Caldwell Youth Baseball Association
T-Ball League
The CYBA T-Ball league is a baseball program for boys and girls that are 4-5 years old as of April 30th.
The T-ball season is the first division of baseball for all players. The goal for this division is to teach the kids the basics of baseball. (Where the bags are, where players need to be when playing a position, where to throw the ball when it is hit to them, etc.) The goal in this division is to have fun and teach the players the fundamentals of the game. T-Ball will use the original soft TBALLs to help protect the player and take away the fear of being hit by a ball.
Participation:
1. Players must attend practices to be eligible to participate in the games. Coaches are required to communicate to the Lower Divisional Director if a player will not be playing due to lack of practice participation.
2. All players are listed in your batting order and bat their turn in the order whether they have played in the field or not.
Field positions:
- A fourth and fifth outfielder will be placed on the field defensively. (left center and right center)
- The catcher takes their normal position.
- This now means 11 players have been placed on the field defensively. If a team has more than 11 players: Any extra players in the batting order will be placed in the field defensively after the first inning. With each new inning the coach must rotate the extra players in the field with different players sitting on the bench for the next half inning.
- Using this concept, no player is permitted to sit on the bench more than once unless a special situation warrants such action such as an injury. This allows all players to take part in almost the entire game. At this age level it is most important players actively participate every moment and not waste time sitting on the bench and growing bored.
3. The pitcher on each team will fake a pitch to the hitter in order for the batter to swing at the ball. This will make sure that everyone is set and paying attention with the goal of developmental progress to future divisional growth.
Length and Starting Times:
1. All games are to begin on time regardless of the number of teammates and last no more than 1 hour 15 minutes.
2. Each batter will get a MAXIMUM of 5 tries to hit the ball off of the T. At the start of each game one of the coaches will need to mark a 25foot half radius line from the 3rd base line to the 1st base line. This will be measured from home plate towards the pitcher's mound. If a batter contacts the ball it must cross the 25’ line in order to be a fair ball. Anything less will be considered a foul ball. If the player is unsuccessful after the 5th attempt the batter will return to the dugout and the next player will be up.
3. Failure to field a full team will result in that team playing with the players they have. If another player shows up late, they may be put in at the end of the batting order.
4. No makeup games will be scheduled. If there is a rain out, coaches are welcome to schedule a makeup game i.e. “scrimmage” to play the missed game. Please notify the league if this is the case.
Batting Order:
1. Each team will bat the entire lineup, every inning. Once that team bats through their line-up both teams will switch. If there is an out, that player must return to the dugout.
2. If a player throw’s the bat he/she will be given a warning for the first offense. The next time it happens the player will need to return to the dugout and the next batter will be up.
Base Runners:
Runners may not advance to the next bag until the ball is hit fair by the next batter. If the ball is foul the player must return to the bag. There is no Stealing or leading off. The idea is to try and get as many at bats for the players as possible and keep their involvement in the game. Games will move a lot quicker and get kids more opportunities if the ball is not being thrown around. Once a player has reached their bag get the ball back into the catcher and move on to the next batter. Keep the game moving forward.
Try to develop stretching out at the bag and watching pitcher in a ready stance.
Playing Field Specifications:
1. Standard youth base lengths are 60 feet.
2. Players in the infield must play near their bases and may not play in front of the pitcher. Outfield positions must be played at least at the edge of the grass. All players are to play their position.
Coaches Positions on the field:
When a team is on the field playing defense there will ONLY be 2 COACHES allowed on the field during game play. One behind the Catcher and one behind Pitcher. Any more than that and the field gets too congested with bodies. When a team is up to bat coaches will be allowed on the First and Third base line to help guide players to the next bag. Coaches on the field please remember we are here for the kids and are all part of the same program trying to help these kids learn the game and good sportsmanship so please help direct kids to 2nd and 3rd if they seem to be a little lost along their way to the next bag.
Playing Rules:
Normal youth baseball rules are applied with the exception listed above.
The basic concept of this type of program is to make the game safer, more fun and interesting for these young players by using the proper-sized, safer equipment and keeping their interest in playing baseball. The idea of placing 11 players in the field may be “nontraditional baseball” but at this age level tradition should not be considered. Hitting, fielding and running the bases are the primary objectives of this concept.
Apparel required:
CYBA Players will be provided a team hat and shirt. These must be worn during the games to participate.
They may wear sweat pants, joggers, or baseball pants. Absolutely NO shorts. We want to help protect the players.
A baseball glove.
Regular shoes or plastic cleats are acceptable. NO metal cleats or spikes, NO flip flops or open toed shoes.
No jewelry, neckless, watches, etc. unless deemed to be needed as a safety concern. Sunglasses may be worn during play Except by the pitcher so there are no distractions between batter and pitcher.
After the last game, coaches will be given medals to hand out to their teams, and individual players. Coaches may present certificates as well but must refrain from giving awards to players on the basis of comparable skills or accomplishments.
All games will be held within available Caldwell Parks under the agreement with the City of Caldwell Parks and Rec.
For any additional questions or concerns, reach out to the Caldwell Youth Baseball Association Board or visit the Cal Ripken Rule Book.