Coach Pitch/T-Ball 7 Year Old League Rules

Revised 02/27/2023

All USSSA rules will be followed for league play with the following exceptions/additions:

1. The 7 year old league is a beginning program. The emphasis is on participation and instruction rather than winning or losing. The fundamentals of catching, throwing, hitting, running, team play and sportsmanship are stressed.

2. Time limit of 1 hour and/or 5 innings. All ties stay.

3. The pitcher will be placed to the side of the coach, within 4 feet of either side of the coach pitching. The pitcher may not be beyond the coach before the ball is put in play.

4. The Coach Pitching must stay between the 20’ and 30’ Arc when pitching to hitters depending on the hitters need for first half of season.  After first half of season the coach pitching must stay behind the 30 ft arc when pitching to batters. Coaches will be notified of specific date once the schedule is produced.

5. Fair Ball Arc: There will be a 20' arc drawn from the back point of home plate, extending from 1st baseline to 3rd baseline in front of home plate. A batted ball must go past this line to be a fair ball "in play". A ball stopping on the line is a fair ball. If the ball does not pass the line or stop on the line, it is considered a foul ball.

6. Safety Arc: There will be a 30' arc drawn from 1st baseline to 3rd baseline in front of home plate. Infielders must stay behind this line until the ball is hit. 

7. The number of coaches allowed on the field (inside the fences and/or dug-outs) during the game must not exceed four (4).

8. The positions coaches may occupy during the game will be:

A) One coach In the first and third base coaching boxes when their team is at bat, and one coach pitching to batter, the 4^th coach must manage the dugout.

B) Only two coaches allowed in the outfield when their team is on defense, allowing them to adjust, teach, and correct fundamental errors on-the-spot.

C) In the dug-out.

D) When his/her team is at bat, the pitching coach is allowed, if needed, to help his players prepare to bat and once the ball is hit the coach must get off the field past either foul line.

E) Coaches must stay inside the fences unless special situations require that they leave (i.e. Illness, injury, or personal or official business not related to the game in which they are involved). Under no circumstances will a coach be allowed to watch or coach the game from spectator areas of the park.

F) Coaches cannot touch a player at any time the ball is in play. This includes both offensive and defensive play. Penalties are as follows:

1) Defensive-Dead ball- Runners advance two bases. 
2) Offensive-Dead ball- The runner is out.

9. A team may score a maximum of 8 runs per inning.

10. The batter will take their position in the batter’s box and start play by hitting the ball pitched by the coach. Each batter will get a maximum of 3 underhand or overhand pitched balls. If no hit occurs after 3 pitches, the ball will be placed on the tee. The batter then gets two swings maximum off the tee - a foul ball on the 2nd swing on the tee does NOT give the batter another swing. If the batter swings and misses, either over the ball or under the ball on the tee, it is counted as a swing.

11. No bunting is allowed. Attempts to bunt will result in the batter being called out.

12. On any batted ball, the maximum bases a player can take is two. This applies to any base runners as well.

13. The home plate umpire will call "dead ball" loudly enough to be heard by players and coaches in the following situations:

A) The flow of play is stopped when the lead runner is held at his/her base by a defensive player

B) A runner leaves a base before the ball has been hit. The runner is out and the ball must be hit again. All other base runners are returned to their base.

C) A player, offensive or defensive, is injured severely enough to warrant immediate attention. Base runners will be awarded one base, unless they are called out prior to the dead ball.

14. All players are required to play in their basic playing positions. It will be considered a violation if a player radically changes his playing position. For example, a baseman cannot be in the pitchers circle, or an outfielder cannot come into the infield along side infielders already there (outfielders must be in the grass behind the infield), etc. The umpire will not allow the game to proceed until offending players return to their regular positions. A player can NOT change position in an inning unless there is an injury.

15. The infield fly rule does not apply.

16. Overthrown balls at all bases are considered in play until the flow of play has stopped.

17. ALL players play defense.  Standard infield positions, the rest of the players as outfielders.  The outfielders MUST be in the outfield grass.

18. The catcher must make the play at home plate unless he is out of position attempting a play. Defensive interference will be called. The intent of this rule is for each player to learn his position. It is allowable for the infielder to make a play on a batted ball which has passed the foul circle, but is within the forty-five (45) foot mark.

19. Because a coach is on the field for instruction and teaching he can at anytime stop play to instruct briefly at one player. However, time outs to bring an entire team together for the purpose of stopping a rally are prohibited.

20.  EVERY player must play at least 1 inning at an infield position.  It is recommended to flip-flop your infield/outfield each inning.  

21.  All outfielders must be beyond an arc that is 10 ft past the bases when the ball is hit.  Coaches are responsible for enforcing this for the outfielders.  

22.  An outfielder can not make a tag play on a force out on a base hit.  The outfielder must throw the ball to an infielder to make a force play.   
This applies to force plays only.  For example:  a batter hits a ball to the right fielder, to try to get an out at 1^st base, the right fielder must throw the ball to the 1^st baseman; the right fielder can not run to 1^st base and tag the base or the runner to get the out.
Furthermore, if the runner tries to advance to 2^nd base, since the force play is now over, the outfielder can make a tag play on the runner.

23.  In an effort to save time, the defensive team shall have a coach positioned behind the catcher, at the backstop, to retrieve passed balls.  The umpire will keep the pitcher supplied with a baseball.  The coach positioned at the backstop shall return passed balls to the umpire.

24.  Refer to our General League Rules for bats that are or are not allowed in our league, as well as other league rules, including forfeit rule.  https://www.fybaseball.com/content/11689/General-League-Rules