A Short Course Explaining How SSUSA Rates Teams

Dec. 1, 2015 – Terry Hennessy CEO

Ratings and rules: Those are by far the most common topics of conversation in the dugout.

Most players agree that proper ratings and good rules are essential in establishing fair competition.

That is usually where the agreement ends.

Depending on the game and the score, one of the most common comments heard in the dugout is “Why is that team in our division?  It is obviously too strong (or too weak).”  

During the 20 years that SSUSA has rated teams, there have been a number of very insightful recommendations on improving ratings, as well as some that were not so insightful.

And while there unfortunately is no perfect rating system, the current system has evolved considerably in two decades and has – mostly – resulted in competitive divisions.  

The ratings system is designed to rank teams based initially on rosters and later on performance.  It is also the primary purpose of ratings to protect teams in the lower divisions.

Most teams want to be re-rated if they have a losing record. However, if they are losing by a few runs, they are competitive – and they are usually too strong for the next lower skill division.

One of the underlying principles of the SSUSA rating system is to apply standards as uniformly as possible and to be as transparent as possible.

Here are some of the high points:

Teams that have been re-rated to a lower skill level are not allowed to pick up ANY higher skill level players during the season they were re-rated. 

Other teams may have a maximum of three higher skill level players.

Player ratings are determined by the highest skill level in which players competed in the past two years.

A player’s skill level may be reduced if he or she has had a serious injury or illness that reduced his or her playing ability.  This exemption requires a doctor’s explanation and is approved on a case-by-case basis.

These rules apply to the rosters teams use to play in qualifiers.  There are four SSUSA tournaments that require teams to play in a Qualifier before they enter: the Western and Eastern Nationals, the World Masters Championships and the Tournament of Champions.

Adding players to these rosters is restricted (to prevent loading) and is only allowed if the team falls below a certain number of players. For more information on these restrictions, see our website, www.seniorsoftball.com, under Ratings Guidelines.

Most of the rules and restrictions have been enacted to prevent a team from creating an unfair competitive advantage.  The sole purpose of the ratings and roster rules is to ensure fair competition.

SSUSA does discuss these and other rules – and makes changes – during our Annual Convention, which was in Reno Dec. 2-4.  All players and managers were invited to attend.  The convention is designed to frankly discuss rules and possible improvements to ensure the game is fair and fun for all who play it.

Terry Hennessy is the SSUSA chief executive officer.