AAA/Majors Local Rules
Rules of play will follow those in the current year Little League Baseball Rule book and the District rules for the current year, except where noted in these ground rules.
Each manager and coach will be responsible to familiarize themselves with these rules and regulations.
1. Rules of play will follow those in the current year Little League Baseball Rulebook, and the District rules for the current year, except where noted in the ground rules. Each manager and coach will be responsible to familiarize themselves with these rules and regulations.
a. AAA: 5 runs in an inning will end each inning. There is no open inning. (Adopted 1/16/2024)
b. Majors: There is no limit to runs scored in any half inning
2. Draft: All ten year-olds will be eligible to be drafted into the Majors Division in spring, with a cap of 2 per Majors division team. The only exceptions will be the ten-year-old children of AAA division Managers. This replaces the policy of requiring parental consent to be drafted into Majors.
3. Slash Hits with Fake Bunts Majors and below. A batter out who first fakes a bunt and then takes a full swing on a pitch will be called out. There will be no warning. This is a safety risk for corner infielders, who can race in to cover a bunt and then face a line drive. It is the responsibility of the coaching staff to ensure that the players are aware of this rule.
4. Regulation IV (i) regarding playing time will be amended to read “each player shall play a minimum of 6 defensive outs (two innings). All players will bat through the order, including those players not currently playing in the field (Continuous batting order). (Adopted 2/16/2023)
5. Run Rule: If a team is ahead by 15 or more runs after 3 innings (2 1/2 home team), 10 or more runs in the 4th inning (3 1/2 home team) or 8 runs in the 5th inning (4 1/2 home team) the losing manager must concede the game. (Adopted 1/16/2024)
6. Time Limits:
a. Majors: There is no time limit on games. Games must start on time. If there is no time to warm up on the field, managers must make other arrangements. Umpires will call games due to darkness and the score will revert to the score held at the end of the previous inning. (Adopted 1/16/2024)
b. AAA:Games have two-hour time limits. No inning may begin after one hour and fifty minutes from the start of the game. Scorekeepers must record the start of the game. If not recorded, the scheduled start time will be considered the start time.
i. Should a game be in progress after sunset, it is the responsibility of the umpires to determine the safety level of available daylight and call the game early if necessary.
ii. Umpires will call games due to darkness and the score will revert to the score held at the end of the previous inning.
iii. Games must start as close to on time as they can. If there is no time to warm up on the field, managers must make other arrangements. (Adopted 1/16/2024)
7. There is no on-deck circle, therefore players and equipment should not be on the field except while actively engaged in the game. Equipment will be kept in a designated area near or as close to the dugout as possible and in an orderly fashion, but off the field of play.
8. The only offensive personnel allowed out of the dugout are the batter, two base coaches with helmets (both base coaches may be an adult coach or manager as long as there is one player with one of the adult base coaches, wearing a helmet is optional for the coach/manager). There must always be at least one coach or manager in the dugout at all times and there may only be up to one manager and one coach on the field at any time
9. The pitcher will be removed upon the fourth visit to the field by the manager to the same pitcher, or three visits in one inning to the same pitcher. Managers may go to the mound after requesting and being granted timeout from the home plate umpire. No adults are allowed on the field, except umpires, at any time, which includes between innings, except to respond to an injured player. Adult coaches must remain close to the dugout openings or in designated coaching box areas. NOTE: Only one offensive time-out will be permitted each inning.
10. Pitching eligibility is based on number of pitches and days rest as outlined as referenced on the Little League’s Pitching Rules Web Page. Please familiarize yourself with and observe all pitching rules in the Official Little League Rulebook.
11. While warming up the pitcher during the course of the game (relief or replacement pitcher), catchers must wear a helmet, mask with throat guard and cup. The pitcher and spotter must wear batting helmets. The spotter must be facing the field of play and be between the pitcher and the batter. Managers and coaches can warm up the pitcher on the field. (Adopted 2/16/2023)
12. There is no special “must slide rule”. The rules will be enforced as stated in the rule book. Keep in mind that “obstruction” rules may apply in some of these close plays, or unsportsmanlike conduct for running into a player. Note: a player that has safely reached a base may dive back to the same base headfirst.
13. The home team will:
a. Use the first base dugout.
b. Provide the impartial official scorekeeper.
14. BOTH teams will:
a. Ready the field for play.
b. After the game BOTH teams will return all gear to the proper storage and rake the field.
c. Provide snack bar workers, two from each team when SLV teams play each other or 3 from the SLV team when playing interleague. Note: Home Team will work the BBQ. (SNACK BAR WORKERS MUST BE PRESENT 1/2 HOUR BEFORE GAME TIME). No children under the age of 14 will be allowed to work in the snack bar
i. No team may take the field until snack bar workers are present. A delayed game will not get extra time added due to lack of snack bar workers.
d. CLEAN UP TRASH AROUND FIELD AND BLEACHERS AFTER EVERY GAME.
15. No excessive defensive coaching during play.
a. Excessive defensive coaching will be determined by the umpire as that which causes a distraction in the opposing batter, or is distracting to base runners, umpires, or offensive coaches’ communication with players. Umpires will give a defensive coach a warning, but continued excessive defensive coaching can result in a manager’s ejection.
i. The intent of this rule is to in most every instance let the players determine the proper defensive play.
16. NO ARGUING WITH UMPIRES AT ANY TIME. Only a Manager (or acting manager) may request time or ask for an appeal (2017, green book). The appeal is made to the umpire who made the call. That umpire MAY make an appeal to the other umpire. If the umpire refuses the appeal, no further discussion is allowed. If the manager wants to discuss a call with the umpire, he must ask for a time out and be granted a time out before any discussion is to take place. If a manager feels that a call is in violation of the rules (judgment calls excluded) he/she must state the intention of protest as outlined in the rulebook and continue the game with no further discussion of the matter. This restriction on managers only calling time out for purposes of discussion with the umpire does not prevent a coach from requesting time to give a batter instruction, which is an acceptable reason.
17. No manager or coach may leave the dugout area or the coaching box to discuss an umpire’s call. A manager must first ask for and receive a “time out”.
18. There are no dogs allowed on school property or at any facility where dogs are clearly prohibited. Dogs are permitted at a game or practice provided they are 1) Leashed, and 2) Kept clear of traveled walkways and paths. Failure to clean up after one’s dog or abide by the above-mentioned rules will result in a revocation of allowing dogs at Little League games.
19. Poor sportsmanship by managers, coaches, parents, and/or players, derogatory language towards an opposing team or towards a player on the manager’s own team, or harassment of players will result in a warning, followed a second time during a game, by forfeiture of the game. Chatter (e.g. "hey batter, batter" or "pitcher has a rubber arm") especially designed to disrupt, at any time is not permitted by players, coaches or parents. It is the manager’s responsibility to inform their parents of this.
20. Standings: In AAA and Majors, standings will be kept for the entire season however only Intraleague games will apply towards the End of Season tournament seeding. (Adopted 11/1/2023) At the end of the season, all teams will qualify and be seeded for a tournament that will determine SLVLL’s representative to the District 39 Tournament of Champions. Every effort will be made to conduct the tournament as a double-elimination tournament. Weather or field availability may reduce the tournament to a single-elimination. If two teams are tied for a seed, a tie breaker will be 1) head-to head results, and 2) coin flip. In a three-way tie, head-to-head will be used to advance at least one team.
21. Courtesy Runners (Majors Only): Courtesy runners may be used for Pitchers or Catchers. The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last recorded out. A courtesy runner can only be used when there are 2 recorded outs during the half inning and only used after the Pitcher or Catcher has completed their entire at first bat and returned to the dugout (i.e. hits and scored, out, walked then out and inning ends ect). (Adopted 1/16/2024)
22. Dropped Third Strike (2012). Majors will use the updated dropped third strike rule, clarified in the 2017 Little League Rules Book. AAA (2012) will NOT use the dropped third strike rule and therefore on any dropped third strike in AAA, the batter will be out.
23. Batter’s Box:
a. After entering the batter’s box, the batter must remain in the box with at least one foot throughout the at bat except for the following scenarios:
i. On a slap swing attempt.
ii. When forced out of the box by a pitch.
iii. Attempting a “drag bunt”
iv. When the catcher does not catch the pitched ball.
v. When a play has been attempted.
vi. When time has been called.
vii. When the pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound or
viii. takes a position more than five feet from the pitcher’s plate after receiving the ball
ix. The catcher leaves the catcher’s box.
x. On a three ball count pitch that is a strike that the batter thinks is a ball.
Penalty:
If the batter leaves the batter’s box or delays play and none of the exceptions apply, the umpire shall warn the batter. After one warning on a batter, the umpire shall call a strike. Any number of strikes can be called on each batter.
NOTE: The batter may return their position in the batter’s box and assume the new count at any time during the at-bat, unless such enforced penalty is the third strike.
24. SLVLL promotes a scholar-athlete identity where we encourage appropriate behavior on and off the field. Participation in SLVLL is a privilege not a right. Therefore, a student who has been disciplined at school and placed on a school suspension will be ineligible to return to SLVLL (practice or games) until their suspension has concluded and they have completed 1 academic day. It is the responsibility of the player’s parents/guardians to notify the Manager of their player’s school suspension and the responsibility of the Manager to enforce this rule once they have been given knowledge of the player’s school suspension. (2023)
Winning is secondary to the concept of sportsmanship, fair play and the instruction of the fundamental skills and rules of baseball. Managers and coaches who continue to lose sight of this fundamental goal will be dismissed and replaced by those who don't.
Remember, we are here to facilitate a good time, a love of baseball, to teach and to demonstrate the kind of behavior we wish our children to model in society. Please try not to forget this during the course of a game.