Softball – Rules of Play

Junior League (7-9yrs)

First and foremost is to have fun. Coaches need to work together to figure out what works best, there will be situations we haven’t thought of. Send feedback to: Craig Charlwood -

  1. Outs will be counted, and scores kept, and league standings will be posted and tracked. There will be no playoffs.
  2. Pitching:
  3. 9 year olds can pitch, 8 year olds only by exception if there aren’t enough 9 year olds or the 8 year old is exceptional (we want preference to go to 9 year olds). They will pitch from the pitcher’s mound that is moved up from 40 to 35 feet.
  4. A player pitcher will pitch 5 pitches max per batter, then the batting team’s coach will finish pitching to that batter – we limit to 5 pitches to speed up play.
  5. Encourage batters to swing at players’ pitches.
  6. The coach then pitches up to 5 strikes. The batter must have either struck out or got a hit by the coach’s 5th strike, or the batter is out. (A batter can strike out before the coach’s last pitch. See hitting rules below)
  7. The coach can pitch from as close as he/she wants – but try to pitch as close (or on) the rubber if it makes sense, so the batters get the feel of a full length pitch.
  8. If the pitcher hits a batter, the batting team’s coach finishes pitching to that player, the hit batter does not go to first base when hit.
  9. If the player/pitcher hits 2 batters in an inning, she cannot pitch the rest of that inning.
  10. Balls/strikes are announced by the batting team’s coach(who should be on the mound), so the batters learn the strike zone. Strike zone is armpits to knees and over the plate.
  11. Hitting:
  12. All players bat until they hit or stike out - no Tee's used
  13. A player will be allowed 5 strikes from a combination of the player pitcher and the coach, whether it is a called strike or a swinging strike, before being called out
  14. We want to encourage girls to swing at player pitches
  15. We want to teach them to judge the strike zone by swinging at good pitches regardless of who is pitching them
  16. There will be no walks
  17. Coaches of the batting team will be responsible for calling the strikes. There will be no
  18. umpires.
  19. Extra Bases - A player will be allowed an attempt at one extra base if a ball gets through the infield
  20. Previously, the rule was that the ball had to reach the outfield in the air. Now, the ball just has to get past the infield.
  21. All base runners will be allowed to attempt one extra base at a time at a ball past the infield.
  22. This will also provide opportunity to teach fielders how to defend the extra base attempt.
  23. No bunts – (a full swing that does not go far is not a bunt)
  24. No infield pop fly rule
  25. Inning is over after 5 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first
  26. Steals - We will allow steals under the Junior league rules under the following guidelines
  27. A player can only steal 2nd or 3rd, but not home
  28. A player can only steal on a coaches sign or instruction. There will be no advancement on a passed ball by the catcher.
  29. Only one base can be taken at a time, which is the same as Minor league play.
  30. There will be a 2 steal limit per team per inning.
  31. Coach for the batting team calls safe or out at bases (try to always have 1st & 3rd base coaches). Err on the side of keeping runners so everyone learns the situational play of having runners.
  32. Sliding is allowed and should be emphasized, but no running over a defensive player blocking a base
  33. Defensive player is not allowed to block a base if there is no play – teach the defense that the base runner has the right of way
  34. Taking leads off base will be allowed and are encouraged as a way of introducing the concept at an earlier age level
  35. Base running outs are called by the batting team’s coach if the kids go far out of the way to avoid a tag. A defensive player without the ball may not interfere with a base runner. Err on the side of leaving runners.
  36. Infield – only have defensive players at the “normal” positions. Extra players should practice on the sidelines or be in the outfield. Have a defensive player near the pitching mound, even if the coach is pitching. (It’s ok if a pitcher, who has hit 2 batters, plays defense at the pitcher’s mound.)
  37. We will use the “soft” version 11” softballs the entire season – for safety.

Craig CharlwoodPage 1 of 2 Updated 4/3/2016