Boys T-ball Rules Whitley County Youth League Cal Ripken 1) AGE: T-ball is a training league for boys ages 4-6. League age is determined by age as of May 1 of the year in question. Participants must be 4 by April 30th and not 7 before May 1. League age is set forth by Babe Ruth Baseball. No exceptions. 2) PLAYER ROSTER: A suggested 12-man roster with all players placed in the batting order. 3) BATTING: A. Tee ball players will get 3 pitches to bat the ball. If the player hasn’t hit the ball by the 3rd pitch, then the ball will be placed on a tee located at home plate for the player to hit.”All Wee ball hitters will hit the ball from a tee. The tee should be adjusted to such a height the batter will be able to swing level. The ball is placed on the tee by a coach of the offensive team. The batter shall not swing until the umpire- or the coach- calls out “Play ball” after checking to see that the defense is ready. B. All players present for the game shall bat in order, whether playing defensively or not. C. The batter will be allowed to swing until he puts the ball into play. Batters cannot strike out. D. There will be no outs applied for bat throwing. Coaches are expected to teach sportsmanship and safety by expecting players to safely drop the bat after hitting. E. An inning is over when all players have batted. The last batter of the inning, once reaching first base safely, must continue to circle the bases until he or she is either tagged out or scores, either of which will end the inning. F. No stealing or leading off permitted. G. 25-27 inches in bat length is recommended. Bats must not exceed 28 inches in length and 2 ¼ inches in diameter. Bats must be in good repair with adequate gripping on the handle. Wooden bats are not acceptable. H. A soft core baseball is required for play. 4) FIELDING: A. A fourth outfielder and fifth infielder will be placed on the field defensively. Regular infield positions (1B, 2B, 2B, 3B, SS) are stationed three feet in front of and parallel to the base path at the edge of the infield grass –“the infield line.” Infielders may advance over the infield line only after a ball is hit. Defensive players should not block the path of a runner unless making a tag or playing the ball. B. The catcher takes his designated position behind and away from the batter until the ball is hit. A team will have the option of not using a catcher. C. The pitcher must maintain contact with the pitching rubber with at least one foot until the ball is hit. D. Outfielders must be stationed in the grass until the ball is hit. E. Defensive coaches (three (3) max) must maintain a stationary position in the outfield behind the deepest player while the ball is in play. F. Coaches are REQUIRED to move players around to different positions during the course of a game. No player should play the same position for more than two consecutive innings. This now means 11 players have been placed on the field defensively. The extra 12th player is in the batting order and will be placed in the field defensively after the first inning. With each new inning the team coach must rotate the extra player in the field and a new player sits on the bench for the next half inning. Using this concept, no player is permitted to sit on the bench more than once unless special situations warrant such action: usually an injury. This allows all players to take part in almost the entire game. At this age level it is most important players actively participate every moment and not waste time sitting on the bench. IF A PLAYER ON DEFENSE IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION DURING LIVE BALL SITUATIONS, THE COACH, UMPIRE, OR SCOREKEEPER MAY REMOVE THAT PLAYER FROM THE FIELD FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. 5) GAME LENGTH: T-ball games will consist of three (3) innings. An inning will end when all players have batted regardless of outs made by the defense. Games are limited to one (1) hour. Team warm-ups will not be permitted because of time restrictions. GENERAL RULES OF PLAY 1) There is no advancing on an over throw to any base. 2) After a hit, it is a live ball with all runners advancing until one of the following takes place: a) An outfielder plays the ball and throws it or hands it to an infielder, who gets the ball under control within the infield and calls time. b) An infielder plays the ball and returns to the infield with control of the ball and calls time. Once the play stops, runners will be put back on the base they left unless they were over half way there. Coaches will watch the position of the ball and the runners and make the call using their best judgment. GENERAL INFORMATION 1) Coaches are responsible for all league equipment assigned to them. This includes equipment stored at the field and used before, during and after games and practices. 2) Coaches and assistants should wear the team shirt and hat on game day. 3) The coach placing the ball on the tee should move the tee after the hit to allow runners a safe path to home plate. 4) Coaches are responsible for their players batting in the right order. 5) Coaches should keep an on-deck hitter and one in the hole when batting because of time restrictions. 6) If a player misses his/her turn at bat, the order stays the same and that player will not bat until their position in the lineup comes up the next time through. 7) Games must move quickly in order to finish on time. Coaches shall have their fielder positions decided before they take the field. .