Rules

The NFHS rule allowing metal cleats and metal toe plates in high school softball has sparked controversy and has been rejected by the states of Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts and in ASA play for safety reasons.

Three rules revisions were made by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee regarding the pitcher-batter relationship at its annual meeting June 9-11 in Indianapolis. The rules changes subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Some specific rules for fast-pitch softball vary by age, skill level and organization, but here are the basic rules.