Distance between bases shall be 50 feet.

Both teams are mutually responsible for Field Marking.

• Marking shall consist of batters boxes and foul lines extending from the front corner of the plate to the outside edge of first and third bases.

• Optionally, coaches may choose to line On Deck circles and Coaches Boxes at First and Third.

Rubber soled or rubber cleated shoes are permitted.  Metal cleats are prohibited.

No jewelry shall be worn by any player, except for medical identification.

Minimum Play: Every player must play the entire game unless he/she is absent or injured. Players shall play in all the standard defensive positions except catcher. All additional players (in excess of the 8 standard positions) shall be positioned in the outfield.

Batting Order: The batting order shall be continuous and made from the roster of all players present at the game. One complete batting turn through the batting order constitutes an inning.

Batting: A batter shall take his/her turn at bat and remain until the ball is hit into play. There shall be no strikeouts and no walks. Every hit is a single.  Runners advance one base at a time, station to station, until the final batter of the inning.  The final batter of the inning clears the bases with a Grand Slam!  Please rotate the batting order so every player gets a chance to lead off and hit a grand slam during the season.

Coach pitching is encouraged as appropriate for each player

• Coaches are permitted to pitch to players during all games of the season.

• Coach pitch shall not be forced on a player that isn’t comfortable with it.  Feel free to use the tee liberally, especially during the start of the season.  If a player wants to use only the tee the whole year, they will certainly be allowed to do so.  But we would like players to get a chance to swing at a pitched ball, even if they are unlikely to connect.  They will become more comfortable focusing on the pitched ball the more they see one.

• If using Coach Pitch, a batter gets 3-5 pitches to attempt a hit.  If there is no hit, bring out the Tee so the batter can get a hit.

• The batter is allowed unlimited swings at the Tee, until they get a hit.

No player pitching in Shetland American.

Game Duration: All games shall be three (3) innings or 1 hour 15 minutes in length, whichever happens first. This is a hard time cap.  We need to move quickly to get 27-30 at bats per team, 54-60 at bats total, in a 75 min time window.

Coaches on the Field:

• The Hitting Team is allowed 1 Coach to Pitch, 1 Coach to Catch and help the Batter, 1 Coach at First, and 1 Coach at Third Base.  It is recommended that a Coach or Team Parent help maintain order in the dugout as a Bench Coach. 3rd Base Coach can also assist with the batter On Deck.

• The Fielding Team may have as many coaches as necessary in the field.  2-4 Defensive Coaches is probably ideal.

Game Scores: We do not keep score! In T-Ball all teams win!

Protective Headgear: Must be worn by any player while at bat and while running the bases. This also includes while at practice.

• When appropriate, protective headgear can also be used in the field at the Pitcher’s mound, First Base, or wherever necessary.

Base Running: No leading off or stealing bases shall be permitted. Runners advance only one base per at bat, except for the last at bat of each inning.

We are a ‘Hustle League’ and expect players to run on and off the field.

Parents are not allowed in the dugout or on the field unless they are coaching.  Siblings are not allowed in the dugout or on the field under any circumstances. Siblings are not allowed to assist with coaching the team.  Parents who are not coaching and Siblings are not covered by insurance.

No cell phones allowed on the field or in the dugout (with the exception of the Team Photographer).

No alcohol or tobacco products of any kind allowed anywhere on the field or in the stands.  All fields are located on school property, so this is strictly forbidden.

No chewing gum or sunflower seeds allowed on the field or in the dugout.  Gum and sunflower seed shells can be a mess to clean up after the games. We want to be gracious guests on the fields.

Every team must have at least 1 coach who has completed Concussion Training.  It is recommended that all Coaches complete Concussion Training. Concussion training completed for other youth sports leagues (i.e., AYSO) is sufficient to meet this requirement.

How to deal with problems:

• Parents sign a Code of Conduct form.  If their behavior is inappropriate, ask them politely to stop. If they still don’t cooperate, call the park enforcement officer and walk away.  Notify the league so the league can deal with the parent directly.

• Any person(s) that interfere with you and/or your team during a game or practice (including unauthorized use of fields) should be dealt with in the same way.

• Park Enforcement Officer – Brent Malatesta (310)345-1141

• If P.E. Officer is unavailable, contact the Police Dept. Front Desk (310) 802-5140

Any manager that is ejected from a game will receive an automatic 1 game suspension and review for any further disciplinary action.