LL FALL BALL TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM RULES & PROCEDURES 2022
APPLIES TO ALL LEVELS OF PLAY; SEE ALSO MINORS ADDITIONAL RULES BELOW
PLEASE PRINT AND CARRY THIS WITH YOU TO AVOID ANY DIFFICULTIES.
ALL THE LEAGUE COORDINATORS HAVE APPROVED THESE RULES.
MANAGERS MAY NOT AGREE AT ANY TIME TO USE RULES THAT DIFFER FROM THESE RULES or in conflict with
THE REGULAR LITTLE LEAGUE RULEBOOK RULES
SCHEDULES ARE FINAL AFTER SEASON BEGINS. EVERY WEEK PLEASE CONTACT OPPOSING MANAGER 24 HOURS AHEAD OF TIME TO VERIFY YOU ARE GOING TO BE THERE. YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK FIELD DIRECTIONS WITH EACH OTHER ETC.
Contact Info is maintained on the GoogleSheet You may edit your own info if needed: Here is the URL
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1suvSeUxjoQr3U6XGvRylNi_x6Pd1zfoKWitFcg10WbU/edit?usp=sharing
THIS IS AN INFORMAL, INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM! KIDS ARE HERE TO HAVE FUN & DEVELOP SKILLS
Keep this in mind. No scores or standings are kept. Try to avoid running up a score. In some cases the matchups between different leagues may be unbalanced because of different demographic and experience levels of the players.
Play “station to station” if you see that your team is dominating the opponent (don’t have your players stealing extra bases.
On overthrows, errors or passed balls: Stealing home not allowed in Entering Minors see Page 2. Move the less experienced players into infield positions. This may a good chance to bring them up in their skills and to give them an opportunity that might not be available in your regular season teams. We are here to have fun and learn.
Coaches are encouraged to instruct players during games, but be reasonable about the interruptions.
Gently correct and teach basics of pitching, throwing, catching, fielding grounders and fly balls. Help the batter with form and technique. Helping several players is best so no kid feels singled out. Teach team about game strategy, where to make plays etc. Positive Coaching Only!
HOST LEAGUE WILL BE THE HOME TEAM IN THE GAME. Home Team in 1st Base Dugout
Infield warmup 15 Minutes for each team. Remember NO Adult may warm up ANY player especially a pitcher. This means no ball thrown by a kid can be caught by an adult. This is a kids program.
Regular safety rules apply such as no on deck batting (Majors and below). If Adult is hitting pregame infield or fly balls the Coach is to be assisted by a player in a Catcher’s mask (not an adult).
All catchers masks must have Throat protectors EVEN hockey style masks.
Both teams contribute baseballs as needed to each game. Safetee Balls may be used optionally at the Entry Minors Level. Live pitching is new to this group and a bit erratic so we want to avoid any incidents that might be scary for the younger players.
Game ends at 2 HOUR MARK from SCHEDULED START TIME. If you move the pace all the kids will bat more than once in a game! It is OK TO COMPLETE the half inning already in progress at the 2 HR MARK. Do not start another ½ inning! Since no official scores are 'kept' then this should be the length of all games. Schedules only allow for ½ hr between games for setup and quick infield warmups.
LL PITCH COUNT RULES ARE IN EFFECT. 50 MAX 8s & Under; 75 MAX 9s &10s; 85 MAX 11s & 12s, 95 MAX 13s & UP. [Use 2023 League ages for your players. (age as of 8/31/23)]
PITCHER MAY BECOME A CATCHER IN THE SAME GAME if 40 OR FEWER PITCHES ARE THROWN.
A CATCHER MAY BECOME A PITCHER ONLY IF THE PLAYER HAS NOT CAUGHT IN MORE THAN 3 INNINGS.
5 RUN RULE IN EFFECT IN MINORS (if 5 runs are scored by the offense the ½ inning is ended) No 5 run rule in effect in the 6th or last inning. Both Managers should decide when the ‘last inning’ is starting w 2 hr rule in mind.
MAXIMUM INNINGS PER PITCHER: TWO!! (develop new pitchers!) You may only disregard this rule if you do not have enough pitchers to handle the 2 hours. It has worked well so far for the past several years. Give everyone a chance to pitch and to try it if they never have before.
MINIMUM PLAY: THREE INNINGS!! (DO YOUR BEST!!) If you have a team that is large try to meet this requirement. You may not quite get there but do your best.
NO PLAYER SITS OUT MORE THAN ONE CONSECUTIVE INNING at A TIME in all levels. Again this is instructional ball.
BATTING ORDER: CONTINUOUS (including Jrs) (Bat the full roster and then start over).
Inning ends after three outs have been made OR you have batted all the players once through (or 5 run rule‐Minors)
(if you start an inning on the 5th batter, bat thru all players & end after batter #4 is done OR 3 outs have been made whichever occurs first) Start next inning with next batter from where you left off in prior inning.
No pinch runners are allowed since no one is ‘out of the batting order’ in continuous batting system.
SUBSTITUTION: FREE (Keeps all the kids moving around! Change their assigned positions frequently). This is the time for them to try new things! Give everyone an opportunity to play infield and outfield.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS ON FIELD: 8 minimum, 9 preferred. (If you are short, its ok to borrow players from opponents for defense)
Be respectful if your team is dominating. Play Station to Station (don’t have your players stealing extra bases on overthrows, errors or passed balls).
UMPIRING DUTIES ARE PERFORMED BY VOLUNTEERS FROM THE MOUND BEHIND THE PITCHER. This DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE COACH OF A TEAM. Ask for Parent volunteers too. We encourage new volunteers to try it out! Leagues may optionally supply umpires in full gear behind the plate.
Be supportive, it’s harder to get all the ball and strike calls right from that position. Try to maintain a strike zone large enough to encourage players to swing the bat!
DROPPED THIRD STRIKE RULE in Majors is in effect.
JUNIORS PLAY REGULAR SEASON LL RULES WITH THE OVERLAY OF CONTINUOUS BATTING ORDER.
MINORS ADDITIONAL RULES
MINORS ENTERING LEVEL:
A) After a pitcher throws 4 balls to a batter, a hitting team coach throws 3 pitches. Batter has to put one of the three pitches in play or batter is out. This allows the game to progress with fewer walks.
B) NO STEALING HOME for the entire 8 weeks of fall ball.
DEFINITION:
No stealing of home includes advancing because of a wild pitch, passed ball, pick‐off attempt or overthrow(s) (including from the outfield) resulting from an attempted steal of any base.
Comment: THE MAIN CRITERIA WOULD BE THAT YOU MAY ALLOW THE RUNNER TO GO HOME IF THE PLAY STARTED WITH A BATTED BALL BUT NOT IF THE PLAY STARTED WITH A THROWN BALL.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS RULE IS TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG DEFENSE PLAYERS TO TRY TO MAKE PLAYS ON RUNNERS WITHOUT THE ‘EMBARASSING’ SITUATION WHERE OVERTHROWS AND ERRORS CAUSE A BUNCH OF RUNS TO SCORE.
(Returning Minors teams may ALSO use this rule by mutual agreement before the game by both Managers)
B) MINORS RUNNER OFF BASE RULE* (ALL MINORS TEAMS – ENTRY AND RETURNING LEVELS)
Situation: On any play once the pitcher has the ball in his or her hand or glove and is anywhere on the dirt mound:
(a) a runner can continue to run forward as long as he/ she does not stop for more than a hesitation in the umpire’s judgment, but
(b) after the pitcher has the ball in his or her hand or glove and is anywhere on the dirt mound, if a runner stops for more than a hesitation, the runner must immediately return to the last base touched. If the runner does not return the umpire will call "time" and instruct the runner to go back to the base. The runner will not be called out.
Interpretation: The purpose of this rule is not to interrupt the normal course of play. It is to prevent “dancing around” or malingering off base in order to intimidate the defensive team into making a bad throw, needlessly delaying progress of the game. Merely throwing the ball to a pitcher or the pitcher picking a ball up off the ground will not end a play if the runners are moving forward. The defense should continue to try to get an out. It is up to the umpires’ judgment to determine if play has been effectively stopped.
*This rule neither supersedes the "no stealing of home" rule while in effect, nor the regular LL rule that when a pitcher is on the mound and catcher in position to receive the pitch, the runners must be on the bases.
GENERAL INFORMATION
FIELD PREP & CLEANUP: Local League will open up storage sheds on each game day.
1st game of day teams will do a basic prep. (Rake, drag, chalk if desired but not required) Check field safety
After every game rake out holes. Last game drag & rake field and return bases to storage.
Last game of day stores equipment & locks up. League should post instructions or have local personnel to help.
Garbage is to be removed by every team after every game and taken home. Many Leagues do not have garbage service available in Fall season. Leave the premises clean for the next users, usually the students at the school fields we are using.
Bat rules reminder: APPROVED BATS USA Logo ONLY ALLOWED ( USA or BBCOR is allowed in Jrs.)
The only type of Protective Pitcher Headgear allowed is EITHER ‘HALO’ TYPE LINER INSIDE CAP OR APPROVED NOSCAE BATTING HELMET, THE 3RD BASE COACH HARD PLASTIC HATS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED ON PITCHERS.
COVID SAFETY : FOR SIMPLICITY WE WILL FOLLOW THE SAME COVID PROTOCOLS AS ARE IN PLACE FROM THE MARIN COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION which all your students are following in both public and private schools. These are readily available at the following link:
https://sites.google.com/marinschools.org/mcoerethinkingschools/documents-and-data
Players should not come to any Fall ball activity if they are not feeling well, or showing Covid symptoms such as coughing, loss of smell/taste, congestion, elevated temperature, fatigue, headache, runny nose, chills/aches, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Parents must assess the players by the standard home health check before leaving for each get together. If the student or adult is in any type of quarantine due to an exposure at school or elsewhere they are not allowed to participate until they complete this requirement. Since the teams are no longer required to operate as isolated cohorts the participants may be mixing at school or in other extracurricular activities with others. The chance that our program might create any risks to others in any way as well as to our participants is the ultimate concern and we CAN maintain our diligence on all fronts. This program is interleague so there is more than one community involved in each meeting. Please report any exposures to the District Administrator Nancy Miller [email protected] 415 342-1209