Glen Rock Little League
Softball Rules and Regulations
These Rules shall serves as a reference for coaches and players participating in the Glen Rock Little League Recreation Softball Program. The Official Little League Softball Rules are the basis for all leagues. Modifications and clarifications used in the various divisions are listed within. These variations are intended to improve the play in each league and to allow greater participation and development of individual players.
I. GLEN ROCK LITTLE LEAGUE MISSION & PURPOSE
The mission of the Glen Rock Little League is to implant firmly in the children of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, loyalty, honesty, courage and reverence, so that they may be finer, stronger, and happier children and will grow to be good, clean, honorable adults.
• Teach your players good sportsmanship from the 1st game. Encourage your players to cheer on their teammates regardless of their ability or skill level.
• Encourage your players but avoid remarks which might be insulting or humiliating to both your players and the players on the opposing team.
• No defensive player should encourage or intimidate a batter to swing at a pitch.
• Take responsibility for parents of your players who do not comply with the Leagues views on sportsmanship.
• Be flexible and compromise on minor technicalities when this is in the player’s interest.
***Glen Rock Little League may impose sanctions against players, managers, coaches and parents who exhibit poor sportsmanship.
The purpose of the Glen Rock Little League is to develop the skills of our young players and to foster an interest in the sport of softball. At all times, please keep in mind the safety of the players and their experience in playing the game. Focus should be placed at all times on safety, sportsmanship and FUNdamentals. To this end, coaches shall:
• Help opposing players and coaches in any they are able to.
• Keep control of the players on the bench.
• Make all players feel comfortable.
• Encourage teamwork and good sportsmanship.
• Ensure that after the game, all players line up and shake hands.
Following a game, all teams must line up and shake hands.
II. GAME PLAY & PROGRESS
A. STARTING TIME:
Evening games on weeknights begin at 6 PM. On weeknights, practice time on the field is 5:30 to 5:45 for the Visiting team, and 5:45 to 6:00 for the Home team. For weekend games, no inning may begin 15 minutes before the designated start time of the next game.
Note for Divisions that have players pitch and/or catch
Coaches are responsible to get the girls on and off the field quickly and limiting in between warm–ups to speed up the game.
• Coaches should limit the number of warm up pitchers (e.g., 4/5 pitches should be sufficient).
• The next inning’s catcher should be removed from the base paths if there are two outs to allow time to put on the equipment.
B. RAIN OR DARKNESS:
The umpire shall determine if the game should be called for rain or darkness.
C. OFFICIAL GAME:
• Minor and Major Divisions – 4 innings constitutes a complete game (3. if the home team is winning), as time/weather permits.
• Juniors – 5 innings constitutes a complete game (4 . if the home team is winning), as time/weather permits.
NO INNING MAY BEGIN AFTER 7:45 PM. If the game is tied after 7:45 PM, the umpire shall consult with both coaches before starting a new inning to determine if there will be sufficient daylight to complete the inning. Should any game be called before a full allotment of innings played (either due to darkness, weather, time or other umpire decision), the final score will revert back to the last played inning. Final score will be upheld regardless of the number of innings played, provided the minimum number of innings has been played to make it an official game. If coaches and umpires agree an upcoming inning will be the final inning due to impending darkness, weather or time issues it must be agreed upon before the first pitch of the inning, allowing a full inning (if necessary to be played). At the first sign of lightening or thunder, fields must be cleared immediately for a period of not less than 1/2 hour. Alternatively, the game may be cancelled in the mutual discretion of the coaches and/or by the assigned umpire for the game.
Mercy Rule: is in effect if one team is winning by 10 runs or more after 4 innings (Home team gets last at bat chance if needed) (3 . if home team is ahead).
III. EQUIPMENT
A. Equipment – The home team is responsible for positioning and removing the bases, collecting and returning the helmets and any other equipment used from the equipment box.
B. Equipment Box – The home team is responsible for ensuring that the equipment box
is locked.
C. Game Ball – The home team is responsible for supplying game balls.
D. Hitters – Players must have a batting helmet on before picking up a bat to warm up.
Only 1 player may be on deck with a helmet on. Players in all divisions with live player pitching (i.e., Minor, Major and Junior divisions) are required to have helmets with a faceguard. Bats utilized must be softball bats that meet Little League specifications and standards as noted in this rule. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick and made of wood or a material tested and proved acceptable to Little League standards. The bat shall be no more than 33 inches (34 inches for Junior/Senior League) in length, not more than two and one-quarter (2.) inches in diameter, and if wood, not less than fifteen sixteenth (15/16) inches in diameter (7/8 inch for bats less than 30 inches) at its smallest part. Non-wood bats shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.20. Bats may be taped or fitted with a sleeve for a distance not exceeding 16 inches from the small end. Colored bats are acceptable. A non-wood bat must have a grip of cork, tape or composition material, and must extend a minimum of 10 inches from the small end. Slippery tape or similar material is prohibited.
E. Pitchers – Pitchers are required to wear a fielding mask.
F. Safety Equipment – Fielding masks are recommended for all players in all divisions above Pee Wee, especially those playing in the infield. Heart guards and other safety equipment are recommended in the discretion of a player’s parent or guardian.
G. Uniforms – Uniforms are required to be worn during the game consisting of the team shirt provided by Glen Rock Little League.
H. Cleats – Metal cleats are prohibited.
I. Jewelry – Jewelry is not to be worn at any games.
IV. FIELD ACCESS / FIELD HOTLINE
Decision on Fields – The decision on whether the fields are usable is made by the DPW. If weather is questionable, call the Field Hotline at 201-251-8494. Each team is responsible for the disposal of any garbage generated by their team/fans. Please keep all playing areas and fields clean!!
V. INJURIES
1. Blood Rule – A player, coach or umpire who is bleeding or who has blood on their uniform shall be prohibited from participating further in the game until appropriate treatment can be administered. If medical care or treatment is administered in a reasonable length of time, the individual will not have to leave the game.
2. Player Injury – A player may be removed from the game at any time because of injury. She may return to the game at any time. If an injured player is unable to bat, no penalty shall be assessed. An injured player who misses an at bat but subsequently returns to the lineup shall assume her original batting order position.
3. Injury Reports – Any injury sustained in a practice or a game must be reported to the Division Commissioner and to Glen Rock Little League Commissioner by filing out the Injury Form. First aid kits will be available in knack boxes at all playing fields.
VI. ROSTERS & LINEUPS
A. Minimum Number of Players to Start a Game
• Tee Ball: No minimum
• Pee Wee: No minimum
• Minors: Minimum of 8 players
• Majors: Minimum of 8 players
• Juniors: Minimum of 8 players
If a team does not have the required number of players 15 minutes after the scheduled start time of a game, a forfeit will be declared unless the coaches from both teams agree to allow less than 8 players to start the game. In the event of a forfeit, an unofficial game should still be played with players borrowed from the other team, as needed, to allow the girls to play ball. Umpires should be asked to stay and call the game. Please make every effort NOT to forfeit any games in any league. The girls should be allowed to play regardless of the number of players who are present.
B. Availability for Games
1. To ensure that teams have enough players for a scheduled game, players/parents are asked to note the player’s availability for a scheduled game on the team’s TeamSnap page. It is critically important that a player’s participation in a game is tracked on TeamSnap, as any player interested in playing in a Little League Tournament must have played in at least 66% of her team’s rec games.
2. Player Eligibility – Players absent from practice or a game without legitimate reason, or who demonstrate poor sportsmanship, may be disciplined by sitting out extra innings from the next game at the manger’s discretion.
C. Lineups & Substitutions
1. Line Ups – For all Minor, Major and Junior Divisions, player’s names shall be listed in batting order and given to the opposing manager before each game. If a player arrives late, she will be place at the end of the batting order. Cinderella batting will be used (all players bat). All players will remain in the stated batting order regardless of field substitutions. Any player that leaves early will be skipped in the batting order without penalty.
2. Substitutions – There are unlimited substitutions and there must be an equal distribution of playing time with exception of the reason stated in
D. Pool Players:
League commissioners in Minor and Major divisions may obtain from coaches a list of players who are interested in filling in for a team in the event that there are an insufficient number of players available for a schedule game. Coaches who reasonably expect to have fewer than 8 players for a scheduled game should notify the league commissioner at least 4 hours before the scheduled start time to check on availability from the pool of available players to play in the game. The pool players will be slotted at the end of the batting order and can neither pitch nor catch in a game, and are subject to the same rules on playing time and positions as the rest of the team.
8. Coaches – Coaches are allowed on the field as follows: Pitching, catching, and one roaming in the field.
VII. UMPIRES
Professional umpires will be used for all Major and Junior Division games. Minor Division games (and Pee Wee playoffs) will be umpired by youth umpires designated by Glen Rock Little League. At all levels, players, coaches and parents are expected to be courteous and respectful to umpires. Any abuse of umpires, verbal or otherwise will not be tolerated by Glen Rock Little League.
VIII. PLAYING RULES
A. Tee Ball
Age Group: The league consists of girls born in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (before 8/31). Game Schedule: Once per week – Sunday mornings
Ball: Tee Ball size balls shall be used as provided by Glen Rock Little League. As the season progresses, coach pitch may be introduced for some portions of the game in the discretion of the coaches.
Pitching: N/A
Catching: To be done by an approved Little League Coach.
Hitting: A batting tee is to be used to help develop good swing mechanics.
Base Running: Base runners may advance a single base on a ball in play. The last hitter in the lineup for an inning will clear the bases.
Game Time (Limit): Games and practices should be no longer than 1. hours. A 30-45 minute instructional period should precede each game. Instruction is the key word and should be given at all times. Keep the games shorter if the conditions are cold, dark, rainy, etc.
Min./Max. of Players Allowed in the Field: All players at the game shall play the field. A normal infield shall be maintained at all times.
Game Play: Unofficial “games” will be played (i.e., no score will be kept). The book is for the lineup only. Games will consist of everyone in the lineup batting once per inning, regardless of the number of outs recorded. If the there is an unequal number of players on each team, both teams shall be permitted to bat the number of players listed on the batting order containing the greater number of players. If a player is out she must be removed from the base.
Coaches on the Field: Coaches are allowed to be on the field at all times to provide instruction to players.
Playoffs: N/A
Misc.:
• No infield fly rule
• No dropped third strike
• Sliding is allowed
• No base runners can run on an overthrow.
B. Pee Wee
Age Group: The league consists of girls born in 2010 and 2011.
Game Schedule: There are typically two (2) Pee Wee Games a week. One weekday game that will start at 6PM and one on Saturday that will be played between 9AM and 3PM.
Ball: 11” Soft-Cushion balls shall be used as provided by Glen Rock Little League.
Pitching: Coach Pitch (pitches should be made from at least 30 feet from home plate).
Catching: To be done by an approved Little League Coach. A coach shall not be involved in any play, except to receive a force out with the bases loaded.
Hitting: A player shall be allowed 8 pitches to put the ball in play. No strikeouts or walks are to be recorded. If the hitter is unsuccessful in putting the ball during live pitching, a batting tee is to be used.
Base Running: There is no stealing allowed. Runners may only leave a base on contact by the hitter. Base runners may advance on the base paths until the ball is in the infield. The last hitter in the lineup for an inning will clear the bases for innings in which outs are not recorded (i.e., the first 2 innings of a game).
Game Time (Limit): Games and practices should be no longer than 1. hours. Teams should dedicate at least 30-minute to instructional/practice time before each game. Keep the games shorter if the conditions are cold, dark, rainy, etc.
Min./Max. of Players Allowed in the Field: All players at the game shall play in the field. A normal infield shall be maintained at all times.
Game Play: Unofficial “games” will be played (i.e., no score will be kept except for playoffs games). The book is for the lineup only. Games will consist of everyone in the lineup batting once per inning for the first two innings of the game, regardless of the number of outs recorded. If an out is recorded, that player should return to the bench. If the there is an unequal number of players on each team, both teams shall be permitted to bat the number of players listed on the batting order containing the greater number of players. Starting in the 3rd inning of a game, outs shall be recorded and teams shall switch sides with the recording of a 3rd out in an inning or upon the entire lineup batting, whichever occurs first.
Coaches on the Field: One coach to pitch to the hitting team. One coach for the team in the field is also allowed to be in the OF to provide instruction to players.
Playoffs: Yes. Teams will be randomly placed in a playoff tournament. Outs and score will be recorded for all playoff games.
Misc.:
• Bases are 50 feet apart
• No infield fly rule
• No dropped third strike
• Sliding is allowed
• No base runners can run on an overthrow
• Tagging up is not allowed
• Bunting is not allowed
• No slash hitting is allowed (fake bunting and then swinging away)
• No leading is allowed
C. Minor Softball
Age Group: The league consists of girls born in 2008 and 2009.
Game Schedule: There are typically two (2) Pee Wee Games a week. One weekday game that will start at 6PM and one on Saturday that will be played between 9AM and 3PM.
Ball: 11” balls shall be used as provided by Glen Rock Little League.
Pitching: Players shall pitch from the rubber placed 35 feet from the back point of home plate. Pitchers must have one foot on the rubber and the other foot on or behind the rubber at the start of each pitch. No crow hopping will be allowed. One foot must be in contact with the ground at all times. In the event a pitcher walks or hits more than 3 hitters in an inning, a coach from the opposing team shall then be allowed to pitch to his players for the remainder of that inning (coach pitches should be made from at least 30 feet from home plate). The pitcher replaced by a coach for the purpose of pitching must remain in the pitcher’s circle for the purpose of fielding any ball hit in play. Under no circumstances may the coach pitcher field a ball. If a pitcher hits more than 2 batters in an inning she shall be removed from the game.
Pitchers may pitch no more than 2 innings per game. Only the starting pitcher may re-enter the game once as a pitcher. One pitch constitutes an appearance and an inning of pitching.
Pitcher conferences: Coach/Pitcher conference – The coach or manager may call one timeout per inning to confer with the pitcher. A second time out must result in a pitching change.
Catching: Yes, players to serve as catchers.
Hitting: A player will either reach base or be retired in accordance with Little League Rules.
The same rules will apply in the event that a coach is pitching.
Base Running: There is stealing allowed, but is limited to 3 attempts per inning. No stealing of home is allowed. Runners may leave the base when the ball crosses home plate. If the catcher attempts to throw out the runner after a pitch, the runner must return to their original base. The runner does not have to be tagged out and a force play is in effect. The runner cannot advance on an overthrow of an attempted pickoff. Catchers are limited to 3 pickoff attempts per inning. Base runners may advance on the base paths until the ball is contained within the pitcher’s circle. Runners will be sent back to previous base if less than halfway to next base. Base runner must slide or attempt to avoid contact going to a base. Fielder interference on a base or blocking base path = runner has right of way to base.
Min./Max. of Players Allowed in the Field: Each team will be allowed to field 10 defensive players. If a short fielder is used, they must be positioned not less the 10’ behind second base at the start of each pitch. A team must have a minimum of 8 players to start a game, unless otherwise agreed to by the coaches. A team may continue to play a game with less than 8 players, if loss is due to injury or illness. All teams must bat their full roster and maintain the original batting order throughout the game.
Game Play and Time Limit: Games are scheduled for 6 innings with 3 outs constituting the end of each . inning. Extra innings is required to break a tie, if time allows. No new inning shall start after 1 hour and 30 minutes. An official game is 4 innings. The losing team must complete their turn at bat in the 4th inning. There is a 4 run limit per inning, except for the last inning. Mercy Rule: 10 runs after 4 innings (3 . if home team is winning). Winning coach is to report final score via TeamSnap within 24 hours.
Playoffs: Yes. Teams will be seeded based on final regular season standings.
Misc.:
• Bases are 60 feet apart
• No infield fly rule
• No dropped third strike
• Sliding is allowed
• Base runners can advance one base on an overthrow
• Tagging up is allowed
• No bunting is allowed
• No slash hitting is allowed (fake bunting and then swinging away)
D. Major Softball
Age Group: The league consists of girls born in 2006 and 2007.
Game Schedule: There are typically two (2) Pee Wee Games a week. One weekday game that will start at 6PM and one on Saturday that will be played between 9AM and 3PM.
Ball: 12” balls shall be used as provided by Glen Rock Little League.
Pitching: Players pitch from the rubber placed 40 feet from the back point of home plate.
Pitchers must have one foot on the rubber and the other foot on or behind the rubber at the 10 start of each pitch. No crow hopping will be allowed. One foot must be in contact with the ground at all times.
Pitchers may pitch no more than 3 innings per game. Only the starting pitcher may re-enter the game once as a pitcher. One pitch constitutes an appearance, and an inning of pitching.
Pitcher conferences: Coach/Pitcher conference – The coach or manager may call one timeout per inning to confer with the pitcher. A second time out must result in a pitching change.
Catching: Yes, players to serve as catchers.
Hitting: A player will either reach base or be retired in accordance with Little League Rules.
Base Running: There is stealing allowed, but is limited to 4 attempts per inning. No stealing of home is allowed. If the steal limit is exceeded in an inning, the base runner will be sent back to the prior base, if called prior to the next pitch in the game.
Runners may leave the base when the ball has left the pitchers hand. If the catcher attempts to throw out the runner after a pitch, the runner may advance one base on an overthrow. A pickoff attempt is a tag play. Catchers are limited to 3 pickoff attempts per inning. A player can advance on a pickoff throw with the exception of home. A runner can only score on a “batted ball” or a walk with bases loaded. (If runners are on first and second and the catchers throws down to first the player on second can advance to third, but will be counted as a steal for the inning.)
Base runners may advance on the base paths until the ball is under control in the pitcher’s circle. Runners will be sent back to previous base if less than halfway to next base.
Base runner must slide or attempt to avoid contact going to a base. Fielder interference on a base or blocking base path = runner has right of way to base.
Min./Max. of Players Allowed in the Field: Each team will be allowed to field 10 defensive players. If short fielder is used, they must be positioned not less the 10’ behind second base at the start of each pitch. A team must have a minimum of 8 players to start a game, unless otherwise agreed to by the coaches. A team may continue to play a game with less than 8 players, if loss is due to injury or illness. All teams must bat their full roster and maintain the original batting order throughout the game.
Game Play and Time Limit: Games are scheduled for 6 innings with 3 outs constituting the end of each . inning. Extra innings is required to break a tie, if time allows. No new inning shall start after 1 hour and 45 minutes. An official game is 4 innings. The losing team must complete their turn at bat in the 4th inning. There is a 5 run limit per inning, except for the last inning. Mercy Rule: 10 runs after 4 innings (3 . if home team is winning). Winning coach is to report final score via TeamSnap within 24 hours.
Playoffs: Yes. Teams will be seeded based on final regular season standings.
Misc.:
• Bases are 60 feet apart
• Infield fly rule in effect
• No dropped third strike
• Sliding is allowed
• Base runners can advance on an overthrow
• Tagging up is allowed
• Bunting is allowed
• No slash hitting is allowed (fake bunting and then swinging away)
E. Junior Softball
• See attached rules governing Junior Softball
IX. PLAYOFFS, CHAMPIONSHIPS & ALL-STAR GAME
• All divisions above Tee Ball are scheduled for at least 12 games – coaches are encouraged to reschedule any postponed game(s) as quickly as possible in coordination with league commissioner.
• All league rules shall apply to post season games unless amended by Division Commissioner in advance of the playoffs.
• All Star Games – All Star Game selection and game format will be decided the Division Commissioner.
