Coach Pitch Rules - Oklahoma Little League State Tournament

OKLAHOMA TOURNAMENT
COACH PITCH RULES
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FIELD DIMENSION: Base Distance 60’, Pitching Distance 35’, Little League Approved Tournament Baseball.
Registered Little League players age 7 and under as of December 31, 2015 can play.
Team Manager/Coach must have a copy of each players’ birth certificate present at the game.
Catcher must obtain Little League approved equipment as defined in General Rule 7.
Players must obtain Little League approved bats as defined in General Rule 8.
A batting order including every player on the official team roster who is present will be made before the game
and used throughout the game, unless illness or injury incapacitates a player. Players arriving after a game
begins will be added at the end of the batting order.
Each player must play 6 defensive outs unless injury or sickness occurs.
A Head Coach can freely substitute defensive players between innings. No substitutions can be made during
an inning unless a fielder sustains an injury/illness which, in the umpire’s judgment, incapacitates that fielder.
The pitching coach must pitch with one foot in contact with the pitching line. He may throw underhand
or overhand and in a standing or kneeling position. The Coach Pitcher can speak to the batter prior to the
pitched ball but may NOT coach the batter or any runners after the ball is hit.
Should a batted ball strike the pitching coach, the ball is ruled dead and the pitch is replayed.
Start time will be determined by the schedule for the field where the game is to be played. A game will have 5
innings unless shortened by time, curfew or weather conditions. All games played will have a one hour and
thirty minute time limit. The next inning begins when the home team has made its third out. Innings begun
must be completed unless it is impossible for one of the teams to win.
The Player Pitcher must remain behind the pitching line until the batter swings at the ball. If the
player/pitcher leaves his position early and contacts the ball in fair territory, the batter is awarded first base and
all base runners will be awarded one base or the result of the play.
Each team may have a maximum of one (1) head coach and three (3) assistant coaches. No other helpers
will be allowed on the playing field during the game. The coaches must remain in the dugout except the two
base coaches and the pitching coach of the offensive team. Base coaches must remain in the coaching boxes.
Coaches of the defensive team may not leave the dugout area unless granted permission by the Umpire-InChief. (Exception: One defensive coach will stand behind the catcher to retrieve passed or foul balls to speed
up the game but may not coach players on the field.)
Each batter will be thrown a maximum of five (5) pitches. Should the batter not hit any of the five (5)
pitches into fair territory, then batter will be declared out. The only exception to this is if the batter hits the ball
foul on his last pitch. The batter will continue to bat until he hits the ball fair or does not hit the ball and so be
called out.
A team may score a maximum of five (5) runs per inning. Runners must touch the bases they are forced to
on any play when the fifth run scores. If the fifth run of an inning should score on a home run hit over the
outfield fence in the air, all runs scoring on the home run shall be counted.
A ten (10) foot arc will be placed around home plate in fair territory. The area inside the chalk line will be
foul territory. The chalk line is fair territory. A ball must be on or beyond the line to be in fair territory. Any
batter, whom, in the umpire’s judgment, intentionally bunts the ball, shall be called out. The ball is dead on
such a play.
The infield fly rule is not in effect.
When a member of the defensive team playing an infield position has control of the ball and, in the judgment of
the umpire, there is a natural pause in play then the umpire shall call “TIME”:
i. The runner must return to the last base he touched if he is half or less the distance to the next
base.
ii. If this rule forces two runners to the same base, the lead runner has the right to the base. The
following runner must return to the preceding base except if he is forced to the next base because
of a batter becoming a runner.
iii. This is a judgment call by the Umpire-In-Chief and may not be contested.
The Umpire-In-Chief shall call “TIME” when play stops.
A safety base will be used at first base. The fielder will use the base in fair territory (white) and the runner will
use the base in foul territory (orange). Once the batter becomes a runner at first, he will use the base in fair
territory (white). The purpose of the safety base is to prevent collisions at first base. There is no penalty if the
batter runner uses the base in fair territory unless a collision occurs, the ruling would be based on either
obstruction, interference or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Base runners may not leave their bases until the ball is hit. Base stealing is not allowed. The penalty for
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stealing is the runner shall be returned to their base of origin. The penalty for leaving a base early when the ball
is in play will be decided according to Little League rules based on the umpires’ judgment of the play.
All teams will use a standard four (4) player infield and a pitcher and catcher and (40) four players in
outfield territory. A total of 10 defensive players.
All players in the outfield must stay behind the 25 foot line marked in the outfield grass. It is the defensive
coaches’ responsibility to assure that no outfielder is in front of this line when play begins.
The infield players must play their positions no closer than the base path line and not play up. No
infielder position can play in front of the baseline during any pitched ball at any time.
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