Wiffle® Ball Rules

 

 

Team Composition

 

The roster minimum is 6 players with 4 players in the field at one time.  There is no requirement for male or female players.

Defensively, four players will participate: a pitcher and 3 fielders. The 3 fielders can play any position on the field but cannot enter inside the baselines until the batter makes contact.

Batting order is the team’s decision, every player participating must bat and stay in batting order for the remainder of game.

Player substitutions may occur between innings, outside of an injury/emergency which would allow for an immediate substitution.

 

Playing Field

 

  • Bases are 45 ft. apart
  • The pitching rubber will be 35 feet from home plate. The pitcher may not move closer to the batter until contact has been made, however, may move sideways or away from batter.
  • Fence depth- to foul poles 80 ft. Center field 100 ft. A homerun is when a batted ball exceeds the homerun cones on the fly. A player may not pass the cones to make a catch but may cross to retrieve a live ball that has surpassed the cones on the ground.
  • Bunt line is at 12 feet from home plate – all hits must pass this line or will be called a strike, unless a fielder plays the ball while it is still in motion.
  • Pitcher’s circle 6 feet around the pitching mound

 

Equipment

 

  • Official Wiffle® Balls will be provided by CCA
  • Official Wiffle® Yellow Bat will be provided by CCA
  • Athletic shoes or cleats (no metal cleats).
  • Leather Gloves or Batting Gloves are not permitted in the field. Balls must be caught using your bare hands. Hats are not permitted to catch a fly ball.

 

General Rules

 

Games shall be 55 minutes or 6 innings. In case of a tie (playoffs or time allotted in regular season) extra innings will be played until a team scores more runs than the other. An automatic runner (last out of previous inning) will be placed on second base in any extra innings, with one out. A new inning will not start with 5 or less minutes remaining.

 

An inning is completed by either three outs, or a team scoring a maximum of 6 runs in that inning.

 

Teams will pitch to the opposing team’s batters. All pitches must be overhand, at a moderate speed (umpires’ discretion), and the pitcher must be in contact with the painted rubber.  Umpires will call strikes at their discretion.  Generally, a pitch over the plate between a batter’s knees and shoulders will be called a strike.

 

The pitcher will make 6 pitches. Should the batter not swing (due to bad pitches) or acquire 3 strikes, (you can strike out on a foul ball) the umpire will step in to pitch. The batter will then get 3 pitches to put the ball in play.   

 

There are no restrictions on types of pitches.

 

If a batter is hit by a pitch, it is a ball.

 

There are no balks.

 

A pitcher must face 3 complete batters before leaving the mound.

 

An out for the batter can be made in the following ways:

  • 3 Strikes
  • Ground balls fielded to a base for a force-out.
  • Standard baseball/softball rules apply.  Force outs and tags are allowed. Players are NOT     allowed to throw balls at base runners to gain an out.
  • On a play at home, the fielder must either tag the runner out or hit the screen located behind home plate prior to the base runner touching home plate.

 

Pitcher’s hand is in play for CCA Wiffle® Ball. Explanation: If the pitchers has possession of the ball in the “pitchers circle” the lead most runner in a force out position will be called out.

 

A batted ball that hits the batter, while still in the batting area, will be called a foul ball.

 

A batter that blocks a ball from becoming a strike will have one strike counted against them.

 

A batted ball that strikes an advancing runner in fair territory is considered dead and the struck runner is out. The batter will receive first base, and other runners may only advance if forced.

 

Bunting is not allowed---only full swings are permitted. A full swing is defined as one continuous motion, from the back swing to the follow through. On a full swing, the ball must also pass the 12 foot “bunt line” to be ruled live.  All hits must pass this line or will be called a strike, unless a fielder plays the ball while it is still in motion.

 

Pinch running is allowed if a base runner is up to bat.

If a base runner is up to bat and there are no teammates to pinch run, the hitting team loses that base runner which allows them to bat. The pinch runner will be the last batted out or person to score a run.

 

There is no sliding. If this occurs, the runner is automatically out.

 

Stealing is not permitted, and base runners may not lead off. Runners may only leave the base once the ball has contacted the bat.

 

Mercy rule will be 15 runs after 3 innings, 11 runs after 4 innings, and 7 after 5 innings.

 

 An overthrow at any base will advance all runners one base.

 

LEAGUE POLICIES        

 

FORFEITS:

 

Circle City Athletics will provide a staff member on-site to assist players with any problems or questions they may have. There are no referees.

 

If your team forfeits a match during the season, the following rules apply:

 


First Offense: Loss of game.


 

Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.

 

Third Offense: Removal from the league.

 

Any team that forfeits more than once also forfeits any guarantee or right to a certain number of guaranteed games.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to email the league manager so as to help us schedule your opponent a game.

 

Teams may play more than one match per day, and/or play matches on days/nights other than your regularly scheduled league day/night.  
CCA reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than your regularly scheduled league night.

 

Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the game. 

    

STANDINGS:

 

The updated standings will be posted weekly, displaying each teams rank within its skill level.

 

PLAYOFFS:

 

Playoffs are single-elimination. Playoffs will take up to 2 weeks to complete.

 

Playoff Substitute Policy

 

WAIVERS:

 

In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating. These waivers will also serve as your final roster.

 

SPORTSMANSHIP:

 

The idea of CCA is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league.

 

To coordinate and run the league, our refs and/or staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule interpretations, directions to the bar, etc. please ask or call our office.

 

LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:

 

Leagues may be cancelled due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, scheduling conflicts, etc. CCA staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.

 

If the league is cancelled, CCA staff will post all notices on social media sites (Facebook/Twitter).  CCA will then email/text all of the captains if possible. If a league is cancelled on site, CCA staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. In extreme circumstances, CCA reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund or schedule matches on days and/or locations other than our regularly scheduled league day/night/location.