during the year.

With 9 Regular Season Weeks and 2 Playoff Weeks, the two seasons will require a total of 22 Sundays each year. With 30 Eligible Sundays between April 8 and December 6, we have 8 “built-in” weeks to accommodate rain-out reschedules and still get both seasons in before the end of the year.

Spring Season: Starts Sunday, March 29, 2020; ends after 11 eligible weeks.

The Spring league has the potential to finish on July 12th, which is the 11th eligible week of the season. With at least a couple rain-outs likely, a more realistic date for the Championship game might be July 19 or July 26. Whenever the Championship game from the Spring season is played, the Summer season will begin exactly one week later.

Summer Season: Starts 1 weeks after Spring Season ends; ends after 11 eligible weeks.

If the Summer season’s “one week later” start date lands on a holiday, the season will start two weeks later. This means the earliest that the Summer season might begin is July 19, because it is one week after the earliest date that the Spring season could end. Because it is unlikely for the Spring season to be completed with out any rain-outs, a more realistic date for the Summer season’s Opening Day is July 26 or August 2.

With good weather, it is possible to end both seasons as early as October 4th, the 22nd eligible week of the season. For each rain-out during the year, the seasons would get one week longer.

Weekly Schedule

Games are played on Sundays and start between 10:00am and 5:35pm.

  • Each team will play a single game each day.
  • The regular season will consist of 9 games.
  • The 10th and 11th week of each season will feature two single-elimination tournaments. The Consolation Tournament will be played between the Bottom 4 teams competing for 5th Place; the Championship Tournament will be played by the Top 4 teams competing for 1st Place.

“Featured Organization” Each Week

All teams will have a single week where their non-profit is featured to highlight and promote their non-profit to the other members of the league. The captain of the team, or a representative of the non-profit, is invited and encouraged to stay for the remaining games to talk with the other teams before their game, let them know more about your organization, and collect any donated items that teams may bring to the fields.

Rain-Outs / Rescheduling Games

When a week gets rained out, all cancelled games are rescheduled for the last week of the regular season. This makes sure that most games on the schedule are played as originally scheduled at the start of the season so players can better plan their weekends ahead of time.

If some games are played, but other games need to be rescheduled, those games would be made up during the last week of the season, even if other games get rained out after them. In an emergency, alternate arrangements to play games earlier/later in the day may be considered if both teams agree to the accommodations.

Due to time restrictions, the Spring season must end no later than the end of July, with the Summer season ending no later than the end of October. If we get rained out more than 4 times, games that cannot meet these time frames may be forced to cancel entirely.

Changes from Spring to Summer, 2019

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Thanks for playing, everyone! In our efforts to constantly improve our league, we have made a few small changes to the game rules for Summer League. These changes have been made based on feedback from players and umpires and they are designed to make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

  • Batters will start with a 1-1 count. This will speed up the game, allowing games to play more innings and get players in the field back to their water bottles faster.
  • Batters will receive a Courtesy Foul on the 2nd Strike. If you hit a foul with 2 strikes, you’ll receive one “free” foul ball. After that, the next foul ball is an OUT.
  • Less restrictive defensive requirements in the event of a missing Female player. If a team is forced to take an OUT every inning because they do not have 3 or more Females, that team may still play a Female at Catcher on defense. Previously, both Females were required to play in the field, with a Male playing Catcher.

That is it! Relatively minor changes, right? As we grow, we hope we’re getting closer to a more permanent rule structure. If / when we make another change, we will continue to explain our rationale for the changes and promise to always consider they player’s interests when we structure our game.

Because we reduced the number of regular season games from 10 to 9, we’re also guaranteeing that everyone will also play a Playoff Game!

  • Two tournaments: Championship (Top 8) and Consolation (Bottom 8)
    • Week 1: First Round games for both Tournaments, 4/each, 8/total
    • Week 2: Final Four and Championship Games for both Tournaments, 3/each, 6/total

As always, Teams will earn $50 bonuses for their charities for every Playoff win! This year, all of the Consolation Games will be worth the same amount as the Championship Games! That means we will have TWELVE games that will have $50 on the line for charity, plus TWO MORE Championship Games with $200 up for donation. There will be a total of $1,500 on the line for the Summer Playoffs, overall, so it should be a pretty fun finish to the season!

2019 Player Waiver: [ddownload id=”4608″]

2019 Spring Playoff Structure

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With 16 Teams in the League, only the TOP 8 TEAMS during the Regular Season will advance to the 2019 Durham Softball Spring Playoffs. The Teams that make the Playoffs will be determined by:

  1. Win-Loss Record.
  2. Head-to-Head Record.
  3. Run Differential.
  4. Runs Scored.

The Top 8 Teams will play a single elimination tournament to determine the winner.

To keep the Bottom 8 Teams interested, the Top 8 Teams will be “adopting” one of the other charities to also compete for their cause during the Playoffs. These Sponsors will receive an additional 50% of the donations won by each Team during the Playoffs. Partner Organizations will be assigned in reverse order of finish, with #1 paired with #16, #2 paired with #15, #3 paired with #14, etc.

  • Each Game will earn $50 for the Winning Team’s Charity, with their Partner Charity also receiving $25, for a total of a $75 donation per game.
  • The Championship Team will earn $200, with their Partner Charity also receiving $100, for a total of a $300 donation on the line during the Championship.
  • A total of $750 in donations will be awarded between our 16 Charities during the Playoffs.

Everyone is still encouraged to come out and watch the games, support our charities, and visit Bralie’s after the game for a free beer!

Playoff Structure

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We are lucky enough to have 16 Teams of Players join our league this season, with each group of 16 players supporting a great local cause with their efforts on the field. The game is fun and friendly, but we also want to keep it competitive. To work within the limitations of our facilities and schedule, while also making the Regular Season more meaningful, only the Top 8 Teams will make the Playoffs during the 2019 Spring Season.

At the end of the Regular Season, the Top 8 Teams will face off in a 1-week, single-elimination tournament to decide the overall League Champion. If your Team makes the Top 8 for the Regular Season, you will play 1, 2, or 3 games on a single day for the Playoffs. If your Team finishes ranked 9-16, you will have a Bye week and a break before the Summer League.

To keep the Bottom 8 Teams interested in the outcome, the Top 8 Teams will each be paired with one of the Bottom 8 charities to also earn donations for their cause during the Playoffs! The Team will “adopt” a second charity for the Playoffs by competing for an ADDITIONAL 50% of the donations they raise for their own charity to the other Team’s cause. Basically, the Teams that make the playoffs will be competing to earn donations for two causes during the playoffs.

For example: 

  • The #1 Seed will be paired with the #16 seed’s charity. If the #1 Seed wins a $50 game, the #16 Charity will receive a $25 donation. If the #1 Seed wins a $200 Championship, the #16 Charity also receives a $100 donation!
  • All Pairings:
    • #1 with #16
    • #2 with #15
    • #3 with #14
    • #4 with #13
    • $5 with #12
    • #6 with #11
    • $7 with #10
    • #8 with #9
  • For every $1 that a Team IN the Playoffs earns, their Partner Team that was OUT of the Playoffs will earn an additional $.50.

Pitch, Hit, & Throw Fundraiser!

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Pitch, Hit, & Throw Fundraiser Event

To kick off the Spring 2019 Durham Softball season and introduce everyone to our new home at Shepard Magnet Middle School, we are hosting a fundraiser!

MARCH 17, 2019 from 10:00am to 2:00pm

We will be playing three “Carnival-Style” softball games, with a chance to win prizes, t-shirts, and gift cards! For $10, you’ll receive a ticket to play all three games.

PITCH: You’ll throw 7 pitches. +1 point for every pitch that hits the plate.
HIT: You’ll hit 7 balls (tossed to yourself or off a tee). +1 point for hitting the target.
THROW: You’ll throw 7 balls at three balls placed on tees. +1 point for each you knock off.

There will be a grand prize for the person with the best overall score, and random prizes given out to all entrants. Your score will be recorded on the card and entered into the overall leaderboard. The Player with the highest total number of points, wins.

The grand prize winner will receive a Durham Softball Fan Shirt, an engraved softball with their award and title, and two Free Registrations for Durham Softball’s Summer 2019 season. All entrants will be entered into a random drawing to receive Fan Shirts and other items donated by event sponsors.

For each entry’s tie-breaker, we’re also collecting CANNED FRUITS AND VEGGIES for PORCH-Durham‘s Backpack Buddies program! Your tie-breaker score will be your Bozo Wiffle Bucket Toss score multiplied by the number of cans you donate, so help support a good cause and improve your chances of winning!

Thanks to Once Upon A Child Durham and Family Care supporting our cause and donating gift certificates and prizes for the event!

If you have any questions, please let us know!

How Team Assignments Are Determined

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We have 16 amazing charities to choose from and believe every Team Sponsor is worthy of your efforts, but we understand that there might be several players or teams who would prefer to play for the same specific charity. Since we are growing this year and have a lot of teams returning, I thought it would be helpful to outline exactly how the teams are being assigned this season. Because we have more full teams returning, the priority system is a little more complicated this year.

Team Assignments will be determined in the following order:

  1. Previous Year’s Team Renews. If a group played for a particular charity last season and brings back at least half of the same group, they will have first priority to retain their previous Charity. This priority expires on 3/1, at which time the team becomes available to outside Players.
  2. New Teams. If a Group signs up to play for a brand new Team Sponsor (eg. NCFFF, C2C), it is first come, first serve. Unless 9+ Free Agents have already signed up for their Team, these Teams are taken as soon as a Group pays for them.
  3. Order of Registration. If you sign up first, you win any tie-breakers against anyone else that may be competing for the same roster spot.
  4. Groups Stay Together. Because we prioritize keeping your Group together, your Team Assignment may be forced based on other Group registrations. Your Group will always play together, but may be assigned to different teams to balance rosters.
  5. Male / Female Balance. If necessary, Teams may be cut off from adding either Males or Females. The goal is to have 10 Males and 6 Females per team.

That covers the basics, but we’re glad to answer any questions about Team Assignments by contacting us here. There is probably going to be a bit of wiggle room and compromise within this structure, so hopefully we make a fun and balanced league.

Regardless of how the Teams play on the field, here is a description of the causes we are helping through our 16 local non-profit Sponsors:

Good luck to everyone!

2019 Durham Softball Haiku Contest

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I know you were all waiting for it, so here we go…

THE 2019 DURHAM SOFTBALL HAIKU CONTEST IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!

Still with us? Cool! This year we’re trying a little different format.

Starting on Thursday, February 21, we will be accepting entries to our annual softball/baseball haiku contest. The contest is free to enter and anyone is eligible to win. Poets who wish to enter the contest must submit their haiku as a Guest Post on our Facebook page’s 2019 Haiku Contest Event Page before March 1, 2019.

All valid entries will then be included on a single ballot, beginning March 2, 2019. Members of the general public will have the opportunity to submit their votes for the “Best” haiku, according to these general standards:

  1. Relates to the game of softball or baseball. The haiku must be about softball or baseball. A haiku about soccer will not win (don’t even try it, Joe). The more specific and authentic to the core nature of the sport, the better.
  2. Sounds like a haiku. Make it poetic, abstract, and beautiful. Don’t be obvious. Leave room for interpretation.
  3. Build excitement for the game. Inspire someone to go play catch. Or, pick up a bat and take some practice swings. They’re gonna kill it this year, and they know it. Encourage them.

After all votes are tallied, we’ll settle on a Final 3. These finalists will then go up against each other in a public vote (on Facebook) for the Grand Prize.

The winner will receive a Free Durham Softball Fan Shirt, an engraved softball with their name, and the prestigious title of 2019 Durham Softball Haiku Champion!

If you have any questions about the contest, please ask!