Playing Equipment
- Bats, balls, backstops and bases will be provided by the
umpire prior to each game.
- Only baseball sized wiffleballs will be used (8 slots). The ball
will be replaced during play if in the discretion of the umpire,
the ball has been cracked or disfigured. Or, if the umpire
just feels like it.
- Male players may only use the official yellow wiffleball bats.
Female players will be allowed to use the larger bats if they
choose to. Insert your own "that's what she said" joke here.
- A backstop net will be provided to call balls and strikes. The
net is 17" wide by 24" high.
- The bases will be placed 45 feet apart, and the pitching
mound will be placed 25 feet from home plate.
- Baseball gloves are not allowed, and you will be ridiculed if
you want to wear one during play. Batting gloves are
allowed, as are gloves designed to keep hands warm.
Mittens are cool too.
- Shoes must be worn by all players, but metal cleats and
sandals are not allowed.
Game Regulations
- Each team must have a minimum of 10 players on its roster.
- All players must be at least 18 years of age.
- Each team must have a minimum of three females on its
roster.
- During play, the fielding team must have at least 10 players
in the field, three of which must female.
- Games will be played with a time limit of 50 minutes. No
inning will be allowed to start after 45 minutes of play. If the
designated home team trails, they must get their fair number
of at-bats.
- Each team can bat every member of its roster in its lineup.
Lineups must have a minimum number of 10 players.
- Each team must make a lineup prior to the game, and use
that same lineup for the whole contest. If a player is injured
and cannot continue, that player will be skipped in the lineup,
with no penalty to their team.
- If a team does not have at least 10 players at the scheduled
game time, each missing player in the lineup will be an
automatic out. For example, if a team only has 8 players
show up for a game, that team will incur two automatic outs
each time they complete a turn through their order.
- Every attempt will be made to play each game on its
scheduled date, rain or shine. However, if a game is rained
out, snowed out, or if wiffleball-hating aliens invade our
planet and wreak havoc on the schedule, every effort will be
made to make that week's games up at a later date.
Pitching/Defense
- Any type of throw, overhand or underhand is allowed. Any
type of grip is allowed, but no deforming or altering the ball.
No “loading” the ball with rocks, dirt or other debris.
- A pitch will be called a strike if it lands inside the backstop
net, or if it hits the frame of the net.
- The defensive team can retire a batter/runner by throwing
the ball to a base via a force out. A batter/runner can also
be retired if they are hit by the ball, as long as the ball does
not hit the batter/runner above the shoulders. If the ball hits
the batter/runner above the shoulders, the ball will be
declared dead, and each runner will be awarded an
additional base.
- Nobody likes a jerk, so try not to peg people with the ball
really hard if you don't have to.
Batting/Running
- Four balls equal a walk, while three strikes equal a strikeout.
Any pitched ball that hits a batter counts as a ball. After a
batter reaches two strikes, three additional foul balls will
result in a strikeout. If a batter fouls off strike three into the
net, that batter will be out on strikes.
- If a batter catches a pitched ball, that pitch will count as an
automatic strike.
- If in the umpire's judgment the batter leans into the pitch, that
pitch will be a strike.
- After the pitch has been called a ball or a strike, the batter is
not allowed to hit the ball back to the pitcher (No hit-backs).
Each team is allowed one warning per game, and any hit
back after the initial warning will be an automatic out.
- No bunting. Seriously, did you really sign up for wiffle ball so
you could bunt?
- Baserunners are not allowed to lead off, or steal a base.
- Batters/runners are not allowed to interfere with the defense
making a play.
- If a ball goes out of play due to a wild throw, runners are
entitled to move up one base.
- Sliding into a base is legal. Just please try not to take out
anybody's knees, because then you will be forced to visit the
person you injured in the hospital. And nobody really likes
hospitals.
- Any player who, in the umpires judgment, intentionally
knocks over another player on a play at a base will be
ejected immediately from that game, no questions asked.
- The infield fly rule is in effect. We thought typing the entire
infield fly rule here would be too hard, so we didn't even try.
If you have 15 minutes some day, we'll explain the rule to
you.
- The umpire has the final say on all calls. Don't argue with
the umpire, or they will become biased against you and your
team for the rest of the season.
Important Rules
- If a rule is not mentioned above, standard major league
baseball rules will apply.
- Please remember that this is supposed to be a fun league.
Good for you for being a part of something fun!