Batting Rules

 Batting 

• Typical bats used in our leagues are Senior Bats (SSUSA). We do NOT use restricted bats. If you need to buy a new bat, we encourage you to talk to other seniors. 31" in length, 26 - 30 oz are commonly used.
• High-performance and/or altered bats aren't permitted in games or in batting practice.  Single-wall and composite aluminum bats or wood bats are permitted.  
• If there is no marked batter’s box, then a reasonable area will be considered the batter’s box. A batter will be called out if he steps on the strike zone mat when hitting a pitch, whether it is hit fair or foul, or if all of his back foot is completely in front of the strike zone mat when he hits the pitch.  
• Each batter begins with a 0-1 count, no balls and one strike. (An exception is made for a game with three teams where the count starts 1-1.) The batter is out on any third strike. This includes a foul ball after two strikes. 
• A batter must take a full swing at a pitch. Bunting or chopping is an out.  
• A batter who hits a grounder or fly ball into the outfield is automatically awarded first base (unless the fly ball is caught). Rovers are considered as outfielders.  EXCEPTION: If an infielder deflects a hit and the ball rolls into the outfield, that or another INFIELDER can still retrieve the ball and throw out the batter. (Infielder ONLY - Not an outfielder). 
• If a batter hits a foul ball and the catcher catches it, the batter is out. 
• If a batter throws or releases a bat and it hits another player or the umpire, the player is out. If the batter throws a bat and it does not hit anyone, the player will receive a warning; a second occurrence in a game is an automatic out. A player throwing a bat in anger may be ejected from a game, and his at bat in the lineup will count as an out.
•  On both the B and C diamonds, the infield fly rule is not called. It is not called for three reasons; 1. Our umpires are not always positioned and/or ready to make a quick decision, further causing indecision for base runners, and 2  Our fielders often struggle to catch pop-ups, and 3. We need to discourage fielders from intentionally dropping a pop-up to facilitate a double or even triple play. In cases where a 'normal' infield fly occurs, the final outcome can not result in more than 1 one. It may result in no outs if the pop-up is not caught and runners successfully advance.