8U AA Coach Pitch

NOTE: Official baseball rules as currently in use will be the basic set of rules except where changed in the following paragraphs.

Coaches: Three adults will be allowed on the playing field at one time (two base coaches and one pitching coach). A fourth adult must remain in the dugout at all times to watch the players. During regular season play, a coach may be in the outfield behind all players when his/her team is on defense. He may coach the players, but he cannot interfere with the game.

General Rules:

1. A Maximum of 10 players will be allowed to play at one time with up to 4 outfielders allowed to play at once. Outfielders may play no closer than 20 feet from the baseline.

2. Run limit per inning: seven (7). Exception: if a team has scored 6 runs and bases are loaded and an over the fence HR occurs, the team may score 10 runs.

3. A team can start with no less than (8) players, there will be no forfeit if the coach wants to play the game. However, there will be an automatic out each time the ninth player would have come to bat.

4. Time limit: No new inning will start after 1 hour and 20 minutes. An inning starts when the last out is made in the bottom of the preceding inning. Once the last inning has begun, it will be played to its completion. A game can end if a team is mathematically eliminated by the max run per inning rule as stated in #2.

5. Batting Rules: Each team will bat a continuous lineup. If a player has to be removed from a game due to illness or injury, no penalty shall be assessed & this player will be skipped in the lineup. However, once the player is skipped due to injury or illness, he shall not re-enter the game in any fashion. If a player arrives after the continuous batting order has been completed, the player shall be added to the end of the lineup. If the player arrives after the 3rd inning has begun, the player shall not participate in the game.

6. Infield fly rule does not apply.

7. An adult coach of the batting team will pitch to his/her team while batting. Once a coach starts an inning as the pitcher, he/she must finish the inning pitching. The defensive team will place a player in the designated circle at the pitcher position.

8. The player in the pitcher position must have one foot inside the designated 12 foot diameter circle and not any closer to the batter than even with the 46 foot line, and shall not leave the circle until the ball is hit. Center of the pitching circle is 46 feet from the back edge of the home plate. A batting helmet with a face mask must be worn by the player pitcher.

9. Pitches shall be thrown over hand. The coach pitcher must pitch from within the circle. The coach pitcher’s feet must remain in the circle until the pitch is released. NOTE: If one foot is within the circle and any part of the other foot is in contact with the chalk or paint outlining the circle when the pitch is released, the coach will be considered in the circle.

10. No play is dead until the player pitcher has control of the ball inside the circle or the umpire calls time out when a runner is forced to stop and return to a base under the threat of making an out or a play come to its natural end.

11. The coach pitcher shall exit the playing field behind the runner or away from the play when he ball is hit into fair play.

12. Number of Pitches: 5 pitches will be allowed or 3 strikes for each batter whichever comes first. There are no walks. If a pitch hits a batter it counts as a pitch. If the batter does not hit one of the 5 pitches, the batter is out except on the 5th pitch; if the ball is batted foul and not caught (a foul ball or foul tip caught by the catcher is an out.) The batter shall continue batting until the batter (a) swings and misses the ball (b) is put out (c) is called out by the umpire.

13. If a batted ball accidentally hits a coach pitcher, the ball is dead and it will be a no pitch.

14. All teams will bat in the same rotation order. Players arriving late will be entered at the end of the batting order. A player that gets sick and goes back into the game will bat in the same place in the batting order as when they left the game. All players will play ALL defensive outs unless injured, ill or per coaches definition unable to continue.

15. After the first warning to a player for slinging a bat, on the second occurrence, the player will be out.

16. THE ADULT PITCHER COACH CANNOT COACH ANY RUNNER! After the first warning, on the second occurrence this coach will be removed. The removed coach can become a base coach.

17. No base stealing is allowed.
18. No intentional walks are allowed.

19. A pinch runner for the catcher can be used if there are 2 outs in the inning. The catcher must start as catcher the next 1⁄2 inning. The last out must be used.

20. Players are not allowed to bunt. A Batted ball must go beyond the 12 ft. arc from home plate.

Base Running: When a base runner is forced to stop on or return to a base under threat of making an out, the ball is dead. Base runners shall not advance to another base until the ball is batted live by being batted fair or a foul ball being caught in the air.

21. The ball is dead on overthrows to 1st base and/or 3rd base as long as an out attempt is being made. The runner may advance to the next base, provided he/she has already made an attempt to go to the next base. If there is an overthrow to home plate or 2nd base, the ball is still live and in play.

EXCEPTION: If a member of a defensive team caused one base runner to stop or return to a base and then makes a play on another base runner (already in route to another base when the first base runner was stopped) the ball is live and all base runners may advance with a chance of making an out.

NOTE: There are no halfway marks in Coach Pitch. If the runner has left the base before time is called or the ball is returned to the circle, that runner may advance.

22. If the game is tied after regulation time or regulation innings, International Rules will be utilized until a winner is declared.

International Rules: The International Tie-Breaker shall be put into effect once completing the last inning of the tie. The new inning shall begin with the last player to have recorded the last out in the previous inning shall go to 2nd base to start the new inning, the next official batter (and subsequent batters) in the lineup will start at the plate with a 1 ball & 1 strike count (1-1), and the inning will start with one out. The game shall be played until conclusion of a winner or maximum of 2 extra innings. If still tied after 2 extra innings, the game will end in a tie. This rule will not apply in the Championship Games of the league tournament.