Indoor Adult Wiffle Ball Rules

Section I: The Field of Play

• Games will take place on the middle turf at the Community Fieldhouse. Home plate will be placed at the midway point of the east baseline. The dimensions of the field will be clearly marked with bases and cones. • Each baseline will be 41’ long; the pitching mound will be 35’ from the front of home plate. • The strike zone is a fixed position built into the backstop screen. The zone is 20” wide and 30” high; strike zones will be positioned 24 inches above the ground at its lowest point, and will be placed three feet behind the plate. • A batter’s box will not be used; however, a hitter may not stand on the plate or intentionally obstruct the ball on its path to the strike zone. • The field of play takes place between the west curtain and the middle curtain. Any ball that gets behind the west curtain or outside of the netting will be ruled a ground-rule . Any ball in the air against the white part of the west curtain will be ruled a home . The will make a ruling on any ball hit adjacent to the curtain as a or ground-rule double.

Section II: Equipment

• The ball: Only the white baseball size WIFFLE ball will be used for play. These will be provided by the Fieldhouse; personal wiffle balls are not allowed. • The bat: The league will use two different kinds of bats (the difference in the bats will be discussed in the “Hitting” section). • Gloves: Gloves are not allowed. • Gloves: gloves are allowed as a batter or as a fielder.

Section III: Uniforms

• Uniforms are encouraged but not required.

Section IV: Teams

• Rosters consist of up to eight (8) players. A team may comprise of men and/or women. • Changes to the roster will be finalized before the 3 rd week. Any changes that need to be made after the 3 rd week deadline must be approved by the Recreation Coordinator. • A minimum of four (4) players is considered a playable team. A player may only play on one team, unless another team needs a substitute player and the opponent is both aware of the addition and approves the addition. • Defensively, six (6) players will participate: a , , and four (4) fielders. • In case of shortage of six (6) players: o With four (4) players, the catcher will be excluded. A player from the opposing team will sit in as the catcher, but foul balls caught by the catcher will not be considered an . o With five (5) players, the team must provide a catcher • The is the team’s decision, but every player participating in the game (whether as a starter or as a substitute) must be in the batting order. If you show up, you have to hit. This gives extra players a way to participate throughout the game. • Batting out of order is not allowed and the batter in question will be ruled out. • Substituting players in and out of the field of play is allowed and can be done throughout the game. However, a pitcher must face one complete batter before changing positions defensively.

Section V: Pace of Game

• Seven (7) , or 60 minutes, constitutes a complete game. Should the game have to be called due to the 60 minute time limit, the home team will have their full at-bat if losing at that time. • Three (3) outs constitute a team’s turn . • Ten (10) runs are allowed per team at-bat, after which, regardless of the number of outs, the half- ends. The exception to this is in the seventh inning, where both teams can score unlimited runs. • A “mercy” rule is in effect when a team is ahead by 20 runs after three (3) complete innings or ahead 15 runs after five (5) innings. • Tie games after 7 innings will continue to be played until a team wins if time allows. If no time is remaining, the game is a tie.

Section VI: Hitting

• Each at-bat begins with a 1-1 . Four balls is a walk, three strikes is a . • A hit-by- is ruled a ball, unless the batter is hit in the head. This will result in a free base. • Foul balls are unlimited. • Batters must use the wiffle bats provided by the Fieldhouse. • Each inning, the hitting team is allowed the use of the “power–up bat” in ONE at-bat; for all other at-bats in the inning, the team must use the normal wiffle ball bat. • A batter who blocks a pitch from hitting the strike zone will have one strike counted against them. • Switch-hitting is allowed, and the batter may switch sides of the plate at any time in the count. This cannot be done during the delivery of a pitch; in this event, the pitch will be ruled a strike. • A batter may not be standing on home plate during his/her swing and the batter’s stance cannot interfere with the trajectory of the pitch (i.e. cannot be standing in front of the plate) • The hands of the batter are considered part of the bat. • Bunting is illegal and is not permitted.

Section VII: Pitching

• A pitcher must face one complete batter before leaving the mound. • The pitching rubber must have at least one of the pitcher’s feet touching it when the pitch is thrown. If a ball is pitched in violation of this rule, the pitch will be ruled a Ball. • are not recognized. • Warm-up throws are allowed in increments of six (6) each inning. • There is no pitching cap on number of innings pitched. • There are no restrictions on the types of pitches thrown or at what rate of speed. • will use wiffle balls provided by the Fieldhouse. • Batters begin with a 1-1 count; strikes are ruled when a batter misses the ball or when the pitcher gets his/her pitch into the strike zone fixed into the backstop net. • will not pitches, as we have a backstop behind the plate with a fixed strike zone. Catchers are responsible for feeding the pitcher with wiffle balls as needed to keep the game going.

Section VIII: Baserunning

• Stealing is not allowed; baserunners may not lead off and can only leave the base once contact with the ball is made by the batter. • SLIDING IS NOT ALLOWED (for your safety and the safety of the others) • The official will rule “” once the pitcher has possession of the ball near the mound. If the pitcher has the ball and the official deems that the runner(s) is far enough from the base for a play to be made, they will not make the “dead ball” ruling until they consider the play to be over. • Once a baserunner is ruled out, they must leave the baseline and remove themselves from any action as to not interfere with any remaining action. • Standard baseball/ rules apply: force outs and tags are allowed. Players are not allowed to hit runners with thrown balls to gain an out. Just the same, “cross out” rules do not apply.