Bronco Rules

Teams

1. Bronco teams shall be limited to a minimum of ten (10) and a maximum of thirteen (13) players per team.

2. Rosters shall not be limited to a certain number of players per age.

3. The Commissioner shall fill any vacancy from the waiting list. Managers are required to immediately report any vacancy or prolonged illness or injury of a player to the Commissioner.

4. Players shall be eligible to play on another team in that league on a per game basis and only if that team has eight (8) or fewer players. The player or players shall play in right field only and bat in the last position or positions in the batting order. If any player on the team is available to play at any time, that player shall have priority rights ahead of any players not on the roster of that team. If there are fewer than seven (7) players, the game may be played with the substitute players, but the game shall be forfeited.

5. Mustang players are prohibited from playing in Bronco Division games.

6. The League adopt rule 4F(1) in regards to players participating in any other league/team.

Length Of Games

1. Games shall be seven innings in duration. No inning shall begin after 1 Hour, 55 Minutes.

2. Bronco: Tied Game Rule- When a game is tied at the end of seven innings, it shall go into extra innings, but no inning shall begin past the time limit. This rule no way waives the ruling of pitchers and their use, as stated in the Pony Baseball Rule and Regulations Book.

3. Bronco: Ten Run Rule- If the Home Team is ahead by ten or more runs at the end of at least 4 ½ innings, the game shall be called and the home team declared the winner.

4. If the visiting Team is ahead by ten or more runs at the end of at least five complete innings, the game shall be called and the visiting team declared the winner.

5. Games called for any reason shall be considered complete games if four innings have been completed. If games are called in less than four innings and are continued, they shall be continued from the point of curtailment.

6. Lightning: Once a game has been stopped for lightning, it cannot be resumed until 30 minutes after the last cloud to ground lightning strike.(Clock will begin after each lightning strike.)

Pitching Rules

1.  Games Played Before June 1st:

   Bronco Division- 4 Innings per Day, 10 per Week.

2. Games Played June 1st and After:

   Bronco Division- 7 Innings per Day, 10 per Week

3. The Week runs from Monday until Sunday

4. Note: Pitchers shall have at least forty (40) hours rest after pitching four (4) or more innings on the same calendar day.

5. There are no warnings for a balk.

6. Once a pitcher is removed from the mound, he may not return to the mound.

7. Once the umpire signals play that will constitute an inning pitched.

Playing Rules

1. Bronco: It shall be mandatory that all players play at least three (3) innings in the field and complete one (1) time at bat. If a player plays three innings in the field, but fails to receive an at bat, he/she shall start the next scheduled game if available and play at least 3 innings in the field and receive at least two (2) times at bat.

2. Note: The only exceptions to the above player participation rules are (1) suspension by the Commissioner, (2) bonafide injury or (3) abbreviated game due to an act of God, (i.e. rain, tornado, etc.) If however, a player is available and does not get to play because of an abbreviated game due to the ten run rule, then the player must start the next scheduled game is available and play at least three (3) innings in the filed and receive at least two (2) times at bat.

3. The official scorekeeper shall police enforcement of the player participation rule; any violation of the rule shall be reported to the chief umpire of the game (plate umpire) and managers before the start of the game in which the infraction may take place. All managers, coaches, and league officials will assist each other so as to avoid infractions of this rule.

4. You may use a courtesy runner for the pitcher or catcher at any time.The last out will run for the pitcher or catcher.

5. On all close plays at home, base runners WILL slide into home base or be called out.

6. There is no “Must Slide Rule” at any other base.

7. If there is any malicious contact; elbow, shoulder, forearm; at the umpire’s discretion, the player will be called out and ejected from the game

8. There is to be no suicide squeezes.

9. All offensive players must wear a helmet when not in the dugout.

10. A continuous batter order will be used.

Equipment Rules

1. Any player serving as a catcher to warm up a pitcher must wear a mask, whether the pitcher is warming up from the mound, in the bullpen or elsewhere.

2. At all times, each male player during games and practice must wear a cup-type athletic supporter. Any male player who is not wearing a cup-type athletic supporter shall only be eligible to participate in the game, when the player has, in the opinion of the umpire, satisfied the cup-type athletic supporter rule.

3. Donuts as weighted batting equipment are prohibited, but “sleeves” are permissible.

   Steel spikes are not allowed during regular season play. Steel spikes may be worn in post-season All-Star tournaments only.

4. 2015 Bat Rules

• 2 ¾” barrel bats are NOT approved for play at any level.

• Material is NOT a factor at any level of play.

• Any 2 ¼” barrel non-wood bat that is marked with “1.15 BPF” and stamped “Approved for play in PONY Baseball” can be used at any level of play.   IF the bat is newly manufactured, it must be stamped "approved for play in PONY Baseball" and "BPF 1.15" and with year of manufacture if manufactured after 01/01/2012

• Any 2 5/8” barrel non-wood bat (that is not a -3) can be used at any level of play.

• If a player wants to use a -3 non-wood bat, it MUST be BBCOR approved.

• No bat shall be used if dented, cracked, modified, or misshaped.

Tournament Rules

1. All Rules enforced during regular season play, including pitching rules, will remain in effect except for the time limit in the Championship Game.There will be no time limit in the championship games.All games will be played until completion.

Other Rules

1. Please see the League’s Code of Conduct and Zero Tolerance Policy

2. The chewing of gum and/or candy by players while playing baseball at St. Joseph Park is strictly prohibited during ALL games and practices.

3. Only team members and three (3) adults shall be in the dugout or dugout vicinity during the game.

4. All players shall be seated in the dugout when not on the field. Control of players is the responsibility of the manager and coaches, and shall be strictly enforced. Only players and coaching personnel shall be in the dugouts during the game. No swinging of bats is allowed except in the “on deck circle”.

5. Managers, Coaches, or Scorekeepers shall wear a short sleeve shirt or tee shirt with long pants or league approved field shorts. Any shirts with vulgar wording or statements referring to tobacco, or any other types of shorts are strictly prohibited from being worn while on the field or in the dugout during the game.

6. Two adult base coaches may be used or one adult and one player or even two players, but not an adult and player in the same coaching box at the same time.

7. Any player, coach or manager who is dismissed from a game because of unsportsmanlike conduct shall be suspended for one game automatically.This will be served during the team’s next scheduled game.

8. THE USE OF THE BATTING CAGES WILL BE HANDLED AS FOLLOWS. IF YOU ARE THE VISITING TEAM YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE CAGE FROM ONE-HOUR PRIOR TO THE START OF THE GAME TO ½ HOUR PRIOR TO THE START OF THE GAME. THE HOME TEAM WILLWILL THEN HAVE THE USE OF THE CAGE FROM ½ HOUR PRIOR TO THE START OF THE GAME TILL GAME TIME.

St Joe’s Baseball Fields and Grounds Guidelines

1. Turn lights on 15 minutes prior to sunset.

2. No parking on gravel at Mustang Field.

3. Rake fields after last game or as needed to keep raked dirt out of grass.

4. No flip drills into fences.

5. Lock all gates after last game and batting cages.

6. Remove all garbage from dugouts after each game.

7. No pitching batting practices from infield grass areas, stay on the dirt mound.

8. A water hose will be provided at each field to water pitching mound and batter’s box areas.