1 ESCONDIDO NATIONAL 2016 LITTLE LEAGUE
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. GENERAL/MISC A. League Board of Directors, Officers, and Committees B. Miscellaneous Issues II. REGULATIONS AND RULES BASEBALL A. Line-Ups B. Scorekeepers C. Games Schedules D. Field Preparation and Clean-up E. Board Member on Duty F. Practices G. Disputed Actions H. Selection of All Star Teams & Players I. Majors and Minor A Seasons J. District 31 - Tournament of Champions (TOC) K. ENLL City Tournament, Mid-City Tournament and Minor B In-House Tournament III. JUNIORS DIVISION 13-14 Year Olds IV Intermediate 50/70 11-13 Year Olds V. MAJORS DIVISION 9-12 Year Olds VI. MINOR A DIVISION 7-11 Year Olds VII. MINOR B DIVISION 7-10 Year Olds VIII. ROOKIES DIVISION 5-7 Year Olds IX. TEE-BALL DIVISION 4-6 Year Olds
3 The Little League Operating Manual and Little league Official Regulations and Playing Rules are the guiding documents for operations of Escondido National Little League (ENLL) and thus govern all practices. The address Escondido National Little League specific administrative policies, changes to the Operating Manual and Little League Official Regulations and Playing Rules based on Little League approved waivers and/or more stringent requirements adopted by the Escondido National Little League Board of Directors (BOD). A. Line-ups: Juniors, Majors, Minor A, Minor B Divisions 1. Starting line-ups must be provided to the scorekeeper by managers before the start of the game by the respective manager and shall be distributed to each team at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the game. 2. All position changes and substitutions throughout the game are given to the umpire who will give them to the scorekeeper before the change can be made. 3. If a player who is marked absent reports late, the umpire is notified immediately. 4. We are using bat around in all divisions (except Juniors), which means all players on the bench are in the lineup. Even if a player is not there or going to be late, put them last on the lineup and if they don t show up, inform the umpire and scorekeeper. No out will be recorded for skipping a player. Base coaches shall not leave their dugouts until the pitcher has completed their preparatory pitches to the catcher. B. Scorekeepers/Pitch counter: Juniors, Majors, Minor A, Minor B Divisions 1. The home team provides the primary scorekeeper and the visiting team provides the pitch counter (Juniors, Majors, Minor A and Minor B [2nd half]). 2. The scorekeeper prepares an accurate record and playing status of each player in the Official Score Sheet. The pitch counter will keep the official Pitch Count Record Log provided in the snack bar. The scorekeeper is also the official time keeper of the game and will use the time clock. 3. The scorekeeper will have the manager sign the book and pitch count log at the end of a game. This signature means that the pitch count as well as the infield/outfield play time is correct. C. Games Schedules: 1. The BOD sets the date and time for all games, including, but not limited to suspended, makeup, playoff, and tournament/championship games. 2. Managers may not change the date or times set for games, or set a date or time to continue a suspended game. 5. All games postponed due to rain will be replayed on the next available day. Games must be made up in the order that they were postponed..
4 D. Field Preparation and Clean-up 1. Preparation of the field is the responsibility of the Home team and must be completed before the scheduled start of the game. The home team ensured the field is properly lined and the visiting team is responsible for the bases. 2. General post game cleanup, policing of playing field and spectator areas, and putting equipment and material away is the responsibility of Visiting Teams under the direction of the team managers. E. Board Members on Duty The Board Members on Duty represents the Board of Directors, and acting in this capacity, presides over all field activities other than games in progress, which are presided over by the Umpire on the field. F. Practices 1. The league informs the managers of school sites for practices 2. Practices on ENLL fields require approval of the Division s Commissioner. 3. Practices and games may not exceed a combined total of 5 per week for Juniors or Majors, four (4) per week for Minors, 3 per week for Rookies and 2 per week for T-Ball. A practice shall not exceed two and one-half (2-1/2) hours. G. Disputed Actions Any issue or conflict arising during a game that involves LL Rules is the responsibility of the umpire. The umpires ruling is final and the game will continue. If a ruling by an umpire is in conflict with the LL rules and it is not corrected, the manager has the right to protest the rule interpretation. The umpire should instruct the scorekeeper to document in the scorebook the rule and place in the game the issue arose. Play will continue from that point. Issues that do not involve LL Rules are resolved by the following steps: 1. The managers of the teams involved make every effort to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution. 2. If the managers are unable to resolve the issue, they address the problem to the Board Members on Duty. 3. If involving the Board Members on Duty fails to achieve a resolution, the issue and the parties involved are referred to the President of the league. 4. If the issue still cannot be resolved then it will be presented to the BOD for resolution. The board s resolution is final. H. Selection of All-Star Teams & Players 1. Up to five All Star teams can be chosen to represent Escondido National Little League. 2. The 13-14 year old All Star team will consist of a minimum of twelve (12) players chosen by the Manager and coaches in Juniors. 3. The 11-13 year old All Star team will consist of a minimum of twelve (12) players chosen by the Manager and coaches in Intermediate. 4. The 11-12 year old All Star team will consist of a minimum of twelve (12) players to be chosen by the players and managers of the Majors Division. Six (6) players shall be voted on and selected by the Majors players. All Majors players will be provided a ballot and will each cast six (6) votes. Players cannot vote for any player on their own team. The Six (6) players
5 receiving the most votes shall automatically make the All Star team. The remaining players will be chosen by the All-Star Manager. 5. The 10-11 year old All Star team will consist of a minimum of twelve (12) players chosen by the All-Star Manager. 6. The 9-10 year old All Star team will consist of a minimum of twelve (12) players chosen by chosen by the All-Star Manager or (If time permitted) a tryout attended by all league age 9 and 10 year olds interested in participating All-Stars. 7. If a team loses a player after the selection of the All Star teams, the team s manager, with the approval of the Board of Directors, will select the replacement player. Replacement players will not be taken from other All Star teams. 8. Each All Star manager will be selected by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. 9. All Star coaches for each team will be selected by the manager and will require approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. I. Majors and Minor A Season 1. League play shall consist of a full season. If interleague schedule is played, all games versus interleague opponents will count toward regular season standings. 2. If there is a tie, if time permits, there will be a one (1) game playoff to determine the winner. Time permits means there is sufficient time to play one game with a rest period of at least two calendar days before starting a post-season tournament. The winner will be the league champion and the runner up will get second place. Third place will go to the team with the best record If time does not permit, tie breakers used below will determine first and second place. 3. At the end of the season, if there is a tie for first place, there will be a one game playoff if time permits. If no playoff game is possible, and two teams tie for a position, a tie breaker shall be used to determine the winner. The tie breaker order will be as follows: a) Head to Head record between the tied teams b) Least runs allowed Head to Head between the tied teams c) Coin flip 4. If three or more teams tied for a position a tie breaker shall be used to determine the seed in the tournament. Once a team breaks from the tie the tie breaker resets to the remaining teams (a) section. The multi team tie breaker order will be as follows: a) Head to Head record between the tied teams b) Least runs allowed Head to Head between the tied teams c) Draw Straws 5. Interleague games do count toward the standings. J. District 31 Tournament-of-Champions (Majors) 1. The team participating in the District s Tournament of Champions (TOC) will be who finishes in first place. 2. The regular season standings determine who represents ENLL at the TOC. 3. Tournament schedules will be determined after the regular season. 4. Pitching eligibility: pitch count and days rest days will reset on the first day of the tournament. 5. ENLL BOD with input from major s coaches will determine if ENLL participates in the TOC. K. ENLL City Tournament, Mid-City Tournament and Minor B In-House Tournament 1. The first place Majors team will get the right to choose whether to play in the TOC or City Championship. Second place will participate in the other tournament. The third place team will compete in the Mid-City Tournament. For Minor A, first place will play in the Escondido City Tournament, while second place will play in the Mid-City Tournament. 2. for the park you are playing at apply in the Escondido City and Mid-Cities Tournaments.
6 3. For Minor B, all teams will play in an end of season Escondido National Classic Tournament. Seeding is determined via a random draw. 4. The home team for each ENLL Tournament Game will be determined by a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss can choose home or visitor. The coin toss shall be completed no later than 30 minutes BEFORE the start time of the game. The coin shall be conducted and supervised only by Board Member. ONLY managers can represent the team during the coin toss. In the event that a manager is not present for the coin toss (no later than 30 minutes before the start of the game), the coin toss shall be nullified and the manager present shall have the right to choose. 5. All other ENLL apply in the ENLL Tournament. III. JUNIOR DIVISION 13-14 Year Olds A. If a game is rained out, or called before it has become a regulation game, the Divisional Representative will schedule the game to be played or resumed at the first available open date. B. If a team does not have enough players to start a game, the game is postponed. C. We will be playing interleague games. D. There will be no ten-run "mercy" rule for junior s games. E. The Juniors division will follow LL Rules regarding substitution. Base Coaches shall not leave their dugouts until the pitcher has completed their preparatory pitches to the catcher. F. In the event a game being played (must have completed one inning, but less than four) is suspended due to weather, light failure, etc., the game will be rescheduled by the Junior Division Director to be played on the first available date. All suspended games rescheduled under this rule will be played to a total regulation 7-inning game if time permits. Failure for a manager to field the team on the make-up game day assigned will be reviewed by the Board of Directors and action will be taken up to a minimum one game suspension of the manager. G. There will only be one game on a weeknight. On Saturdays there may be 2 games. There are no time limits for Juniors games. H. On-Deck batters are allowed in the Juniors Division. I. On lighted fields, the lights go out automatically at 10 p.m. IV. INTERMEDIATE DIVISION 11-13 Year Olds A. If a game is rained out, or called before it has become a regulation game, the Divisional Representative will schedule the game to be played or resumed at the first available open date. B. If a team does not have enough players to start a game, the game is postponed. C. We will be playing interleague games. D. There will be no ten-run "mercy" rule for junior s games. E. The Intermediate Division will follow LL Rules regarding substitution. Base Coaches shall not leave their dugouts until the pitcher has completed their preparatory pitches to the catcher. F. In the event a game being played (must have completed one inning, but less than four) is suspended due to weather, light failure, etc., the game will be rescheduled by the Junior Division Director to be played on the first available date. All suspended games rescheduled under this rule will be played to a total regulation 7-inning game if time permits. Failure for a manager to field the team on the make-up game day assigned will be reviewed by the Board of Directors and action will be taken up to a minimum one game suspension of the manager. G. There will only be one game on a weeknight. On Saturdays there may be 2 games. There are no time limits for Intermediate games. H. On-Deck batters are allowed in the Intermediate Division. I. On lighted fields, the lights go out automatically at 10 p.m.
7 V. MAJORS DIVISION 9-12 Year Olds A. Every player on a team must complete minimum play according to the little league rule book. (Regulation 4 IV (i) and rule 3.03). Teams shall bat in a continuous batting order. The batting order may not change during a game. The signed scorebook is the official record of minimum play requirements. B. We will be playing interleague games. Local rules apply at the fields you play at. It is up to the manager to find out about these rules. C. Managers and Base Coaches shall not leave their dugouts until the pitcher has completed their preparatory pitches to the catcher. D. On lighted fields, the lights go out automatically at 10 p.m. (per Escondido City Ordinance) E. The Game 1. Have fun!! 2. There must be a minimum of nine (9) players per team to play a Majors game. Umpires will wait for 15 minutes past the posted start time as it appears in the official ENLL schedule. Per Little League rules, managers are not permitted to recruit players from the Minor A division. 3. A teams at bat ends when they have 3 outs. A new inning begins once the third out is recorded. F. Home Team 1. Occupies the 1st base dugout. 2. Prepares the field for play; sets up the bases 3. Takes infield/outfield for practice ten (10) minutes prior to game time. G. Visiting team 1. Uses the 3rd base dugout. 2. Takes infield/outfield for practice twenty (20) minutes prior to game time. 3. Puts away the bases and cleans up the field. VI. MINOR A DIVISION 7-11 Year Olds A. Every player on a team must complete minimum play according to the little league rule book. (Regulation 4 IV (i) and rule 3.03). Teams shall bat in a continuous batting order. The batting order may not change during a game. The signed scorebook is the official record of minimum play requirements. B. No new inning can start after two hours. All games will be considered official for the standings regardless of the number of innings played. If the inning in progress is not complete or the home has not gone ahead, the official score will revert to the score at the end of the last completed inning. Games will not be continued unless it is a tie. Managers are encouraged to keep the game moving. If it is determined a manager has delayed the game in order to gain an advantage or win, he will be suspended for the next teams game. On lighted fields, the lights go out automatically at 10 p.m.
8 C. A maximum of five runs can be scored by a team in each half inning. The fifth run shall immediately complete the half inning. Additional runs beyond the fifth will be allowed ONLY in the event of an outside the-park home run or ground-rule double. The five run limit will NOT apply after the third inning. D. Home Team 1. Occupies the 1st base dugout. 2. Prepares the field for play; sets up the bases 3. Takes infield/outfield for practice ten (10) minutes prior to game time. E. Visiting team 1. Uses the 3rd base dugout. 2. Takes infield/outfield for practice twenty (20) minutes prior to game time. 3. Puts away the bases and cleans up the field. VII. MINOR B DIVISION 7-10 Year Olds A. Teams shall bat in a continuous batting order. The batting order may not change during a game. The side will be retired when there have been three outs or when all players on the roster have batted one time in the half-inning. (See LL Rule 5.07) B. Either three outs (3) outs or five (5) runs shall complete a half-inning. C. Any pitcher who hits three (3) batters in one inning or four (4) batters in one game shall be removed from the position. Batters hit by a pitch must take their base. New pitchers are allowed no more than 8 warm up pitches, and returning pitchers are allowed no more than 5 warm up pitches. D. Infield Fly Rule shall not be in force until kid pitch starts. E. Minor B will play on Saturdays during the first half of the season and after Spring Break, will then have a mid-week game in addition to their Saturday game. No new inning to start after 1 hour and 45 minutes. F. Home Team 1. Occupies the 1st base dugout. 2. Prepares the field for play; sets up the bases. 3. Takes infield/outfield for practice ten (10) minutes prior to game time. G. Visiting team 1. Uses the 3rd base dugout. 2. Takes infield/outfield for practice twenty (20) minutes prior to game time. 3. Puts away the bases and cleans up the field. H. Batters 1. All players in attendance will bat in the assigned order. Teams shall bat in a continuous batting order. Once the starting lineups are exchanged between the teams, any player showing up to play will be added at the end of the batting order. The batting order will remain fixed throughout the game.
9 2. We will not be using any special pinch-runners. If a pinch-runner is needed for injury, the player who made the last out in the previous inning will be used as a pinch-runner. If that player is on base, the other team s manager will make a selection. 3. A team is allowed to substitute freely in the field, except the pitcher's position. A player may exit and re-enter the game without restrictions. The batting order will remain unchanged by field substitutions. 4. The batter must wear a helmet. 5. No on deck batters. 6. Any player who throws a bat on purpose will be ejected from the game. No warnings. I. Pitchers 1. Minor B will use the pitching machine during the first half of the season and kid-pitch during the second half of the season. Prior to each season the BOD will elect to use machine pitch and then kids pitch or just machine pitch for the entire season based on the overall skill level of the division. 2. No person under the age of 18 is to use the pitching machine. 3. During use of the pitching machine, the batter receives 5 pitches. Wild pitches do not count toward the 5-pitch count. A batter is entitled to a 6th pitch if the 5th pitch is hit foul. If a batter fails to hit the 5th pitch his or her turn at bat is over. It does not count as an out, (outs are earned defensively) and the next player is up. No walks on balls and no bunting. 4. The speed setting for the pitching machine must be within the 32-38 mph range. Each team manager should advise the Pitching Machine Umpire of their preferred setting within that range; however, the Pitching Machine Umpire shall choose the specific speed setting to be used during the game and will make any other adjustments that he or she believes are required to produce a trajectory which will result in a flat pitch. 5. Pitches from the pitching machine, which are, missed swings and foul balls will be called strikes. No balls will be called and no walks will be awarded. 6. A ball hit into the pitching machine is an automatic single and a dead ball. All runners advance one base. VIII. ROOKIES DIVISION 5-7 Year Olds This division is an instructional division. Any manager or coach who keeps score and/or makes the game into a win-lose situation may be removed from his position by agreement of the Board of Directors. A. Games will be five (5) innings or one hour and twenty minutes. B. No new inning will begin after 1 hour and 15 minutes of playing time. Exception: For games played on Saturdays, the game will end at 1 hour and 30 minutes of playing time. An inning starts the moment the third out is made completing the preceding inning C. Every player on a team must complete minimum play according to the little league rule book. (Regulation 4 IV (i) and rule 3.03). D. The first half of the season, as indicated on the league schedule, shall be Coach Pitch. The remainder of the season shall be Machine Pitch. a. During Coach Pitch, the following rules apply: i. The batter will be allowed five (5) pitches to hit a playable ball. ii. There will be no called strikes. However there are swinging strikes. iii. Following three (3) swinging strikes, the batter shall be called out. iv. If the player fails to hit the fifth pitch, the player shall return to the bench but it is NOT an out.
10 v. If the fifth pitch is fouled off the batter is allowed another pitch. A foul ball will not count as the final pitch. b. During Machine Pitch, the following rules apply: i. The batter will be out after three (3) called or swinging strikes. ii. If the player fails to hit the fifth pitch, the player shall return to the bench but it is NOT an out. If the fifth pitch is fouled off the batter is allowed another pitch. A foul ball will not count as the final pitch. iii. The manager or coach of the offensive team shall umpire the bases from behind the mound. E. No walks are allowed F. Intentional bunting is prohibited G. Teams shall bat in a continuous batting order. The batting order may not change during a game. H. Either three outs (3) outs or one time through the batting order I. Managers and coaches shall umpire and govern games. J. No Infield Fly Rule shall be declared. K. No base stealing is allowed. L. No runner may advance after a fielder returns the ball to the defensive pitcher in the pitching area at the conclusion of a play, even if the pitcher misses the ball thrown by the fielder. NOTE: Returning the ball to the pitcher does not stop any play in progress. M. If the runner is over halfway to the next base when the ball is declared dead he may advance to that base. If he is less than halfway, he must return to the previous base. N. Each team is allowed ten (10) defensive players, using four (4) outfielders. All four outfielders must be positioned in the outfield grass and may not be used to make what are normally infield plays. O. Any batted ball that directly and inadvertently hits the coach-pitcher will be declared a dead ball and the batter runner will advance to first base. All other runners will not advance unless forced to do so. P. If the coach-pitcher hits the batter with a pitch, the batter is not awarded first base. Q. A runner may advance only one (1) base upon an overthrow to any base. R. Managers are allowed a maximum of three (3) official registered coaches on the field during a game. S. There are no protests, forfeits, official scoring or official standings. IX. T-BALL DIVISION 4-6 Year Olds A. Field Decorum 1. Managers and coaches may stand near batters and defensive players to offer advice, but not interfere with play. B. Game Preliminaries 1. Managers and coaches may act as umpires. It is recommended that offensive coaches be stationed at first and third bases to advise base runners. Defensive coaches may be located in the same general area, but should remain several feet beyond the bases so as not to obstruct the runner s view of the base coaches. C. Rules and Regulations 1. Placement of players to team rosters is the responsibility of the Player Agent. 2. Each team should have a minimum of seven (7) eligible players ready to play at the scheduled starting time. Players who arrive late are immediately placed on the field their team is playing defense. 3. Each team plays all players on the field in conventional defensive positions. If desired, an additional outfielder may be placed on the grass.
11 4. Before the ball is hit, all infielders, except pitcher and catcher, are positioned no closer than two (2) feet in from the base lines running between first base and second base, and second base and third base. All other players are positioned in the outfield. Before a ball is hit, all outfielders must be at least three (3) feet behind the start of the outfield grass. 5. Defensive positions of players may change at any time during the game. 6. Every player present at a game bats in a continuous batting order. The batting order may not change during a game. Each player will bat every inning. Players who arrive late are added immediately to the bottom of the line-up and the opposing team manager is notified of the additional player. 7. All runners thrown out at a base, tagged out, or out on a fly ball will return to the dugout. 8. After the ball is batted fairly, the ball continues in play until the ball is returned to the pitcher s mound and is held there. 9. Base runners stay in contact with the base until the ball is hit. No lead-offs or stealing. 10. No Infield Fly Rule shall be declared. 11. Catchers are stationed at one corner of the backstop until the ball is hit. After the ball is hit, the catcher may assume a position at Home Plate. 12. A game should be 4 innings or one (1) hour whichever comes first. 13. Practices and games are not to exceed a combined total of three (3) per week (Monday through Saturday). A practice should not exceed one and one-half (1-1/2) hours. 14. There are no protests, forfeits, official scoring or official standings in Tee-Ball. 15. This is an introductory instructional league. Any manager or coach who keeps score and/or makes the game into a win-lose situation may be removed from his position by agreement of the T-ball Division Commissioner and the League President.16. No manager, coach, adult or child shall pitch to a Tee-Ball player during a game in the first half of the season. This rule is specifically intended to prohibit coach pitch, kid pitch and/or machine pitch at any time in the T-ball program. 17. The following subsections describe the Tee-Ball playing rules: a) The ball is hit off a batting tee. b) When all defensive players are in proper position, the defensive manager indicates to the offensive coach that the team is ready. The offensive coach places the ball on the tee and says, Play! c) It is the responsibility of the batting coach stationed near home plate to remove the batting tee and bat after each hit. d) Batting coach stands back away from the batter until the ball is hit. e) Foul balls are called the same as conventional baseball. f) Coaches should use restraint in advancing base runners. A single for an infield hit and a double for an outfield hit are appropriate. Beyond that, bases should not be awarded by any defensive errors so prevalent in Tee-Ball.