Dentsville Youth Baseball / Softball
League
T-Ball Specific Rules of Play
(Revised February 2005)
1. Home team supplies the batting
“T”.
2. All players will bat once each inning. Players may bat in random order.
3. No score or outs are recorded. The umpire will strictly enforce this rule.
4. The game length is 3 innings.
5. The game time limit is 1 hour 20
minutes.
6. Players making outs on two consecutive
bats will be awarded first base on the next at bat regardless of the outcome.
7. Balls will be considered live and in
play at the umpire’s discretion.
8. All players will occupy a defensive
position.
9. A maximum of eight defensive players
may play infield. They are: pitcher, catcher,
1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop and two other
players to be positioned on the infield dirt (an extra player between 1st and 2nd
and another extra player between 2nd and 3rd).
10. The remaining players will occupy the
outfield and must be located in the grassy area.
11. Three defensive coaches are permitted
on the field and can communicate with and/or direct the defensive players. However, no defensive coach is allowed in the
infield during play.
12. Base runners are not allowed to take a
lead.
13. Base runners are not allowed to steal.
14. Play stops on balls returned to the
pitching area or to the umpire, except on the last batter of each ½ inning, in which case
all runners advance until an out is made or all players score.
15. A ball hit beyond the infield shall be
declared dead when it is returned to the infield and is in the possession of a defensive
player. Any runner more than halfway to the
next base will advance to the base. If a
runner is not halfway, the runner must return to the previous base touched. This decision is an umpire’s judgement call.
16. An overthrown ball, as determined by
the umpire, shall result in any player on base advancing only one base (exception is 1st
base, where no additional bases are awarded for an overthrow).
17. An offensive coach positions the
batters and the “T”. Open
communication is encouraged. Play will begin
when the ball is placed on the “T”
18. All offensive players must wear batting
helmets outside the dugout.
19. Catchers must wear protective equipment
(catchers mask).
20. Batter shall be called out for slinging
the bat after being warned once.
21. The T-ball league will use a soft
beginner’s baseball in order to build confidence.
This applies to practice and games.
22. The base path length is 55 feet.
23. For the last two games of the season, a
coach will be allowed to pitch to the batter, if the coach and player desire. If after three pitches the player has not hit the
ball, the “T” will be used for that batter.
(Remember that all players will not be ready to hit “live
pitching” and therefore shall/will not be forced to attempt.)
