***We will strive to teach good fundamental baseball incorporating successful practice techniques to make each individual player a better baseball player. We will teach each player how to be a good teammate and to practice good sportsmanship.***

Teams will play a 14-game season with scores and pitch counts recorded. All regular season rain outs will be rescheduled bearing the fact a field is available - Per LL Int'l, 12 games constitutes a full season.

All coaches are required to attend the pre-season coach’s clinic and must also go to at least one additional training which may include attending a AAA or majors team practice or attend and observe a NPA or equivalent training at their facility. All coaches are encouraged to have a buddy practice with either a AAA or Majors team in order to learn how to best teach baseball skills in a practice.

All rules and said references to the “Minor League” shown in the Little League baseball Official Regulations and Playing Rules handbook apply to the AA-Ball divisions for South Hill Little League.The following is added for SHLL Boys AA-Ball.

SETUP

1. Pitching plate is 46 Feet from Home Plate.
2. Bases will be 60 feet apart.
3. No infield practice before the game. Outfields may be used for warm-ups.
4. Batting practice/warmup: All players near or in use of baseball bats are required to wear a helmet.
5. AA division teams will play 10 defensive players with 4 outfielders.
6. Teams bat the bench.
7. Minimum players per team is 8.
8. Home Team occupies 1st Base Dugout.

GAME REQUIREMENTS

1. Six (6) innings constitute a regulation game.
2. A game called for rain or darkness only shall be declared a regulation game after 4 innings, 3 ½ innings if the home team is ahead.
3. No new inning after 1 hr. 30min. from scheduled start time. All games that reach the time limit are complete games. Maximum innings are 6 and minimum (due to 1.5 hour time constraints) are 2 complete innings. There is no drop-dead time for games played on public school fields.
4. Each team is limited to five (5) runs per inning, except the last inning, which will be unlimited and three outs still apply. (See rule 5)
5. LAST INNING may be declared by any coach with both head coach's and Umpires agreeing to it. This is to allow a losing team that is down by more than 5 runs the option to tie or    take the lead WHEN the 1.5 HOUR time limit is approaching. LAST INNING must be declared and started before the 1.5 HOUR playing time limit has been reached.
6. A manager whose team is ten (10) runs or more behind once the game becomes an official game (4 INNINGS) has the option to concede in accordance with the Ten Run Rule.
7. In the event of a tie game after 6 innings, OR LAST INNING declared, the game ends as a tie and is scored accordingly.
8. All players must wear jerseys issued by the league.(Hoodies or sweatshirts, if used, must be worn under game jersey.)
9. One coach selected at the start of the game is the only one allowed talking to the umpire on a disputed play.


OFFENSE (BATTING)

1. The batting order shall constitute all present players on the team roster at the beginning of the game. Late arrivals shall be inserted at the bottom of the batting order. All players on the roster shall bat before returning to the top of the batting order. A late arriving player may not bat after returning to the top of the lineup. That player my be inserted into a defensive position at any time. If after 4 innings, a late arriving player may not enter the game, unless approved by both coaches.
2. Bunting is allowed, but once a player shows bunt, they must either attempt to bunt the ball or pull the bat back. There is no hitting away once a player shows bunt.
3. ABSOLUTELY NO ON-DECK BATTERS at any time!  Bats must be kept within the dugout. There is no on-deck area. Under no circumstances, should the players be swinging the bats near the dugout or inside the dugout.
4. A courtesy runner for the catcher is recommended when there are 2 outs. The player making the last out will be the runner. This allows you to get your catcher ready for your next defensive inning.

OFFENSE (BASE RUNNING)

1. No leading off.
2. Stealing is permitted only after the ball has passed the home plate.
3. Stealing: When the pitcher is within an eight (8) foot radius of the pitching plate and in possession of the ball, the base runners shall not leave their currently occupied base until the next pitch has crossed the plate. Runners that are more than halfway to the next base when the ball is in play and the pitcher is within the 8 foot radius and possession of the ball may continue to the next base.
4. You cannot steal HOME
5. If a runner leaves a base early, the umpire will instruct the runner to return to the vacated base. (Rule 7.13)

EQUIPMENT AND PLAYING FIELD

1. No metal cleat shoes are allowed.
2. Catchers must wear catcher’s equipment: catcher’s helmet with dangling throat protector, chest protector, shin guards, and protective cup.
3. All batters and runners must wear batting helmets.
4.  Athletic cups are recommended for all players in the field, only required for catchers.
5. Regulation HARD BALL baseballs are used. The ball used for Games and Practices should be a BAIDEN: 2BBLLG-03 Baseball or AD Starr LL Approved.
6. Bats must have a USA Baseball Stamp on them.

Rule 1.10 - Baseball:  The bat must be a baseball bat which meets the USA Baseball Bat standard (USABat) as adopted by Little League. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick, and made of wood or of material and color tested and proved acceptable to the USA Baseball Bat standard (USABat).

Beginning with the 2018 season, non-wood and laminated bats used in the Little League (Majors) and below, Intermediate (50-70) Division, Junior League divisions, and Challenger division shall bear the USA Baseball logo signifying that the bat meets the USABat - USA Baseball's Youth Bat Performance Standard. All BPF - 1.15 bats will be prohibited beginning with the 2018 season. Additionally, starting in 2018, the bat diameter shall not exceed 2 5/8 inches for these divisions of play. 

Bats: It shall not be more than 33 inches in length; nor more than 2 5/8 inches in diameter, and if wood, not less than fifteen-sixteenths (15/16) inches in diameter (7/8 inch for bats less than 30") at its smallest part. Wood bats taped for fitted with a sleeve may not exceed sixteen (16) inches from the small end.

Note: Solid one-piece wood barrel bats do not require a USA Baseball logo.

DEFENSE (PLAYING THE FIELD)

·         A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day [LL green book page 40 Rule VI(c) Note].

·         Any player who has played the position of catcher in 4 or more innings in a game is not eligible to pitch on that calendar day [LL green book page 40, Rule VI(a) Exception]. If a player reports as catcher and catches one pitch of that inning, he will have caught in that inning and it will count towards his 4th inning of catching.

·         "Days Of Rest" are full calendar days of rest. The complete breakdown is shown in the LL green book [page 40 Rule VI(d)], it must be followed and reported on the league website. Record the score and then put your pitch counts in the game summary box. Please list both first and last names of each pitcher with their pitch totals for that game.

The rule change in 2013 is a pitcher can finish a batter but will be only required to observe the calendar days of rest threshold reached during that at bat. For example: a pitcher in a game on Monday faces a batter beginning with the #48 pitch and puts him out with pitch #53. Said pitcher is then removed from the game and is required to observe (2) calendar days of rest until he can pitch again. The former pitcher can continue to play other positions [except catcher see rule VI(a) during the remainder of that game] and all additional games but would not be available to pitch again until Thursday.

PITCH COUNT

Official pitch counts will be those recorded by the official book keeper which is the home team’s book. If the home team fails to keep track of each team’s pitch counts, the manager of each team will be responsible for his pitch counts. Any pitch count discrepancies must be addressed and corrected before the teams and the umpire leave the field area.

·         Players league age 11 may pitch up to 85 pitches per game.

·         Players league age 9 - 10 may pitch up to 75 pitches per game.

·         Players league age 6 - 8 may pitch up to 50 pitches per game.

Remember that pitchers may finish their last batter and go beyond their pitching threshold, but only for the last batter.

    ◆ 1-20 Pitches = 0 Calendar Days Rest
    ◆ 21-35 Pitches = 1 Calendar Days Rest
    ◆ 36-50 Pitches = 2 Calendar Days Rest
    ◆ 51-65 Pitches = 3 Calendar Days Rest
    ◆ 66+ Pitches = 4 Calendar Days Rest

Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI(c) for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occurs:

1. The batter reaches base;
2. The batter is put out;
3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning of the game;
4. The pitcher is removed from the mound prior to the batter completing his/her at bat.

A pitcher’s pitch count for the purposes of day(s) rest threshold is determined by the first pitch thrown to a batter. The pitcher may not start a new batter once the limit imposed in Regulation VI(c) has been met.

Any player who has played the position of catcher in four (4) or more innings in a game is not eligible to pitch on that calendar day.

Heritage or Puyallup REC Center

All games played at Heritage or Puyallup Rec Center have a 2 hour drop dead time which means your game must end and all players out of their respective dugouts by 2 hrs. after the scheduled start of their game. ie; if a game is scheduled to start at 5:30 pm both teams must vacate their dugouts by 7:30 pm regardless of whether the game began on time

AA Minors does not utilize the flip rule. Games are played with a 5 run limit per inning until the LAST INNING as declared by the umpire where in each team may score unlimited runs.

AA games can end in a tie. Please try to play every inning of each game as quickly as possible. Any manager deemed by the umpire to be stalling the game for any reason will risk having their game declared a forfeit. This is entirely up to the umpire’s discretion.

Remember that there is no hierarchy in South Hill Little League. Any team no matter what division, has the right to the field if they are scheduled to play or practice on that field. Note: No team is allowed to practice on a field that has been prepped for a game. No team is allowed to boot a team from afield because they are in a division higher than the team on that field. All cancelled games must go through the scheduler to be rescheduled. Coaches are not permitted to move a game to another field to play their game without the approval of the SHLL scheduler.

AA Minors does not utilize the dropped 3rd strike rule. See LL green book (page 81) sections 6.5(b)(2) and 6.09(b).

Coaches are permitted to warm up pitchers between innings per LL Rule 3.09


PLAYING TIME
 

Every player at the game must play a minimum of one defensive inning in the infield and one defensive inning in the outfield. Any player not allowed to play their minimum defensive innings will start on defense in their next game.

No player may sit on the bench for 2 consecutive innings unless injured..

Minimum playing times rules are just that, minimum playing time. EVERY manager is encouraged to play your kids accordingly and make an effort to exceed those minimum playing times as it is fairly easy to do so in a non-shortened game. Any player not receiving the minimum playing time in a game will be a starter for the next game and fulfill his minimum playing time for that game and any missed playing time for the previous game before being allowed a substitution.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for umpire harassment. I ask that every Manager and coach do their best to protect umpires at all times from any type of mistreatment or harassment. You, as the team manager are responsible for your players and their parents along with your team’s fans actions and may face disciplinary action for their misconduct.

Misc Rules:

1. Tobacco products, vaping, and marijuana are not allowed and are forbidden on school grounds, any recreational fields and includes all playing fields at any practice or game - period. This applies to coaches, parents, and all volunteers and spectators. This rule is strictly enforced as violations of the No Tobacco Products rule can cause SHLL to forfeit school and recreational field permits.

2. Unless amended above, rules will be played as stated. Managers are not permitted to agree to any rule changes and the umpires shall not allow any such changes.

Posting player pitch counts is required after every game with the scores (list players and pitching threshold reached for each). If you are unable to do so for any reason, please contact your Division Director for assistance. Failure to report pitch counts within 24 hours of the games being played can result in all pitchers involved in those games to be unavailable for pitching in your next scheduled game.

If you have any questions, email AA Division Director Matt Kime at: https://www.southhilllittleleague.com/contact

Updated 04/15/2024