High school softball players will be prohibited from transmitting or recording audio or video from the playing surface under new rules that take effect next year.
The National Federation of State High School Associations Board of Directors approved the change following recommendations from the NFHS Softball Rules Committee's annual meeting held in June.
The new language in Rule 1-8-6 clarifies restrictions on electronic devices after the federation added language last year allowing electronic communication for coaching purposes.
"While increased media exposure has positively influenced the growth and visibility of softball, the committee determined that the potential risks associated with players transmitting or recording audio or video through devices during live play outweighed the benefits," said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Softball Rules Committee.
Searcy said the committee wanted to establish clear guidelines as wearable technology continues to evolve "to ensure the safety and integrity of the game."
The rules committee also updated umpire uniform requirements, changing the acceptable pants color from "heather gray" to "charcoal gray" because manufacturers stopped producing heather gray umpire pants.
The 2026 Softball Rules Book will include a reformatted Rule 8 with separated sections and additional penalty references for improved clarity. TSSAA head coaches receive free access to the digital rules book and are briefed annually on rules changes through mandatory rules clinics.
According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 345,451 girls at 15,635 high schools played fast-pitch softball in 2023-24, making it the fifth-most popular girls sport. An additional 6,107 girls participated in slow-pitch softball.
A complete listing of softball rule changes is available at nfhs.org under the "Sports" section.
