1. Eligibility Players must live in or attend school within the ISD #831 area. Players must play at their own grade level or higher. 2. Rosters Rosters must be maintained by each area coordinator during the season in case of questions or violations. Players added by teams without registering with FLAAA may cause fortifier of games and/or disqualification from tournament play. 3. Forfeits Occur if: a. An unregistered player is used. b. A team fails to appear at the game site by 6:45 p.m. c. A player of the same age group, registered to another team or a player from an older age group is used. d. An umpire refuses to wear a mask: no warning no exceptions. The team supplying the umpire shall forfeit. e. Zero tolerance on any rules that are abused, this will result in a forfeit. DO NOT Occur if: a. A team has seven (7) or more players. b. A team is using a registered player from a lower age group to fill their roster. 4. Home Team Duties a. Provide a new game ball. b. 3rd thru 6th grade, provide an umpire if the scheduled umpire does not show for the game. c. Set the ball diamond. d. Cancel games due to weather conditions by 5:30 p.m. If there is a cancelation after that, it is the responsibility of the umpire. If the game is canceled, rescheduled game dates must be reported within ten (10) days of original game date by the home team. e. Contact the umpire coordinator to cancel the umpire in the event of a cancelled game. f. Have a first aid kit on hand, and a cooler of ice and baggies for injuries. 5. Minor coaches Any coach under 18 years of age must have a team parent present at every practice and game. These coaches may not transport players to practices or games. 6. Umpires Must be 16 years of age or older or have completed a youth umpire training course. All umpires except those umpiring T-Ball / First Grade must wear a mask.
7. Zero-Tolerance (sportsmanship) a. Arguing balls and strikes, criticizing umpires calls, arguing with umpires or the other teams or any other forms of poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated and are all grounds for ejection for coaches, players, and fans. b. Profanity will result in the ejection from the game, the field and the spectator area of the guilty person. This can be a player, coach or spectator. c. Anyone ejected from a game will be suspended from the following game. 8. Minimum playing time Playing time for each team member is two innings in the field. 9. Discipline Coaches may discipline members of their team for lack of attendance or cooperation by benching the player. The coach must inform the opposing coach of such action prior to the start of the game. 10. Batting Roster batting will be used. No player may return to bat until all other team members have batted. A batter who bats out of order is an automatic out if the error is discovered prior to a pitch being made to the next batter. If a pitch has been made to the next batter, the order shall remain as it is and no outs called. Example 1: Due up is BATTER1, BATTER2, and BATTER3. BATTER2 bats first (By passing BATTER1) and walks. Opposing coach appeals before the first pitch to BATTER3, BATTER2 is called out and BATTER1 loses her turn to bat. BATTER 3 is now up with 1 out and no base runners. (if BATTER2 is the third out of the inning, BATTER3 will start the next inning followed by BATTER4) Example 2: Due up is BATTER1, BATTER2, and BATTER3. BATTER2 bats first (By passing BATTER1). With the pitch count 1-1, the opposing coach appeals before the at-bat is completed. BATTER 2 is called out, BATTER 1 now completes at-bat and inherits the 1-1 count, but there is now one out. BATTER 3 is up to bat next. (if BATTER2 is the third out of the inning, BATTER 1 will start the next inning with a new count followed by BATTER3) 11. Substitution Free- substitution-in the-field is permitted. 12. Catchers All catchers must wear a chest protector, and face mask (goalie style). Shin guards must be worn in grades two (2) through high school. 13. Shoes All players must wear shoes, no sandals. No metal cleats or shoes with removable spikes are allowed. 14. Helmets Helmets with a chin strap, must be worn by all batters, base runners, on-deck players, and base coaches if under 18 years of age.
15. Uniforms T-shirt/jersey will be supplied by FLAAA. For safety reasons, names may not be added to the shirts. 16. Bats Official softball bats must be used. No composite, multi-walled or wood bats. No baseball bats. A player who comes to the bat with a composite, multi-walled or wood bat will receive one warning to that player and the entire team. Any future violations by any player will result in an out. 17. Thrown bat A thrown bat is by the umpire s discretion a warning or an automatic out and the play is dead. 18. Ties Extra innings must start before 8:30 or the tie stands. Note the 8:30 exception in rule 23. Time Limit. 19. Foul ball There is no courtesy foul rule. The batter stays alive until a walk, hit, strikeout or hit by pitch occurs. 20. Field positions a. All outfielders must be at-least ten feet behind the base line until the ball is hit. b. Infielders may not block any base path. c. Infielders may not start play within ten feet of the pitcher. 21. 5 Run rule Five (5) runs per inning are the maximum runs that can be scored at grade levels three (3) through high school. 22. Injury All play will stop immediately for any injury. Any injured player having an opened wound should receive first aid immediately and may be substituted until the injury is covered. There shall be no penalty for removing or reinserting an injured player. They shall return to their normal batting position if or when they are able to return. 23. Time limit All games start at 6:30 p.m. No new inning shall start after 8:30 p.m. except on a non-school night where no inning may start after 9:30 p.m. upon mutual agreement between the coaches and umpire. 24. Pitching Pitching will be modified; the pitch need not have an arc. The pitcher must start with both feet in contact with the pitching rubber and in an upright position (back straight, knees may be bent) and may not take a step backward. The release of the ball shall have one (1) forward motion past the hip. No whirlwind or rocking motion is allowed, the pitcher must have one foot in contact with the rubber until the ball is released (no pushing off) or it is an illegal pitch and a ball is awarded. The arm on the back swing can go no higher than the shoulder. Players having pitched in any fast pitch leagues within the preceding 12 months are not allowed to pitch in this league (no exceptions)!
25. Scores The winning coach or a parent must report the score. If the score is not reported within ten (10) days of schedule date, it will be considered a loss for both teams. Reporting all game scores at the end of the season is not acceptable! All rescheduled game scores must be reported within ten (10) days of rescheduled game date. If a rescheduled game score is not reported within ten (10) days of rescheduled game date, it will be considered a loss for both teams. Report by e-mail to the league at, include: team name, opponent name, grade, score and scheduled date. 26. Rescheduling Games Rescheduled game dates must be reported within ten (10) days of original game date. Rescheduled game dates reported eleven (11) or more days after original game date will result in the final outcome of the rescheduled game to not be recorded in the regular season standings. Home coach must contact the umpire coordinator at least four days prior to the rescheduled game. 27. Base Coaches Base coach must remain in the coach s box. All coaches under 18 years old must wear a helmet when base coaching. Coaches may not touch the base runner while play is alive. The runner is called out if touched by the coach while play is alive. 28. Infield fly There is no infield fly rule. 29. Bounced Pitch A pitched ball that bounces and is then hit in fair territory by the batter is a live ball. If the ball is hit foul, it is a dead ball and a strike. A pitched ball that bounces and then hits the batter is considered a ball and play is dead. No base is awarded. 30. Other rules USSA rules will apply with the exception of these rules as modified for FLAAA. 31. No Tobacco The fields are tobacco free for any parent, player, coach, or umpire, set an example. Anyone who needs to smoke or use smokeless tobacco is encouraged to do so in the parking lots or wait until you get home. 32. League Tie For two or more teams with the same win/loss record in the league standings, the following formula will be used to break the tie. 1. Head to head record. 2. Best runs plus/minus all games. 3. Least runs allowed all games. 4. Draw from a hat.
33. Leading Off Leading off on any base is not allowed. 34. Overthrow When making an attempted out after a hit ball and the ball is thrown above and/or beyond the intended target. a. Overthrows into fair or foul territory shall permit unlimited advancing of all runners at their own risk. b. When the overthrown ball enters an area or obstacle, designated in the pre-game agreed to ground rules as out of bounds, all runners will be awarded two bases, and the award will be governed by the positions of the runners when the ball left the fielder s hand. If two runners are between the same bases, the award is based on the position of the lead runner. 35. Suspension of Play Time will be called by an umpire when the pitcher has control of the ball in the infield and when, in the judgment of an umpire, all immediate play is apparently completed. Runners who are between bases must immediately return to the last base they touched or proceed at their own risk to the next base and stop. Runners who do not immediately return to the last base touched or advance to the next base may be called out. 36. Concussion A player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion or balance problems), shall be immediately removed from the game and shall not return to play that day until cleared in writing by an appropriate health care professional. Use your heads! This is a kid s game for the kids, not for the coaches or parents egos. Set a good example in sportsmanship and try to remember this is not the major leagues. Avoid putting pressure to win and ask the parents cooperation in this effort. We want the girls to enjoy the game enough to return. Try to place an emphasis on learning the game and having fun. At this age Fundamentals are far more important than winning.
Game Ball The game ball shall be an 11-inch safety-ball. Additional Rules by Grade level T-ball and First grade Distances The pitching rubber shall be 30 feet. Baseline is 45 feet. Time Limit No new inning shall start after 8:00 p.m. on a school night. Innings There will be three (3) innings in which each team shall bat through their roster once in each inning. In the first inning batter one (1) starts and everyone bats no matter what the quantity of runs or outs. In the second inning the second batter starts and all players bat. In the third inning the third batter starts. No new inning shall start after 90 minutes. Finish the inning currently being played. Batting The ball must travel at least ten feet to be considered a fair hit. If the ball and the T are both hit it is a fair ball. If the T only is hit it is a foul ball. Only the batter up may swing a bat. No warm ups on deck. If the ball is missed, travels less than 10 feet, or goes foul it is a strike. There will be a maximum of four (4) swings. If the ball has not been put into play the batter is out. There will not be any strike out until four (4) swings have been completed. Start/End of Play Play begins when the umpire places the ball on the T. Play will end when there is a strike or when an infielder has control of the ball in the infield area and all play seems to have been completed. At this time the umpire should call time. Pitcher The pitcher shall stay on the mound in a direct line between home plate and second base until after the ball is hit. Infielders Players playing first, second, third, and shortstop must be positioned accordingly and not closer than fifteen (15) feet from another player and no more than four (4) feet in front of the baseline. Catcher The Catcher must remain within the catcher s box until the ball is hit. The catcher is the only player who can make a play inside of the 10 foot radius of home plate unless there is and over throw at home. Batter & Batting Coach The coach may position the batter and adjust the T at any time during the batters turn at bat. The batter may not have her foot on, in front of, or behind the batting T.
Additional Rules by Grade level T-ball and First grade (cont.) Defensive Coach The defensive coach may be in the outfield to direct the players. This coach may call time to better position their defensive players. The coach cannot touch any of the players while the ball is in play. Playing Positions A player may play any position for no more than two innings per game. Fundamentals of Throwing Players should be taught the fundamentals of throwing. No rolling of the ball is allowed.
Additional Rules by Grade level Second Grade/Coach pitch ALL RULES ARE THE SAME AS T-BALL/FIRST GRADE EXCEPT, THE FOLLOWING THREE (3) RULES. Innings There will be five (5) innings. Three (3) innings is an official game if it is stopped for any reason Time Limit No new inning shall start after 8:00 p.m. on a school night. Coach Pitch There shall be a maximum of Five (5) hittable pitches per batter. If the ball is not hit into play within those five pitches the batter is out. If a team has a player who can pitch she may pitch to her own team. *** Coaches please encourage your girls to pitch in practice. Roster Batting The entire roster will bat each inning. Players who are tagged or called out in the field will leave the field of play, but the inning will continue until all batters have batted. Defensive Position of Pitcher The player in the defensive position where the pitcher normally plays must be within 10 feet of the person pitching.
Additional Rules by Grade level Grades 3 and 4 Pitching Distance 35 feet. Base Distance 60 feet. Game Ball 11-inch optic red stitch ball. Pitcher Pitchers may pitch three (3) innings or Nine (9) outs in a regular length game. A pitcher may pitch more innings only if extra innings are required. Inning play There can be no more than three (3) innings or nine (9) outs played at any position. Batters There will be (4) balls and (3) strikes. (there is no courtesy foul rule, batter stays alive.) Innings There will be six (6) innings. Four (4) innings will be official if the game is called by the umpire. Games of less than four (4) innings will resume at the point they were stopped. Hit by Pitch If a batter is hit by a pitched ball, she is awarded 1 st base. Batter must make an attempt to avoid being hit. If the batter makes no attempt to avoid being hit, the umpire may call the pitch ball or strike and batter remains at bat and is not awarded 1 st base. Rosters Coach shall present batting line up to opposing coach before the game with player numbers.
Additional Rules by Grade level Grades 5 and 6 Pitching Distance 40 feet. Base Distance 60 feet. Game Ball 12-inch optic red stitch ball. Pitcher Pitchers may pitch four (4) innings or twelve (12) outs in a regular length game. A pitcher may pitch more innings only if extra innings are required. Position Play There can be no more than four (4) innings or twelve (12) outs played in any position. Batters There will be (4) balls and (3) strikes, there is no courtesy foul rule, batter stays alive. Innings Game is seven (7) innings. Five innings will be an official game if stopped by an umpire. If there are less than five innings the game is restarted from the point it stopped. Hit by Pitch If a batter is hit by a pitched ball, she is awarded 1 st base. Batter must make an attempt to avoid being hit. If the batter makes no attempt to avoid being hit, the umpire may call the pitch ball or strike and batter remains at bat and is not awarded 1 st base. Base Stealing Limited base stealing is allowed. A batter once becoming a runner is limited to stealing 2nd or 3rd base and is limited to stealing one base at a time. THERE IS NO STEALING HOME, not even on a passed ball. A runner cannot leave any base until the ball crosses home plate. If a runner does not steal, they must immediately go back to their base when Time is called (see rule 35 - Suspension of Play). If a play is made on ANY base runner, then the other runners may run at their own risk, including any player on third base may then advance if the ball was put in play by any fielder trying to throw out a runner at any base. Rosters Coach shall present batting line up to opposing coach before the game with player numbers.