CANYON HILLS LITTLE LEAGUE

“AA” Division Local Rules

2008 Spring Ball

Board Approved:  1/11/08

 

 

The “2008 Little League Baseball Official Rule Book” shall be used as the official rules and guidelines for the Canyon Hills Little League.  The purpose of these Local League rules is to establish guidelines in addition to the Little League Official Rule Book and in no way is intended to lessen or supersede those rules.  Final interpretation of a rule shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors:

 

I.          LOCAL LEAGUE RULES

 

A.         Batting order shall consist of all rostered players.

 

B.         If a roster player does NOT start the game, they MUST start the following game.

 

C.        A continuous batting order shall be used for all games (ie., if batter #5 makes the last out in game #2, then batter #6 shall bat first in game #3). The order may be reset at the break for the 2nd half of the regular season.  MANAGERS SHALL POST THEIR BATTING ORDER ALONG WITH THEIR LAST BATTER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING EACH GAME ON THE WEBSITE.

 

D.        The slide or avoid contact rule shall be in effect for all games (Rule 7.08(a3)).

 

E.         Any runner is out when the runner slides headfirst into a base moving forward.  This rule does not apply when returning to a base, such as during a run down.

 

F.         There will be no base stealing allowed during the first half of the season.

 

G.        Base runners may only advance 1 base in the event of an overthrown ball by the defensive team. Only 1 base is allowed per player, per play. No advance to home is allowed on an overthrow to third base.

 

H.         The offense is retired when 3 outs are recorded or when 9 players have batted in an inning.

 

I.          In the event 9 batters are used, the inning concludes when the defense records any out or when a defensive player has possession of the ball and touches home plate, no tag of any player at home plate is required on this play.

 

J.         The only protest allowed must be based on an umpire’s interpretation of a rule and not on a judgment call.  See 4.19 of the 2008 Little League Baseball Official Rule Book.

 

K.         Final interpretation of a rule shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors.

 

L.         Problems or conflicts shall be the responsibility of the Division Vice-President or Player Agent.

 

M.        Managers and/or coaches may NOT warm up the pitchers for their team on or off the field.

 

N.         A player may not pitch more than 2 innings per game, or 6 innings per week.

 

O.       The pitching plate shall be a distance of 40 feet from home plate.

 

P.         After a count of 4 balls, the manager or coach of the team at bat shall pitch the remaining strike count with the umpire calling the remaining strikes. The batter shall either get a hit or strike out, during the 1st half of the season only.

 

Q.        Manager or coach may pitch from the front portion of the mound instead of on top of the mound.

 

R.        The strike zone is over home plate (17" width) and between the batter's armpits and top of their knees. The "AA" strike zone may be expanded by the umpire. The umpire shall notify and review with the managers and coaches PRIOR to the start of the game if the parameters of the strike zone are to be expanded.

 

S.         Ten defensive players may be placed on the field with a regulation infield and a "rover" position in the outfield.

 

T.         No player shall sit out defensively for consecutive innings.

 

U.         Managers and coaches may coach both first and third as long as there is a Board approved volunteer in the dugout.

 

V.         There are no official scores during the 1st half of the season.

 

II.        PLAYER/COACH SAFETY

 

A.         Players MUST NOT wear watches, rings, pins or jewelry of any kind. In the event a medical alert bracelet or necklace is worn, it is to be taped down to the player’s body.

 

B.         A pitcher will be removed from pitching if 2 batters are hit by a pitch from the same pitcher in the same inning.

 

C.                 No manager or coach is allowed behind home plate without wearing full umpire or catcher's gear.

 

III.                  PITCHING RULE

 

A.                  Any player on a regular season team may pitch. (Note: There is no limit to the number of pitchers a team may use in a game.)

 

B.                 The Manager must remove the pitcher when said pitcher reaches the limit for his/her age group as noted below, but the pitcher may remain in the game at another position.

 

League Age           9-10                            75 pitches per day

League Age           7-8                              50 pitches per day

 

Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed above for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until that batter reaches base or is put out.

 

C.                 Pitchers league age 16 and under must adhere to the following rest requirements:

 

·         If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest, and a game must be observed.

 

·         If a player pitches 41 – 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest, and a game must be observed.

 

·         If a player pitches 21 – 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.

 

·         If a player pitches 1 – 20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest must be observed.

 

            A player may not pitch in consecutive games.  Exception: Age 16 and under- A player may pitch in consecutive games if 40 or less pitches were delivered in the previous game.

 

D.                 The official scorekeeper or other board approved game official will be the official pitch count recorder.

 

E.                 The official pitch count recorder shall inform the umpire when a pitcher has delivered his/her maximum limit of pitches for the game, as noted in Section D above.  The umpire will inform the pitcher’s manager that the pitcher must be removed in accordance with Section D.  However, the failure by the pitch counter recorder to notify the umpire, and/or the failure of the umpire to notify the manager, does not relieve the manager of his/her responsibility to remove the pitcher when that pitcher is no longer eligible.

 

F.                  Violation of any section of this regulation can result in protest of the game in which it occurs.  The Manager shall also receive an automatic suspension to be served at the next scheduled game, following notification by the Division VP.

 

G.                 A pitcher may not pitch in more than one game in a day.

 

H.                 The withdrawal of an ineligible pitcher after that pitcher is announced, or after a warm-up pitch is delivered, but before that player has pitched a ball to a batter, shall not be considered a violation.

 

I.                     Pitches delivered in games declared “Tie Games” or “Suspended Games” shall be charged against pitcher’s eligibility.

 

J.                   In suspended games resumed on another day, the pitcher of record at the time the game was halted may continue to pitch to the extent of their eligibility for that day, provided said pitcher has observed the required days of rest.

 

·         Example 1:  A league age 9 pitcher delivers 50 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended.  The game resumes on the following Thursday.  The pitcher is not eligible to pitch in the resumption of the game because he/she has not observed the required three days of rest.

 

·         Example 2:  A league age 9 pitcher delivers 50 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended.  The game resumes on Saturday.  The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 25 more pitches in the resumption of the game because he/she has observed the required three days of rest.

 

·         Example 3:  A league age 9 pitcher delivers 50 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended.  The game resumes two weeks later.  The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 25 more pitches in the resumption of the game, provided he/she is eligible based on his/her pitching record during the previous three days.  Note:  The use of this regulation negates the concept of the “calendar week” with regard to pitching eligibility.

 

K.                 A pitcher who delivers one or more pitches in a game cannot play in the position of catcher for the remainder of that game.  If a player catches at any time during any game, his/her pitch count is reduced to 50 pitches for that game.

 

 

IV.       ELIGIBILITY

 

A.         A player must be league age 7 through 9.

 

B.         A 9 year old may be drafted into the "AAA" division at any time during the season, with the exception of the last 2 weeks of the season.

 

V.         TEAMS

 

A.         No interleague play or practice shall take place.

 

VI.        TIME LIMITS

 

A.         No new inning shall begin after 1 hour and 30 minutes from the scheduled starting time of the game, not when the game actually starts.  Maximum game time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.  This is a “Drop Dead” time. 

NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

B.         Rained out games may be rescheduled by the Director of Scheduling and made up as soon as possible.

 

VII.       MANAGERS AND COACHES

 

A.         Managers and coaches shall acknowledge their respective duties and responsibilities (as outlined in the “2008 Canyon Hills Little League Manager & Coaches Responsibility” handout) by signature and adhere to said duties and responsibilities.

 

B.         The manager shall have the option of having as many Board approved coaches on the team roster as they would like.  At no time during a game shall there be a combined total of more than 3 Board approved volunteers (managers, coaches, etc.) in the dugout or on the field.

 

C.        Both managers are to supply one game ball for each game played.

 

D.        "AA" division shall be umpired by a manager or coach from each of the playing teams or by a board approved umpire. In the absence of a board approved umpire, the defensive manager or coach shall call balls and strikes against the offense. The offensive manager or coach shall call plays made at first and third. Defensive manager or coach shall call second and home plate.

 

E.        Managers will be assessed a $50 deposit in the beginning of the season to ensure that all snack bar duties are met and equipment loaned out has been returned.

 

F.         The team manager is responsible for ensuring their team’s fulfillment of its snack bar related obligations.  General obligations will be supplying workers for snack bar duty.  Failure to meet your team’s snack bar obligation can result in one or more of the following;

 

·         A $25 fee assessed to the manager’s $50 deposit.

 

·         The Manager is suspended for 1 game.

 

·         The Manager is suspended for 2 consecutive games.

 

·         The Manager is taken before Board for consideration.

 

ANY SUSPENSIONS SHALL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY WITH THE 1ST GAME FOLLOWING THE MISSED SNACK BAR ASSIGNMENT.

 

G.        When a manager or coach is ejected from a game, he/she shall leave the field immediately, to a position beyond that field’s outfield fence, and take no further part in that game.  He/she may not sit in the stands and may not be recalled.  Any manager or coach ejected from a game is suspended for his/her team’s next physically played game.  (Rule 4.07)

 

VIII.       SECOND HALF OF SEASON RULES

 

A.         There will be no manager or coach pitching. A player will walk after 4 balls.

 

B.         If the 9th batter is walked or hit by a pitch, that batter is given two bases as will ALL runners on base.

 

C.        The offense may steal 2nd and 3rd base. Only 1 base may be stolen by a player at a time. There is NO stealing of home plate.

 

D.        Scores and standings for the 2nd half of the season will be kept for the purpose of post season tournament seeding only.

 

E.         A game is official regardless of the number of innings played, unless it is suspended due to weather. Scores will revert back to the last completed inning unless the home team is ahead at the time of the game's ending.

 

PENALTIES NOT PREVIOUSLY STATED FOR THESE LOCAL RULES SHALL BE AS OUTLINED IN THE 2008 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL OFFICIAL RULE BOOK.