LOCAL RULES

AAA DIVISION

The Minors “AAA” division is for players ages 8 to 12 that are drafted following tryouts. 12-year olds must waive down to play at this level. This division is an instructional, competitive division. Games are 6 innings. Batting orders are continuous, and players will play a minimum of 3 innings (9 outs) in the field. Players and parents should expect 3 games and/or practices a week.

PR-1 Game Responsibilities

Home Team:
• Provides a scoreboard operator, announcer, and pitch counter.
• Responsible for preparing the field before the game.
• open the snack shack
• remove the plugs and insert the bases
• rake and tamp the mound
• rake the infield, home plate area and base paths
• water the infield dirt and batter’s boxes
• chalk the baselines and batter’s boxes
• raise the flag(s)
• set up Scoreboard and speaker (where applicable)

If the field is not ready 30 minutes before game time, the visiting team will help. The visiting team will be allowed to take infield 15 minutes before the start of the game. The home team may forfeit their infield time.

Visiting Team:
1. Provides an Official Scorekeeper-paper book, pitch counter.
2. Responsible for repairing the field after the game. (NSLL will fill both roles if playing Interleague)
After Every Game:
3. rake the pitcher’s mound
4. drag the infield, home plate area, base paths
5. water infield dirt, pitcher’s mound and batter’s box areas
6. tamp down the pitcher’s mound and batter’s boxes
After the Last Game of the Day:
7. remove the bases and insert the plugs
8. put away the bases and all rakes
9. take down, fold, and put away flag(s)
10. Ensure the Snack Shack, Bathrooms and Equipment Locker are locked

Pinheiro Field:
• Last Game Each Day: Lock Bathrooms/pick up trash
• Last Game Thursday & Saturday: Empty trash cans into large garbage bins at the front of Lu Sutton school behind gate. Replace trash liners in all cans
• No music. No boom boxes and No announcing on the PA is allowed.

11. Game time: Scheduled time or up to 30 mins after the end of the previous game.
12. Snack shack is staffed separately by NSLL Snack Shack Coordinator in conjunction with Team Parents. Parents may be required to staff games their child is not playing in.
13. If both umpires are legal minors, the visiting team will provide a game coordinator. This person acts as a facilitator if there is a disagreement on rules, playing conditions, or matter holding up the progress of a game. If the game coordinator is unable to resolve the dispute, they contact the League Commissioner, League President or VP of Baseball. NSLL will fill this role if playing Interleague
14. Each team will provide an Umpire Coordinator; these individuals will be able to step in and umpire a game should there not be a league provided umpire attending the game.
15. Each team is responsible for cleaning up their dugout and spectator area, after the game.

PR-2 General Rules

1. Managers must notify the League Commissioner and Player Agent before suspending a player unless circumstances require an immediate suspension. In such cases, a written notice should
be furnished to the League Commissioner and Player Agent within 3 days.
2. There will be no smoking or tobacco use on NUSD or City of Novato grounds at any time.
3. No food or beverages, except water and sport drinks, are permitted in the dugout.
4. Noisemakers, horns, cowbells etc. will not be allowed at Novato South Little League games.

PR-3 Game Time Limit

1. Regular Season: No inning will start AFTER a game is 2 hrs old unless tied.
• If the 3rd out is made before the time limit has expired, the next full inning is played in its entirety.
2. If the game is tied after completion of the last full inning started 2:30 hours from start, it will end in a tie.
3. Post Season: There will be no time limit during playoff games.

PR-4 Curve Balls

1. Pitchers will not be taught curve, sinker, or slider pitches. Umpires will call all such pitches as
“balls” and warn the manager that continued use will result in removal of manager and the
pitcher.

PR-5 Continuous Batting Rule

1. A normal baseball defense with nine (9) players is used, but the entire roster hits.
2. The inning ends ONLY when three defensive outs have been recorded during the inning.
3. All eligible players will be included in the batting order, regardless of defensive assignment.
4. The batting order will not change during the game, except due to illness, injury or having to leave the field.
5. If a runner is injured, the player who made the last recorded out replaces him. If no out has been made in the game, the last player in the batting order replaces him/her. The replacement player then returns to his/her original position in the order.
6. There is NO Infield Fly Rule in AAA Division

PR-6 Substitutions

1. Open substitutions are allowed provided the player being replaced has completed at least one full inning of defensive play in the field.
2. A non-starting player may re-enter the game after being replaced.
3. If a pitcher is removed from a game, he/she cannot re-enter the same game as a pitcher but may re-enter the game at any other position.

PR-7 Minimum Play Rule

1. 2024: Games may begin with 8 players. The 9th place in the batting order will not be considered an automatic out. Games may begin with 7 players if both Managers agree to it.
2. No Player, present at the start of the game and listed in the lineup as either a starter or a replacement will remain out of the defensive line-up for more than (2) consecutive innings.
3. Any player that does not play 3 defensive innings in a game due to substitutions or early completion must play in the 1st & 2nd innings of the next game, then resume above stated minimum play rule.
4. Under no circumstances shall the violation of minimum play regulations result in the forfeiture of a game (Regulation IV-I Note 1).
5. For any violation of Minimum Play Regulations, the manager shall be penalized as follows:
● First Offense – receive a written warning, unless offense was intentional, in which case the manager will be suspended for the next scheduled game.
● Second Offense – receive a suspension for the next scheduled game, unless offense was intentional, in which case the manager will be suspended for the remainder of the
season.
● Third Offense – receive a suspension for the remainder of the season, unless offense was intentional, in which case the manager will be subject to a permanent ban from the League.
6. NSLL will opt-in to Local Rule 3.04. A courtesy runner may be installed for the Pitcher or Catcher whenthere are 2 outs. The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out.

PR-8 Pitching Rules

1. League Age 12-year-old players may not pitch in a AAA game.
2. NSLL will adhere to all pitch count rules as described the Little League Official Regulations and Playing Rules (Blue Book). Each season NSLL may enact stricter pitch count rules. These pitching restrictions apply to NSLL ONLY during Inter-League Play.

pitch_count_reporting_aaa_2024

3. The Pitcher shall be removed if 3 HBP batters in a single inning. The home plate umpire may remove a pitcher that hits multiple batters in a game.

PR-9 10-Run Rule

1. Novato South Little League Minor League games are played under the 10-run rule as define
2. The game will be considered final when the umpire calls the game after 3 ½ or 4 innings, or 5 innings have been played. Managers are encouraged to play the remaining innings as scrimmage until the 2-hour time limit is reached. The spirit of this idea is to give minimum play players additional playing time. Managers should:
● Move players to the infield who usually only play in the outfield
● Sit players who usually play all six innings
● Have players pitch who usually do not have an opportunity to pitch in regulation games
3. Scrimmage innings must be conducted according to the rules of Little League baseball and local rules established by Novato South Little League.
4. Pitch counts WILL APPLY.
5. The scrimmage game - cannot exceed 2 hours.
6. Umpires will remain at the game until the scrimmage innings or time are complete.

PR-10 5 Run Limit Per Half Inning & Last Inning Exemption

1. NSLL will follow the 5-run limit per half inning rule as stated in the Little League Official Regulations and Playing Rules. To be confirmed with Inter league partners
2. The 5-run per half inning limit will not apply during “Last Inning”. “Last inning” is determined by the umpire when estimating the next full inning will last longer than time remaining
3. There will be no per inning run limit in NSLL playoff or tournament games.

PR-11 Pitch Count Reporting

1. Novato South Little League will follow the pitch count rules as they are written in the Little League Official Regulations and Playing. Each Manager MUST provide the required pitch count information IMMEDIATELY after each game (no later than midnight on game day).
2. The Pitch Count Tool is a web-based link (which should be bookmarked on your computer for easy access) that allows Managers to input the required information. The web address will be provided before Opening Day.
• Name of Pitcher
• Number of pitches thrown by each
• The next date each pitcher is eligible to pitch
• Notes about the Umpires (optional)
• General Game Notes (optional)
IT IS CRUCIAL you report pitch count data immediately following the game, as the Pitch Count Tool will generate an overnight e-mail that is sent to all divisional Managers. If you do not report the data, the data will not align.

PR-12 Soft Toss

1. Hard balls may not be hit into the fences at any field at any time. Wiffle balls are allowed.

PR-13 Pregame Batting and Warmup

1. No "hard ball" batting practice is allowed before games at any NSLL field
2. Managers or coaches ARE PERMITTED to warm up a pitcher at home plate or in the bullpen or elsewhere at any time including in-game warm-up, pre-game warm-up, and in other instances. They may also stand by to observe a pitcher during warm-up in the bullpen.

PR-14 Communications with Umpires

The ONLY situation when a Manager may ask an umpire to confer with his/her partner is to see if the partner umpire had a better view of a:
• “Dropped Ball” play at a base, or
• “Foot off the Bag” play at a base.
The Managers may however request the umpire address or clarify a regulation or policy (i.e., batting out of order, wearing jewelry, number of coaches in the dugout, etc.) found in the LL Rule Book or NSLL Local Rules, but never about a specific play on the field. Umpires will not review any rules that affect a call on the field of play.
Regardless of a Manager’s request for help, the Umpire is under no obligation to review any play with his partner or change any call. ALL other umpire calls on the field of play ARE NOT ELIGIBLE for review.
VIOLATIONS: ANY ATTEMPT BY A MANAGER/COACH TO CHALLENGE AN UMPIRE CALL MADE ON THE FIELD OF PLAY WILL RESULT IN THE IMMEDIATE EJECTION OF THE MANAGER/COACH FROM THE GAME & MUST VACATE THE BALLPARK ENTIRELY.

PR-10 Interleague Play

Each season the NSLL Board will determine whether NSLL AAA teams will play Interleague games against teams outside of NSLL.
1. 2024 NSLL will play Interleague games against Novato North Little League
2. The scheduling and number of games will be determined each year.
3. Rules used in Interleague games will be determined annually – with the default and
expectation yearly to be the official Little League Rule Book

2024 EXCEPTIONS TBD:
• The application of Continuous batting
• 5-Run Rule Exemption for Last Inning of Play
Note - District 3 determines rules used for T.O.C. (2024: continuous batter)
Note - Little League International determines rules for All-Stars (2024: standard substitution)

STANDARD PITCH COUNT - AAA

pitch_count_rest_aaa_2024