Current Pony rules will govern play with the following exceptions and modifications. The Rules and Regulations of Pony Baseball can be viewed in their entirety at www.pony.org.

Practices

Practices shall be limited to three (3) per week before the season starts and one (1) per week during the season. Teams are restricted to three (3) activities (games and practices) per week. Practices shall be limited to two (2) hours maximum per session. Any meeting of the team with the manager or coach will be considered a practice. Violation of this rule could result in manager probation or dismissal. Batting practice on game day is not considered a practice.

Game Rules

Dimensions: Infield 50-foot square

1. All games will be one (1) hour allowing each team to hit an equal number of times.
2. All players present at time of game will bat, players that come late will be added to the bottom of the lineup.
3. Each player present at the game and eligible to play WILL play at least two (2) innings in the field of a normal six (6) inning No player may play the same position more than two (2) innings in an entire game. All eligible players must play at least 50% of the game.
4. Each defensive team will consist of a maximum of ten (10) players and a minimum of eight (8) players. Teams may start with eight (8) players only if the other team has eight (8) players to field, if not, ten (10) players will be accepted or eight (8) players for a team short of players. There will be no catchers. The catchers must be the head or assistant coach.
5. Shoes MUST be worn. Use of molded rubber, multi-purpose, or tennis shoes are all allowed. Metal cleats are NOT ALLOWED.
6. All protective equipment issued MUST be worn.
7. Each batter and baserunner can only advance one base at time. The last batter will be allowed to run all the bases.
8. The coach or assistant coach shall either place the ball for the batter. The player will have five (5) attempts to hit the ball. If the batter fails to hit the ball on the third attempt , then the batter will have two (2) attempts with coach assistance to hit the ball off of a tee. If the batter hits the tee before the ball, the ball will be considered foul and the batter will be granted another attempt to hit the ball.
9. Bunting or abbreviated swings shall NOT be allowed. The batter must take a full swing at the ball. This will be the umpire’s decision.
10. An arc will be drawn on the field intersecting each foul line at five (5) feet. A ball hit that fails to go past the arc will be considered a foul ball.
11. The runner(s) shall not leave the base(s) until the ball is hit into fair territory. Once the ball is hit and is in play, each runner(s) is allowed to advance only one base. If any runner(s) leave before the ball is hit, the ball we be announced dead and all runners will go back to original base(s).
12. All players in a position must remain behind the pitcher line, located five (5) feet behind the pitchers rubber.
13. Players must attend 50% of practices per week to be eligible to play 50% of the scheduled games, Failure to do so may result in less time played. If a player doesn’t attend practice and plays more than 50% of the game, penalties will be carried out.
14. The use of alcohol and or tobacco products by any parent, coach, or spectator is prohibited. Coaches are responsible for parents and any member of their party.
15. Coaches and assistants must remain in designated areas of the playing field at all times. Coaches may not enter the field of play for any reason except in the case of an injured player.a

Violations: Coaches will be asked to leave the field of play and if persistent will may cause game to be forfeited. The coach will represent the team during official business, he/she will be the only representative that may consult with umpires once the game begins. This means only one coach, in which the umpire will assign, can approach the umpire. Failure to do so may result in ejection of the coach or forfeit of the game. This rule includes any parents in the dugout or in the spectator’s area. Violators can be asked to leave. The officials are there to umpire games, not to explain each call or justify each call to the coach. Officials will not address parents outside the playing area. Coaches must inform spectators not to insist on talking to officials, they will be warned once and then may be asked to leave the area of play.

Post-Game Rules

Team players, coaches and parents shall pick up litter on and around the field and seating area after the game. Failure to do so will result in in the manager’s name being turned into the Board of Directors by the Director-on-duty. A manager’s name being turned in a second time will result in a one (1) game suspension.