Under no circumstances can older players ever play down at a younger age group. For example, in order to play 9U all players on the team must be 9 years old or younger as of the cutoff date (April 30th). 

1. Time Limits: *All time limits will begin after the pregame conference is complete**

• 46/60 & 50/70 - No New Inning after 1:50
• 60/90 (7 innings) - No New Inning after 2:10
• 60/90 (9 innings) - No New Inning after 3:00
  • "No new inning after" is defined as a time limit in which no new inning will start after the specified time has passed. Any inning starting ON or before this time should be completed. The new inning is considered to have started once the last out of the previous inning has been recorded.
  • Please note that in some cases, time limits may be readjusted given circumstances such as daylight restrictions, field light curfew, town ordinance, back to back games, etc.
  • Extra Innings: If the time has not expired, teams will play extra innings until it does. Regular season games can end in a tie after the time limit expires.
  • You cannot protest a game over a time limit.

2.  A protest shall be considered only when there is use of an ineligible player. No protest shall be considered on a decision involving an umpire's judgment. Likewise, protests based upon an official’s judgment or misinterpretation (misapplication) of the playing rules will not be honored (same rule as High School). Equipment which does not meet specifications must be removed from the game. Appropriate penalties, if any, will be assessed but shall not be the basis for a protest.

The protest made due to the use of an ineligible player may be considered only if made to the umpire before the final out of the game. Whenever it is found that an ineligible player is being used, that player shall be removed from the game, and the game shall be continued under protest or not, as the protesting manager decides. Protests must first be submitted by the manager to the umpire on the field of play before the game concludes, and then in writing to the league president within 24 hours. The umpire chief shall submit a report as well. Protests will be ruled upon by the league office and committee composed of chief umpires. All protests must affect the outcome of the game. Protests after the game is complete will not be accepted. No protests will be accepted from teams that do not have their roster posted.

Any coach found guilty of using an illegal player will be under review by the protest committee. Depending on the severity of the infraction, the offending manager will be subject to a suspension or ban. In some cases, the player may be subject to the same penalties.

The league commissioners office has the authority to rule on matters affecting outcomes of games when extenuating circumstances are present. All decisions will be made with consideration of the rules of the game, spirit of fair play, and sportsmanship.  

3.  All players must wear the complete uniform while on the field of play and in the dugout or bench area.

4.  Players may wear plastic or rubber spiked shoes on the 46/60 and 50/70 diamonds. Players may wear metal spiked shoes on the 90ft diamond unless specified by the home team due to turf fields or any other restriction.

5. All Players, while batting, running bases or catching, must wear helmets that meet NOCSAE standards as evidenced with the NOCSAE stamp on the helmet.

To view a list of approved bats, click here.

• 46/60 will follow USA Standards for League Play. All bats must have the USA stamp and not be greater than - 2 5/8" barrel

  • 1- piece solid wood bats are allowed and no USA stamp is required for a solid wood bat. 

  • Tee Ball bats are NOT allowed. Hitting with hard core baseballs may break the Tee Ball bat which poses a safety issue.

  • PENALTY (not retroactive):

    • 1st violation: Batter automatically out.

    • 2nd violation: Inning over, all runs earned in the inning will be removed from scorebook.

    • 3rd violation: Automatic forfeit.

• 50/70 will follow USA Standards. All bats must have the USA stamp- 2 5/8" barrel

  • 1- piece solid wood bats are allowed and no USA stamp is required for a solid wood bat. 
  • -3 BBCOR is allowed and no USA stamp is required

  • PENALTY (not retroactive):

    • 1st violation: Batter automatically out.

    • 2nd violation: Inning over, all runs earned in the inning will be removed from scorebook.

    • 3rd violation: Automatic forfeit.

• 60/90:

  • 12U Fall Only (new 13s) will follow USA Standards. All bats must have the USA Stamp.  1 piece solid wood bats are allowed and no USA stamp is required for a solid wood bat. 

    • -3 BBCOR is also allowed

  • 13U must be a -5 USA Stamped Bat or -3 BBCOR. 

    • 1 piece Solid wood bats are allowed. No USA stamp is required for a solid wood bat. 

    • In the Fall 13U (New 14s) will be -3 BBCOR. 

  • 14U, 15U and 16U will be -3 BBCOR. 

    • 1 piece solid wood bats are allowed

  • 18U and Any Wood Bat Division will be allowed to use wood bats including composite and bamboo
          a.  ** A batter may not use an illegal bat.  PENALTY – If the infraction is discovered by the umpire or the defense before the next pitch to a batter of either team, the defense may elect the penalty - batter out, runners return to the Time of the Pitch.  No appeal is allowed after the next pitch to a batter. You cannot protest a game over an illegal bat.
         b.   Teams playing on a field with bat restrictions must notify their opponent at least 4 days prior to game day. Teams must conform to a facilities bat restriction policies if provided with the proper notification about the restriction.

7. All catchers must adhere to age-appropriate equipment rules, 46/60 Little League rules, 50/70 and 60/90 High School rules

8. No family or friends on the bench.

• 8 Run Rule All field sizes after 5 innings.
• 10 Run Rule 10 runs after 4 innings on all field sizes
• 15 Run Rule 15 runs after 3 innings.
• 9 inning game exceptions: Will follow 8 Runs after 8 innings, 10 runs after 7 innings, 15 runs after 6 innings
• Adult Leagues: 10 runs after 5 innings (7 innings) and 10 runs after 7 innings (9 innings)
• *Please note if the home team is down by 10 runs they will still get a chance to hit in the bottom of the inning to try to close the gap and come back.

• 18 & Over will have a designated hitter option for the pitcher only.

• 50/70 and 60/90 starting pitchers only will be able to re-enter a game as a pitcher ONE time only but not if the pitcher was removed on the 2nd defensive conference in the same inning.

14. Roster limit: Teams may only have up to 20 player posted on their roster. 

15. Playing time will be solely determined by the team manager or coach. The league strongly suggests that managers and coaches give the maximum amount of playing time to the maximum amount of players.

16. Players must have played at least 21 innings to be eligible for playoffs. Any players joining after the first game will still be subject to the 21 innings rule.

16 A. 18 & Over Only: Players must appear in either 21 innings or appear in at least half of the regular season games played to qualify for the playoffs. 

17.  Players may switch teams after the last game in the playoffs and the first game of the new season. Players switching teams in mid-season need to notify both team managers and the league office. Players switching teams must re-qualify for the playoffs with the new team. They may not switch back to their former team for post-season play.

18. Players may not turn the next age before May 1st.

19. If a team has 8 players to start a game, they may borrow a defensive player from their opponent or play the game with 8 players. The borrowed player will be a different player each inning and will not bat for the team with less than 9 players. In the event a ninth player arrives, he will be inserted in the batting order in the ninth spot.  *You may play a playoff game with 8 players. No out can be taken when a team starts the game with 8 players.*

20. A team will be allowed 20 minutes to produce at least eight players.

21. If a teams batting order shrinks at any point during the game, for any reason, the team will be awarded an out for the lost spot only once. The next time the spot comes, that due spot in the batting order will be skipped over without penalty. It is the obligation of the defensive team to point out to the umpire that they are taking the out when that spot comes due. If the defensive team does not point the vacant spot out to the umpire at the time that the spot comes due, there will be no penalty awarded and the spot will be skipped over at that time and all other times. The one exception to this is if the batting order shrinks due to an injury caused by the action of the game (i.e. runners colliding).

22. When a team’s batting order falls to 8 players during a game (with the exception of an ejection) they will be subject to the penalty stated above, however the opponent has the option to supply a rotating defensive player in order to finish the game. When a teams batting order falls below 8, the game will be declared complete and the teams with less than 8 will be assessed a loss regardless of the game score at the time of this occurrence. If you drop to 8 players because of an ejection, it will be an automatic forfeit.

23. STANDING TIE BREAKERS:

When two teams finish in a tie for a playoff, the following tie-breaking formula will be used.

1. Best record head to head competition

2. Run differential in head to head competition

3. More wins

4. Fewest runs allowed against all opponents. Games played will be made equal

5. Coin Flip

When three or more teams are tied:

1. When all tied teams have played each other and one team has beaten ALL the other tied teams without a loss, that team will be awarded the play-off spot.

2. Teams with the most wins will be awarded the higher seed. If two or more teams are tied with points/wins and not one team has beaten the other team(s) without a loss, we will proceed to tie-breaker rule #3. (League Play Only does not apply to tourney).

3. Fewest runs allowed in all games played. Games played last will be eliminated until all teams have played the same number of games.

4. Coin Flip

*In divisions with an uneven number of teams, one team is scheduled for 10 games so that all teams are scheduled for 9. The 10th game of the season will not count in the standings for this team but will count for their opponent as their 9th.*

24. Only players on the 46/60 diamond must slide feet first. They may slide head first when returning to a base. Players on the 50/70 and 60/90 diamond may use any method of sliding they wish. Base runners must slide or make every possible effort to avoid serious contact with a defensive player. Jumping over or running into a defensive player can be grounds for immediate ejection from the game. This is an umpire judgment call and is not a protest situation.

26. Balks:  

If teams agree to balk warnings, it can be one warning given per pitcher. If no agreement between coaches, 10U and 11U 50/70 default to a warning. 12U and above default to no warning. If a balk warning is issued while the runner is attempting to steal, the runner will be given that base.

Balks/Warnings are always delayed dead balls. If the balk or balk warning is immediately followed by a pitch that permits the batter and each runner to advance a minimum of one base, the balk is ignored and the ball remains live. If the ball is put in play and the batter does not reach first safely, the runners advance 1 base and the batter returns to the plate with the pre balk count.

Fake to 3rd and wheel to first is legal in all USABL games regardless of the state the game is being played in.

27. Teams will be allowed a manager, first base coach, third base coach, and one scorekeeper in the dugout or on the field during the game. No friends or family will be allowed in the dugout or on the bench.

28. At all age groups, intentional bases on balls may now be issued by the coach or catcher informing the home plate umpire of a team’s intention to walk the batter. No pitches need to be delivered.

29. The league does not have a guest player policy. Any players being brought onto the team, at any point in the season, must complete a player registration form. If the team has opted to pay the individual player fee instead of the team fee, the new player to the team must pay a fee. Players playing on two different teams must pay a fee for both teams unless one of the two teams has paid the team fee.

30. Stealing/Leading: 9U - 18U may steal any base at their own risk. There is no leading on the 46/60 field and players must wait until the ball crosses the plate to steal a base. Players may begin leading at 50/70 and up.

31. 8U teams can steal 3rd base ONLY. Runners cannot steal 2nd base or home under any circumstance which includes passed balls or wild pitches. The runner cannot advance to 2nd or home on a passed ball, wild pitch, overthrow back to the pitcher, or overthrow on a play at 3rd. There is no limit on steals per inning.

32. No slap bunt/slashing is allowed in any 46/60 and 50/70 division. A “slap or slash bunt” is defined as the act of showing or faking a bunt and swinging at the pitch instead. A slap or slash bunt will automatically be ruled a strike and a dead ball whether the batter makes contact with the ball or not.

33. Makeup policy: Games must be rescheduled within a week of the game being rained out or canceled.

34 A. Forfeit Procedure: If your team is seeking a forfeit, you must ask your opponent to play the game(s) (give them an option if possible) or to concede to a forfeit. If they do not concede to a forfeit, the league must hear from both teams why the game was originally canceled and not rescheduled. If the game was canceled for any reason other than field conditions, it should be an easy decision. If it was canceled due to field conditions (rain out) we will need to hear from both teams and the league will make a decision from there. You may win your forfeit request, or it may go down as a no contest if both teams showed effort & flexibility in trying to make the game(s) up.

If a team cancels a game for any other reason other than field conditions, it is the canceling team’s responsibility to be flexible with rescheduling the game to when their opponent can accommodate it (field, players, etc.) If the game is not rescheduled for any reason prior to playoff seeding, the opposing team that was canceled on will be awarded a win, 3 points if they ask for the forfeit. Players will only receive credit for innings for a forfeit if the forfeit occurs at the field or if the league commissioner signs off on the players that missed out on the innings from a forfeit.

No forfeit will be issued for the regular season after the regular season deadline.

35. Each team is required to get the last names when receiving your opponent’s lineup.

1. Each team is required to be able to prove the games a specific player has played in for a playoff game. If an opponent requests to see who a specific player has played against on your regular season schedule, be prepared to prove it to the coach and league at the field.

2. A player without the proper uniform: The coach must automatically prove to the other team that the player is on their roster and that he has enough innings to qualify if it is a playoff game.

36. At the 46/60 level, the batter cannot advance on a dropped third strike. 

38. 8U does not use a max run per inning rule. However, if both coaches agree with the umpires present at ground rules, you can put the following rule in place: Maximum of 5 runs per inning, with the exception of the last inning. 

39. Defensive Conferences: 1 free per inning, per pitcher. The 2nd defensive conference in the inning to the same pitcher must result in the pitcher coming out. A defensive conference is identified as any meeting with the coach or non playing representative.

40.  Rainouts shall be determined by the league office with input from the home team. Once the game begins, rainouts will be determined by the umpires.

41. Suspended Games: If a game cannot be declared complete, it will be a suspended game as long as 2 complete innings are played. The game will pick up exactly where you left off (same count, batter, score etc.) If the game is rained out before 2 innings are completed. The game is to start over upon being rescheduled.

42. 7U - 10U 46/60 will normally have 1 umpire, 7U and 8U will be behind the mound and 50/70 and 60/90 will have 2 umpires.

43. Roster Sharing: Players can play on multiple teams outside of their division (I.e. American East and American North) with no restrictions. If you are sharing players across teams within your division, it must be no more than 4 players and can only pitch for one team that they must declare prior to the season with their league representative.

44. One-way electronic communication devices (ECD's) are permissible from the dugout to the catcher while the team is on defense only for the purpose of calling pitches. It is one-way communication only, from the coach to the catcher. If the catcher is commmunicating back to the coach, it is illegal and subject to penalty. Coaches may not use ECD's to communicate with any other team member than the catcher while on defense, or any team member while on offense.

45. Signal Cards are not allowed to be worn on the belt. They are only to be on the wrist and for pitchers, must be worn on the non-throwing arm and not to be white, gray or distracting (ie. reflective).