Rules • WBL 3rd Grade 2026

⏱️ Game Format

Field Dimensions: 60 Feet Bases, 46 Feet Pitching Mound
Game Length: 2:00 or max 6 innings
- Game is official after 4 innings or 3.5 if home team is winning (weather)
- No new inning after 1:45, hard stop at 2:00
- Any inning starting at 1:45 is the last inning
- If the score of the game is stopped because of the time limit, scores get reverted to last full inning
Run Limit: 5 per half inning, unlimited in last inning
Mercy rule: not in effect
Subs: Every player sits one inning before another player sits twice
- No player should ever sit two innings in a row

🧢 Equipment

🏏 Batting

Roster batting: everyone who shows up will be in the batting order
- Coaches should rotate lineup as best they can
- Late arrivals: must be placed at the bottom of the order
Thrown bats: each team will get 1 warning per game. 2nd time, batter is out

⚾ Pitching

Distance: players must pitch from 46 feet
Pitch Count: Max of 75 pitchers per game or 3 innings
- Pitch Smart Guidelines
Warmups: players will get 8 warm up pitches in 1st inning, 5 for innings 2 and 3
Hit by pitch: if 3 players are hit in an inning, pitcher must be removed
Coach Pitch: If a player walks 4 in an inning, coach has option to pitch remaining inning to keep the game moving
- Coach must throw overhand and pitch from 46 feet
  - players will continue to field the pitcher position while a coach is pitching.
- If that player hasn't reached his pitch or inning limit, he may be brought back in to start the next inning.
- Coaches will not ever start an inning
Mound visits - Coaches allowed 1 per pitcher per inning

🧤 Fielding

Players on Field: Coaches can decide to play 10 total fielders with 4 outfielders, but no short fielder
- Teams may play with a min of 8 players in the field.
Errors: players may advance a max of 1 base and defense has a free shot to get that baserunner out
- If an outfielder overthrows an infielder, baserunners get a max of 1 base, except when runner on 3rd (see Locked at 3rd rule)
- Play ends when ball is returned back to pitchers mound
Defensive Positions: Coaches should play players in both the infield and outfield each game. Every player should play 2 innings in infield and 2 in outfield. All positions in baseball are equally important.

🥅 Catching

🏃 Base Running

Leading: allowed after ball hits the catchers mitt
Stealing: 3rd base only, after ball hits the catchers mitt
- No advance to 2nd or Home unless ball put in play
Sliding: feet first only, runner will be called out with a head first slide
- Failure to slide which results in a collision, runner may be called out
Courtesy runner: allowed for catcher (or injured player) at anytime

📌 Special Rules

🏆 Playoffs & Consolation

Top 6 make the playoffs. Seeds 1–2 receive byes. (see Playoffs bracket)
- Round 1: Seed 3 vs 6; Seed 4 vs 5.
- Semis: Winner(4/5) plays Seed 1; Winner(3/6) plays Seed 2.
- Championship: Winners of semis.
Seeds 7-10 play in a consolation games
- 7 vs 10
- 8 vs 9
Playoff Tie Breaker Seeding
- Winning Percentage (Win%). (Wins + 0.5 × Ties) ÷ (Wins + Losses + Ties).
- Head-to-Head (two-team tie only): If exactly two teams are tied in Win%, the higher seed goes to the team that won the head-to-head matchup (only if that game did not end in a tie).
- Run Differential (overall): Runs For − Runs Allowed
- Runs For (overall): Higher total Runs For
- Runs Allowed (overall): Lower total Runs Allowed
- Alphabetical Order: If still tied after all steps above, seeding is determined alphabetically by team name.

🧑‍🏫 Coaching

Coaches: Only allowed in 1st and 3rd base coaches boxes (except pitching, see above)
Lineups: Please adjust weekly
Game Scores: please report after game via email to aarondalin@gmail.com
Game Play: this is in-town, kids playing against their friends and classmates. We want to encourage it to be fun and it's ok to be competitive. Absolutely no yelling at players will be tolerated.
Issues: Please report any issues to league director

🤝 Sportmanship

Umpires/Plays on the field
- No arguing of balls and strikes by players, coaches or parents/fans
- Cadet umpires, bad calls are expected
- Only head coaches may talk to the umpires
- If a player argues with an umpire, that player is to be removed from the game and has to sit a mandatory 2 innings in a row.
- If parents are arguing or heckling an umpire, they will be asked to leave field and sit in car. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
- If coaches argue with umpires, they will be reported to the WBL Board for discipline
Players: Should stop cheering or banging on fence when opposing pitcher starts his windup
- Violation of this rule could result in your teams batter being called out
Handshake: Players will line up and shake hands/fist bumps after each game. Please encourage the players to say “Good Game” or something similar while shaking hands.
Dugouts: players must clean up after themselves and leave a clean dugout for the next game

🌧️ Weather/Game Cancellations

Fields: If fields are not playable, the league director will notify all coaches
Game cut short: If games are interrupted and stopped due to bad weather and the game is not yet official (see Game Length above), the game will not count. However, if both coaches want to continue that game during a practice time slot, that is allowed. Both coaches need to be in full agreement if the game is to be continued.
Rescheduling: The practice schedules of all teams are posted on the Team Page. Full coaches contact information is posted on the Contacts page. Please reach out and try your best to re-schedule your game during one of your teams practice times during the week. All teams may not be able to do this, so that is why we are using win% to determine playoff seedings.