Daisy Division Rules

1. Age Limit
a. Any girl that is at least 10 years old and not more than 11 years old on the previous December 31st is eligible for participation in the Daisy Division. Exceptions will be at the discretion of the Softball Board.

2. Playing Field
a. The distance between bases on Diamond #7 are 55 or 60 feet. The 60-foot bases will be used for the Daisy Division.
b. The front of the pitcher’s plate to the rear tip of home plate will be 35 feet.
c. The pitcher’s circle will have a 5 foot radius from the center of the pitcher’s plate.

3. Equipment
a. T-shirts or uniforms will be provided by the League and should be worn during all games. No altering of uniforms is permitted, including removing sleeves or adding a player’s name.
b. Catchers must wear full catcher’s equipment. Certified equipment will be provided by the League as needed.
c. When warming up a pitcher, a catcher must wear a helmet and face mask.
d. A batting helmet, with a face mask, must be worn by any batter, on-deck batter, base runner or player in the coach’s box while the ball is live, as per NFHS rule 1-6.
e. 11-inch balls provided by the League will be used.
f. All bats must conform to NFHS rule 1-5.
g. No metal cleats are permitted
h. All infielders must wear face masks while on defense.

4. Players and Substitutions
a. All players must appear in the batting lineup at all times.
b. A team can play a maximum of 5 outfielders at a time. (consistent with tournament) No player will be allowed to sit out a second inning until all players have sat out 1 inning, and then 2 innings, and then 3 innings, etc. The same girls should not be benched all the time.
c. The minimum number of players required to begin or continue a game is 8. A grace period of 10 minutes from the scheduled start time will be permitted. A team not able to field 8 eligible players will forfeit the game. Coaches can choose to play by mutual consent, but the forfeit will stand.
d. Daisy Division teams will be permitted to use any 8-year-old lob-ball or ABC player with parental consent, as a substitute player to field a team of no more than 10 players.
e. Any substitute player(s) will be placed at the bottom of the batting order, and may only play outfield.
f. A late arriving regular roster player will be inserted at the bottom of the batting order.
g. A substitute player will be allowed to continue playing after the arrival of a regular roster player.
h. If a player is injured, gets sick or has to leave a game due to extenuating circumstances, her absence in the batting order will not be an automatic out. An injured or sick player cannot play offensively or defensively. The opposing coach must be immediately informed of any change in a player’s participation.

5. The Game
a. National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules will apply except as amended herein.
b. A complete game will be 5 innings or when the time limit has been reached.
c. Time limit for all games is 90 minutes. No new inning will start after 85 minutes on the official time clock. A new inning is considered to begin immediately after the 3rd out of the home team’s offensive tenure.
d. Stalling will not be permitted. The umpire will assess a bench warning to any team he/she determines to be stalling. After 1 warning the umpire may assess a penalty of a ball or a strike for additional stalling.
e. In case of rain, four complete innings, or 3 ½ innings if the home team is ahead, is considered a complete game.
f. If a rain delay occurs, the game will be resumed from the point of delay. An official rain delay sheet must be filled out and signed by both coaches.
g. If a game is approaching the time limit, and the umpire is aware that there are players on either team that have not batted, the umpire may reduce or increase the number of outs allowed in an effort to ensure that all players on both teams get at least one turn at bat.
h. The maximum number of runs allowed per inning is 7 per team. There is no batting order rotation limit per inning.
i. A game is complete after 3 innings if a team has a 12 run lead or after 4 innings if a team has a 10 run lead.
j. A pitcher may pitch in a maximum of 3 innings per game. Any appearance in an inning shall count as one inning pitched. Re-entry in the same inning shall only count as one inning.
k. A pitcher may not pitch in more than two consecutive innings per game.
l. At the start of the game pitchers will be given five warm-up pitches. A relief pitcher will initially be given five warm-up pitches. A returning pitcher will be given two warm-up pitches at the beginning of each half-inning.
m. If a pitcher hits 3 batters in a game, that pitcher will not be allowed to pitch for the remainder of that game.
n. Pitchers may pitch a maximum of 7 innings per week (Sunday through Saturday)
o. When the bases are loaded, the pitcher will be allowed an additional 2 balls after the batter has accumulated 4 balls. If the batter reaches the count of 6 balls, a base on balls will be awarded.
p. All outfield players must remain behind the designated line until the ball is hit.
q. Infielders are not to move in more than a few steps from normal position before the ball is hit.
r. No intentional walks are permitted.
s. Stealing is permitted, but a runner cannot leave the base before the pitch crosses home plate. Stealing is NOT PERMITTED by a team that has a 10 RUN LEAD.
t. Any runner stealing or going into home plate must slide if there is a play at the plate to avoid/minimize contact.  This rule is to help minimize collision's and protect players from injury.  If there is contact between the runner and defender that the umpire deems to be excessive, the runner will be called out.  
u. A base on balls is considered a dead ball and the batter is allowed first base only. Base runners can advance only if forced.
v. There is no dropped third strike rule. A batter is declared out on a third strike regardless of whether the catcher catches the ball. Base runners may advance provided there are not 3 outs.
w. If in the umpire’s judgment a batter throws her bat, the batter shall be called out and any baserunners will return to the base previously occupied.
x. When a batter is hit by the pitch, the batter will be awarded first base. An exception will be made in obvious situations where the batter made no attempt to get out of the way of a ball rolling on the ground. This is subject to the umpire’s discretion.
y. Coaches are not allowed in the field of play except when base coaching.
z. The infield fly rule is not in effect.

6. Tournament Specific Rules
a. Tournament games will not end in a tie.
b. A championship game, or potential championship game, will be 5 complete innings with no time limit, except in run-rule situations. (See rule 5-i)
c. At the beginning of each half-inning for a game continuing past 5 innings, or for time limit games ending in a tie, the offensive team shall place the last batter to complete a full at bat in the previous inning at second base.
d. A maximum of 5 outfielders will be allowed during tournament games. Additional players will remain in the dugout. No player will be allowed to sit out a second inning until all players have sat out 1 inning. (Having 5 outfielders is 11 total players and is consistent with regular season rule)
e. The three-inning rule is in effect for pitchers in tournament games regardless of the number of innings played. (see rule 5-j)



Wallen Executive Board and its governing boards of baseball and softball make the decision on the position of umpires in the division that umpires are needed. Wallen evaluates on a regular basis if positioning needs adjusted, from behind the mound to if more than 1 umpire is needed.

Rules are subject to change due to any extraordinary situation. Any rule changes will be determined and approved by the Executive Board of Wallen.