1. BYA Board meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Anyone interested in the BYA program is welcome to attend the first hour of any regular Board meeting to ask questions, iron out any problems, or offer any help. If there is an issue that requires attention before then, see your team’s League Rep.

2. No player may practice or play with a BYA team without:

• a signed medical release form
• a signed registration form
• a copy of their birth certificate provided to the BYA

3. All Players 8-16 will wear only hats, shirts, pants, and socks that are issued by the league. Players should also wear batting helmets provided by the league, however individually purchased batting helmets may be used, if they are cleared by the Equipment Manager prior to being used. A player must have on the complete uniform issued by BYA in order to participate in a game. If a player doesn’t have a complete uniform on, that will player will sit on the bench in the dugout for that game in order to be eligible to play in the next game.

4. All baseball 8-15, and softball 8-15 league teams:

• All Cal Ripken and 12U & 16U Softball teams will implement a rotating batting order for regular season and playoff games.
• All Cal Ripken and 12U & 16U Softball teams will implement free substitution for regular season and playoff games.
• All players will play a minimum of 3 innings in the field in a defensive position. Any player who is not given this opportunity will start the next game. Upon the second offense, the manager will be suspended from the team’s next game. Upon the third offense, the manager will be suspended for the balance of the season. The penalties for second and third offenses may be appealed to the Board of Directors. A waiver to this rule must be cleared through your League Rep and the opposing manager must be notified prior to the start of the game.
• Players may take practice swings in the enclosed on deck cages only.
• Any player, 10 to 15 years old, ejected from a game for any reason will be required to serve a one game suspension. The suspension shall be served by the player at the team’s next game while in uniform and on the bench.
• No player, 9 to 15 years old, may play on more than one age group team in any season (regular season, all-star season, summer season).

5. There will be no smoking or use of any tobacco products on any field or in and around any dugouts at any time during games or practices.

6. Anyone climbing fences, throwing rocks, climbing on the roof of the equipment building, fighting or engaging in any activities detrimental to other people or the BYA facilities will be asked to leave the premises. If they are a member of a team, they will be suspended from their team’s next game. Any adult who verbally or physically abuses a manager, coach, umpire, or player during or after a game, will be asked to leave the premises. If this happens during a game and the individual(s) do not leave, then the team they are there with will forfeit the game. If it happens after a game, the individual(s) will not be allowed to come back the team’s next game.

7. Rained out games will be made up in the week they were originally scheduled, if at all possible. The League Coordinators are responsible for rescheduling the games.

8. The managers with Board members at the fields, shall be the sole judges as to whether a game shall be started because of unsuitable weather. All games scheduled will be played or none will be played, on fields A through D. The umpires shall be the sole judge as to whether and when play shall be suspended during a game because of unsuitable weather, or the unfit condition of the field. No practices will be allowed if games have been canceled because of unsuitable weather.

9. Weekday games begin at 5:45 p.m.

10. All 10-12 games: The HOME team shall occupy the first base dugout and setup the field. This includes raking around home plate, pitcher’s rubber, and bases to fill in any holes, lining the coaches’ boxes, and setting the bases. The home will also be responsible for keeping the scoreboard up to date. After the game, the home team is responsible for raking the infield, returning all bases, numbers, electric scoreboard controller, rakes, etc. to the equipment building. Please look around the fields when you return the equipment to the shed. If there are no other teams on the fields, make sure to lock the shed. There are three doors to lock:

• the overhead door to the equipment/locker area
• the bathrooms 
• the side door where the bases and rakes are stored 

Locks should be left in the hasp after being opened, so that they’re available for lock up time and not lost. Please also make sure that the golf cart is plugged into the wall outlet for battery recharging.

11. The visiting team will have the field for practice up until 15 minutes before game time, and then the home team will have the field until game time. There is to be NO infield batting practice during these times.

12. Each team, except T-ball, will be scheduled to help in the concession stand up to twice during the season. It is the team’s responsibility to provide two people to help the concession volunteers in the stand for that night. No one under age 16 is permitted in the concession stand. If the two people are not in the concession stand 30 minutes prior to game time, then their team will not be allowed to take the field for pre-game warm-ups. If they are not in the concession stand by game time, the game will not begin.

13. The home plate umpire runs the games and makes the final decisions.

14. There will be a two-hour time limit on all regular season games, with the exception of tie games. No new innings will be started after two hours from the start time. A tie game may be continued beyond the two-hour time limit at the discretion of the home plate umpire only. Playoff and championship games will be exempt from this rule as they must be full length and have to be played until there is a winner. Playoff and championship games are played under Tournament rules.

15. No rule books are allowed on the field.

16. Only the Manager of the team can speak with the umpires about any part of the game or to protest a call during the game.

17. No managers or coaches are allowed outside of the dugout opening and to the home plate side of the opening while an inning is in progress at the Umpire’s discretion.

18. There will be a limit of 7 runs per inning by any team competing in the 8-12 baseball and softball. After the seventh run scores there are automatically 3 outs. The 7 run rule will not be in effect for the sixth inning or any extra innings. After a game becomes official, a 15 run mercy rule is in effect.

19. Pitchers are limited to pitching 10 innings per week in 10-12 softball. A week is considered as Monday through Sunday. The exception to this rule is playoff games where tournament rules are used.

20. Slash bunting is not allowed in Cal Ripken or Rookie Baseball play. The BYA Board has adopted the new State rule that governs both District and State Tournament play. Any player that slash bunts will be ejected from the game. The play is dead and the batter is out. The coach/manager will also be ejected if he/she instructed the player to slash bunt. If a player attempts to bunt and then swings away after the infielders charge is considered to have slash bunted. The rule is based on the safety of the defensive players and will be applied to all regular season games, including playoffs.

21. All 10-12 year old teams must use 2 adult base coaches.

22. The Managers of both 10-12 year old teams will sign off on each others score books after each game, verifying the innings pitched by the opposing pitchers for that game.

23. If an umpire ejects a manager or coach for any reason, the manager or coach will be required to appear before the Board of Directors as soon as possible to explain his or her actions. A second ejection is cause for dismissal or suspension as determined by the Board of Directors.

• Cal Ripken tournament play only: If a player is ejected and there are no eligible players to enter the game, the opposing manager will select a player from the ejected player’s team to re-enter the game to replace the ejected player.

24. All teams will participate in the playoffs. All tie games will be played as a new game at the end of the season if the outcome of the game would affect the league standings and playoff seeding. Tiebreakers are as follows:

• head to head
• playoff game

25. Managers are responsible for the previous year’s players to be signed up on or before the regular sign-up days. Any player signing up after the sign-up period may be placed in a player pool and made available for the entry draft.

26. Any problems with players or parents that the manager cannot resolve should be brought to the attention of their League Rep.

27. All Star Manager nominations for the 9U, 10U, 11U, and 12U Cal Ripken teams and 10U and 12U Softball teams will be submitted by the League Rep for Board approval at the Board Meeting in May. Please notify the League Rep prior to May 2, 2007 if you’d like to be considered for a managerial position. Managers will be notified of the Board’s decision by May 4, 2007. Each All-Star Manager will have the responsibility of selecting their own coaches, but these selections must be submitted for Board approval by May 15, 2007. The All-Star Manager must schedule and hold a minimum one all-star tryout. The All-Star Manager may approach prospective players immediately after being approved by the Board. The decision to field all-star teams at the 9 & 11 year level will be determined on an annual basis.

28. The All-Star teams will start practicing on May 21. However, all players must honor their commitment to their league team before participating in any All-Star practices.

29. All-Star managers have to make sure they have team pictures taken for the yearbook. See the Equipment Manager.

30. Managers will be responsible for coordinating uniform distribution and return with the Equipment Rep.

31. All team trophies won by All-Star teams will be turned into the Board of Directors. They will be presented to the team sponsors.

32. The Regular Season first place team and the Playoff Champions in 10-12 softball and baseball will receive individual trophies unless a team wins both the regular season and playoff championships. One trophy will be awarded under these circumstances.

33. Only 1 trophy will be awarded per team on Awards night. No special awards. No exceptions!