LEAGUES/AGE RESTRICTIONS
The age control date for all levels of youth baseball is May 1st. A child's age on April 30th is their playing age.
The SCPRD offers the following levels of play, based on age:
TEE Ball for children 5 years of age
COACH PITCH for children 6 years of age
FLEA League for children 7 and 8 years of age with pitching machine at 35 MPH
MITE League for children 9 and 10 years of age with pitching machine at 45 MPH
LITTLE LEAGUE for children 11 and 12 years of age
JUNIOR LEAGUE for children 13 and 14 years of age
A player may play above their age division, provided there is only a year age gap between their playing age and the minimum age of the league. EXAMPLE: A 12 year old could play up into the Junior League because there is only a one year gap between his age of 12 and the minimum age of the league, which is 13. An 11 year old would not be allowed to play up because there is more than a one year gap.
Any parent requesting their child to play up will have their registration form "RED TAGGED" and must speak to the Athletic Manager and/or Recreation Manager before approval is given.
The only players allowed to play below their age division are those with physical or mental disabilities who have received approval from the agency based on documented evidence.
GOVERNING BODY
The Americus Sumter Youth Baseball Program will be governed by the rules and regulations of the Georgia High School Association with exceptions found in the GRPA athletic manual and this local book. The exception to this will be in the 12 and Under Little League Division in which Little League rules will supercede everything except local rules.
The leagues are operated by the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department. The Athletic Manager and Recreation Manager shall direct the program.
Good Sportsmanship is demanded at all times. The SCPRD staff has full authority to remove anyone from the complex for behavior deemed inappropriate.
The SCPRD requests that you limit your public comments to those of praise. Follow this simple rule: If you get ready to say something negative and you wouldn't say it at your child's Spelling Bee…Don't say it here in our classroom.
Any player representing the SCPRD in District or State GRPA play must be a resident and/or full-time student in Sumter County. Any player representing the SCPRD in Little League District, State, Regional or National competition must meet all Little League eligibility requirements.
SPEED UP RULES / LENGTH OF GAMES
An inning must be completed in a time limit game unless the home team is ahead.
A regulation TEE Ball game is two full innings or one hour (everyone bats in both innings)
A regulation Coach Pitch game is two full innings or one hour (everyone bats in both innings)
A regulation FLEA game is five full innings or one hour with a continuous batting order.
A regulation MITE game is six full innings or one hour and 15 minutes with a continuous batting order.
A regulation Little League game is six full innings or one hour and 30 minutes with a continuous batting order.
A regulation game in Junior League is seven full innings or two hours with a continuous batting order.
No new inning may begin once the time limit has expired unless the game is tied.
Any game called off because of rain, lightning or unusual circumstances will be considered complete at three innings or two and one-half innings if the home team is ahead in both Flea and Mite Divisions. For Little League, it's four innings or three and a half innings if the home team is ahead.
The MERCY rule is 12 runs after three innings or eight runs after four innings for Flea and Mite Divisions. For Little League, it's 12 runs after four innings or eight runs after five innings.
A courtesy runner may be used at any time for the catcher in Flea and Mite leagues. In Junior League, a courtesy runner may be used at any time for the pitcher and catcher. The courtesy runner must be someone who did not play defensively in the previous inning. If the game is in the top of the first inning, it must be someone who is not slated to start defensively in the bottom of the inning. In Little League, we will not use rule 7.14 which is the "Special Pinch Runner" rule because our local league has adopted the continuous batting order. Therefore, in Little League local play, the pitcher and catcher may have a courtesy runner, but it must be someone who did not play defensively in the previous inning and it may not be the same courtesy runner for both positions in the same half inning.
Intentional walks are allowed at the Mite level and above. No player may be intentionally walked more than once per game.
SPECIAL PROVISIONS
In all age divisions, a team may begin play with one fewer player than the required number. (Flea/Mite - a team could begin with nine players. Little League and Junior leagues, a team could begin with eight players). The empty spot in the continuous batting order will be an out. If a player arrives late, they may be inserted immediately. At any time a team falls below the required number of players to begin a game, the game is declared a forfeit.
There is free substitution defensively and a continuous batting order in all leagues.
A player that is removed from the game at the request of an umpire because of injury or at the request of a parent will not be considered an out in the continuous batting order - as long as the team has the minimum number of players for a full order (Flea/Mite - ten, Little League/Junior League - nine). If a team falls below those numbers, the spot will be considered an out.
In Flea and Mite leagues, once a team has scored five runs in an inning, the teams will "flip-flop" just as if the third out had been made. This applies in all innings except for the final inning (fifth in Flea, sixth in Mite).
Any player or coach ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct must leave the regional park complex immediately and is suspended for the following game as well. The person that is ejected is not allowed to attend any practices or games until their full suspension has been served. A second ejection in a season results in expulsion from the league.
Pitching Regulations for Little League: A pitcher may not pitch more than nine innings in a week from Sunday to Saturday. A pitcher may not pitch more than four innings in a day.
Pitching Regulations for Junior League: A pitcher may not pitch more than ten innings in a week from Sunday to Saturday. A pitcher may not pitch more than five innings in a day. One pitch made to a batter constitutes a full inning pitched.
The Balk rule applies only to Junior League.
The penalty for pitching violations is forfeiture of that game. It must be protested during the game!
A coach is allowed three free visits per game to the mound to conference with his pitcher/infield. Any visit that does not result in a change will constitute a free visit. All visits after the third free visit must result in a pitching change.
In Flea League, there is NO STEALING. A runner must remain in contact with the bag until the ball reaches the plate.
The Mite League steal rule is covered in the 10 and Under Pitching Machine Rules below.
The only league that is allowed to slide head first is Junior League. In Flea, Mite and Little League, a runner who slides head first is immediately called out. This does NOT include a dive back to the bag after an over-run.
In Junior League only, a batter may attempt to reach first base if the catcher drops or misses the third strike.
In all divisions of SCPRD baseball, tobacco products are prohibited. There are designated smoking areas set up outside of each field. No smoking is allowed inside the fences of the complex.
Only three coaches are allowed inside the fence during a ball game. These coaches should include the head coach, listed assistant coach and one other adult - preferably a scorekeeper.
In Flea League only, a coach is allowed to stand in foul territory in the outfield when his team is on defense. When on offense, a team may have a coach at first base, third base and behind the catcher to retrieve passed balls.
In Mite League, Little League and Junior League, coaches are not confined to the dugout but must stay within arms length of the dugout when their team is on defense. The umpire has the authority to restrict a coach to the dugout for behavior deemed inappropriate.
If a coach has a child in the baseball program, they may only coach in the league(s) in which their child plays.
PLAYING REQUIREMENTS
If a game ends early because of rain, lightning or MERCY rule, the playing requirements are prorated.
The defensive requirement for both Flea and Mite Leagues is three innings. For Little League and Junior League, it's two innings.
The penalty for not meeting the playing requirement is forfeiture of that game (or the next win, if the team lost the game in question). In addition, the player who did not receive the correct amount of playing time will be required to play the entire game, the following game.
It is the responsibility of the opposing coach to report a player not meeting the requirements. If this happens during the contest or within one hour after the game, the above penalty will be enforced. If, however, it is discovered after the one hour time frame or is reported by someone other than the opposing coach, the forfeiture will not be in effect but the player that did not meet the playing requirement WILL be required to play the entire game the following game.
Coaches should use good judgment during games that are "Blow Outs." Players who usually do not get a lot of playing time should get more. Also, if a team gets a lead of ten runs or more, that team should refrain from stealing bases. Please employ good sportsmanship by following this rule of thumb.
EQUIPMENT
Steel spikes are only allowed at the Junior League level.
Bats in Flea to Little League may not exceed two and one-fourth inches in diameter. There are no weight restrictions.
Bats in Junior League may not exceed two and five-eighths in diameter and must be (-3) ratio in weight.
A pitcher may not wear a batting glove or wrist band while pitching. If a long sleeve is worn by the pitcher, it may not be white in color.
A catcher must wear shin guards, chest protector and a hockey style mask. All male catchers must wear a protective cup.
All players must wear a batting helmet while batting, on deck or running bases.
Players in the Tee to Mite Leagues are required to have a protective face mask on their helmet. Little League and Junior League players are no longer required to wear the face mask.
UNIFORMS
A uniform for youth baseball includes a jersey with a factory style, non duplicated number on the back, full length baseball pant (no shorts), socks and a cap.
Uniforms should be identical in style and color.
Coaches should wear something that identifies them as a coach.
A player who does not have an identical uniform is ineligible to play unless an SCPRD staff member can verify that the player is on the roster.
TEE BALL AND COACH PITCH TEAM PLACEMENT
Tee Ball and Coach Pitch players are placed on teams at random based on their age. All efforts will be made to split the teams evenly - however, no score is kept.
THE DRAFT
In Flea, Mite and Junior Leagues, the roster limit will be 13 players. Each player that is eligible to return to a league will return to the same team. All newcomers to the league must go through the skills evaluation process.
In Little League, only the head coach and assistant coach's sons return to a team. All other players in this division will go through the skills evaluations and be drafted.
In Flea, Mite and Junior Leagues, no one will be allowed to re-enter the draft unless they make application, in writing, at least seven days prior to the skills evaluation and are approved by the Athletic Manager, Recreation Manager and the Executive Director. Only extreme circumstances will be considered for re-entry.
The draft order in Flea, Mite and Junior Leagues will be determined by the order of finish in the previous season. The last place team will pick first, and the first place team will pick last.
In Little League, the draft order will be determined by random draw.
In all leagues, the number one spot will be open. The number two spot will be for the head coach's child. The number three spot will be for the assistant coach's child. If a coach has more than one child, that child will go in the highest available draft spot…other than number one. In leagues that have returning players, those players returning will begin filling in the roster at number four and working down in every spot. The draft will reverse in every round.
No team may have more than seven players of any one age unless that is all that is remaining in the draft.
Players that do NOT attend the skills evaluations (other than coach's children) will be able to be picked blindly, but may not be first round picks.
Once the draft is complete, NO trades are allowed!
In leagues where children must return to the same team, no child may jump from team "A" to team "B" in the following year because their parent became an assistant coach. If a parent becomes a head coach of another team, they may take their child with them.
Siblings who live in the same household will be placed on the same team. If both siblings are in the draft, when one is drafted, the other is placed in the next available spot. If a younger sibling if moving up to a league where an older sibling is already on a team, the younger sibling will act as a returning player.
During the draft, coaches will have 60 seconds to make their selection or be passed over until the end of the round. This applies in all rounds except the final round.
To avoid bad feelings, the only people allowed inside the draft will be the listed head and assistant coaches. Any other requests to enter the draft room must be pre-approved by the SCPRD staff.
POST SEASON / ALL-STAR TEAMS
The SCPRD will not be involved in selecting post season or All-Star teams.
Any coach from our league that wants to put together a post season tournament team may do so at their own expense.
Any team that desires to enter a GRPA tournament must present a roster and a deposit check equal to the amount of District entry fee prior to the District entry meeting. The SCPRD will pay the entry fee into all GRPA events. This is the only financial contribution that will be made by the department. In Little League, if there is more than one team formed, a local playoff will be held to determine the representative to Little League.
For GRPA events, players must meet all eligibility requirements, which means every player must have played in the local league, be of the correct age and reside or attend school full-time in Sumter County. For Little League events, each player must be a member of the local league, be of the correct age and live within the Little League prescribed boundaries.
TEN AND UNDER PITCHING MACHINE RULES
All pitching will be done by a JUGS Jr. electric pitching machine set to throw 45 MPH.
In league play, one umpire will be used to feed the machine and make all calls during the game.
When a batted ball hits the machine prior to any attempt being made by a defensive player, it is a "Dead Ball" and all subsequent action is cancelled. It is just as if no pitch was ever thrown.
If a thrown ball hits the machine, all runners will advance one base if forced. If not being forced, they will be allowed to reach the next base in which they were attempting to earn.
A player in the pitchers position must have at least one foot inside of the dirt circle and be stationed behind the front leg of the machine when the ball is pitched.
Bunting is no longer allowed. A player must take a full swing. Any attempt to bunt, in the umpire's judgment will be ruled an out if contact is made with the ball and the ball is traveling or comes to rest in fair territory.
Advancement on a passed ball is allowed with the following limitations. First, a painted line will be drawn five feet behind the catcher's box. If a passed ball is on or beyond that line, a base runner may attempt to advance one base. The exception to this rule is that a runner on third base cannot attempt to score on a passed ball. The only time a runner at third base may attempt to score is if the catcher makes a throw to another base in an attempt to make a play. The runner at third base may then attempt to score.
On a passed ball, if the catcher attempts to throw out the base runner and there is an overthrow, the runner may not attempt to gain another base. There is a one base maximum on any passed ball.
Runners must maintain contact with their base until the pitched ball has reached the plate.
In Flea and Mite Divisions, there will be four outfielders used. All outfielders must play in the grass behind the infield. Coaches may choose to play their fourth outfielder as a "shortfielder" or as left field, left center, right center, right field.
For local play only, when a team scores five runs in an inning, they must "flip-flop" as if the third out has been made. This will apply in all innings except the final inning (fifth in Flea, sixth in Mite). The final inning is unlimited.
