2017 FALL BASEBALL
LAKE WYLIE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
COACH PITCH DIVISION
ARTICLE I
Regulations and Policies
SECTION 1. ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY.
The Lake Wylie Athletic Association (LWAA) adopted a “Zero Tolerance Policy” for all coaches, players, spectators, and other persons. No profanity, fighting, heckling, threats, or alcohol will be tolerated.
Result: you will be banned indefinitely from all LWAA sponsored activities and facilities.
SECTION 2. OFFENSES AND PENALTIES.
A. Designated team representatives and coaches are responsible for the conduct of themselves, team members, and other appropriate representatives at all times.
B. Conduct. Conduct which may be interpreted by a staff person or game official as threatening to the administration or control, of the contest, including constant complaining,
heckling, and bickering will result in immediate ejection from the contest and playing facilities for an amount of time deemed necessary by the league officials. Abusive Language.
No person involved in any league activity or facility will be allowed to use profane, vulgar, excessively loud, or abusive language.
Failure to comply will result in immediate ejection from the contest and playing facility for an amount of time deemed necessary by the LWAA.
C. Alcoholic Beverages. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on LWAA property nor at LWAA sponsored activities and events, including dugouts, parking lots, restrooms, etc.
No person having the discernible odor of alcohol about his or her person will be allowed on LWAA property or at League sponsored activities and events.
Failure to comply will result in immediate ejection from the contest and removal from the premises for an amount of time deemed necessary by the league.
Anyone associated with a youth or adult team that is found with alcoholic beverages in the parking lot, dugouts, restrooms, etc. is in violation of the law and will result in the entire team being removed from the premises
for an amount of time deemed necessary by the League.
D. Fighting. Fighting in any form by any person involved in any league activity or facility will not be tolerated. Fighting shall be defined as “an act or attempted act of violence by one person towards any other person, including
physical abuse and thrown objects.”
SECTION 3. SUSPENSION WILL OCCUR AS FOLLOWS CONCERNING FIGHTING AND THREATENING.
A. Threatening a game official, participant, spectator, or representative of the League will result in immediate ejection from the contest and a one-year suspension from all league sponsored activities and facilities.
B. Physically striking or attempting to strike a coach, player, or spectator will result in immediate ejection from the contest and a one-year suspension from all league sponsored activities and facilities.
C. Physically striking or attempting to strike a game official or representative of the league will result in immediate ejection from the contest and a permanent suspension from all league sponsored activities and facilities.
SECTION 4. SCHEDULING.
A. All regular season and post-season games will be scheduled by the LWAA. Games will be scheduled Monday through Saturday. Practices may be scheduled on Sundays. This is up to each individual coach.
B. Every effort will be made to schedule games around conflicting dates (such as school functions, etc), provided that coaches notify staff prior to scheduling preparations.
Once the schedule is made, no changes will be made without the approval of the LWAA Commissioner. Our schedule encompasses YCAA and LWAA children (about 500-600 families),
so it is not always possible to accommodate everyone.
C. Fall baseball does not have a required number of games. We will attempt to play 8 regular season games and participate in a double elimination tournament between participating organizations.
Weather and other factors will play a part in this.
SECTION 5. CANCELLATION AND MAKE-UPS.
- The Lake Wylie Athletic Association will make every effort to play all games if reasonably possible. Coaches may call, text or email the commissioner regarding any weather cancellation. If a decision has not been made,
teams should report to the field and the official will make the decision. In the case of inclement weather, we will attempt to have a decision made by 4 PM. Sometimes conditions do not allow for this.
2. A game may be delayed, postponed, or cancelled due to lightning, heavy rain or poor field conditions. (Decisions made at the discretion of the Referee/Recreation Staff).
· Should a game be delayed during play due to cloud to ground lightning, there will be a 15-minute delay from the last cloud to ground strike. The game shall resume play at the point in which the delay occurred.
· Games interrupted due to weather or any other reason will be rescheduled and finished from the point of interruption, if less than one (1) inning has been completed the game will be rescheduled and replayed
3. The commissioner will contact the head coach only in the event a game is cancelled or postponed. Coaches should contact their players concerning postponed/cancelled games.
4. All cancelled games will be rescheduled by the host organization at the earliest possible date and reschedule dates are final. Both coaches will be notified of the new date, time, and location, which may include Wednesdays,
Fridays, Saturdays, and any other days that games are not normally played. Officials will be arranged by the host organization.
5. In the event of a large number of cancellation, LWAA may have to reschedule games on Saturdays or at the end of the regular season schedule.
SECTION 6. PROTESTS.
D. Protest Procedure.
1. Head coach must call time-out to halt play.
2. Notification of intent to protest can be made only by the team head coach.
3. The protesting Head coach must immediately notify the head umpire and all scorekeepers of the intent to file a protest.
4. The head umpire and coach should make sure that the scorekeepers keep accurate records of the protest time and game situation (batter, count, runners on base, etc.).
5. File an official, written, protest with the protest committee ([email protected]), along with a $50.00 protest fee, no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the time of the protest. In the event the game is scheduled on a Friday or
Saturday, the protest and fee must be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. the following Monday in which the protest occurred.
6. The protest will be reviewed and an appropriate ruling will be made as quickly as possible by the protest committee. Protest committee will include commissioners from both participating organizations if the game involves both
organizations and the umpires for the game will be consulted. If the protest only involves LWAA teams, the LWAA commissioners will review the protest and the umpires will be consulted as well. All parties involved will be notified
by the protest committee of any decision reached.
7. Protest Fee. A fifty-dollar ($50.00) fee shall accompany each and every protest filed. Should the protest be upheld, the fee will be refunded to the person who provided the fee.
Should the protest be rejected, the filing fee will be retained and placed in the General Operating Fund of the LWAA.
E. Filing Procedure. Protests filed must be typewritten and contain all of the following information:
1. Date, time, and location of game.
2. Names of umpires and scorekeepers.
3. Rule in question.
4. Location of rule in Little League rule book.
5. The protested decision and circumstances surrounding the protest.
SECTION 7. MANDATORY PLAY RULES.
Every rostered player present at the start of a game will participate in each game for a minimum of six (6) defensive outs and bat at least one (1) time. For the purposes of this rule, “six (6) defensive outs” is defined as:
A player enters the field in one of the nine defensive positions when his/her team is on defense and occupies such position while six (6) outs are made; “bat at least one (1) time” is defined as:
A player enters the batter’s box with no count and completes that time at bat by being retired or by reaching base safely.
Penalty: The player(s) involved shall start the next scheduled game, play any previous requirement not completed and meet the requirement for this game before being removed.
The Head Coach (if in attendance) or acting Head Coach shall for the:
· First offense---receive a written warning.
· Second offense---a suspension for next scheduled game.
· Third offense---a suspension for remainder of the season.
*Note 1: If the violation is determined to have been intentional, a more severe penalty may be assessed by the board of directors. However, forfeiture of the game may not be invoked.
*Note 2: There is no exception to the mandatory play rule unless a game is shortened for any reason. (Ex: Mercy rule, weather situation)
SECTION 8. PLAYER POOL (PULL UP RULE)
- In the event that a team will be not have enough players to field a minimum roster for any reason, to avoid forfeits teams will be allowed to fill their roster to the minimum roster size (nine (9) with players from within the league.
- Intermediate and Minors will be allowed to fill their rosters to the minimum size with participates from a pre-selected pool of players from the Minors division.
- Permission to use this policy must be given to a team by the LWAA commissioner who will inform any participating organizations of substitute players.
- Any coach substituting players not authorized by the commissioner will be
SECTION 12. TIES
In the event two or more teams are tied at the conclusion of regular season play, the following steps could be taken to break the tie:
- Head-to-head competition; the record between the two or more teams will be considered.
- Point spread between the two or more teams; an examination of the final scores between the two teams will be considered.
3. Fewest runs allowed; an examination of the final scores for ALL regular season games will be considered.
4. Coin toss.
ARTICLE II
Rules
Section 1. The Game-In General.
- All players must be registered with the LWAA
- No player can turn nine (9) years of age before August 30, 2017 (Exceptions can be made based on the safety of our players).
- The home team shall furnish three baseballs and the visiting team shall furnish two baseballs for all regular season games. All baseballs used during the course of the game must be approved by the umpire.
- The home team will occupy the first base dugout. (Both teams are required to keep a scoreboard)
- Every effort will be made to have one (1) umpire present at all games including regular season and post-season games. However, the game shall be played if no umpires are present.
A parent may be called from the stands as a last resort.
6. The LWAA will be responsible for recording the win/loss of games
7. Batting line-ups must be exchanged by the teams no later than ten (10) minutes prior to the scheduled game time. All players present for the game must be in the batting order. Teams will use a continuous batting order for the entire game.
In the event a player is injured, the opposing team official scorer will be notified and said player will be out for the remainder of said game with no penalty in the batting order.
Each team must notify the opposing team official scorer of any line-up changes.
8. Umpires have the authority to clear each field at least five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the game. If the second game is a late start, then the game will begin as soon as possible after the first game has concluded.
9. Coaches are to instruct their players to hustle on and off the field at all times.
Section 2. The Playing Field and Equipment.
A. Baselines shall be sixty (60) feet.
B. A coach of the batting team will pitch to his/her team.
C. There will be a twelve (12) foot diameter circle pitching area. The center of the circle will be forty-six (46) feet from the back edge of home plate.
D. Five (5) ounce-nine (9) inch baseballs will be used for all game play.
E. Bats may be made of wood or other approved material not to exceed thirty-three (33) inches in length or two and one-quarter (2 ¼) inches in diameter. No big barrel bats will be allowed during game play.
F. Helmets: Must be worn by any offensive player on the playing field. Face guards are optional.
G. All catchers must wear full catcher protective equipment during game play. The catcher may use a fielder’s glove or catcher’s mitt. The catcher must be in the catcher’s box and in the squat position when the ball is pitched.
H. Steel cleats will not be allowed during game play.
Section 3. Regulation.
A. The completion of six (6) innings or seventy-five (90) minutes constitutes a regulation game (no new inning can begin with five (5) minutes or less).
B. Mercy Rule: A team is winning by ten (10) runs after both teams have completed four innings (three and one-half innings (3 ½) if the home team is winning) constitutes a regulation game.
C. If the game is tied at the end of a regulation game, the game will be declared at tie. The “International Tie-Breaker Rule” will apply during the post-season tournament.
*International Tie-Breaker Rule: each team starts the inning with the player who completed the last official at bat as a base runner on second base and with one (1) out.
Only one extra inning of International Tie-Breaker game will continue in post-season play until a winner is decided.
D. Games interrupted due to weather or any other reason will be rescheduled unless three (3) innings have been completed (home team must complete their half of the third inning).
E. All decisions made by the umpires are final.
Section 4. Live Ball and Timeout.
A. The ball becomes live, once the batter puts the ball into the field of play by hitting the ball with the bat. Runners may not advance or leave their occupied base until the ball is hit by the batter.
B. Timeout must be granted by the umpire for the ball to be considered dead.
C. Timeout may be called by the umpire when:
1. Any player has possession of the ball inside the pitcher’s circle and request the umpire for timeout.
Or
2. After each play comes to a natural end. (Example: Lead runner has abandoned any effort to advance further)
D. If a base runner is past the halfway mark between the bases, when timeout is granted by the umpire, the runner will be awarded the next base. If not, the runner will return to the previous base.
Unless forced to advance by a trailing runner.
E. If a player is struck by a thrown or batted ball and in the opinion of the umpire, the impact of the ball striking the player is sufficient enough to injure or incapacitate the player, the game will cease. At that point, immediate
attention will be given to the injured player and all runners will advance one base if the umpire feels the runners would have advanced to that base had not an injury occurred. Play will resume only when the umpire declares.
Section 5. Inning.
A. We no longer use the 8th batter rule. We now have a 5 run limit rule per inning. As soon as the 5th run scores, the half inning is over.
Section 6. Batter.
A. The batter will be allowed five (5) pitches before being called out (there will be no strikeout or walk). On the fifth (5th) pitch, the batter must put the ball in fair play or they will be called out.
B. The batter cannot bunt. A bunt is defined as an obvious attempt by the batter to bunt the ball, including but not limited to “squaring to bunt.” The batter shall be warned if the batter does not make contact,
the batter will be called out if the batter makes contact and the ball will be dead.
C. The batter cannot sling the bat. The batter shall be warned on the first offense, the batter will be called out on the second offense and any offense thereafter.
Section 7. Runner.
A. The runner cannot slide into first base. The runner will be called out for sliding into first base.
B. The runner cannot slide head first into any base. The runner will be called out for sliding head first into any base.
C. The runner cannot lead off or steal any base. The runner will be called out for leaving the base before the ball reaches home plate or the batter makes contact with the ball.
D. The runner will be called out for running past a base without touching the base.
E. A three (3) foot chalk line perpendicular to the base path will be drawn halfway between first base and second base, halfway between second base and third base and halfway between third base and home plate.
When the ball is declared dead, the runner will advance to the next base if they are past the halfway three (3) foot chalk line and the base is unoccupied.
F. It is mandatory that a courtesy runner is used for the catcher when there are two outs. The courtesy runner is last player that has been called out, even if it occurred in the prior inning.
Section 8. Pitcher.
A. Definition of Terms:
1. “Coach-pitcher” is the offensive coach who operates the pitching coach for the players on his/her team.
2. “Player-Pitcher” is the defensive player playing the pitching position, except he/she does not pitch to the batter.
B. The Coach-pitcher shall pitch from anywhere within the pitching circle to his/her team. One foot must be inside the circle at all times.
C. The Coach-pitcher shall squat down on all batted balls, so as to minimize being a distraction to the defensive team. He shall remain within the pitching area unless required to move to avoid interference.
D. The Coach-pitcher shall not touch a batted or thrown ball until the ball is declared dead. Interference will be declared at the discretion of the umpire. If the coach-pitcher intentionally interferes, the ball will be declared dead and the batter
will be out. If the coach-pitcher unintentionally interferes, the ball will be declared dead and the pitch will be replayed.
E. The Coach-pitcher may encourage the batter, but cannot instruct or coach while on the field. This shall be deemed as unsportsmanlike conduct. The coach-pitcher will not be allowed to call time out to talk to offensive players or other
coaches. If the defensive team calls time out, the Coach-pitcher will be allowed to talk to offensive players and other coaches during the time out.
Section 9. Defense.
A. Each team will play ten (10) defensive positions and every player must play at least every other inning in the field (no player shall sit in the dugout two (2) consecutive innings).
B. All outfielders must be positioned at similar radius and must be positioned on the grass.
C. There will be no “infield fly rule.”
D. Teams will have the option to use a defense of
1. Five (5) outfielders, no catcher or
2. Four (4) outfielders and one (1) catcher.
F. Infielders are not allowed to play in the baselines or on top of the base with runners trying to advance. All defensive infielders must play even with or behind the bases.
Sections 10. Coaches.
A. Only the head coach may represent or speak for the team.
B. There may be a maximum of five (5) coaches in the dugout at any time during game play. There must be at least one (1) coach in the dugout at all times.
C. Three (3) offensive coaches will be allowed on the field during game play, the “Coach-pitcher” position, first base coaching position and third base coaching position (base coaches may be either coaches or players).
D. One (1) of the dugout coaches may serve as the scorekeeper. If not, the scorekeeper cannot sit in the dugout.
E. Two (2) defensive coaches may be in the field. One (1) in the outfield for player direction and one (1) behind the catcher to assist with the retrieval of pitched balls.
F. One designated parent/coach may be in the dugout to assist with players. This person MUST have a background check on file. No other parents are allowed on the field or in the dugout during games unless a player is injured.
F. Coaches may not touch a player or the ball during live play. If a defensive coach touches a player or the ball during live play, the ball will be declared dead and all runners will advance one base. If an offensive coach touches a base
runner during live play the runner will be declared out. Defensive coaches shall not touch a batted or thrown ball until the ball is declared dead. Interference will be declared at the discretion of the umpire. If a coach intentionally
interferes, the ball will be declared dead and the batter will be out. If a coach unintentionally interferes, the ball will be declared dead and the pitch will be replayed. The coach shall be warned on the first offense, the coach will be ejected
on the second offense. A high five or pat on the back to congratulate a player does not constitute interference.