Sunshine Baseball League House Rules
Sunshine Baseball House Rules for 10u, 13u divisions. Little League rules observed except as noted.
All 10u and 13u bats must be USA Bats.
Footwear: No cleats or spikes are allowed on the artificial turf at Sunshine Ballpark. Sneakers or turf shoes only.
No bubble gum or sunflower seeds on the field or in the dugout at Sunshine Ballpark due to the difficulty of removing gum and seeds from artificial turf. Only clear Gatorade in the dugouts. Gatorade dye damages artificial turf.
Third base dugout is the home dugout. ALWAYS.
If a player shows up for a game late, they are added to the bottom of the lineup, but NOT until they arrive. If a player is in the lineup and has not shown up, it’s an out the first time the spot comes up, then the player’s name is removed from the lineup. If the player then arrives, they are added to the bottom of the lineup upon arrival.
All players who are present in the dugout must be in the batting lineup, and the order of the lineup must stay the same.
Players may move in and out on defense freely. All players must play at least two innings on defense, though they need not be consecutive innings.
If a player is injured or must leave a game early, their name is removed from the lineup with no penalty. If a player is ejected, an automatic out will be called each time their spot in the lineup comes up.
Games may start with eight players. If the number of players is reduced to seven during the game, it’s a forfeit.
Pitch counts:
10u, 75 pitches a day
13u, 85 pitches a day
Rest for pitchers, both 10u and 13u:
· ◆ 1-20 Pitches = 0 Days Rest
· ◆ 21-35 Pitches = 1 Day Rest
· ◆ 36-50 Pitches = 2 Days Rest
· ◆ 51-65 Pitches = 3 Days Rest
· ◆ 66+ Pitches = 4 Days Rest
Length of game, both 10u and 13u:
Six innings with no inning beginning after 2 hours.
Mound/Base Distance
10U
46 feet mound / 60 feet bases.
13U
50 feet mound / 70 feet bases.
Dropped 3rd Strike
10U
Batter cannot advance on dropped 3rd strike.
13U
Batter can advance to 1st with less than 2 outs and 1st base unoccupied only.
Batter can advance to 1st with 2 outs with 1st occupied or unoccupied.
Stealing and advancing on wild pitches and passed balls
10U
There is no leading off. If pitcher is on the mound, runner must be on the bag. Stealing is allowed at any base except from third base to home plate. No stealing home, no advancing on a wild pitch, a passed ball, or an error on a routine throw back to pitcher by the catcher or the pitcher dropping the ball on the mound. If pitcher or catcher attempts to put out runner on 3rdor any other base the runner on 3rd , the runner may attempt to advance to home plate. This rule is to allow a more competitive game, prevent easy scoring, speed up pace of play and so games will be won by earned runs and not a bunch of errors by this young, inexperienced age group.
13U
There is no leading off. If pitcher is on the mound, the runner must be on the bag until the ball reaches the plate. Stealing second or third or home or advancing to second and third or home on wild pitches and passed balls is allowed after the pitch reaches home plate.
Sliding
10U and 13U
No head- first sliding, except diving back to bag on a pick-off play.
Warm-up Pitches
10U
5 Warm-up pitches (3 if pitcher has pitched more than 2 innings). Reduced pitches if players take too long to get out of dugout.
Five-run Rule
Each inning will end when a team has scored five runs EXCEPT the last inning. BOTH teams are unlimited in the last inning.
Mercy Rule
10U – 13U
10 runs after 4 innings, or 3.5 if home team winning.
Time Limit
10U – 13U
No new inning will begin after 2 hours.
Strike Zone
10u-13U
Umpire’s judgment of pitching skill level and hittable pitch based on player's height and bat reach.
Sunshine Baseball House Rules For Walker-Grant 18u division
Babe Ruth League game rules (available online at https://www.baberuthleague.org/documents/RulesBaseball.pdf) observed except as otherwise noted below:
All 18u bats must be drop-3
Third base dugout is the home dugout. ALWAYS.
Cleats are allowed during 18u games at Walker-Grant Middle School Armstrong Field.
If a player shows up for a game late, they are added to the bottom of the lineup, but NOT until they arrive. If a player is in the lineup and has not shown up, it’s an out the first time the spot comes up, then the player is removed from the lineup. If the player then arrives, they are added to the bottom of the lineup upon arrival.
All players who are present in the dugout must be in the batting lineup and the order of the lineup may not change.
Players may move in and out on defense freely. All players must play at least two innings on defense, though they need not be consecutive innings.
If a player is injured or must leave a game early, their name is removed from the lineup with no penalty. If a player is ejected, an automatic out will be called each time their spot in the lineup comes up.
Games may start with eight players. If the number of players is reduced to seven during the game, it’s a forfeit.
Length of game, 18u
Seven innings, with no new inning beginning after 2 hours and 15 minutes. During playoffs, time limit is extended to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Five-run rule
Each inning will end when a team has scored five runs EXCEPT the last inning. BOTH teams are unlimited in the last inning.
Mercy Rule, 18u
10 runs after 5 innings, or 4.5 innings if home team is ahead.
Strike Zone, 18u
From the letters to the knees and over the plate. Pitchers at 18u age level should be able to throw strikes.
Sliding
Runners may slide into bases headfirst but may NOT slide into home plate headfirst.
Runners must slide and avoid contact with fielders at bases and at home plate. Lowering a shoulder and trying to bowl a fielder will result in ejection.
Pitch counts, 18u
105 pitch limit
For 76–105 pitches, it's three days of rest, two days of rest for 51–75 pitchers, and a single day for 26–50 pitches. If a pitcher accrues fewer than 25 pitches, he's not required to rest a day before retaking the mound and can pitch the next day.
Warm-up Pitches
5 Warm-up pitches (3 if pitcher has pitched more than 2 innings). Reduced pitches if players take too long to get out of dugout.
Sportsmanship is paramount to Sunshine Baseball League
NO TAUNTING.
NO REMARKS DIRECTED PERSONALLY AT PLAYERS ON OPPOSING TEAMS.
After one warning, players or coaches involved in taunting or arguing with umpires will be ejected. Any ejection of a player or coach will include a suspension for the next game, subject to appeal to the league executive board.
If a call or rule is in question, a head coach or manager may ask the umpire if he may approach, but we strongly recommend discussion between innings. The head umpire will decide if a play or call needs to be discussed during an inning. Only head coach/managers may discuss calls with umpires at any time.
All coaches and umpires should be approachable, friendly, and nice. We are striving to set a good example for the kids, and that should take precedence above all else. All coaches, parents, and umpires involved in Sunshine Baseball League must strive towards the same goals: providing a safe game environment and life-lesson learning opportunities for our children playing the game of baseball.
Parents and fans must be polite and exhibit good sportsmanship. Coaches should calm fans down, not deliberately stir them up. Doing so is cause for ejection, suspension and possible expulsion from the league.
Parents and fans who fail to behave politely and display good sportsmanship may be asked to leave the ballpark. Repeated behavior problems with parents and fans may lead to season-long or permanent bans.
Parents will not coach from the sidelines during games. Each team may have up to five coaches. Parents who feel they must coach should volunteer as coaches, not undermine the authority of those who volunteer their time to coach.
