T-BALL 5 AND 6 RULES

The objective of T-ball at all levels is to generate games with action for all players.  The more action that occurs in a game, the more fun the players have.  The more fun the players have, the greater the likelihood that players will return to play the following season.

General Rules;

Two innings constitutes a complete game.  No game should take longer than 1 hour and to complete. Coaches are encouraged to keep games moving at a fast pace.  You can increase the pace of a game by:

·        Have a defensive plan in place before the game begins so there are not lengthy delays between innings

·        Be sure your players are ready to hit off of a tee by having a coach in the dug out reminding them of key batting rules that you have taught in practice(ie. hands together, spread your feet, ect)

No score or league standings will be kept.

Sixty-foot base paths will be used.

The Fair Ball Line is defined as a 15-foot radius drawn between the first and third base lines. Coaches should agree on this spot before the game begins.  When a fair ball is batted, the batter and runners should advance a maximum of one base. 

Molded rubber cleats, sneakers or all-purpose shoes may be used.

All players must wear VCBS-issued T-shirts, caps, baseball pants and socks.  Caps must be worn forward while players are on the field of play.  Coaches will require players to tuck their shirts in.

Batting Rules;

All hitting will be done off a tee for the entire year.  There will be no coach pitch in TBall

Any batted ball that does not cross the Fair Ball Line is a foul ball.  When a foul ball is batted, runner′s retreat to their respective bases and the batter will make another attempt to hit the ball.

After a batter has hit the ball off of the tee, The tee shall be removed when runners are proceeding towards home plate.

Coaches may adjust the tee for the batter and place the ball on the tee, but not touch the batter during the swing.

No bunting, stealing or leading off of bases.  A player may not leave a base until the ball crosses home plate.  If a player leaves early there is no penalty.  Coaches should be instructing players in the correct procedures. No sliding is allowed.

The offensive team may have 3 adult base coaches and one supervisor of the on deck batter.

Any player inadvertently throwing a bat following a swing should be educated as to the dangers of throwing a bat.  Continued cases of throwing a bat following a swing may result in the removal of the player from the game. Any player intentionally throwing a bat in anger shall be removed for the remainder of the game.

All batters, runners and on deck batters must wear a batting helmet. 

All players present at game time will be in the batting order.  Players arriving after the game starts will be placed at the bottom of the batting order.

If the batter or runner is declared out by rule, the runner(s) stay at their base(s) as if they were safe

When a batter hits a fair ball, the ball remains alive until the batter and all runners have advanced one base.  Runners will stop after they have advanced one base.  The batter should be taught to over-run first base.

When the last batter hits a fair ball, he shall advance to 1^st base, 2^nd base, 3^rd base, then home.  Fielders should remain on the field until all runners, including the batter, have scored.

Fielding Rules;

All players will play in the field.  The standard defensive alignment is 2 pitchers and everyone else spread out.  The pitchers:

·        Will be positioned one on each side of the pitcher′s mound. 

·        They should be positioned at a distance far enough from the batter so their safety is not jeopardized.

·        Must pay attention to the game since they′re so close to the batter.  From this we can draw the conclusion that all players are not ready to be pitchers until the coach feels they can pay attention to the batter.

·        Must wear helmets in the field

Multiple coaches are allowed in separate locations of the outfield to assist the defensive team.

Players must rotate defensively.  No player shall play in the same position for more than 1 inning in a game and preferably will rotate 1-2 times per inning.  The more players rotate the more they learn different skills.

If the offensive team has a good hitter, the coach should move the tee back towards the backstop to give the fielders extra time to react to a sharply hit ball.  This is for the safety of the fielders.