11U

Summary

The 11U division, formerly known as "Mosquito", is for kids who are 10 and 11 years of age, and is the first division in which players begin to pitch the ball. A real baseball is used for the first time. In addition, a catcher is used and playoffs follow the regular season. Players are not permitted to sit out for extended periods of time. All players are kept in the batting lineup and rotated by position.

Details

Age Group: 10 - 11 years old (in the current calendar year)
Session Length: 120 Minutes
Roster Size: Approximately 15 players

Equipment

Required: Glove, Batting Helmet, Bat, Hat (supplied), Jersey (supplied), Long Pants
Recommended: Athletic Support (i.e. jock or jill), Baseball Pants, Cleats
Optional: Batting Gloves

NOTE: Baseball hats and jerseys should be worn to each practice or game.

Session Structure

Teams usually play twice per week with each session lasting 2 hours total time commitment. The season usually starts the week after the school year ends and culminates with a playoff tournament at season's end (early September). Score is kept.

In past seasons, 11U time slots have been scheduled on weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons and evenings.*

We have also planned for house league practices to be held during the day throughout the summer. Details will be announced throughout the season.

Warm-up (15 Minutes)

There is no official warm up session, however, players should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to their scheduled game time to stretch and have an adequate warm-up catch.

Practice (120 Minutes)

Practice sessions will follow a structured plan to develop the core baseball skills: catching, throwing, batting, fielding, and situational game play. Practice provides a FUN opportunity for players to get instruction and perform many repetitions of a learned skill. This is essential to developing as a player and will deepen the love of the game and ultimately make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

Game (120 Minutes)

Duration

6 innings or 2 hours in duration (whichever comes first).
Innings 1-5: 3 outs or 3 runs (whichever comes first).
Inning 6: Open inning or 3 outs (whichever comes first).
If, after the 5th inning, one team leads by 10 runs or more, that team will be awarded the game. The game may be continued at the discretion of the coaches, but the result will be official after the 10-run rule is registered.
No new inning will start after 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Playing Field

The distance between the bases shall be 60 feet.
The distance from the point of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber shall be 44 feet.

Rules of Play

All games shall be played in accordance with official baseball rules except with any other rules contained in this document, Baseball NL and Baseball Canada.
Games are to be played with nine (9) defensive players on the field. Ten (10) defensive players are permitted provided that all of the following conditions are met:
- Both coaches are able to field 10 defensive players.
- Both coaches agree prior to the game to both use 10 defensive players. One team cannot play with ten (10) defensive players and another team play with nine (9).
- The tenth (10th) player must be used as an extra outfielder.
Coaches must rotate players throughout the defensive line-up to ensure fair play.
- NOTE: While it is important for coaches to ensure every player receives a fair opportunity to try all positions, it is also a coach’s responsibility to ensure the safety of every child. Some defensive positions have higher risk of injury from a batted or thrown ball. A coach may decide to not let a player take a high risk position if he/she feels there is an unreasonably high risk of injury to the player.
Score shall be kept by the coaches and confirmed with the home plate umpire at the end of each inning.
Catchers & Pitchers MUST wear a protective cup.
All batters MUST wear helmet when on deck, at bat or on the bases.
Players must run on and off the field between innings.
Bunting is NOT permitted in Mosquito House League play.
There is no infield fly rule used in Mosquito House League play.
Runners may tag and run to the next base, at their own risk, after a fly ball is caught.
If the catcher misses the ball on the third strike, the batter will be called out.
Pitchers may pitch 2 innings per game.
Lead offs and base stealing is NOT permitted.
In the event of an over-throw at any base, runners may only advance a maximum of 1 base per runner per play.
There will be no 4 pitch walks issued in Mosquito play. After four (4) balls, the staff/umpire will take position on the mound and deliver three (3) additional pitches. If the batter fails to get on base via hit, the batter shall be called out.
- The batter cannot be called out on a foul ball.
- If the batter is hit by a pitch thrown by a player, the batter shall be awarded first base.
- If the batter is hit by a pitch thrown by the staff/umpire, the ball is dead, the pitch is declared erratic and is not counted towards the pitch count (i.e. another pitch will be given).
- If the staff/umpire is hit by a batted ball, the ball is declared dead and the batter is awarded first base. Runners advance only if forced. However, if a batter hits an out of the park (over the fence) Homerun, the batter shall be awarded the homerun. Note that a team may only record a maximum of 3 runs per inning on the score sheet / scoreboard even if the natural result of the homerun would exceed 3 runs (runners on base and/or runs already scored in the inning)
- The batter can only advance one base on a hit from a pitch delivered by the staff/umpire.
- Base runners may only advance on a hit from a pitch delivered by the staff/umpire worker, if forced.
- In the event that there is only one staff/umpire present, the players coach may be called upon to deliver the extra pitches in the case of a walk.
- NOTE: this is a slightly modified version of the Baseball Canada Canadian Content Rule. The intent is to provide the opportunity to develop batting skill while maintaining a reasonable pace of play.
In 11U, the collision avoidance rule has been modified to ensure the safety of the catcher and the base runner. This rule states:
“If a base runner is running to home plate and is halfway or closer to home plate, a force out situation is now created. The catcher, having possession of the ball, may touch home plate and the runner will be called "out" by the umpire.”

Coaches

There will be two or three coaches per team (1 Head Coach, 2 Assistants) if the number of parent volunteers allow. There will also be two PMB staff present to facilitate game play: home plate umpire and base umpire.