More baseball,
less hassle.

WSSL games are played under NFHS baseball rules, with the exceptions listed below. Where these rules are silent, the umpire's ruling on the field is final.

WSSL rules are intentionally aligned with the two tournament circuits our teams play in — Perfect Game and Top Tier Sports — so that players are practicing the same game they'll see on tournament weekends.

Identical to both Perfect Game and Top Tier Sports at these ages. Fields are set up by our host, the WBC Reapers — teams do not need to set or verify dimensions before games.

• 6 innings, or
• No new inning may start after 1 hour, 45 minutes.

A new inning begins the moment the third out of the previous half-inning is recorded. The official start time is set at the conclusion of the plate meeting; the umpire announces it and both coaches confirm before leaving the plate.

There is no drop-dead time. An inning that starts before the 1:45 mark is played to completion.

Five (5) run maximum per half-inning, with one exception:

• The final inning is uncapped — unlimited runs, no cap on batters sent to the plate.
• The final inning is the 6th, or the last inning started before the 1:45 mark. The umpire declares the final inning at its start so both teams know it's uncapped.

There is no mercy rule. Games are never shortened for a run spread — damage is limited by the per-inning cap. The point of this league is reps.

Standings are meaningless. We use GameChanger to record pitch counts and player stats. Standings get tabulated as a byproduct, but they mean nothing in the Fall 2026 WSSL.

Pitch Limits

• Maximum 85 pitches per pitcher, per day.
• A pitcher who reaches 85 mid-at-bat may finish that batter, then must be removed from the mound.
• No rest requirements between outings.
• A pitcher may appear in both games of a doubleheader, subject only to the 85-pitch daily cap across both games.

Coaches are responsible for their own players' arms. The 85-pitch cap is a ceiling, not a target, and does not account for pitches thrown elsewhere — track the whole week. GameChanger is the system of record; if counts disagree, the designated home team's book governs.

Mound Rules

• Once removed from the mound, a pitcher may not return to pitch in that game, even if he stays in at another position.
• Mound visits: one charged visit per inning to the same pitcher; a second requires a pitching change. No limit on total visits per game.
• All pitching changes must be reported to the umpire and opposing coach.

Balks

• One warning per pitcher, per game. After the warning, balks are enforced.
• An enforced balk is a live ball — play continues (MLB/NFHS treatment, not a dead ball).
• The fake-to-third, throw-to-first move is illegal and is a balk.

Legal bats (11U & 12U)

• USSSA BPF 1.15 stamped (metal or composite), or
• USABat stamped, or
• BBCOR (-3), or
• Wood (single piece or approved wood composite)

Drop weight

• 11U — any drop: -12, -10, -8, -6, -5, or BBCOR -3.
• 12U — -5 USSSA BPF 1.15 bats are not legal. Permitted: -12, -10, -8, -6, and BBCOR -3.

This matches Perfect Game's 12U bat restriction. The USSSA banned-bat list applies; cracked, dented, rattling, or unstamped bats are not legal, and nothing may be added to the barrel.

Illegal bat penalty: if discovered before the next pitch, the batter is out and runners return to their bases at the previous pitch. A second offense in the game ejects the player and head coach.

Equipment

• No metal cleats — molded or turf only at both ages.
• Catchers wear full gear: helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector, shin guards, cup. The catcher's helmet must fully cover both ears.
• Anyone warming up a pitcher, anywhere on the complex, must wear a mask.
• One-way electronic communication from dugout to field is permitted.

• The batting order must contain at least 9 players; no maximum. Declare your format at the plate meeting.
• A team may start and finish with 8; the 9th spot is an automatic out. Fewer than 8 is not a forfeit — play the game and share players if needed.
• A removed player who can't be replaced (injury, ejection, departure) has his spot skipped without penalty.
• Free defensive substitution — any player may enter defensively at any time without entering the batting order.

Courtesy runners

• Permitted for the current pitcher and catcher at any time — no two-out requirement.
• Not batting the whole roster: the runner may be any player not currently in the order.
• Batting the whole roster: the runner is the player who made the last batted out.
• The same player may not run for both the pitcher and catcher in the same inning.

Intentional walks are automatic — request from the umpire; no pitches thrown.

Sliding. The NFHS force-play slide rule is in effect. Head-first slides are permitted. Contact and obstruction: a defender must have possession to block a base or the plate; malicious contact is an automatic out and ejection.

Jumping / diving over fielders. A runner may never jump, hurdle, or leap over a fielder; diving over a fielder is an automatic out under any circumstance.

Infield practice. No pregame infield on the field unless the schedule allows time and both coaches agree.

• Lightning: all play stops immediately on sight of lightning or sound of thunder. Fields clear for a minimum of 30 minutes from the last strike or thunder; any subsequent lightning restarts the clock.
• Because WSSL keeps no standings, a game stopped for weather is simply stopped — play as many innings as conditions allow. There is no "official game" threshold and nothing to protect in the score.
• Rescheduling is arranged directly between the two head coaches and the league scheduler, only if there's a mutually convenient date.

Protests. None, and no fee. Nothing rides on a WSSL game, so a rules disagreement is resolved on the field — the umpire's ruling stands, the game continues, and either coach may raise it with the league afterward so the rule can be clarified for everyone.

Pitch-count disputes: check both books, take the designated home team's count, move on.

Ejections. A player or coach ejection carries a one-game suspension, served in that team's next WSSL game. An ejected player stays in the dugout; an ejected coach leaves the playing area. A second ejection in a season is reviewed by the league.

Zero tolerance

• No alcohol at any WSSL complex — anyone consuming it is removed from the site.
• No sunflower seeds on turf fields — field, dugout, stands, or cup.
• Abuse of umpires — who at these ages are often teenagers — ends the conversation and, if it continues, the person's day.

Everyone in a WSSL dugout has signed the coaches' and players' codes of conduct in the league waiver. That's the standard.