Western Springs Little League – Coach Pitch Softball Rules (1st Grade)
League Philosophy:
Our Coach pitch softball division is for all 1st grade players. This is our entry level league and many of the players have very limited experience playing the game. All coaches and parents should remember that the primary objectives are to teach the children how to play the game, to develop their softball skills, to instill a sense of teamwork, and to create an environment that allows them to enjoy the game.
Sportsmanship and respect for others is essential. Any coach, parent, fan or player behaving in a hostile or threatening manner towards another coach, player, fan or umpire shall be brought to the attention of the Board of Directors, which may respond with the appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the league.
All little league playing rules apply, except where modified here.
Game Length: 4 innings or 1 hour hard stop. 1 hour should easily allow for 3 innings, but teams have been able to get in a 4th inning if they are organized and players hustle in and out and are organized.
Safety: Player occupying the pitching and first base position must wear a protective face mask or a batter’s helmet with a facemask. More is encouraged.
Batters must wear a batting helmet with a protective face guard
All players and team equipment MUST be kept in the dugout (or behind fence) during the game. At no time should the field of play, including the foul area, have equipment, bats, balls, etc. This is a safety-first rule and should be always adhered to. While the team is batting, keep all players in the dugout or behind the protective fence.
Ball Size: Each team has been supplied a bucket of correctly sized softballs. This level uses the 10-inch safety softballs.
Batting Lineup: All players are in the batting line up, and teams shall use a continuous batting order. Each half inning will consist of batting once fully through the lineup. Coaches are encouraged to rotate the line up throughout the season so that players have the experience of batting in different spots in the order.
Defensive Positions: Each team shall use all available players that attend each game in the field on defense even if one team has more than the other.
There is no catcher at this level.
1 player shall occupy the pitching circle on defense and must start within 1 step of the pitching rubber.
Players should fill all other natural infield softball positions and are not allowed to shift or overload their defense based on the hitter. Remaining players should occupy the outfield evenly as to not overload one side.
Infielders may NOT start any closer than EVEN with the baseline.
Outfielders must start in the outfield which is defined as both feet in the grass.
Playing the game:
A coach of each team will pitch a soft pitch to his/her own batters. A second coach will be behind the plate retrieving the balls to the pitcher. Each batter gets 3 swing attempts at a pitched ball, and shall revert to a tee if they do not successfully put the ball in play after 3 swings. A Tee shall be kept nearby, and the second Coach shall place the ball on the Tee for the batter.
No Bunts: Players may not square around to bunt. If a player swings fully and the ball does not travel far, fielders must play ball provided it is in fair territory.
Safe and Out: Batters and Baserunners will be called safe or out based on the normal rules of play (force/tag/caught fly ball, etc.). This is meant to encourage hustle and create awareness of game situations for both offensive and defensive players. A player that is called out will return to the bench. The inning does not end if 3 outs are recorded before the team has batted through their order.
Base running Rules: If a ball is hit to the outfield (either on the fly or a hard hit ground ball), batters/baserunners may continue to advance bases at their own risk. All other hits, batter/baserunners are limited to advance only 1 base (regardless of over throws or any other occurrence during the play). Final batter can continue to run “home run”
Coaches on the field:
Offensive Base Coaches: Adult/Parent Base Coaches are allowed at first and third, but must be aware of the base running rules
Defensive Coaches: (Maximum of only 2 coaches allowed while on defense) Coaches are not allowed anywhere in the infield or behind home plate while their team is on Defense. Coaches are encouraged to stay towards the foul lines on the back side of the infield, and out of the way during plays. Let the players play the game and figure things out in the middle of the play.
There are no umpires: Since there are no umpires, we will utilize the age old “tie goes to the runner” approach so as to eliminate discussion or argument on close plays.
There are no balls and strikes called, and no walks or strike outs. No lead offs. No Stealing. No Score is kept. No records of wins and losses are kept for this league. No Play-offs. These rules are in place to create lots of situational game play, which creates a fun competitive learning environment.