5-6 Tee Ball

Local Rules

1. Games will start on time and regardless of player count. Any late arriving players will be placed at the end of the lineup. There will be no forfeits. 

2. No less than four innings will be played each game in order to give all players an opportunity to bat twice. Games may last for an hour after their start time.

3. Outs will be enforced. Please work hard during practices in advance of the games to teach outs so that they are familiar with them. Most players have never experienced being ‘out’ and this will be a new concept for them but one that will be needed moving up the following year in age. 

4. Each team will bat through half of their lineup or five players (whichever  number is higher) each inning regardless of the number of outs. 

   1. A team with exactly ten players will hit five players each inning.

   2. A team with eleven players will hit six players one inning and five players the next inning.

   3. A team with nine players will hit five players each inning. The leadoff player will end up hitting twice.

5. Runners may only advance one base on overthrows. Begin teaching players to listen to base coaches and advance around the base path at this age, but coaches should call time once a defender has control of the ball. 

6. Teams will not play with a catcher. Place a coach behind the plate near the fence to gather the balls and help with the tee. 

7. 5 pitches and then the batter can hit off the tee. If a player fouls the final pitch, they receive another pitch which will continue until the ball is missed or put into play. Please be respectful of the game time and only give 5 pitches. 

8. Coaches should pitch from the level of the players. They may sit on a bucket or lean on a knee to accomplish this. Coaches do not have to pitch from the rubber. They can scoot up, within reason, so the batter can have a better chance at hitting off the coach and not the tee. Coaches should use discretion regarding the nature of the pitch based on their knowledge of their players. Some hitter may require the challenge of a slightly harder overhand throw while some may need a soft underhand toss to make contact with the ball. Keep in mind we are preparing them for the next level so working to move away from the tee is key. 

9. Runners who are not in a force position do not have to run on a batted ball. This will help teach them to pay attention to their base coaches. 

10. Please be mindful of teams playing after you. Games should not last longer than 60 minutes. Make all transitions quickly to make sure that every player has a chance to hit at least twice before the game time has expired.

11. Score will not be kept for this age group.