FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The rules

Team Composition

1.1

All team composition rules are subject to change on an individual team basis with approval from the commissioner and captains ahead of the season. Teams consist of a minimum of 14 players and a maximum of 26 players, with 8 required to start a game.

1.2

Each team must have a minimum of three female and male players, with a maximum of 10 total players on the field at a time, unless otherwise noted before the season begins by the league commissioner.

1.3

If a team is not able to supply at least four of each gender, they must play that number of people down in the field. When reaching where the person would have kicked, an out is immediately assigned. If the person had kicked at the beginning of an inning, the inning would start with an out. Ex. If you only have three females on your lineup, you must insert a ghost kicker where the fourth would have kicked to prevent too many men from kicking in a row. Those ghost kickers are an automatic out.

1.4

Teams may substitute players freely during the game, but substitutions must be made at the beginning of an inning and notified to the umpire unless an injury takes place.

1.5

Teams that do not have the minimum required eight players, or three of each gender, before five minutes past the game's scheduled start time will forfeit with a default score of 5-0.

Equipment

2.1

The official kickball size is 10 inches in diameter. If you would like to order your own ball, order one

here.

2.2

Balls should be inflated to 2 PSI.

2.3

Players must wear appropriate footwear. Cleats are highly recommended to give traction and prevent injury when playing on grass, but not required. No metal cleats are allowed.

2.4

Players are required to wear uniforms or matching shirts for team identification unless otherwise indicated by a theme night.

Game Duration

3.1

Games consist of 6 innings or a maximum time limit of 60 minutes, whichever comes first. (Playoff finals are an exception)

3.2

If the game is tied after the allotted time, captains can choose to take the tie or throw rock, paper, scissors for the win. If the captains do not agree on taking the tie vs rock, paper, scissors, the tie will be recorded.

3.3

Games will start promptly at the scheduled time with a five-minute grace period. Any team not ready to play will need to start without their full team, or forfeit the game.

3.4

No new innings will be started at 50 minutes after the hour.

3.5

No additional time will be added for games that start late to keep it fair. We are tied to a strict schedule due to other field reservations and the schedule of the field lights.

3.6

All players for a given team must be present by the time their spot in the kicking order arrives. If a player arrives late and the kicking order has already cycled once, the late player may no longer play.

Field Setup

4.1

The kickball field should have bases set 20 paces apart, roughly 50 feet.

4.2

The pitching mound should be in the center of the infield, directly on the line between 1st and third base.

4.3

The field will be marked clearly with boundary lines, cones, and bases.

4.4

The first base should have an inside base for the defender (or the runner if they are going to continue to progress) and an outside base if the runner would like to run through first base and remain there.

4.5

The pitching mound should have a cone set ~7ft from the center on each side to denote where the mound begins.

Game Play

5.1

The game begins with rock, paper, scissors. The winning team gets to decide whether they will control the music for the duration of the game OR choose whether they kick/field first. The losing team will get to choose the option that remains. (Ex, if team 1 wins and chooses to kick first, team 2 will get to control the speaker for the duration of the game.)

5.2

The kicking team sends one player to home plate to kick, and cannot have more than two of the same gender kicking back to back. If you run out of players to alternate, then the next person up will be the first person who kicked off that gender, meaning that some of your players may kick more than once per lineup rotation due to male/female ratio.

5.3

The pitcher rolls the kickball sidearm or underhand to the kicker, who attempts to kick the ball into play. The ball must bounce at least twice before the plate to be considered a strike.

5.4

The strike zone extends above, to the left, and to the right of home plate by a ball's length. If the kickball touches any part of the zone when crossing the plate, the pitch is considered a strike. The strike zone is purposefully large to encourage kicking.**Clarification: The strike zone is a ball's length in all directions at the time the ball passes over the plate**

5.5

Fielding teams consist of a pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and 4 outfielders.

5.6

Fielders (including the pitcher) must remain behind the invisible line between first and third base until the kicker's foot makes contact with the ball.

5.7

Once kicked, the ball is considered in play, and runners may advance to bases.

5.8

Runners are out if they are tagged by the ball while not on a base, or if the ball reaches the base before the runner.

5.9

Runners cannot leave a base after the pitcher has the ball inside the pitcher's mound.

5.10

If a ball is thrown to a defender and the defender misses the catch and the ball goes out of bounds, it is considered an overthrow, and runners may only progress one base beyond their current path, UNLESS the defending team continues the play in an attempt to get an out. **Clarification* It is only an overthrow if a throw is attempted to a defending player who can catch it. If the ball is intentionally thrown at the runner to get an out, and there is not a defensive player reasonably close to catch the ball, it is not an overthrow.**

Scoring

6.1

A run is scored when a player successfully advances to home plate without being tagged out.

6.2

A team scores when its player crosses home plate before the third out of the inning is made, unless the out is a force (caught ball, other runner tagged out on a force play).

6.3

The team with the most runs at the end of the game is declared the winner.

6.3

Seeding for the playoffs is decided by total wins per team. In the event of a tie, the head-to-head result of those teams will decide the winner - if both teams have won a game against each other, then the team with better head-to-head point differential will seed higher. If there is a tie on head-to-head differential, then the team with the higher overall points will take the higher seed.

Fouls and Outs

7.1

A foul ball is declared if the kicked ball lands outside the fair play area.

7.2

A ball touching the foul line is considered to be fair.

7.3

Defenders standing out of bounds are considered to be an extension of foul territory (even if their feet are foul, but they touch the ball in the air of fair territory).

7.4

Three outs by the kicking team complete an inning.

7.5

Outs can be made by catching a kicked ball before it touches the ground, tagging a runner with the ball while not on a base, throwing a ball and hitting a player shoulders or below, or throwing the ball to the base before the runner reaches it.

7.6

If a kicked ball is caught, all runners must “tag up” before progressing to the next base.

7.6

**Update** A ball that bounces fair first, but goes over the foul line after third base, is still considered fair.

7.7

**Update** Males may not bunt. If a male kicks the ball that stops before crossing the line (crossing completely, touching the line is still foul) between 1st and 3rd then the kick is considered a foul. Similarly, if a ball is kicked by a male and touched by the catcher before reaching the 1st/3rd line it is also a foul. A ball kicked but touched but any player other than the catcher before the 1st third line is considered fair and playable.

Playoffs

8.1

All rounds of the playoffs, with the exception of the final game, will run one hour long, with no new innings being started 50 minutes from the actual game start time. While games should begin promptly, the grace period for player arrival has been expanded to 15 minutes to allow for better team composition and fewer forfeits.

8.2

The final game will run six innings, regardless of time. In the event of a tie, extra innings will take place until one team scores.

Sportsmanship and Conduct

9.1

Double Play Socials promotes a fun and friendly atmosphere. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.

9.2

Players and spectators are expected to show respect for officials, opponents, and teammates at all times.

9.3

Any disputes or conflicts should be resolved peacefully and respectfully. Only team captains may approach an umpire to discuss a call that has been made.

9.4

Only the umpire can make calls on the field. If a member of your team shouts a call during a live play, your team will get one warning. If the call impacts the outcome of the play, you will not get a warning and instead will immediately get a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. If the defending team makes the out-of-place call, every base runner (including the kicker) will be awarded two bases from their current position at the time of the call. If the kicking team makes the call, the kicker will be considered out immediately, and all other base runners must remain on the base they were at when the pitch was made.

Umpire Authority

10.1

Umpires have the final authority on all decisions during the game. Any calls made during the game cannot be reversed or changed (even if the call was wrong) as soon as the next play begins.

10.2

Players and coaches must respect and abide by the decisions made by the umpire.

Penalties

11.1

The first infraction on defending teams will result in a warning from the umpire. After the second occurrence, the kicking team will be awarded by all players currently on base progressing forward one base.

11.2

If the penalty comes during a kick, the kicker will automatically proceed to second base, and the rest of the team will follow suit.

Conclusion

12.1

Double Play Socials Adult Kickball League aims to provide a fun and enjoyable experience for all participants.

12.2

By following the rules and promoting good sportsmanship, players contribute to the success of the league.

12.3

Let's have a great time!