FOAL DIVISION 4U

is an instructional league to teach three and four-year-old players the fundamentals of baseball and softball by the simplest method possible - letting them play the game. If this purpose is kept paramount, FOAL 4U™ LEAGUE can be a valuable addition to the more formally organized leagues for older players. Emphasis must be on instruction, not on the league championship.

Players in this age range have a short attention span in any single activity and games must move rapidly. Only the basic fundamentals of the game should be brought out. It is not uncommon for players of this age, initially, to be unfamiliar with which is first base, which is third base, and which field is left and which is right. Lack of knowledge indicates merely that the player has not yet been introduced to the game and has no relationship to the player's potential athletic ability.

FOAL 4U™ LEAGUE coaches are allowed on the field to offer instruction during the game. The rules require that players be given the opportunity to try different positions, and that all of them get to play in every game.

GAME PLAY RULES FOR FOAL DIVISION

The MYBL Foal program teaches the fundamentals of baseball, team spirit, and sportsmanship in a safe environment while having as much fun as possible. In addition to the rules that follow, please also review the League-Wide Rules.

Goals & Logistics

• The Foal Division is non-competitive; no score will be kept.

• Parents are encouraged to participate in the infield and outfield, as base Coaches, and to help direct play.

• Reduced injury baseballs MUST be used at all times during practices and games in the Foal Division.

• Coach pitching will be introduced in practice early on. The goal is to have the teams’ coach pitching in games. The use of a batting tee will be based on the skill level of the Player. Pitching underhand

  is permitted.

• The batting team is responsible for monitoring the home plate area to ensure Players are swinging the bat safely. The home plate monitor MUST be an adult. Players MUST be taught not to throw the bat: correcting this tendency early makes a world of difference when the Players are older.

• The team Manager must keep a copy of each Player’s registration/medical form with him/her at all times during practices and games.

• Every Player plays every inning. For example, you can have 6 infielders and 6 outfielders with a maximum of 2 players per position. Rotate all Players to all positions during the course of a season. This is not only “fair” but it also provides the Players with a better learning experience. All Players bat once per half-inning.

• Foal uses an approximately 50-foot diamond.

Foal Division Game Rules

1. Games are three (3) innings or (1) hour in length, whichever comes first. A half inning is complete when everyone on a team has batted once. The last Player up in a half-inning hits a home run. The team in the field should wait for the last batter (during his home run sprint) to touch home plate before exiting the field.

2. No outs are recorded, but if a batter or runner is out via a put out, or a caught fly ball, the batter/runner is retired. This reinforces the defensive concept of trying to get base runners out and keeps the defense interested in the game. Put outs from a runner failing to tag up on a caught fly ball are not called – the runner returns to their original base (no quadruple-plays).

3. There is no bunting. A 10-foot arc shall be inscribed in front of home plate, from the first to the third base foul line, and any batted ball which does not travel beyond that line will be considered a foul ball.

4. Base runners are not permitted to steal bases and shall remain in contact with the base until the ball is hit.

5. No sliding is allowed.

6. Players must have a helmet on their head before being handed a bat. There is no “on-deck” circle.

7. The use of a batting tee may be used throughout the season. A team may also elect to coach pitch at any time during the season to skill appropriate Players. Managers/Coaches electing to coach pitch may throw overhand from a kneeling position or may pitch underhand.

8. When coach pitching, each batter will receive a maximum of three (3) pitches. If after three pitches the batter has not put the ball in “play”, the tee will be utilized. Coaches shall make every effort to stay out of the way of all plays. If a batted ball hits a Coach, the ball is declared dead.

9. Runners may continue to advance on a batted ball or on an overthrow until the ball is returned into the control of either an infielder or the pitcher at which point the ball is dead. Once the ball is dead all

   runners must return to the closest base. If the lead runner in not halfway to the next base, the runner shall return to the last base occupied and the following runners will do likewise. A following runner cannot force a lead runner to the next base.

10. There is no infield fly rule.

11. The catcher MUST stand away from the plate until the batter swings, then field the position defensively. (There is no dropped third call strike rule)

12. A runner is out if they pass a preceding runner while the ball is in play. Runners shall be awarded one additional base on all overthrows that go out of play.

13. At the conclusion of the mid-season break managers may begin to practice and implement the use of the pitching machine. The use of the pitching machine during games must be mutually agreed upon by both coaches.