Inverness Little League
2025 LOCAL RULES/BY LAWS

⦁ At game’s conclusion, team managers are to sign the official score book if a book is being used. Attesting to the accuracy, noting innings pitched (pitch count for baseball) on pitching log, and innings played by team members (Mandatory Play regulation). Failure to sign the official scorebook will signify agreement with the details of the game kept in the official score book and the accuracy of such details.

⦁ Games are to start when scheduled, not later. Delays may only be caused by inclement weather, the parks and recreation department, the safety officer, or because of the length of the preceding game. If the start is delayed, the game will begin immediately following the outcome of the preceding game, or upon announcement by league or Park officials that the field is playable. At no time will a game be delayed because of “warm-ups” or infield/outfield drills. In all cases managers are to be ready to PLAY at the time indicated on the official playing schedule.

⦁ If a player drops from a team or if a player sustains an injury or illness which may cause him/her to miss more than three weeks of the season, the manager and/or coach is required to notify the division coordinator or player agent of the situation at the earliest possible moment. If a team from the minors division or up falls below 11 players, the board will determine replacement options. Note: no player may be drafted to a team the last two (2) weeks of the season, unless authorized by the Little League Board of Directors.

⦁ No food is permitted in the dugout under any circumstances (this is a park rule).

⦁ In baseball, teams will be responsible for providing a qualified official scorekeeper (home team) and Pitch counter (visiting team) in the booth/designated area on B1 & B2. In softball the home team will be responsible for providing a qualified official scorekeeper in the booth. Failure to provide a scorekeeper shall result in the forfeiture of home team. If a manager finds the book incomplete, he/she shall note the omission. If a scorekeeper and pitch counter are not secured within 10 minutes of start time, the game will be forfeited. 

⦁ Manager and Coaches will be responsible for the cleanliness of their dugout, stands and playing field once their game is concluded. Failure to keep the areas clean will result in mandatory clean up duty for the team.

⦁ The Umpires watch or the Umpires designee’s watch will be the official time indicator for the start and conclusion of the game.

⦁ No modifications or alterations of League equipment shall be made by any manager, coach, parent, or child. Nor shall modified or altered equipment be used on the field without approval of the Board of Directors. All teams must wear the League issued uniform.

⦁ Any game that ends in a tie score or is called prior to conclusion due to weather or other field conditions shall be made up at the next available field time. Make up games will be scheduled by the designated scheduler without consideration to pitching rotation or team convenience. Notice of rescheduled games is to be given to the manager involved as soon as practical. All makeup games from the first half of the season must be made up within ten (10) days of the end of the half or the winner(s) will be determined by the flip of a coin by the League President. Note: the last game of the day may continue beyond the time limit if tied until fifteen (15) minutes prior to park curfew.

⦁ Game Curfew – No new inning may start after (one (1) hour and fifty (50) minutes Minor and Major Divisions) and (Two (2) hour and  fifteen (15) minutes Junior and Senior Divisions), unless the game is tied or not official, then play will continue. Inning in progress at the allotted time must be completed; if not a complete game the game will be suspended. Suspended games will be scheduled for a completion at the earliest opportunity.

⦁ Minor and Major divisions – No player shall be in the “on-deck” circle outside the dugout or swinging a bat within the fenced in area of the dugout at any time. The next batter is to be in the fenced in area of the dugout with a helmet on and wait for his/her turn at bat.

⦁ Minor divisions – the half inning will end on three defensive outs or when the offensive team has scored five runs thru the 3rd inning. NOTE: From the top of the fourth inning, to the games end, regular rules apply.

⦁ We use Draft Plan A for rookie divisions and up. With T-ball, we will accept any request from parents and do the best we can to keep them with Managers of their choice. T-ball coordinator/rookie will make final decision if any conflict arises. Based on the number of players returning, Draft Plan A, B, or C may be chosen by the board.

⦁ Top Team Champion Determined by winners of 1st half and 2nd half season in a playoff game at the end of the season.

⦁ No game can end in a tie. There will be no Texas Tie Breaker. The team will play full extra innings. The game will end at curfew of 9:30pm. If they reach this time limit, the game will be rescheduled to finish another day.

⦁ All scheduled games will be played as scheduled unless there is prior approval from the Board of Directors.

⦁ All players listed on any family account with an open balance when it comes time to determine All Star eligibility, will automatically be ineligible unless they have met criteria set forward, such as a volunteer or payment plan to cover the entire balance. Should they fail to meet the minimum requirements of the plan agreement, the children on the account will be ineligible for All Star play.

⦁ All managers, coaches and board members are required to have a current CDC concussion certificate, Abuse Awareness certificate, Little League Diamond Leader certificate and current background check on file before stepping on the field, and umpires within two games of umpiring. The background check and Abuse Awareness certifications must be completed once per year. The CDC concussion certificate is good for 2 years. The Little League Diamond Leader training program is good for 3 years.

⦁ Any player, coach or manager who is ejected from 2 games will be automatically deemed ineligible for any All Star team.

⦁ For regular season only, the following run rules will be in effect:

⦁ If after three (3) innings [(50/70), Junior, and Senior Divisions: four innings], two and one-half innings [(50/70, Junior, and Senior Divisions: three and one-half innings] if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of fifteen (15) runs or more, the manager of the team with the least runs shall concede the victory to the opponent.
⦁ If after four (4) innings [(50/70), Junior, and Senior Divisions: five innings], three and one-half innings [(50/70, Junior, and Senior Divisions: four and one-half innings] if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of ten (10) runs or more, the manager of the team with the least runs shall concede the victory to the opponent.
⦁ If after five (5) innings [(50/70), Junior, and Senior Divisions: six innings], four and one-half innings [(50/70, Junior, and Senior Divisions: five and one-half innings] if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of eight (8) runs or more, the manager of the team with the least runs shall concede the victory to the opponent.

⦁ Rule 4.16 Inability to provide coaches/players – each team only needs to place 8 players on the field to start a game (6 in Rookies for both Baseball and Softball).  Each team needs to place one coach/manager in the dugout as manager or acting manager and 1 on the bases (Acting managers need Board approval prior to the start of the game).

⦁ Rule 7.00 A “courtesy runner” is permitted for the pitcher or catcher when there are 2 outs.  When continuous batting is used, the courtesy runner must be the last out.  If the last out is a pitcher or catcher, then a manager must use the pitcher or catcher as is. When continuous batting is not in effect, the runner must be a player whose name is not in the team’s batting order. In this case, the same courtesy runner may not run for both the pitcher and the catcher at any time during the game.

⦁ Rule 9.04 The plate umpire may stand behind the pitcher’s mound.

⦁ Rule 6.05 (n) When a team is permitted to start and play the game with only 8 (6 in Rookies) players, the ninth (9) batting position and beyond (depending on division) will be skipped without penalty.

⦁ Rule 13.0 Volunteers are prohibited from being alone with a minor athlete during the league’s programs and events unless:

⦁ There is an emergency
⦁ There is written permission from the player’s parents/legal guardian.
⦁ The volunteer is the player’s parent/legal guardian, sibling, or personal care assistant.
⦁ A volunteer’s interactions with players must be observable and interruptible by another adult.
⦁ Volunteers are prohibited from contacting players directly through social media or electronic communication unless another adult volunteer or the player’s parent/legal guardian is copied.
⦁ Volunteers are discouraged from interacting one-on-one with unrelated minor athletes in settings outside of local league program and activities (such as the volunteer’s home, a restaurant, a vehicle, etc.)
⦁ If a volunteer is in a position where he/she is left alone with a player, he/she should not leave the child so long as the volunteer has exhausted all the options above to comply with the guidelines of the policy, a board member should be notified of such situations as soon as possible.  Likewise, if a child is injured and must be transported to a hospital, urgent care, or treatment center, the volunteer should not leave the child alone if all options have been exhausted to comply with the policy in an emergency where medical care is necessary, again a board member should be notified as soon as it is safe to do so.
⦁ Physical contact between volunteers and players should be limited.  Some examples of appropriate physical contact include high fives or administering appropriate first aid.

⦁ To be eligible to be an all-star manager, the manager, or someone he appoints, must umpire at least 3 regular season games in any division.

⦁ Any Board Member who is absent for three consecutive board meetings will be subject to removal from the Board of Directors.

⦁ Refund Policy:  Inverness Little League (ILL) recognizes that sometimes plans change after registering a child which will not allow your child to play baseball or softball.  Our refund policy is as follows:

⦁ If you notify ILL (⦁ [email protected]) prior to the draft or before being assigned to a team, you will be refunded your registration in full, less a $20 processing fee.
⦁ If you notify ILL after the draft or after being assigned a team and before the first game is played ILL will issue a 50% refund.
⦁ If you notify ILL after the first game is played, ILL will not issue a refund.
⦁ All requests for refunds must be submitted for consideration to ILL Board of Directors by email.  If you have requested a refund, please note that it may take up to 10 business days for ILL to process the refund.

⦁ If the President, Vice President, or Secretary requests a check for any reason, it does not require a “2nd” by another board member.

⦁ In the Rookie Division:
⦁ For the first half of the season (as designated by the scheduler) the pitching machine should be set at 38 miles per hour.  For the second half of the season the pitching machine should be set at 40 miles per hour.
⦁ In the Rookie Division, the balls to be used are the designated Pitching Machine Balls.
⦁ The home team will set up the pitching machine and takes and puts away at the end of the game.  The home team will also supply the five baseballs for the game.
⦁ There will be one base per overthrow on all balls that are deemed not catchable.  If the ball thrown is catchable then runners may advance as many bases as possible until the ball is back to pitcher inside the circle. Pitchers must have one foot inside the circle and be no more than two feet in front of the pitching machine.
⦁ There shall be no more than 10 fielders on defense, 4 of which must be in the outfield grass. A catcher must be used at all times, even if the defense only has 6 players.

⦁ In the Tee Ball, Rookie and Minor divisions, formal protests are not allowed; protests must be resolved on the field at the time of play before the next pitch is thrown. The managers are encouraged to resolve the disagreements immediately. If necessary, the Board Member on Duty will make the final decision regarding a dispute. 

⦁ League curfew is 9:30 pm. No inning shall start after 9pm.

⦁ During the regular season only, paper scorebooks or Gamechanger can be used to keep track of scores and stats.  The home team is required to keep the book.  If the home team cannot provide a scorekeeper then the visiting team can keep the score and become the home team in doing so. Scoreboards need to be used during all Rookie games and above.

⦁ In Rookie divisions, a manager and 3 coaches can be in the dugout.  In Minors and above, a manager and 2 coaches can be in the dugout.

⦁ Junior umpires must be at least one age group above the division they are umpiring and must have an adult present to observe at all times.

⦁ Conduct: All parents will be required to sign a Parent Code of Conduct before each season. Inverness Little League Board of Directors adheres to a “zero tolerance” policy regarding matters of conduct. Penalties for infractions of the Code of Conduct can range from  a verbal warning to single or multiple game suspensions and not limited to expulsion from Inverness Little League.

⦁ Managers and coaches are responsible for their conduct and the conduct of their team and fans. Obscene or foul language or gestures from players, fans, coaches or managers will not be tolerated. Disparaging remarks or verbal abuse directed at managers, coaches, umpires, Board members, volunteers, parents and players will not be tolerated. Any incidents will be brought to the attention of the Board of Directors and be subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Directors and may be removed from participating in any league activities. Permanent expulsion from Inverness Little League is possible.
⦁ Social Media Conduct: This policy applies to all league participants and affiliates, including parents, guardians and spectators. Inverness Little League maintains a “zero tolerance” policy regarding any form of slander, harassment, or personal attacks on social media directed towards players, coaches, volunteers, umpires, board members, or league families. Specifically, any post, comment or message that names or clearly identifies an individual for the purpose of criticism, defamation, or ridicule will result in immediate disciplinary action which may include:
⦁ Suspensions from games, practices, or league events.
⦁ Removal from volunteer or coaching positions.
⦁ Permanent ban from Inverness Little League.