DYB REGIONAL WORLD SERIES
Coach Pitch A Division (6U & 7U)
Tournament Rules and Regulations
IMPORTANT: The Official Dixie Youth rules as currently in use will be the basic set of rules with the exception of the following rules.
PLAYING FIELD:
- Baselines shall be sixty (60’) feet.
- The center of the player pitching circle will be forty-six (46’) feet from the back tip of home plate. There will be a twelve (12’) foot diameter circle from the center of the pitching circle will be used as the mound. In 7U, the coach pitcher will pitch with both feet inside the circle. The line is consider part of the circle.
- In 6U the coach pitcher will pitch from a pitching rubber of thirty-six (36’) from the back tip of home plate. The coach pitcher must start with one foot on the rubber when pitching to the batter. The coach pitcher must throw overhand from a standing position. If the coach pitcher is hit by a batted ball, it is a dead ball and will be declared a no pitch. The coach pitcher shall exit the playing field behind the runner or away from any play on the field when the ball is hit into fair territory to avoid interference. PENALTY: If the umpire determines interference on the coach pitcher, the batter shall be declared out and all runners shall return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch.
- The outfield fence will be a minimum of 160 feet from home plate.
COACHES:
- Each team will be allowed a manager and a maximum of three (3) coaches. There must be four (4) coaches listed on the tournament affidavit.
- No more than three (3) coaches will be allowed on the playing field while on offense, coaches will be at 1st and 3rd base coaching boxes and one coach pitcher. The coach pitcher may coach or position the batter but cannot coach the runners. The coach pitcher will be given one warning if he coaches the runners and on the second offense, he/she will be removed from pitching and placed in the dugout for the remainder of the game. One coach must remain in the dugout at all times.
- Only the manager may represent or speak for the team.
PLAYERS:
- Tournament team rosters will be 11-12 players.
- The game will be a forfeit if a team cannot field nine (9) players.
- There will be ten (10) defensive players, which will include a catcher and four (4) outfielders. The catcher must be in full catcher’s gear which shall include, shin guards, chest protector, face mask with helmet attached to the mask and a throat protector on the catcher’s mask unless it is a hockey style mask and a protective cup must be worn by the catcher. Catchers may use a baseball glove or catcher’s mitt. The catcher must be in the squatting position behind home plate in a direct line with the pitcher and home plate when the ball is pitched. The player pitcher must wear a batting helmet with a face mask attached to the helmet or face guard. If player pitcher wears a face guard, he is not required to wear cap.
- All players must play a minimum of six (6) defensive outs (three consecutive outs in two different innings per game. Substitutions must be made at the beginning of an inning except in the case of an injury or sickness. The penalty if a player does not play the required two (2) complete innings on defense will the disqualification of the team manager for the next game. This rule only applies for complete games.
- Uniforms will be a complete uniform with cap, jersey with numbers and must have a Dixie Youth patch worn on the left sleeve.
GENERAL PLAYING RULES:
- Regulation game shall be five (5) innings for tournament play unless the ten (10) run or the fifteen (15) run rule applies after three (3) innings or ten (10) run rules after four (4) innings. The fifteen (15) run rule will only apply after three (3) innings if all players have completed one time at bat.
- An inning will be completed when teams have acquired three (3) outs or scored a maximum of seven (7) runs.
- Teams will bat in a continuous batting order. At the start of the game, all available players on each tournament team roster will be listed in the starting offensive batting line up and will bat in this order for the entire game.
- Each batter will be allowed five (5) pitches or three (3) swinging strikes per at bat, whichever comes first. The batter will be called out if the ball is not put into play after the 5th pitch. If the batter fouls the last pitch, he/she will be given an additional swing; if the batters fouls again, he/she will get another swing, etc.
- A player who is forced to leave the game because of illness or injury and later is able to return into the game he/she will bat in same place in the batting order as when they left the game. An out will not be awarded for a batter if injured, sick or ejected and unable to bat, the batter will be skipped. If a player becomes injured or sick while on base, the previous player making the last out shall run for him/her.
- Outfielders must be stationed at least a minimum of twenty (20’) feet from the baseline until contact with the ball is made.
- Bats must be labeled with the USA BASEBALL mark and must be 2 1/4” or 2 5/8” bats. No T-ball bats will be allowed in 6u & 7u coach pitch.
- Baseballs will be Dixie Youth approved hardballs.
- Batters must wear a batting helmet; chin straps and face masks on the batting helmets are optional.
- Player pitcher must have one foot in the pitching circle behind the 46ft line until contact is made with the ball. If the player pitcher leaves the pitching circle before contact is made with the ball, the offensive team has the option of either letting the play stand or rule it as a no pitch. Infielders maybe positioned no closer than an imaginary line between first to third base and no closer than the player pitcher.
- Base runners must stay in contact with the base until the ball is hit. Leaving the base before the ball is hit will allow the defensive team the option to keep or reject any part of the play.
- Any runner missing a base must be appealed to the umpire by the defensive team at the end of the play, this is a dead ball appeal and if the runner is ruled to have missed a base, he/she will be called out.
- Play is dead when an umpire calls time out, when the play comes to a natural end and base runners are making no attempt to advance or if a runner has passed a base prior to the player pitcher gaining control of the ball in the designated pitching circle and does not stop, he/she may advance to the next base only at his/her own risk then umpire will call dead ball or time out.
- No infield fly rule, no bunting, no base stealing and no intentional walks will be allowed.
- No team shall play more than three games per day; preferably only 2 games are to be played per day if the schedule allows it.
7U COACH PITCH RULES:
(A) We will use the AA Coach Pitch rules listed in the DYB Rule Book except the games will be five (5) Inning ball games. There will not be an unlimited run rule in the fifth (5th) inning, there will be 7 runs allowed in each inning or three (3) outs, whichever comes first.
(B) Adult pitchers will pitch from the forty-six (46’) pitching circle.