4. T-BALL

4.1. AGE: Players must be 5 & 6 years old to be eligible for T-Ball.

4.2. THE DIAMOND:

a) Distance between all bases shall be 60 feet.
b) Safety bases will be used at 1st base for all games. A fielder must make contact with the white part of the bag to constitute an out.
c) Distance between back point of home plate and front of pitching rubber shall be 40 feet.

4.3. EQUIPMENT:

a) Baseball gloves to be worn by all defensive players. Catcher & first baseman may wear trappers.
b) All bats used shall be aluminum T-Ball bats no wider than 2 ¼" or longer than 30".

4.4. GROUND RULES:

a) All base runners must tag up on caught fly balls
b) Any base runner that is hit by a fair batted ball before a defensive player touches it is out, unless any defensive player makes a play on the ball and misses it.
c) A base runner is out if he/she runs more than 3 feet off the baseline to avoid a tag.
d) Players on an overthrow to first base will only be permitted to advance to the base they were approaching when the throw was made.
e) There shall be no bunting.
f) The infield fly rule does not apply.
g) No lead-offs allowed. When a runner is off his base when the batter hits the ball off the tee, the runner is automatically out. The umpire shall allow one warning per game.
h) One Coach per team will be permitted in the outfield for the purposes of directing the players.

4.5. LINE-UP:

a) A complete team shall field 8 players with 6 in the designated infield positions and one to the right and the other to the left of second base.
b) No player shall have to sit out any innings at bat.
c) The coach should ensure that the pitcher is on the mound and all fielders are in an appropriate position behind the pitcher before the umpire calls "play ball" at the beginning of the inning.
d) Players will bat through the order regardless of their fielding positions in that inning. A team may bat the number of players in attendance regardless of the number of players batting on the other team. Late arriving players will be added to the bottom of the order.
e) Should one team have more batters than the other, the team with fewer batters will have to rotate in the number of batters they are short to equal the other team. No batter shall have a second, 2-bat inning until all batters have had their turn.  Example: Team A has 10 batters and team B has 7 batters.  Team A bats players #1 - #10. Team B bats players #1 - #7 plus player #1 - #3 in the first inning and then bats players #4 - #7 and #1 - #6 in the second inning and players #7 and #1 - #7 and #1 - #2 in the third inning
f) Batting orders must be followed for each inning. 

4.6. THE GAME:

a) A regulation game shall consist of 3 innings.
b) There shall be no pitching to the batter.
c) The Umpire shall adjust the batting tee for each player before the ball is placed if needed.
d) A fair hit ball is a legally batted ball that is intentionally struck by the batter with enough force to have continuous forward motion in fair territory.
e) A dead hit ball is a legally batted ball that does not cross, or in the opinion of the plate umpire, could not firmly cross, the playing line if fielded in front of the playing line, or in the opinion of the plate umpire the batter has made an illegal swing. However, if the ball is caught in flight by the defensive team, the batter is out and the ball is in play until time is called. An illegally batted ball occurs when the batter hits the ball, dead, fair or foul with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the lines of the batter's box. An illegal swing occurs when the batter does not take a full swing, or chop swings downward at the ball. These will be called strikes.
f) Prior to the start of the game the umpire shall give the coaches a warning about the batters throwing bats. A player throwing the bat in the game will at the umpires discretion be give one warning (per team). A second occurrence will result in the player being called out. Repeated offences by the same player will result in ejection from the game.
g) Infielders may not cross the playing line before the ball is hit. Out fielders may not encroach upon the infield area from their regularly played positions before the ball is hit.
h) Players on an overthrow to first base will only be permitted to advance to the base they were approaching when the throw was made.
i) The act of "BOWLING" the ball to another player is not allowed. Penalty: The runner will be called safe.
j) In the event a throw to 2nd, 3rd or home plate results in an over throw and the ball remains within the playing field, the base runner shall be permitted to advance as many bases as possible until such time as an infielder has control of the ball in the infield area. In the event the ball leaves the playing field, the runners shall be permitted to advance to the base they were approaching at the time the ball was thrown plus one more base. Those runners with "Last Batter" status are exceptions; they are automatically allowed to continue to score.
k) In the event of an injury to a base runner when the ball is batted, play will stop and replay will occur.
l) Only the pitcher is allowed in the home plate area, the pitcher must throw the ball to the catcher, it cannot be handed off. If in the umpire's judgment, a defensive player other than the pitcher or catcher or runner crosses into the home plate area, the umpire will call the inning over and allow all legal runs to score.
m) Once an inning begins, switching infield players with outfield players is not permitted.
n) *An exemption to rule 2.3 may be obtained from the T-Ball convener, if there are special circumstances pertaining to a player.
o) Outfielders must not act as the PRIMARY RECEIVERS on the infield. When this occurs, time will be called and the batter/runner will be called safe and placed on the base they were advancing to. If forced all other base runners will advance 1 base.

4.7. CALLING TIME:

The Umpire will call time when:

a) The ball goes out of play
b) The ball is hit illegally or hit foul 
c) A coach or player requests it and the umpire bequests it. (The coach must wait for the umpire to grant the time out BEFORE walking onto the field.)
d) When an injury occurs (bases awarded according to where the umpire judges the base runners would have advanced, if at all, had the injury not occurred
e) When a batted ball hits the runner including the batter after he leaves the batters box before an infielder has touched or had the opportunity to play the ball
f) Any infield player has control of the ball in the infield (including the adjacent foul territories) and in the judgment of the plate umpire there is no attempt to make a play on any of the base runners.
g) In the judgment of the umpires the base runners will be held on the base they last occupied or the unoccupied base they were approaching when time was called.

4.8. LAST BATTER:

a) The "Last Batter" shall be the last batter for the innings, shown in the team's lineup. Teams shall be advised when the last batter has come to bat.
b) If a base runner with "Last Batter" status is hit by a fair-batted ball either on or off his base, before the ball is touched by the pitcher or before it is touched or passes any other infielder no runs may score.
c) All base runners shall have last batter status when the last batter is at bat and are regarded in the same way as the last batter and no defensive play can be made on the bases. All runners are forced to home plate when the last batter has hit a ball fairly. (No force plays or tag outs are allowed) Should the last batter’s fair hit leave the playing field by going over an outfield fence, it will be considered a home run and all runners having last batter status will be allowed to score.
d) All players on the offensive team who are base runners when the last batter is at bat are regarded in the same way as the last batter and no defensive play can be made on the bases. They are all forced to home plate when the Last Batter has hit the ball fairly. Should the last batter's fair hit ball leave the playing field by going over an outfield fence, either in flight or bouncing, it will be considered a home run and all runners having "Last Batter" status will be allowed to score. However, if the ball goes under or gets caught in an outfield fence and in doing so interferes with the fielder's chances to field the ball, all of the base runners will be allowed to score but NOT the batter.
e) In the event that the Last Batter of the offensive team is out on a fly ball, normal baseball rules apply and runners will be allowed to advance and score provided they were on their base when the ball was caught or retouched their base after the ball was caught
f) A run does not count when a runner with "Last Batter" status reaches home plate after the plate has been legally touched by the catcher, has lead- off and reaches home plate safely, or has not tagged up on a caught fly ball, and reaches home plate safely.
g) See 4.6.k)

4.9. The offensive team's turn at bat ends when:

a) The Last Batter has 3 strikes called.
b) The Last Batter's fair hit ball is returned to the catcher at home plate. The ball must be thrown in the air over the playing line at least once on its way to the catcher. Home plate must be touched by only the catcher with the ball in his/her possession.
c) No official score will be kept in TBall. Score sheets are for the purpose of forming lineups, keeping track of the order, determining the end of the inning and the end of the game etc. Scores will not be recorded and therefore do not need to be called in to the convener.