RULES

Rosters:

  1. Teams are made up of 3 to 7 players. A minimum of 3 players (counting the pitcher) take the field.
  2. If you play the field you must bat.
  3. You can have an extra hitter that does not play the field but bats.
  4. No more than 4 fielders (counting the pitcher)
  5. No more than 5 batters (including your designated hitter)
  6. If you have more than 5 on the roster you can substitute as desired, but there is no re-entry (unless an injury occurs)

Game Duration:

  1. All Round Robin games will be 5 innings long or 60 minutes which ever comes first. No new inning will start after the 55 minute mark.
  2. Quarterfinal, Semifinal games are 6 innings long with 90 minutes scheduled between games
  3. Championship Game is 6 innings long, no time limit.
  4. 3 outs per side
  5. 3 strikes is a strike out, 4 balls is a walk.
  6. Foul tips on 3rd strike that hits in the strike zone is an out, a foul on a third strike that doesn't go into the strike zone is just a foul ball. 3 fouls on the third strike will be considered an out.
  7. If a team is ahead by 10 or more runs at the conclusion of the 3rd, 4th or 5th inning, the game is called.
  8. If a game is tied after 5 innings, the 6th inning starts with a runner on 2nd base for each team.
  9. If the game is tied after the 6th inning the 7th inning (and every subsequent inning) will start with the bases loaded.

Field:

  1. Left Field and Right Field foul pole will be 85' to 100' from home plate.
  2. Center field will be no further than 120' from home plate.
  3. The pitching mound will be 40'6" away from home plate.
  4. The strike zone will be 3' from the plate. It will be 12" off the ground. 32" high and 32" wide.
  5. There will be lines marked for singles (at 35') and doubles (at 60') and there will be a line marked 12' in front of the plate that is the start of the singles area (to eliminate bunts and swinging bunts). Ball must cross that 12' marker to be considered fair, balls stopping short of the 12' line are foul and will count as one strike.
  6. Balls fielded cleanly after the foul line and before the singles line will be ruled as ground ball outs.
  7. The outfield fence will stretch 100'

Equipment:

  1. Only official WIFFLE bats and balls will be allowed. They will be supplied. There can be no alterations made to the bats or the balls. No taping, no scuffing, no anything.
  2. Balls will be provided for each game, if the ball becomes damaged, cracked or broken a different ball will be used, and the damaged ball will be thrown out.
  3. Appropriate footwear is required, no cleats or spikes.
  4. You can not use a glove in the field, you can wear batting gloves if desired while you are at the plate but not in the field.
  5. Appropriate attire as well, this is for a children’s charity be respectful.
  6. If you want team shirts or uniforms that is ok, and up to you.
  7. Any hats worn in the field can not be used to catch a ball, you can not trap a ball in your shirt either.

Game Play:

  1. A maximum of 4 players will take the field counting the pitcher.
  2. A maximum of 5 players will be in the batting order, if you play the field you must hit.
  3. If you start the game with 3 fielders you can not add more as the game goes on. If you start the game with 4 hitters you can not add more as the game goes on.
  4. A person can pitch no more than three innings in any one game. They must be in succession. A pitcher can not leave and re-enter the game as the pitcher. Once a pitcher is removed for a teammate that person can move to the field, or become the designated hitter in the lineup, but they can not be back on the mound in that game. The only exception is in the case of an extra inning game if all other players have thrown their maximum 3 innings.
  5. 3 outs per side.
  6. Games last 5 innings during Round Robin play, and first round of the playoffs. Games last 6 innings from the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Championship.
  7. If a team is ahead at the end of the 3rd, 4th, or 5th inning by 10 runs or more the game is called because of the mercy rule.
  8. If the game is tied after the 5th inning, the 6th starts with each team having a runner on 2nd base. If it remains tied into the 7th inning the game starts with the bases loaded for each team.
  9. There is no base running, all of the base runners will be imaginary. All base runners will move the same amount of bases as the ball hit in play ex. runner on 2nd, and a single is hit, runner moves up one base. That puts runners on 1st and 3rd.
  10. All balls hit in play that come to rest after the first line but before the singles line will be considered an out. Any ball that comes to rest on the ground after the line at 35' but before the line at 60' will be considered singles. Any ball hit into the field of play that come to rest after the line at 60' but before touching the outfield fence will be considered doubles. Any ball that hits the outfield fence either in the air or after having touched the ground will be considered a triple. Any ball that goes over the outfield fence in fair territory will be considered a home run.
  11. Outs are recorded by:
    A) 3 Strikes
    B) Catching a fly ball in the air before it touches the ground or any fencing
    C) A ball being fielded cleanly with your hands and scooped from the ground before it reaches the singles line (no kicking it with feet, or stopping it with your hands while still on the ground – those balls will be considered fair and into the next base hit area if it’s before the singles line those hits must be ruled a single). Basically field the ball cleanly, you can bobble or juggle but the ball can not touch the ground.
  12. There is no infield fly rule.
  13. Any ball that hits a batter is considered a ball, there is no taking your base on a hit by pitch.
  14. If the batter reaches out to stop a ball with their hand, or any other body part without swinging at it, or before it hits the strikezone/backstop that pitch is automatically ruled a strike. You don't know what the pitcher wants the ball to do, so don't touch it until it's hit, or it hits the backstop.
  15. The pitcher can have 10 warm up pitches before the start of the game if desired. And can have up to 5 between innings if desired. If a pitching change is made in the middle of an inning a pitcher gets 7 warm up pitches. If a pitching change is made between innings, the incoming pitcher gets the 5 warm up pitches.
  16. The pitcher must start the pitching motion from the rubber. Normal pitching motion, no running starts. Keep one foot on or close to the rubber in a normal manner.
  17. There are no balks.

Double Plays:


If there is a runner on first, and a ground ball to the infield, and the ball is fielded cleanly (meaning no bobbles or juggles) a double play can be attempted.

Here's how you do it…

  1. One infielder goes to the second base area to take the throw for the first out.
  2. Another infielder (it can be the pitcher) goes to home plate.
  3. If the throw is handled cleanly at second base (no bobbles or juggles and there in a timely fashion) then the throw is made to home plate.
  4. If that transition is made cleanly again with no bobbles or juggles in a timely fashion two outs are recorded.
  5. If an infielder intentionally allows a pop fly to drop in an attempt to turn a double play, the lead runner is safe and the batter is recorded as an out.
  6. If more than one runner is on and a double play is attempted the play always goes second to first in order of recording the outs, unless the bases are loaded and then the play goes home to first.
  7. If the ball crosses the singles line on the ground, no double play can be attempted. The batter would already be considered safe, and therefore there is no chance for a double play.

Miscellaneous:

  1. A coin flip between one player from each team (does not need to be a captain) will determine who will be the home team in every game.
  2. It's a call your own fair and foul balls, and those will be called by the team playing the field. We're going on the honor system. Any call that can not be resolved through those means, ask a tournament official to make a ruling (but this should really be a last resort.)
  3. Any check swing call is the responsibility of the pitcher, you must break the plane to be considered a strike on a check swing.
  4. Batter interference (reaching out and grabbing a ball before it gets to the backstop, or leaning into a pitch to have a hit batter, etc) will be the call of the pitcher.
  5. If the batter swings and it hits his hands and should be ruled a foul is the call of the batter.
  6. There are no restrictions on pitching speed, a pitcher can throw as fast or as slow as he/she likes.
  7. Players can only be on the roster of one team.
  8. At the end of the inning the ball used must be returned to the pitchers mound. No pocketing balls. Each team will have access to the same ball. The only time a ball can be removed from the game is if it becomes broken or damaged.
  9. If a player is found to be scuffing balls, altering balls or bats, the team will immediately forfeit the game they are playing.
  10. If a player, or team is found scuffing balls, altering balls or bats, for a second time, the team will be disqualified from the tournament.
Share the Power of a Wish
We will be keeping statistics. Something to maintain the stats will be provided at each field. I plan to name a Most Valuable Player for the tournament so the more detailed you keep the stats the better. Each team will keep the stats for their own team at the plate and subsequently that will be the stats for the opposing pitchers. (Please learn the name of the pitcher you are facing so we can keep track accurately.)

Categories to keep are At Bats, Hits, Singles, Doubles, Triples, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Walks and Strikeouts. So for pitchers you would know how many of each hits they've allowed and how many batters they struck out and walked.

If you want to figure out the batting average and ERA that would be great.