Macalester Intramural Kickball Rules

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  Officials

All games will be officiated by one referee. The referee governs all game play and issues all final rulings. Referees have jurisdiction over play and may:

  1. Call a time out.
  2. Call off a game due to darkness, rain or other cause at the umpire's discretion, and must cancel the game if lightning is seen.
  3. Penalize a player, including game ejection, for un-sportsman like conduct. Ejected participants may not return to the game in which they were ejected (if a team only has eight players and one player is ejected, the team must forfeit the game. See Teams below)

Referees will be furnished by the IM Department.

  Participants

  1. This is a co-recreational league. Each team must have a minimum of three (3) women on the field at all times.

Teams

Each team must register at least 14 players on the roster. Teams will play with 9 players on the field. Positions are pitcher, catcher, 1 st base, 2 nd base, 3 rd base, shortstop and three outfielders.

  1. No team may place less than 3 women in the field, thus no more than 6 men can play at once (maximum of 9 players).
  2. The kicking order must go male – female as much as possible—for sure the first 6 positions.
  3. All players playing the field must be in the kicking order. Any players that are not playing the field can still be in the kicking order and must remain so during the course of the whole game. If you have a kicked at least once you must stay in that same kicking order unless you are injured.
  4. Each team must have a designated captain for each game. The captain will be responsible for the team during play. Team captains must ensure that all team players participating during the game are listed in the score sheet prior to the start of the game. Only team captains can dispute calls to the referees. During play, the team captain may request time outs from the referees, which may be granted at the referee's discretion.
  1. The referee will record the runs, outs, etc. for the game. The home team is always listed second on the schedule. The final score of the game, as recorded by the referee will be the official score of the game. Captains make sure you check with the referee each inning to ensure your team has the same score as the home team. If there is a discrepancy it should be corrected as soon as it is noted. Final scores will not be changed after the game has been concluded.

Please Note: Each team captain must submit to the IM office a team roster by the registration cut-off date. Players may be added or deleted during the pool play competition. No changes may be made to submitted rosters once the play-offs begin. Players may be listed and compete on only one team's roster. If an illegal player participates in a game the offending team must forfeit the games the illegal player participated in.

Game Play

  1. Regulation games last 7 full innings or 50 minutes , whichever comes first. If a game is tied after 7 full innings both teams may play one more inning to try to break the tie.
  2. If both teams scheduled to play each other forfeit the game (double forfeit) the game will be marked as a 0-0 tie. Each team will not get any points for the forfeits.
  3. A game that is called off after 3 full innings of play due to inclement weather or other reason shall be considered a regulation game. The game score at the end of the last full inning shall determine the winner. If a regulation game that is called off after three full innings ends in a tie it will be marked as such.
  4. A game that is called off before 3 full innings of play shall not be considered a regulation game and will be rescheduled if possible.
  5. There will be a 10 run rule in effect per team per inning. When a team scores 10 runs in an inning, even if the team has less than three outs, they must stop kicking and switch places with the opposing team. The 10 run rule per inning counts for every inning, including the last inning. If the home team is down 11 runs in the last inning and comes back and scores 10 runs the game is over after the 10 th run and they still lose the game. If a team is down by more than 10 runs in the last inning they have the option to finish out the inning even though they have no chance to win the game.
  6. A team failing to field at least 9 players within ten minutes after the scheduled game time will forfeit the game. A forfeit shall count as a loss.
  7. Only the team captain may raise protest with the referee for a blatant rule infraction but the captain will accept the referee's final ruling.
  8. If a team knows it is unable to field the minimum of 9 players before the start of the game they are strongly encouraged to call the IM Office phone number, x6467. If contacted in time, the IM Office will notify the opposing team captain of the cancellation.  
  9. Two forfeits will eliminate a team from further competition.

Ball in Play

  1. No player may advance forward the 1 st – 3 rd base diagonal line (in front of the bases) until the ball is kicked. Failure to abide by this rule results in a ball.
  2. When the pitcher or any other player has control of the ball within the pitchers circle the play ends.
  3. If a runner intentionally touches or stops the ball, even if they are on base, the play ends (the runner will also be called out).
  4. Players in the field are allowed to kick the ball (as opposed to throwing) towards another team player in the field. This is particularly helpful if you have a long throw from the outfield.
  5. There is no in-field fly rule. However if a player in the field purposely drops or does not catch the ball (as determined by the referee) for the purpose of getting a double play, the umpire (at his or her own discretion) can allow just one out. If the referee calls only one out in this instance the kicker shall be out, not a runner on base.
  6. In the unlikely event that a ball strikes an object, such as a tree or bush, within the field of play, the play is not dead and will continue. A player in the field can catch a ball for an out that strikes an object as long as the ball has not touched the ground first.
  7. In an even more unlikely event that a ball becomes stuck in a tree or bush within the field of play, the kick will be ruled a ground-rule double.
  8. If a ball goes foul, strikes an object and is caught by a player before touching the ground, the kicker will not be out. The ball must be in the field of play in order for a fielder to take advantage of a ball striking an object.

Pitching

  1. The strike zone extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate and 1 foot high.
  2. If the bottom of the ball is 10 inches or higher as it crosses the plate it will be considered a ball.
  3. If the ball falls short of the plate and does not cross over it the pitch will be called a ball.
  4. The pitcher must stay within the pitcher's circle until the ball is kicked. Failure to do so results in a ball.

 Kicking

  1. The order of the kicking shall be alternating male and female players.
  2. No player may kick more than once until the entire team rotation (per gender) has had a chance to kick.
  3. Each team must have at least 3 women kicking in a game in order to maintain the male-female alternating kicking order.
  4. You do not have to have all the players that are at the game play or kick but players who are in the field during an inning must kick when there turn is up.
  5. All kicks must be made with the foot.
  6. All kicks must occur at or behind home plate.
  7. ONLY FEMALE PLAYERS CAN BUNT. ALL MALES MUST KICK THE BALL. Bunting is allowed provided that the ball travels in front of the plate in playable territory. A ball failing to move forward of the plate will be called a strike.

Base Running

  1. Runners must stay within the base line. Fielders must stay out of the base line. Fielders trying to make an out on base may have their foot on base, but must lean out of the baseline. Runners hindered by any fielder within the base line shall be safe at the base to which they were running, unless the fielder is going for the ball.
  2. Once the referee calls time out on a play, the play is dead and you must stay on your current base.
  3. Neither leading off base nor stealing a base is allowed. A runner off of their base when the ball is kicked will be called out.
  4. Sliding is allowed, but discouraged.
  5. If a base runner advances in front of another runner or touches the runner in front of them they will be called out.
  6. Hitting a runner with the ball above shoulder level is not allowed. Any runner hit above the shoulders as they are running or sliding to a base will be safe. If a player intentionally throws at the head of another player they will be warned. If the incident occurs a second time by any member of the same team that team will forfeit the game . If the runner intentionally uses their head to block the ball the runner is out.
  7. After a kicked ball is caught on the fly, runners must tag their originating base before running to the next base. If the runner has not moved before the ball is caught, the runner may simply run forward without a tag up.
  8. One extra base is awarded on an overthrow. Any ball is considered an overthrow if it goes at least 30 feet out of the field of play.

 Strikes

A count of 3 strikes is an out. A strike constitutes:

  1. A pitch within the strike zone either not kicked, or missed by the kicker.
  2. A kick occurring in front of home plate (kicks occurring in front of home plate that are caught by the fielding team are called out.)
  3. Any kicked ball the goes foul before it passes 1 st or 3 rd base is a strike. When the kicker has 2 strikes, the third strike will be called if they kick the 2 foul balls.

Balls

A count of 4 balls advances the kicker to first base. A ball is:

  1. A pitch outside the strike zone—more than one foot outside either side of home plate..
  2. If the ball falls short of the plate and does not cross over it the pitch will be called a ball.
  3. A bouncing ball that is higher than 10 inches (bottom of ball) as it crosses home plate.
  4. Any fielder advancing forward of the 1 st – 3 rd base diagonal line before the ball is kicked.
  5. A pitcher leaving the pitchers circle before the ball is kicked.
  6. Any catcher advancing forward of home plate before the kicker kicks the ball.

  Fouls

A count of 4 fouls constitutes an out. A foul is:

  1. A kick landing out of bounds.
  2. A kick landing in bounds but traveling out of bounds on its own before reaching first or third base (any ball touched by an in bounds fielder while it is in bounds is automatically in play even if the ball is heading out of bounds).
  3. When the kicker has 2 strikes, the third strike will be called if they kick the 2 foul balls.

Outs

A count of three 3 outs by a team completes the team's half of the inning. An out is:

  1. A count of 3 strikes or 4 fouls.
  2. A runner touched by the ball at ANY time while not on base.
  3. Any kicked ball (fair or foul) that is caught before it bounces.
  4. A ball tag on a base to which a runner is forced to run. The fielder must have control of the ball (i.e., it must be off the ground).
  5. A runner off of their base when the ball is kicked.
  6. If a base runner advances in front of another runner or touches the runner in front of them they will be called out.

  Designated Runner/Player Positions

In cases of injury or illness, a time-out may be requested for participant removal and replacement with a substitute of the same gender. If the participant later returns to play, the participant must be inserted in the same fielding and kicking order position previously held. If a player is ejected, injured, or becomes ill and cannot continue, the lineup will continue in the same formation, less the removed player. The pitcher may only be replaced once per inning, however switching other player positions as much as you want during the course of the inning is allowed.

 

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