2017 Fox Valley Youth Baseball League

Transcription

1 1. Player eligibility issues. 17U Division = Ineligible if a player turns 18 years old before May 1, U Division = Ineligible if a player turns 17 years old before May 1, U Division = Ineligible if a player turns 15 years old before May 1, U Division = Ineligible if a player turns 14 years old before May 1, 2017 You can bring up younger players (no younger than age 12) to fill out a roster. A player must turn 12 on or before April 30 th 2017 to be old enough to play. Players selected for each team must come from within their own school district or minor league program; exception is Grand Chute. The high school the player will attend takes priority of which team he will play for. If a player currently attends a parochial school (7 th or 8 th grader), but will attend a public high school, he may play for the public school team if he chooses. The same holds true for a current public school kid who will attend a parochial high school. A current high school student must play for that high school team in our league if that school has a team in our league. An exception is if a parochial school kid wants to play for the public school program he played in growing up and the coach of the parochial school grants him a release. An example is if a kid currently attending Winnebago Lutheran lives in Oshkosh and played for the Oshkosh program in little league. If he wants to play for the Oshkosh West 16U team he can as long as the Winnebago Lutheran coach allows him to. A smaller school/team may use players from a neighboring community as long as the other town does not have a team in our league and also must have FVYBL board approval. 2. All league games are 7 innings. There is a 2:10 time limit. Official start time will be at the first warm-up pitch. No time limit in playoffs. In the regular season, if it s a tie at the time limit, next inning starts with the last out of the previous inning on 2 nd base with one out and a 0-0 count on the batter. Play until there is a winner. Playoff games will continue as normal baseball until there is a winner. 8 warm-up pitches are allowed to start the game. 5 pitches allowed between innings.

2 1 foot must remain in the batter s box, except on foul balls. In the 13U Bob Boots league tournament there will be a 1:30 time limit. The 13U and 14U divisions will start Saturday April 29, The 16U division will start the week of May 29, Five innings constitutes an official game (rain or darkness). Games that are incomplete because of rain or darkness that have not reached the fifth inning will be suspended from the point of stoppage. The game will resume with the exact count, outs, pitcher, etc. at a date to be determined by both coaches. If a game has reached the fifth inning and the home team is winning only 4 ½ innings need to be played, if the home team is losing in the bottom of the fifth inning and weather or darkness forces the game to be stopped before the fifth inning is completed the game is suspended and must be completed from the point. 4. The start time will be 5:30 if there are no lights. Start times can be later if the field has lights. If there are 2 games on a field in the same night, the first game will start at 5:30. The visiting team should get to the field at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the game to allow enough time for warm ups and infield. All games must start with 9 players on the field. If a player then gets hurt or ejected after all the subs have been used, the game can continue with 8 players. When that players spot comes up when batting his spot will be an automatic out. Can t finish a game with fewer than 8 players. That would result in a forfeit. If a DH involving a rain make-up game, the game that is the make-up, will be 5 innings. Regular scheduled game will be 7 innings. If both games are make-ups, still play a 7 and a 5 inning game. Scheduled double-headers are still 7 & 7 innings.

3 5. The use of a designated hitter is prohibited. In all 3 levels of AA you can bat 10 players if you so choose. That player may be substituted on defense freely but must remain in same order. If you only bring 10 players to a game and chose to bat all 10 and a player gets hurt or ejected when that players spot comes up in the order an out will be automatic for that spot. This rule only applies to the AA divisions and 16U A, not 14U A. 6. Team Rosters: 25 player limit in all divisions. The 13U division will be allowed to suit up a maximum of 15 players in a game due to playing requirements. The 13U & 14U rosters must be entered on the USSSA website by Friday April 14 th, The 16U & 17U rosters will be due at a later date. Once rosters are frozen through the USSSA state office, no changes may be made without permission of the FVYBL board. If a town has more then one team in an age division, they must be split evenly; no A & B teams. Exception Division 1 schools (FVA) must abide by this. Divisions may have one AA team and one A team. Please contact the board for exceptions to this rule. Towns are allowed to have one team in the 16U AA Division and one team in the 17U A Division. 7. Playing time: 13U AA division All players in uniform (maximum of 15) must have at least 1 at-bat and play at least 2 defensive innings. 14U AA division All players in uniform must have at least 1 at-bat and play at least 1 defensive inning. 16U AA & 17U A divisions No minimum play rule in any particular game. However, all 16U AA & 17U A players on your roster must get an official appearance in at least 50% of your league games played in order to be eligible for the league playoffs. An official appearance can be pinch hitting, playing in the field of at least one out of a defensive inning, pinch running, etc A courtesy runner is not an official appearance. All 13U AA & 14U AA players on your roster also must play in at least 50% of your games played to be eligible for the league playoffs. Exceptions due to injury, out of town, etc may be made with special permission of the FVYBL board. Starting players who come out of the line-up must re-enter (if applicable) to his original spot in the line-up. In the 13U Bob Boots tournament, due to time limits players need only 1 at-bat and 1 defensive inning.

4 8. Umpire requirements: For 14U AA on up, both umpires are required to be at least 18 years old and they be WIAA Licensed. For 13U AA & 14U A, one umpire is required to be at least 18 and they be WIAA Licensed. All umpire decisions are not appealable. A judgment call can no longer be questioned or argued. Judgment calls are as follows: balls, strikes, safe calls, outs calls, and balks. 9. Cancelled games are to be played in the same week if possible. It is the responsibility of the home team coach to notify the visiting coach and league commissioner of any cancellation and when the game will be rescheduled. If the game isn t re-scheduled within one week, the commissioner will get involved and schedule the game and it may be played on a neutral field. If this becomes an issue, you may lose your deposit check. Please schedule 6 games by May 28 and 12 games by June 25. Rain dates will be May 23 and June 29 so keep those open. 10. The mercy rule. If after 3 ½ innings and the home team is ahead or 4 innings if the visiting team is ahead, the game will end if a team is up by 15 runs. If after 4 ½ innings (home team) or 5 innings (visiting team) is ahead by 10 runs, the game will end. This will also apply in all playoff games. In the Bob Boots tournament, mercy rule will be 12 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, and 8 runs after 5 innings. 11. Base paths in the 13U AA & 14U A divisions will be 80 and the pitching mound will be at /90 for 14U AA & 16U AA & A. A safety base at 1B is mandatory for all 13U AA & 14U A games. If a field does not have a safety base, the team who plays on that field will forfeit the game and the game will not be played. A forfeit also prohibits you from the playoffs. 12. Metal spikes will be allowed at all levels. 13. All batters, runners, catchers, and batboys must wear helmets at all times while on the playing field.

5 14. Pitching limits: All baseball teams at all levels will maintain a pitch count log for all pitchers during the summer baseball season (regular and playoffs). 1) The pitch count is based on the number of pitches thrown to batters during the batter s time at bat. Warm-up pitches allowed before the game, in between innings or allowed by the umpire in case of injury or game delay do not count. 2) Pitches are counted and when the number of pitches reaches a certain level, the pitcher must take off the required days of rest. The maximum number of pitches is 100 for 16U and 17U and 85 for 13U and 14U. Age Maximum Required Days of Rest (Pitches) Number of 0 1 Day 2 3 Days 4 Days Pitches/game Days Days HS MS **No player at any level may pitch 3 consecutive days during league play **Maximum per calendar week for 13U and 14U will be 120 pitches **Pitches still count for call ups and between AA and A games (ex: 30 pitches Mon and Tues, off Wednesday, then allowed only 60 on Thursday max) **Bob Boots tournament will revert back to innings pitched, not pitch count 3) When the pitcher reaches maximum pitches allowed, he may not pitch to another batter. He may only finish pitching to the current batter. 4) The pitching rule applies even though a game is called (ended) by the umpire because of darkness, rain or some other factor before it has become an official game.

6 5) At the pregame meeting, coaches should have a copy of their pitch count log for any questions about pitcher status. Each team will designate a pitch count person for their team. It is recommended (but not mandatory) that a responsible individual be a separate pitch recorder who will also record pitch counts from an area behind home plate. 6) At the end of each complete inning, coaches (and pitch count recorder if present) will meet at a location designated by the team host and/or umpire to review pitch counts. If there is a difference, the coaches must resolve the difference before beginning the next inning. 7) If the counts differ, the following will be used to determine the pitch count: a. If a pitch count recorder is present and two of three agree, the majority will be considered official. b. If a pitch count recorder is present and none of the three agree, the pitch count recorder will be considered official. c. If a pitch count recorder is not present, the home counter will be considered official. 8) At the conclusion of the game, both head coaches and pitch counter if present will sign the pitch count chart. 9) It is not the responsibility of game officials to enforce the pitch count rule. Teams must report violations to the FVYBL board following competition. Violations are considered in the same manner as a team using an ineligible player. The minimum penalty for such violations may result in forfeiture of the game. 15. Balk Rule: No warnings in the 16U & 17U divisions; all balks will be called. In the 13U & 14U divisions, 1 balk warning per pitcher will be given until May 31 st. A balk will be called after the warning. After June 1st all balks will be called without warning. In the 13U & 14U divisions only the obvious balks will be called.

7 16. The infield fly rule will be used in all 3 divisions. 17. Dropped 3 rd strike will be used in all 3 divisions. 18. THE BAT WEIGHT RULE: 16U Division: -3 14U Division: -5 13U Division: No bat will have a diameter less than 2 5/8 and no greater than 2 3/4. The -3 bats must have the BBCOR sticker on them. The lighter bats must have the USSSA sticker on them. It is illegal to roll bats and/or shave bats. Violations will be subject to league sanctions. THE LEAGUE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CONFISCATE THE BAT. 19. Courtesy Runner: A courtesy runner will be allowed for both the pitcher and the catcher. The courtesy runner for the catcher is mandatory with 2 outs. The courtesy runner will be those on the bench that have not been in the game. After all players have been used, the courtesy runner will be the last batted out. The pitcher & catcher must be the position of record. A courtesy runner can only be used once per inning. 20. SLIDING RULE: While there is no sliding rule, any runner who does slide needs to slide directly in a straight line to the base and not through the base. Any slide that does not meet this requirement is to be considered illegal. Penalty: Any illegal slide will be an immediate dead ball and the runner will be called out and runners will return to their original bases. Any malicious intentional contact at any base or home plate, the offending player will be called out and ejected. All other runners will return to their original bases. A pop up slide, while a play is being made at that base, will result in an automatic ejection of the player.

8 21. Fake tags are unsportsmanlike conduct. W.I.A.A. rules state there is to be a warning made to the whole team and the next occurrence will result in an ejection. Consider this as your whole team warning as the Board of Directors is concerned with fair play and the safety of all players and any infraction will result in the immediate ejection of the offending player. 22. Because of the size of the field in the 13U AA & 14U A Divisions the fake bunt slash play will not be allowed. If a player does do this he will be automatically called out and any and all runners will be sent back to their last base as this will be a dead ball play. 23. The home team shall provide 2 new baseballs rated for 13U & above and 1 good used for each game. 24. Lightning Rule We will use the WIAA rule. Once thunder is heard or cloud-toground lightning is seen, then there must be a 30 minute suspension. If lightning occurs during that time, the 30 minute count starts over. If no lightning in 30 minutes, you may resume play. There are no exceptions to this rule. 25. League playoffs and the Bob Boots tournament seeding tiebreakers: All Divisions 1. Head to Head 2. Total defensive runs against all teams 3. Run differential (max + / - 8) 4. Coin Flip ALL TEAMS MUST PLAY 100% OF THEIR GAMES TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PLAYOFFS. This rule may be waived by the league due to circumstances such as above normal rain during the season. In all AA divisions the top 8 teams will make the playoffs with the 4 highest seeds having home field advantage in the first round. In the 2 nd round, the higher remaining seed in the matchup will be the home team. 1 st round will be Monday July 18 th, and the semi-finals and finals will be Wednesday July 20 TH. The rain dates will be Tuesday July 19 TH and Thursday July 21 ST. The

9 13U championship game & 3 rd place game will be in Hortonville. The 14U & 16U semi-finals and championship games will be at USA Complex with FVL and Appleton North each hosting a semi-final game. There will be no 3 rd place game for 14 s & 16 s. When we have 2 divisions at a level, the top 4 teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs. When we have 3 divisions at a level, the top 2 teams in each of the 3 divisions will make the playoffs, plus 2 wild card teams which will be the next two best records regardless of division they play in. For the 13U AA, 14U AA, and 14U A divisions, we will need at least 8 teams in an age group to make another division. So at least 16 teams will mean 2 divisions and at least 24 teams will mean 3 divisions. The 17U A and 16U AA divisions will most likely have only one division. The K-Town Classic will be held on July in Kaukauna. This singleelimination tournament will determine the 14U A and 17U A divisions. All the usual pitching rules will apply for playoffs. 26. Playoff game umpires: The umpire-in-chief will schedule all the umpires for the playoffs. The league will pay $100 per playoff game for umpires for 13/14/16U divisions. We will play $120 per game for 17U. The league will supply new baseballs for the playoff games. The league will pay $90 per game in the Bob Boots Tournament. 27. Standings & website updates: This process will be updated. 28. Poor sportsmanship by coaches, players, parents, and fans will not be tolerated and may result in an ejection from the premises League fees: $275 per team. There will also be an additional deposit of $150 per organization that will only be cashed if a team drops out of the league or refuses to play a game. Please post-date the deposit check to July 31 st. If you choose to buy baseballs and/or insurance through USSSA, that fee is in addition to the above fees.

10 30. 13/14U Class A specific rules a. Must bat the whole line-up. No penalty if a player has to leave a game for any reason like an injury. 2 defensive innings minimum per player are required. b. 6 runs per inning limit. The exception is an over-the-fence homerun, and then all runs count. The 7 th inning is unlimited runs. c. -5 or -8 ½ bats may be used. 54 /80 field d. 13 s and 14 s will be mixed on the teams. e. Kaukauna will host a single-elimination tournament July to determine the league champion U A rules a. A team may bat either 9 or 10 players. You cannot bat the whole roster. An out will be accessed if a player has to leave a game and you have no replacements when his time comes up to bat. b. 8 run limit per inning. Over the fence homerun will count all runs. c. -3 BBCOR bats must be used. d. A full 60 /90 field will be used.