Harrisburg Young Professionals 2008 Summer Kickball League - HYP KB 08

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HYP Kickball League Official Rules

Note: Rules are used with the permission of the Kickball League of America

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY
• HYP will play in the rain unless prohibited by local park rules.

FIELD:
• The kickball diamond is a square with equal ides of 60 feet.
• The distance from home plate to second base, and from first base to third base is 84 feet 10 ¼ inches.
• The center of the pitching area is in the center of the diamond, 42 feet 5 1/8 inches and directly aligned with the first base/third base diagonal. (First/Third Base Diagonal is marked with a dotted line).
• The strike zone extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate, and 1 foot high. There will be a box around the plate (1 foot on all sides) which marks the strike zone. If any part of the ball falls within the zone or hits the line, then it is a strike.

TEAMS:
• Each game the home team will be determined by the flip of a coin.
• Teams shall consist of maximum 10 players on the field and a minimum of 8 players. One of the players must be catcher. There is no maximum to the number of players on your team roster.
• All players will kick (i.e. if 16 people from a team show up for the game, there will be 16 spots in the kicking order).
• The kicking order cannot change but you can change the fielders.
• Only players who are paid league members may play in a game.
• All players must have signed the official HYP waiver form.
• The official kicking order must be provided to the umpire before the start of the game. The kicking team must keep an official scorecard.
• There must be minimum of 3 females in the field at all times. In the case of only 2 females in the field, then the fielding team will have to play with only 9 players in the field.
• The kicking order can only have 2 males in a row before a female must kick.

REGULATION GAMES:
• Games will last for 7 innings, with the game being official after 5 innings (4 ½ if the home team leads). When games time has reached fifty minutes, one more full inning will be played (the game will be shortened if necessary).
• Unlike baseball, there are no extra innings; the game can end in a tie. (If there is time remaining and both coaches and the umpire agree to play extra innings, they may be played).
• Any team that is not ready to take the field at the scheduled kick off time shall forfeit the match.
• There is a limit of nine runs per inning except for the last inning.
• If a team leads by ten runs or more after 5 innings the game will be declared over.

PITCHING/CATCHING:
• If the ball is bouncing higher than 1 foot off the ground (as measured from the bottom of the ball) when it reaches the plate then it is a ball; however, the kicker does have the option of kicking it if he/she wishes.
o If the pitch crosses the line around the plate, it is a strike.
• No fielder may advance forward the 1st-3rd base diagonal until the ball is kicked.
• The count begins at 1 ball, 1 strike.
• Pitching must be underhand only.

KICKING:
• All kicks must be made by foot (below the knee).
• All kicks must be taken at or behind the home plate or an illegal kick will be called (which counts as a strike).
• Males must kick the ball past the 1st-3rd baseline. The ball must stay beyond the line to be fair.
o Any kick that does not reach this line will be considered a foul.
o If the ball is fielded before it reaches this line, it is in play and considered fair.
• Females must kick the ball past the line that is 10 feet from the plate. The ball must stay beyond the line to be fair.
o Any kick that does not reach this line will be considered a foul.
o If the ball is fielded before it reaches this line, it is in play and considered fair.

RUNNING:
• If a fielder attempts to physically obstruct a runner from advancing, the runner may advance as many basses as they would have potentially earned had they been able to run unobstructed. This is a judgment call by the official.

• Neither leading off base, nor stealing a base is allowed.
o A runner leading off base before the ball is kicked is out.
• All ties will go to the runner.
• On an overthrow, all players advance as far as they can get even if the ball is out of bounds.
• When two runners are on the same base at the same time, the fielder has the choice of tagging either runner with the ball. The runner who is tagged is out and the other runner is safe and may stay on the base.

FOULS:
• A foul counts as a strike even on the third strike.
• A foul is:
o Kick landing out of bounds;
o A kick landing in bounds, but traveling out of bounds on its own before reaching first or third base (any ball touching a fielder in fair territory is automatically in play).
o A kick that does not meet the minimum kick requirement (1st-3rd base diagonal for males, 10 foot line for females)

OUTS:
• An out is:
o Count of three (3) strikes;
o A runner touched by the ball at ANY time while not on base;
o A runner who is on the same base with another runner is tagged with the ball;
o Any kicked ball (fair or foul) that is caught;
o A ball tag on a base to which a runner is forced to run;
o A runner leading off base before a ball is kicked.
• Hitting the base with the ball does NOT count as an out. The fielder must hit the runner with the ball or maintain control of the ball on the base on a forced run.

PLAY-OFFS:
• Play-Off will be made up of the top 4 teams in each division.
Playoffs Tiebreakers:

1. Overall Record
2. Conference Record
3. Head-to-Head Record
4. Greatest Cumulative Margin of Victory (Ttl points for - Ttl points against)
5. Most Runs Scored
6. Coin toss.

OTHER RULES:
• Foul language is not allowed. This is a judgment call by the umpires.
• If a player is ejected from a regular game, he/she will not be allowed to play in the next scheduled game.
• Coaches are responsible for keeping track of the batting order, inning and score in their scorebooks. If there is a dispute over the batting order, inning or score, we use the books to make the final decision.
• The Infield Fly rule is in effect.