ECSS SPLIT LEAGUE RULES
I. Field / Equipment / General
A) Field:
1. Bases will be approximately 60 feet apart.
B) Equipment:
1. All games shall be played with a foam ball for t-ball and a 10-inch red rubber kickball for kickball.
2. Metal spikes are not allowed! (PERIOD)
3. Any other types of cleats are allowed (i.e. softball, soccer).
C) General:
1. Officiating:
i. Teams must furnish at least 2 'coherent and sober' umpires per game, as assigned on the current season schedule.
ii. Consistent failure to not provide proper umpires will jeopardize future league participation. At the field rep's discretion.
iii. Teams failing to supply proper umpires will forfeit their next game on the schedule, at the field reps' discretion. This does not include tournament play.
iv. The umpire's word is final and not to be disputed unless a blatant contradiction to the official rules has been committed.
v. The Field Rep has the right to overturn an umpire's call if it is not within the parameters of the official ECSS rules. This only is if the umpire and field ref(s) cannot agree on the call on the field. If the ref(s) agree on a call, whether you feel it is right or wrong, the game will play with the call. See above rule #4.
vi. Umpires may eject players for unsportsmanlike behavior, with field rep approval.
vii. Any occurrences that are not covered in the rules shall be settled by the Field Rep and noted for later rule updates.
viii. This includes but is not limited to un-sportsman-like conduct, fighting, delay of game, and excessive verbal abuse. Ejected participants must leave the field area and may not return to the game, with possible future game suspension. REMEMBER this is a Social Sports League have FUN!
ix. Players should remember we are all out here for fun!
II. Number of Participants
1. A maximum of 11 players can be on the field for the fielding team.
2. Teams must have at least 4 female players and must also have the required minimum 8 players to consider the game legal. Teams may borrow players from other teams, with a penalty (1 player picked up = 1 run, 2 players picked up = 2 runs, etc.), to fill the roster for a game, AS LONG AS OPPOSING TEAM OKs THE PICK UPS PRIOR TO START OF GAME. Once the game has started with approved players, the game will count.
3. All players on your roster, that are present, must bat in the line-up.
4. There is no boy/girl batting order rule. Players can bat in any order, provided the order is consistent throughout the game. We recommend turning in a roster.
5. A team having 11 players, that is missing a required male/female player, must play short defensively, the number of missing player(s). This only applies for teams with 11 players or more. Teams with fewer than 7 players shall have a 10-minute grace period before a forfeit is declared.
6. Subs may be used at any time, so long as the opposing team is not opposed! (READ RULE 3).
7. Pickups outside of the league are allowed with no run penalty. Pickups outside of the league do need to sign a waiver and pay a $10.00 visitor fee.
III. Regulation Games
1. A regulation game shall consist of 6 innings or a time limit of 55 minutes. If a game starts late, it shall be played until 5 minutes before the next game starting time.
2. The umpire or Field Rep may call a game due to time; an inning may not reasonably be completed before the 55-minute time limit. As such, an inning cannot begin 45 minutes after the hour unless the score is tied or if it is the last scheduled game.
3. A game is considered official once 4 full innings have been completed.
4. Regular season games may end in ties. If time permits, Field Reps may grant additional innings if both captains agree to play them.
5. Called games shall be played at a future date agreeable to both team captains at a site to be agreed upon. Any games not replayed shall be counted as a tie in the standings.
6. Home and Away team is determined by the league for every game. Check with the field rep. The winner will select either Home or Away.
7. 11 MAX runs per inning.
Pitching / Strikes vs. Balls / Fielding / Outs / Foul Balls / Overthrows
A) KICKBALL Pitching:
1. A legal pitch must be under the kicker's knee. (see "ball" description below also).
2. Pitcher must pitch behind the 'pitch line' which runs diagonally from 1st base to 3rd base.
3. Once the ball is pitched no player may advance past the 'pitch line' until the ball has been kicked.
4. Lateral movement by the pitcher is tolerated, as long as there is no encroachment.
5. Whether a pitch is a ball or strike, based on bounciness, should be based on the height of the last bounce before it crosses home plate.
6. The ball must bounce at least twice, before crossing or hitting the home plate.
b. KICKBALL Strikes/Balls:
1. A "strike" consists of a ball that is rolled inside the strike zone lines and below knee level.
2. A "ball" shall be called on anything that does not pass between the strike zone.
3. Making an attempt to kick the ball and then missing the ball, constitutes a "strike", regardless of whether any contact was made to the ball.
4. The ball must bounce at least twice, before crossing or hitting the home plate.
5. A pitch must be no higher than the knee level of the kicker or the result shall be a called "ball".
6. 4 'balls' shall result in a walk.
7. 4 strikes/fouls of any kind will result in an out. (Ex. 4 strikes / 2 strikes and 2 fouls / 4 fouls / 3 strikes and 1 foul)
B) T-BALL Fielding:
1. Players will hit the ball off a batting tee.
2. No player may advance past the 'pitch line' until the ball has been hit.
3. Lateral movement by the pitcher is tolerated if there is no encroachment.
4. Players may play any formation they like if nobody crosses the 'pitch line' before the ball is hit.
5. T-BALL - It is a team's choice to have a catcher. The catcher position is included in the 11 players fielding (a team can have a catcher and 1 less fielder or 11 fielders). If the catcher position is used the catcher must stay behind the circle until the ball is hit. The catcher will need to be wary of the batter and throwing of the bat.
6. KICKBALL CATCHERS- The catcher must be positioned within or directly behind the kicking box and behind the horizontal plane of the kicker. - The catcher may not make contact with the kicker, nor position so closely to the kicker as to restrict the kicking motion. This will result in the kicker automatically advancing to 1st base- The kicker may not trigger a position violation through maneuvers judged by the Ref to be deliberately tricky or unsportsmanlike. There must be a 1-yard (3 feet) buffer between the catcher and kicker. If the catcher repeatedly encroaches after warnings, then the kicker gets a base.
C) Outs:
1. The batting/kicking team gets 3 outs per inning. An out results due to the following.
i. A ball caught on the fly
ii. Base runner is forced out.
iii. The base runner is hit with the ball at any time.
iv. Combo of 4 strike/foul balls.
2. As even the most innocent-looking pop-ups are potential hits, there is NO infield fly rule. Only in force-out situations will runs not count in third-out situations (see next bullet).
3. A force out constitutes a defensive player touching the base where a forced player is running to, either with the ball in hand or by throwing to a fellow teammate that is covering the base. Tagging or throwing at the player does not constitute a force play.
4. THERE WILL BE A 2 HOME RUN CAP PER GAME PER TEAM if playing on short field. This means you are allowed as a team to hit 2 Home Runs OVER the fence. Every Home Run after 2 will be a ground rule double. Your team can hit as many INSIDE the park home runs as you want.
C) Foul Balls:
1. A foul ball that is caught counts as an out. Runners may advance if they tag up.
2. If a ball is touched in fair territory, it is fair, regardless of other factors, i.e. foot placement of the fielder.
3. Fair vs. foul- If a ball is hit on the ground and touches fair territory first, then it MUST touch foul territory before 1st or 3rd base to be foul. No matter if it appears to go foul, the ball is not considered foul UNTIL it touches foul territory.
4. A ball may start foul on the ground and roll/bounce fair BEFORE 1st or 3rd BASE and be fair. A ball must be touched by the defensive team in foul territory before 1st or 3rd base to be considered foul.
D) Overthrows:
1. OVERTHROWS ARE LIVE BALLS AT ALL TIMES (Fence is live), IT IS DEAD IF IT HITS ANY ITEM BESIDES FENCE. It is also a dead ball if it crosses into or passes the white line on the adjacent field of play. Runners are awarded an extra base on dead balls. Depending on the location of the runner to advance.
2. Defensive players cannot impede a runner when retrieving an overthrown ball. Defensive players cannot block bases.
V. Batting / Running
A) T-BALL Batting:
1. The batter must hit the ball from within the batter's box (the astroturf mat in which Homeplate is painted on).
2. Bunting is allowed, by female players only. The ball must go past the designated bunt line drawn on the field.
3. Each team may have base coaches at first and third bases. Base coaches are not allowed to touch runners, if done it will be an out.
4. Batters MUST HOLD, NOT THROW THE BATS WHEN HITTING. If a batter lets go of the bat while swinging to hit the ball, the player will be out! BAT CAN NOT LAND OUTSIDE OF CIRCLE. This call is made on the Ref’s judgment.
5. Batters may use whatever bat they would like. ECSS will provide bats for games and if players choose to bring their own bat, ECSS will not be held responsible if anything were to happen to the equipment.
A) KICKBALL Kicking:
1. The kicker's planted foot must be behind the front edge of the home plate before kicking it, if not it will be considered a foul. See Advantage Rule below.
2. Bunting is allowed, by female players only.
3. Each team may have base coaches on first and third bases.
B) Running:
1. There will be a 'safety' bag next to 1st base which every base runner must use to avoid collisions at 1st base. IF THE BASE RUNNER DOES NOT USE THE SAFETY BAG ON A FORCE OUT TO 1 ST BASE THEY WILL BE CALLED OUT. NO MATTER WHAT. If there is no force at 1st base the runner does not have to use the safety bag.
2. Runners must stay in the base path at the ref's discretion or they will automatically be called out.
3. Infield base runners cannot advance until the ball is hit.
4. Defensive fielders impeding with the offensive runners' path to the base, shall result in the runner being awarded the base they are attempting to run to. EXCEPT, when the ball in play is directly in the runner's base path the obstruction is on the runner, not the fielder. The runner cannot interfere with the play on the ball.
5. Leading off and stealing are not allowed. Leading off/leaving early will result in a do-over.
6. Sliding is legal. But, please do so with caution, keeping fielders and your safety in mind.
7. Runners can tag up, at their own risk, once the defensive player has control of the ball.
8. After a ball is caught, the runner must tag up before advancing to the next base. Failure to tag up before advancing results in an out if the runner is tagged or the ball is thrown to the previous base prior to the runner getting back.
9. If any offensive runner passes a teammate that is running the bases ahead of them, the "passing" offensive player, will be called out (tags base first). Offensive runners can push/touch the teammate running ahead of them if they are catching up to them.
10. Balls thrown at the base runner must be below the head. Any headshot incurred while the runner is in an upright running position results in advancement to the base they were running to.
11. Any intentional hitting of the ball with the head by a runner will result in an out.
12. If the runner slides, jumps or ducts to avoid a ball, this does not count as a head shot and the runner will be "safe" or "out" depending on the ref’s call of the play.
13. After a ball is hit, if the ball hits the batter or any base runner at any time and is in fair territory, the runner is out, and the batter resumes its turn. For the batter, this will be considered a dead ball.
14. Pinch runners are allowed for injured players only, but the batter must make it to 1st base before said pinch runner can run for them. The runner will be the player that made the last out, of the same sex, on the offensive team.
15. Injured batters who cannot bat in their respective place in the line-up are not allowed a pinch batter and are not allowed back into the game once they miss their turn due to an injury. This means they cannot play in any defensive position on the field.
VI. Mercy Rule
1. Teams may opt to 'submit' if down 15 runs or more after 4 innings of play or at the 50-minute mark.
PLAYOFF RULES
Playoffs:
1. Playoff games will consist of 6 innings, 3 innings of TeeBall, and 3 innings of Kickball.
2. The highest-ranked team (home team) of the playoff game will decide if
a. They want to be home or away; or
b. What sport the playoff game will start with.
3. During the playoffs, the winner shall be determined by whoever wins the next full inning (both teams get at-kicks).
In playoff and tournament situations, each team shall play short one fielder for each inning beyond 6, in a boy, or girl order decided by the opposing team. For example, a team in the 10th inning must take two males and one female off the field. This is for offense and defense. The hitting/kicking team will start each inning after the 6th inning with a runner of their choice on 2nd base.
