This is a family friendly environment  

   Profanity and alcohol are strictly prohibited 

                   Central Ohio Wiffleball League Rules  

                              OUR Gold Stick Rules  

Major League Baseball rules will be adhered to with the

following exceptions:

1. Sportsmanship - All teams engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct will be removed from

the game IMMEDIATELY at the discretion of the commissioners ! 

ABSOLUTELY NO FOUL LANGUAGE WILL BE TOLERATED ! 

ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL PERMITTED  UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !!

Captains, make this and all other rules clear to your team !

2. Umpiring - All calls are final ! Fielder's Advantage: All close plays will be called out. 

A base runner must be completely past the bag (both feet off) to be safe.  This eliminates

judgement calls related to beating throws out.  Wiffleball is a hitter's game - hit it farther

or to a better spot so close plays do not occur.   We will do our best to be on top of calls,

and umpires will be paying attention and know the rules - but we still may miss some.

For league games teams will umpire their own games.  If an irresolvable call play occurs

- the play will be repeated, commonly known in backyard language as a "do over".   

Keep the arguing to a minimum.  This is, after all, wiffleball.

3. Equipment - All bats used in league play must be regulation, yellow WIFFLE bats. They

may not be stuffed or altered in any way other than listed below.  Bats may have tape on

the handle and may be painted to suit your team.  Only regulation wiffle bats are permitted.

Balls will be official WIFFLE balls, those with holes for adults and solid wiffle balls for youth

(12 and under) and ladies. 

Youth wishing to hit solid wiffle balls must supply a birth certificate to prove age. 

We will trust the ladies.

 STEEL CLEATS ARE NOT PERMITTED.  Plastic cleats permitted.   Players with steel cleats

WILL NOT be permitted to play due to safety concerns (ouch on my toes) and the damage

they do to batters boxes.   Coaches please tell your players about the cleat rule !

4. Rosters - An official game will be four-on-four.  Rosters can be made up of any number

of players and players may be added at any time (we are easy).  However, a player can

only play for one team in a season, unless a special dispensation is given by the

Commissioner, and he is likely to enact a heavy toll in indulgences.   Each team shall

have at least 3 players on the field to compete.  Players may be added to the roster at

any time, but must play in 1/3 (8 games) of a season's games to be eligible for post

season play.  All players must sign the waiver release form before playing any games.

5. Players in a game - Teams unable to field 3 players at any time, for any reason, will

forfeit any games until able to field at least 3 players from the original roster. Three

player teams are permitted. Players may be added to the roster, provided they sign the

release waiver form, at any time.  Players may exist on only 1 roster at a time.  Players

may switch teams with the commissioner's approval. 

6. Substitutions - Substitutions may be made at any time.  Teams can rotate or shuffle

players defensively throughout the game, (especially on 5-6 player rosters).  Players

arriving after the start of a game will automatically be placed at the bottom of the lineup

and must play the field before being able to bat, if the batting order has already passed

their position.

Aside from inserting a batter at the bottom of the lineup, the batting order cannot be

changed at any time during the game.  All those who begin, must end, or an out will be

taken at their position in the batting order every time they would have batted.

One Designated Hitter (DH) may be used in your lineup.  This person can bat for anyone

on your team.  (Example your DH could bat for your pitcher for the entire game.)  Also

you can bat 3, 4, 5, or 6 players on your roster at any given time but you must stay with

the same batting lineup throughout the game. Defensive players may be subbed in and

out of the field at any time,  but the batting order must stay the same.  New players can

be inserted at any time in a game, although they automatically bat after the last batter

in the lineup.   In the case of injury, a new player may be substituted in the injured

player's place in the lineup, or the place may be skipped and an out taken each time.

7. Pitching - (Underhand Style)  All pitches must be slow and have an arc on them. 

Sidearm pitching will not be permitted.   The ball must be released with less than a 30

degree angle from the torso.  Balks are legal.   Pitchers must have one foot on the rubber

when the ball has been released and both feet inside the pitching mound.  All pitches

must have 3 feet of arc from the release point.  The legal arc range for strikes falls

between 3 and 10 feet.  The strike zone is the foam cushion behind home plate.  Balls

meeting arc criteria that hit the cushion are strikes. "Flat Pitching" (less than 3' of arch

from release point) results in automatic balls.   The umpire will call flat ("flat"), illegal

arch ("arch") and illegal ("illegal") pitches as early as possible but a batter may choose

to swing at these pitches.  Both fair and foul balls are live when a batter swings at a flat,

excessive arch or illegal pitch and strikes result when foul balls and misses occur

after a pitch is denoted as above.  Pitches denoted as flat, excessive arch or illegal

are automatic balls unless they are swung at.

A pitcher's box will be provided and the pitcher must keep both feet in the pitcher's box

until the pitch is released.  Failure to do so will result in an automatic ball.

Pitchers may keep extra balls in their pockets, but only 1 ball may be held at a time. 

Having a ball in both hands when a pitch is delivered will result in an illegal pitch being

called by the umpire.

Pitchers may pitch 5 innings per night, until all players have pitched their 5 innings

(i.e., extra innings not included).  In extra inning games, each pitcher is permitted 1

additional inning, until all players have pitched a complete inning.  Extra innings pitched

do not count against the 5 inning total.  Pitchers may be switched at any time, but doing

so during a batter results in an automatic walk.

For tournaments, any pitcher is permitted to throw any number of innings with  no

inning restrictions. 

8. Batting - If a pitcher throws 6 balls to a batter the batter will have the option of walkin,

where upon a double will be awarded to the batter.  If the batter chooses to continue to bat

and 4 more balls are thrown an automatic home run will be awarded.  You can pitch any way

you want within the rules, but this wiffleball the wide open way iis a hitter's game and so

there will be a penalty for not throwing strikes.  We have found this levels the playing

field and dramatically speeds play.  

Wiffleball the Wide Open way is intended to be a hitting and fielding game..   Requiring

pitchers to throw strikes facilitates this objective.

Batters may strike out swinging or by called 3rd strike.  Batters may choose not to swing

at any pitch.  Batters may swing one or two handed.  Hit batters do not receive walks.  

A batter's box will be provided.  All batters must keep both feet in the box.  The ball cannot

be pitched until the batter has both feet in the box.  Once the batter has both feet in the box

the pitcher may pitch. 

If both of a batter's feet are outside the box at contact time, the batter is automatically out.

Batters are not permitted to catch pitches.  All pitches must be permitted to land (those

curvy rascals).  Catching a pitch results in an automatic strike on the batter.

9. Intentional Walks - Batters can be intentionally walked.  This automatically gives the

batter 6 balls at which time the batter can choose to take the automatic double or start with

the count 6-0 and attempt to hit or receive 4 more balls for an automatic home run.

10. Pitcher's Hand - All force plays on the lead runner can be made to the pitcher, or any

other player, on the pitcher's plate.  This excludes the catcher who may not come into fair

play.   The runner may also be put out by any legal play at a base.  For example, a ground

ball to third, fielded and thrown to the pitcher standing on the pitcher's plate, would result

in a force play at any base. The force play is always the lead force-out runner.

All ties and close plays are given to the defense.    If a runner is not  entirely past the base,

(both feet off) and not obviously, without question safe, the runner is out. 

Runners may be tagged out at any bases and forces can be recorded by stepping on bases.

Example :  Men on first and second, ground ball to shortstop.   The shortstop tags 3rd (or

the runner) and throws the ball to the pitcher on pitcher's plate = double play, as long as

the throw to the pitcher beats the runner to first.  If the shortstop simply throws the ball

to the pitcher on the pitcher's plate, the the lead runner is out, if the throw beat the runner

to third.  If not, the runner to 2nd is out if the throw beat that runner.  If not, the runner to

1st is out if the throw to pitcher's plate beat the runner to 1st.

The pitcher's mound will be located 22 feet from the front of home plate.  All pitcher's hand

plays must be made with both feet in contact with the pitcher's plate (as per 1st base).  Not

being in contact with the pitcher's plate will result in all runners being called safe (treat the

pitcher's plate as the lead base). 

11. Infield Fly rule - Not in effect.  With the way wind effects wiffle balls and the way high

pops can dance around, there is no "safe" pop-up.   Base runners should run everything

out, not be lazy, and not assume balls will be caught.

12. Stealing or Leading Off - Base runners may not lead off from any base.   Nor may they

steal at any time. Runners may leave their base only after the batter makes contact with

the ball.  

Leaving early will result in the runner automatically being called out, dead ball, replay pitch. 

Don't jump off the base, wait until it is hit.

13. Pegging - Fielders may throw the ball at all runners except those going from home to 1st.

Runners struck by the ball, whether by bounce or ricochet will be out.   Runners can be tagged

out at any base and force plays can be made by stepping on the base, per normal baseball rules.

Runners must stay in the baseline but can take evasive maneuvers, with the exception of diving,

sliding or falling to the ground.

This includes diving back to a base which has been over ran.  Runners who dive back are out.

14. Runner/ ball contact - Base runners hit with a batted ball within fair territory are out.

15. Home Runs - All fair balls hit over the designated home run fence will be home runs !  

No limit exists for home runs per team or individual.   Hit as many dingers as you can ! 

16.  Field of Play - Fielding attempts which result in a fielder going over the outfield or in-play

fence (by jumping, falling, sliding or leaning) will result in automatic home runs or dead ball falls

for the batter, regardless if the ball is batted back in, caught or uncaught.  The bottom line is

fielders must stay totally in the field of play or the batter is awarded with a home run.  Foul balls

in which a fielder touches any part of the out-of-play area by going over or under (sliding) the

safety fence results in a dead ball (foul) regardless of if the ball is caught.  If a ball is caught and

carried outof play, or any portion of the fielder touches the out-of-play are, it is considered a dead

ball foul. 

Successfully fielded balls require the fielder to remain totally in bounds, regardless of where the

ball ends up.

16. Regulation Game - A regulation game will consist of five innings.

17. Mercy Rule - If at the end of the home team's third inning a team leads by 15 runs or more, the

game will be over.

18. Defense - On the field you must have a pitcher.   Catchers are optional but are not permitted

to make plays in fair territory.  Doing so results in a dead ball, all runners advance 1 base safely call.

Four fielders in fair play are permitted.   Foul play extends to the bunt line located 13 feet in front

of the plate.   Catchers may go all the way up to the bunt line (but not past) and may catch foul balls

for outs. 

19.  Sliding or Diving - Their will be no sliding or diving by offensive players into any base.   Runners

doing so will be called OUT automatically.   If a runner over runs a base, they may not fall or dive

back to the base.  Doing so will be an automatic out.   Unless a runner accidentally slips and falls

they must reach the base upright or the runner will immediately be called out.

20.  Tagging Up - Tagging up on fly balls is permitted at every base.   Runners advance at their

own risk.

21.  Overthrows- Overthrown balls must be retrieved and brought back into the field of play by

the defense.  Runners may advance at their own risk.   Throws terminating in out of bounds areas

(beyond the safety fence) automatically result in each base runner being awarded 1 base from

the last base achieved before throw was made.  

22.  Foul Balls-  Fly balls caught inside the in bounds area results in the batter being out.   If you

can catch it, the batter is out, as long as no portion of the fielder touches the out-of-play area

(over or under).  Batters receive as many fall balls as needed.  

The dead ball area is located 13' in front of home plate.

22.  Umpires- Tournament games will be umpired by someone who knows the rules and will pay

attention, unlike another popular tourney that will remain unmentioned.  For league play, teams

will self-umpire with irreconcilable calls resulting in a repeat of the play.   League tournament play

for the Divisional Championship playoffs and the World Series will be umpired by a supplied umpire,

from the opposite division in the case of the Divisional series.