LOCAL LEAGUE RULES AND BYLAWS
Printable version: Spring 2023 TVLL Local League Rules
TVLL Local League Rules 2022/2023
Temescal Valley Little League Amended 02/06/2023.
Approved by TVLL Board of Directors 02/06/2023.
League ID: 405-28-15
The current Little League baseball official regulations and playing rules shall govern and control this league and said Little League baseball official regulations and playing rules are hereby adopted and made a part of these league rules as though they were set forth herein.
GENERAL
• Local League Rules are governed by the Temescal Valley Little League Board of Directors (BOD) and may be changed or modified by the BOD by a majority vote. Second half of spring season a 2/3 vote must be used to pass any changes to rules or activities pertaining to TVLL.
• To be considered a BOD member in good standing and be able to vote on league matters you must attend 60% of scheduled meetings. Failure to do so will make you ineligible to vote during All-Star manager selections.
• All scheduled games must be played. Makeup games should be played during the half in which the game was originally scheduled to be played. All makeup games must be played whether relevant to the outcome of the division or not. Game must be made up on the next available date and failing to do so counts as a forfeit. Only rain-out and specified school events that are cleared through the BOD prior to reschedule and the TVLL coaching coordinator will be accepted.
GROUND RULES
• Teams shall arrive at the playing field at least 30 minutes prior to game time.
• Copy of lineup shall be handed over to the Scorekeeper at least 10 minutes prior to start.
• Scorekeeper to be provided by Home Team; Pitch Counter to be provided by Visitor Team.
• Home Team to occupy 3rd base dugout; Visitor Team to occupy 1st base dugout.
• Official game time is what is scheduled unless the Umpire delays the start.
• Only the team manager and 2 coaches are allowed in the dugout for AA and up. (1 manager and unlimited coaches are allowed for T-Ball and Single A only) They must display or be able to produce their TVLL photo ID badge if requested by the Board Member on Duty (BMOD). This is not the responsibility of the Umpire.
• Players shall refrain from attempting to distract or harass the opposing pitcher/players. All cheering to be in a positive reference and directed towards their own teammates unless in a congratulatory manner towards the opposing team.
• All types of seeds with shells are prohibited on the field or in the dugout at Deleo Regional Sports Park.
• Field preparation is the responsibility of both teams playing the first game of the day.
• Field clean-up, including dragging of the dirt, putting away all field equipment, and locking up all bins are the responsibility of both teams from the final game of the day.
MINIMUM PLAY TIME
• Playing time is a TOP PRIORITY of TVLL and DISTRICT 28. If a player does not receive the minimum playing time, the player is expected to start the next game- play the missed time in the previous game plus the minimum playing time for the current game before being removed from the lineup. If minimum playing time is not met, it will be reported to the BOD for review. The BOD, by majority vote, may decide to penalize the manager. This may include a warning, suspension from game(s), and with multiple infractions, may result in removal as the manager. In cases where the game is shortened, there will be no need to report to the BOD. A shortened game is any game that does not complete 5 ½ innings in a scheduled 6 inning game or 6 ½ innings in a scheduled 7 inning game, or any game that is determined a regulation game by the 15-run rule, 10-run rule, or 8-run rule per Little League rule 4.00.
o Senior Division:
▪ Governed by Little League Rules and Regulations (6 consecutive outs, 1 at bat). Division will not utilize continuous batting order.
o Junior/Intermediate/Majors/AAA/AA:
▪ Governed by Little League Rules and Regulations (6 consecutive outs, 1 at bat). Division will utilize continuous batting order. All players hit in the lineup.
o Single A/T-Ball:
▪ Division will utilize continuous batting order. All players hit in the lineup. No player shall sit while the team is on defense. Players must play 3 consecutive outs or 1 complete inning on infield.
LEAGUE VOLUNTEERS
• Managers will carry a binder/list of all authorized (background checked) volunteers. Any unauthorized adults (no background check) found assisting during practices or games, will cause the Manager of that team to be suspended for the next following game and all team activities (i.e., practice). A second offense allows the BOD to remove the Manager from his position for the remainder of the season.
• TVLL requires that all background checked, and approved volunteers wear their Official TVLL Photo ID Badge with current year approved volunteer status in a visible location always when interacting with players at games. Persons without a photo ID badge are not allowed to interact with players during League games. Persons without a photo ID badge will be asked to end participation in League games. o Scorekeepers, pitch counters, snack bar workers, umpires and field maintenance volunteers are not required to display an ID badge but are encouraged to do so.
REGISTRATION FEES
• Registration fees are set by the TVLL BOD each year/ season and posted at all registration events as well as the TVLL website at www.temescalvalleybaseball.com. TVLL is a non-profit and entrusts the BOD to keep fees at a minimum to run the league appropriately and to the standards set by Little League International. The BOD has the authorization to approve, by majority vote, any discounts provided to the league membership. (i.e., early bird registration, sibling discount)
REFUND POLICY
• No refunds of registration fees after the last scheduled assessment date for any given season. Exceptions may include, but not limited to, injuries to a player prior to team assignment or if it is determined that a player registered is ineligible to play with TVLL. In the event that a refund is given for an online registration player, TVLL will not refund any 3rd party processing fees associated with the online registration process.
SPONSOR FEES
• Team sponsor fees help TVLL subsidize player registration fees and are an important part of running the league financially. They do not cover any specific cost of running a league.
• Each team shall obtain a minimum of one team sponsor. The fee to become a team sponsor in TVLL shall be determined each season and communicated by the TVLL BOD within its sponsorship packet. Teams shall display team sponsorship banners during all games.
• Teams that do not meet this obligation will need to provide the funds needed to fulfill this requirement. Since the sponsor fee is used to subsidize registration fees, it is suggested that the parents of each player divide the cost of the sponsor fee to keep this cost to the parents at a minimum. Teams not meeting this requirement will not receive the following:
o Picture packets which were paid for by TVLL
o Participation awards which were paid for by TVLL
DISCIPLINE
• The actions of players, managers, coaches, umpires, league officials, parents, and other spectators must be above reproach. Anyone involved in a verbal or physical altercation, or an incident of unsportsmanlike conduct, at a game site or any other Little League activity, is subject to disciplinary actions by the BOD.
• The BOD will review all violations and apply appropriate penalties that may include expulsion from the league, suspension of the offender for the remainder of the season, or a ban of a minimum of one game. Penalty will depend on the seriousness or frequency.
SERVING A SUSPENSION
• All parties disciplined via ejection will be ineligible to participate in any TVLL event in any division until the disciplinary penalty has been fully severed within the division where the penalty was given. This includes practices, pregame, and games in any division of play. (i.e. If the violating party is a coach or parent with children in multiple divisions and is ejected from a game in the Majors Division, the violator may not attend any activity in any other division until the suspension has been served in the Majors Division.)
• Violators may not be present at Deleo Regional Sports Park for any other reason than to pick-up or drop-off a person. Violators are to remain in the parking lot during the pick-up/drop-off.
DIVISIONS, LEAGUE AGES, PLACEMENT
• SPRING SEASON
T-Ball: 4-5, 6* TVLL Placement. *6’s need Player Agent approval.
Single A: 5*, 6-7 TVLL Placement. *1 year of T-Ball required.
AA: 7-9 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
AAA: 9-11, 12* Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A. *12’s will only play in AAA with District approved waiver.
Majors: 10-12 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Intermediate: 11-13 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Juniors: 12-14 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Seniors: 12-16 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
• FALL SEASON (placed in highest eligible division for current LL year age chart unless parent request to play in lower eligible division and is approved by Player Agent or President)
T-Ball: 4-5, 6* TVLL Placement. *6’s okay if no prior T-Ball
Single: A 6-7 TVLL Placement.
AA: 7, 8, 9 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
AAA: 9, 10 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Majors: 10, 11 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Intermediate: 12, 13 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Juniors: 13, 14 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Seniors: 14, 15, 16 Participates in evaluations; Draft Plan A.
Fall Placement Notes:
• TVLL Fall Season is an instructional season where the scoreboard will not be utilized and coach instruction during games is encouraged.
GAME LENGTHS:
T-Ball 1:00 Drop Dead
Single A 1:15 Drop Dead
AA 1:30 No new inning; 1:45 Drop Dead
AAA 1:45 No new inning
Majors 2:00 No new inning
Intermediate 2:00 No new inning
Juniors/Seniors 2:15 No new inning
Notes:
• “Drop Dead” means that the game ends at that time regardless of the game situation or who is up to bat. For AA, score will revert back to previous inning if the Home Team does not get their last at bat.
• “No New Inning” means that no new “top half” of an inning may start once the time limit has been reached.
• A new inning officially starts as soon as the final out in the previous inning is recorded against the Home team.
REPLACEMENT PLAYER SELECTION
• Player replacements shall occur only during the regular season. They are replaced by transfers from lower divisions when no player is on the waiting list for the division. No replacements shall occur during the last 3 weeks of the season. When a player is lost to a team during the playing season for any of the following reasons:
o He/she moves to another city or state too distant to commute for practice and play.
o He/she is injured and will not be able to return to play within a reasonable period.
o He/she has for personal reasons decided to terminate his/her association with the team. o Any other justifiable reason, reviewed and approved by the BOD.
• The manager of the team losing a player shall promptly (within 48 hrs.) advise the Player Agent. The Player Agent shall advise the President immediately and then the BOD at the next scheduled BOD meeting. If loss of player is approved by the President and the Player Agent, the President or Player Agent will send a letter of release to the player and the parents stating that the player is released from the league. This action creates a legal opening for a replacement on the team roster. The manager shall review the available player list with the Player Agent and select a replacement. The replacement becomes a permanent member of the team.
PLAYER REPLACEMENT PROCESS
• When it is determined by the Player Agent that a replacement player is needed, the Player Agent will inform the Managers regarding possible transfers to and from the respective divisions. Player Agent and President will be the only individuals to contact prospective players and parents/guardians during the replacement process. The Player Agent will inform the Manager when the transfer is approved and final. Prior to this approval, Manager or Coach contact with anyone other than the Player Agent or League President regarding the transfer will result in a 1 game suspension of all parties involved.
o Intermediate thru Senior - Player Replacement
▪ Following the draft, if a team loses a player and requires a replacement, the Player Agent shall place a player from the waiting list. If a waiting list does not exist, then the first eligible player to register will be assigned to the team. Once the player and manager(s) of affected teams are notified, the player will be made immediately available to that team. Players cannot be called up from lower divisions other than allowing 14-year-old pool players to fill in at the Senior level.
o Major Player Replacement
▪ If no player is on the waiting list, the manager shall choose from 10- and 11-yearolds participating in AAA division. Upon being informed that there are no players on the waiting list, a manager will have seven (7) days to notify the Player Agent of the name of the replacement player or three (3) days if previous selection has been refused. Failure to notify the Player Agent during this time will result in the Player Agent placing any eligible player participating in AAA play based on evaluations done by the Player Agent and/or TVLL. The Player Agent shall determine an appropriate but exact date/time to transfer the selected player from their current team’s roster. In all cases, the official roster transfer must take place within 4 days of the Manager notifying the Player Agent of his/her selection. The Player Agent will contact the replacement player’s parents to advise them of the roster move and the date/time of the transfer. Once this is complete, the Player Agent will contact Managers affected by this change and inform them of the date/time of the official roster change. The Manager will not contact anyone in regards to their search or selection of a specific player and shall only report that selection to the Player Agent or President. Manager may use his/her rostered coaches to “scout” AAA players but those coaches are under the same restrictions. Penalties for violating this rule may result in a minimum of 1 game suspension upon review by the BOD.
o AAA Division and below – Player Replacement
▪ Players in these divisions are not replaced.
PLAYER REFUSAL TO HIGHER DIVISION TEAM
• Refusal of any player to a higher-level team when requested will result in the player being ineligible to participate in All Stars. If the selected player refuses to advance, that player takes the roster spot of the player that does advance. A player cannot decline a call up to stay on the same team.
o Senior Division:
▪ Governed by Little League Rules and Regulations (6 consecutive outs, 1 at bat). Division will not utilize continuous batting order.
o Junior/Intermediate/Majors/AAA/AA:
▪ Governed by Little League Rules and Regulations (6 consecutive outs, 1 at bat). Division will utilize continuous batting order. All players hit in the lineup.
o Single A/T-Ball:
▪ Division will utilize continuous batting order. All players hit in the lineup. No player shall sit while the team is on defense. Players must play 3 consecutive outs or 1 complete inning on infield.
SCOREKEEPING AND DIVISION RANKINGS
• Scorekeeping
o The accuracy of the scorebook and pitch count are the responsibility of the official scorekeepers and both managers. Signatures of the official scorekeeper (home team), home plate umpire, and both managers are required on the scorebook after the game. Both managers will be required to sign the pitcher eligibility forms. Failure to sign the scorebook/pitcher eligibility form will indicate assumed agreement. The official scorekeepers will be provided by both the home and visiting teams. The visiting team scorekeeper will keep the pitch counts with the appropriate number of pitches thrown for both teams. The home team scorekeeper will keep the score. During the game, the official scorekeepers will sit immediately behind the backstop behind home plate. Only the official scorekeepers will sit at the scorer’s table. Manager and coaches may confirm pitch counts with the official scorekeeper and/or pitch counter with permission of the home plate umpire. The official scorekeepers shall remain impartial and quiet during the game.
• DIVISION RANKINGS
o Scores shall be emailed to the Information Officer immediately following completed games at [email protected]
TOURNAMENTS AFTER REGULAR SEASON
• Winning the Division- AA, AAA, Majors, Intermediate, Junior, Senior
o All teams will participate in an end of season tournament where seeding will be determined by overall season standings. If there is an odd number of teams, the 1st place team will receive a bye for the first round. The remaining teams will play in a single elimination tournament. The winning team of the tournament will participate in the Paul Wahl Tournament of Champions (TOC).
o 2-way Tie Breakers – Head-to-Head – 1 game Playoff
o If a three-way tie breaker exists in overall record Head-to-Head, Run Differential with TVLL Opponents only will be next, third coin flip.
• Tournament of Champions (T.O.C.)
o T.O.C. Tournaments are hosted by District 28 and typically include all divisions from AAA to the Senior Division. TVLL representation will be determined based on the winner of the TVLL end of season tournament.
• Little League International All-Star Tournaments
o TVLL participates in the Little League International All-Star Tournaments each year after the conclusion of T.O.C.
• TVLL AA Classic
o TVLL hosts a tournament, similar to Little League International All-Star format, for the AA division as a result of District 28 not having a 7/8 All-Star division. Specific tournament rules will apply to this tournament.
It must be clearly stated within the League Rules which division will use a playoff format to determine TOC representation. If not specified within the rules, an outright season winner will be determined to represent TVLL based on season record. The TVLL BOD will review annually which divisions will participate in a post-season tournament prior to the season start.
Eligible Divisions
The following divisions are eligible for the post-season tournament to represent TVLL in the Paul Wahl TOC:
• AA
• AAA
• Majors
• Intermediate
• Juniors
• Seniors
ALL-STAR SELECTION
• Approximately one month prior to the end of the season, the league will hold All-Star registration; any player who is eligible and can commit to playing in the All-Star Tournament must sign up to be eligible to play in All-Stars.
• All-Star applications must be turned in by the deadline.
• A player must have played in at least eight (8) regular season games to be eligible for All-Star selection.
• The Board of Directors will determine what tournament teams will be representing the league. Final determination of teams represented will be at the sole discretion of the current Board of Directors.
PLAYER SELECTION TO ALL-STAR TEAM
• All eligible players will register for All-Stars no later than the deadline. No exceptions.
• The spring season players will receive a list of all All-Star eligible players and vote for potential All-Star players to make the All-Star team. The top 5 players from each selected divisions, who receive the majority vote from their peers, will automatically join the All-Star team in their respective division.
• Each manager will turn in his/her names from their spring teams as potential All-Stars selections.
• For all divisions of All-Stars, the BOD and the managers from the selected divisions will select the remaining players for each team. They will use best judgement and avoid conflicts of interest to form the most competitive and balanced teams to represent TVLL.
• Teams will be formed prior to determining who the All-Star manager will be for the selected division.
ALL-STAR MANAGER/COACH SELECTION PROCESS
• The All-Star Manager position for each team will be determined by the Board of Directors.
• The selected Manager will choose his/her coaches. The manager and coaches must be regular season team managers or coaches as outlined in the tournament section of Little League Baseball rules.
o As a condition of eligibility for selection as tournament team manager/coach, the regular season manager/coach must have also completed the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program. This program must be completed prior to the individual being names a tournament team manager/coach and before participating in any practices or games. Tournament team managers/coaches who have completed the program should be prepared to produce the Little League Diamond Leader completion certificate if requested by the District Administrator/ Tournament Director.
PARTICIPATION AWARDS AND TROPHIES
• The following is a breakdown of awards per division. The BOD will decide each year on the budget for the participation awards and trophies that are purchased. This will dictate the type and quality of such awards each season. Participation awards may include but are not limited to t-shirts, medals, trophies, or hats. Participation awards may vary by division. The term “Participation Award” is defined as a reward that is given to all players for playing with TVLL.
o T-Ball: Trophy
o Single A: Medals
o AA: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies
o AAA: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies
o Majors: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies
o Intermediate: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies
o Junior: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies
o Senior: Medals; 1st and 2nd place Trophies