GIRLS SOFTBALL COACH PITCH - SHLL GROUND RULES
OBJECTIVE
To teach the ballplayers the fundamentals of Fastpitch. Ensure that each ballplayer has the opportunity to play numerous positions unless safety concerns apply. Make sure that the ballplayers have LOTS of fun and that they want to play Fastpitch for years to come.
AGE CUT OFF
Age 8 & under. Cut-off date is Dec. 31st of the previous year. Player may not turn 9 before January 1st of the new season. Please have Birth Certificates or copies available if needed.
Players who are league age 5, are currently enrolled in Kindergarten and have one documented season of organized T- Ball may request to play up into Coach Pitch, pending player safety review.
SOFTBALL USED
10" Safety Soft (Brand does not matter) – Game ball is provided by the home team PLAYING FIELD DIMENSIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
The foul lines shall be lined and extended ten (10) feet beyond first (1st) and third (3rd) base. A circle, eight (8) feet in radius, shall be lined around the pitching rubber.
Distance between bases shall be sixty (60) feet.
Distance from the front edge of the pitching rubber to the base edge of home plate is thirty-five (35) feet. REGULATION GAME AND TIME LIMIT
You must have at least eight (8) players to start or finish a game or it will be ruled a forfeit. If the game is a rescheduled game and one team can’t field 8 players to start, then the game shall be considered cancelled. Teams are still heavily
encouraged to play a fun practice game.
Minimum of 3 ½ innings and Maximum of 6 innings
Time limit will be no new innings after one (1) hour (30) minutes. A regulation game is 3 ½ innings if the home team is ahead and time limit has been reached. The start of the game shall be the start time listed on the schedule, not when the
first pitch is thrown. Managers should do their best to start the game on time.
PITCHING
Pitching rubber or plate will be set at 35 feet and will be designated by plate or chalk line. Pitchers circle will be 8 foot circle
The coach/pitcher must pitch from the pitchers plate or behind the pitchers plate.
Player pitcher must have one foot inside pitching circle at the batters contact.
Each player gets 6 pitches unless the last pitch/swing is fouled off. If the batter fouls off the sixth (6th) pitch she is entitled to continue until she either puts the ball in play, swings and misses, or takes another subsequent pitch. If the 6th pitch is a foul tip caught by the catcher, then the batter is out.
There will be no walks or free bases, even if the batter is struck by a pitched ball. All coaches must pitch underhand. Once the ball is batted the coach must move to the nearest sideline until all play is dead. A ball that strikes the adult coach pitch pitcher is dead and all play stops. All runners may advance to the next base in a force situation (If there is no runner behind them, they do not advance and go back to original base). The hitter will be given a hit and will advance to 1st base.
GAME SCORING
Each team may score a maximum of 5 RUNS in Innings 1-5. The 6th inning shall be played with unlimited scoring until
(3) defensive outs are recorded. Stalling to gain an advantage is not allowed. Home Book is official score book.
BATTING
All team players will bat in a SET BATTING ORDER.
All batters MUST wear a helmet with face mask that shall be worn for batting and base running.
Teams are to bat the entire roster. The entire roster means all players that are present at the game, and dressed to play. Coaches may not elect to delete players from the playing roster to gain an advantage.
A batter who slings/throws a bat will receive a warning on the first incident. A second incidence by the same batter will result in an out. The ball is dead with no runners advancing.
Bunting is not permitted
There is no on deck batter. Only the player up to bat shall have a bat in their hand. There is also no practice swinging allowed behind the fence.
Practice swings by the batter aren’t allowed during the at bat. A batter may make a few practice swings on the field after leaving the dugout before the first pitch is thrown to them.
Batted balls, unless called foul, are alive and in play.
When the ball is hit into the outfield – play continues until the ball is in the infield. The infield is defined by the baseline. At that point all runners must stop advancing; if a runner is in between bases they may continue to the next base, however, the play will be considered "live" and they can still be tagged out.
There will be no advancement on an overthrow to a base regardless of what base the play is being made at. The coach pitcher is limited to instructing the batter only. The coach pitcher may not instruct the base runners.
DEFENSIVE
Ten (10) players will play when a team is in the field All Players must play in the field every other inning. Defensive substitutions may occur at the coach’s discretion; the defensive rule still applies.
Teams with eight (8) players must still fill the pitcher and catcher positions when in the field. Only six (6) infielders may be used.
Four (4) outfielders will be used and outfielders may not cover any (1st, 2nd, 3rd) base for a put out on the first throw.
Additionally, outfielders may not make an out by tagging a base with the ball, or tagging a runner. Teams that start with less than 9 players must field a full infield.
Coaches MUST rotate their player - No player should play the same position for more than 2 innings in a row. No player
should sit for more than 1 inning in a row or 2 inning total per game.
The catcher must be properly equipped, this to include throat protector on catcher’s mask. The catcher must play her position herself no more than six feet from home plate at the start of the pitch.
There is no infield fly rule.
BASE RUNNING
There is no base stealing.
All runners shall be in contact with their bases and shall not leave their bases until the ball has been hit by the batter. Runners do not have to slide at a base or home plate. Runners must, however, avoid any malicious contact with a defensive player. This includes the catcher.
COACHES
Offensively, only base coaches and the coach pitcher will take positions on the playing field during a game. Only the base coaches may instruct the base runners, THE COACH/PITCHER IS NOT ALLOWED TO INSTRUCT BASE
RUNNERS.
Defensively, Teams are allowed one defensive coaches in the outfield to help instruct infielders and outfielders. The coach shall not come in contact with the ball or players nor shall they impede the progress of a base runner. If this happens, the play becomes dead, the runners are awarded the base they are running to and the coach will remain in the dugout for the rest of the game.
Base Coaches Base Coaches may not have physical contact with runners while the ball is live and in play. If this occurs, a penalty will be enforced and the runner is out.
RAINOUTS
Rainouts are called by SHLL and in some circumstances, by the home team. Please call the visitor ASAP
MISC RULES
Tobacco products are not allowed on school grounds, any recreational fields nor 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.
A maximum of four adults allowed in the dugout at any time.
*UPDATE 11/7/2023