Valley Combined Teener League

2023 By-Laws and Local Rule

The purpose of this league is to provide an opportunity for the youth in our area to play the game of baseball.  The following By-Laws and Playing Rules are in addition to Little League International's Rules and Policies.  This agreement covers the spring 2023 season for the Valley Combined Teener League.  

1. Participating Leagues (All Divisions):                

Abington

Archbald 

Carbondale

Central City

Christy Mathewson 

Connel Park

Dunmore

East Scranton

Green Ridge

Mid Valley

North Pocono

South Scranton

West Scranton

Weston Park 

2. Divisions of Play.  Players should be placed into the appropriate Division according to the age groups below.  Leagues may assign younger players up to an older Division at their discretion.  Any player that is deemed to possess less than average playing skills may be assigned to a younger age group to protect the safety of that player.  This should only be done in extreme circumstances.  Players participating in a younger Division may not pitch at any time during the season.

• Senior Teener League    League age thirteen(13), fourteen(14) and fifteen (15) year olds..
• Junior Teener League    League age thirteen(13) & fourteen(14) years old.

3. Rosters.  At the beginning of the season all leagues in all Divisions must submit team rosters that include every player's name and date of birth to the League Commissioner prior to any game being played.
4. Promotion.  If necessary, players from a younger Division may be promoted to an older Division during the season.  Those players would be permanently rostered to the older Division and cannot return to the younger Division for the remainder of the season.  
5. Player Pool.  All games shall be played as scheduled, games should not be forfeited before exhausting all Player Pool options listed below.  All players must be registered with a league to be eligible to play.  Teams may use the following Player Pool options to temporarily fill roster vacancies;
   1. Players can be called up from their League's Intermediate (50/70) Division.
   2. Players that are league age twelve(12) can be called up from their league's Major Little League Division. 
   3. Players may be used from another team in the same Division.  
6. Player Pool Notification.  
   
   1. Prior to the beginning of the season each team must submit a list of players on their Player Pool to the league administrator.
   2. All Player Pool call ups must be reported to the opposing manager or Teener League Commissioner prior to the game being played.  Managers are prohibited from adding players to their roster without first notifying their leagues' Player Agent or designated official.  Any player submitted on a team lineup that was not added through the proper use of the Player Pool will be considered ineligible and will not be permitted to play. 
   3. The League Administrator will verify the eligibility of players being used through the Player Pool. The same player can not be used without exhausting the entire list available.
   4. Any games played using an ineligible player(s) will be subject to forfeiture.
7. Player Pool Playing Time.  Player Pool call ups are required to play three(3) consecutive defensive innings, bat at least once and are not permitted to pitch
   
8. School Function Cancellation.  Regular season games can only be cancelled/rescheduled due to school functions.  Any game cancelled due to a school function must be done so at least three(3) days before the original date of the game.  
9. Rescheduled Games.  All games will be played when scheduled.  Games cancelled because of weather, field conditions or school functions (which are the only acceptable reasons for cancelling a game) will be automatically rescheduled on Sunday of that week at 1:00pm unless mutually agrees to be rescheduled earlier by both managers.   All cancelled games must be reported to the League Commissioner at eglesia@verizon.net within 24 hours by the home team and state which team cancelled the game and for what reason  Games not played on a makeup date will be recorded as a forfeit by the canceling team. 
10. Forfeits.  Any game cancelled, other than because of weather or a school function, will be a forfeit by the canceling team.  Two teams mutually agreeing to not play a game will both be charged with a forfeit loss.
11. Forfeit Score.  The score of any forfeited game will be recorded as a 7-0 loss.
12. Forfeit Rule.  Any team forfeiting more than two(2) games in a season will not be eligible for the playoffs & will risk admission into the league next season.
13. Schedule.  Each Division shall play as balanced schedule as possible that will include out of Conference games.  All games played, including out of Conference, will count towards season standings.  
14. Season Schedule.  All Divisions shall begin play as soon as practicably possible following the completion of the school baseball season.  Any team unable to play due to an extended school baseball season shall have their games rescheduled.  Games will be rescheduled as soon as reasonably possible.
15. Starting Times.  All weekday games in all Divisions shall start at 5:30pm.  All games played on Saturday shall start at 10:00 am for Senior and 12:00pm for Junior.  Two games scheduled on the same field will start at 12:00pm & 3:00pm.  Three games scheduled on the same field will start at 12:00pm, 2:30pm & 5:00pm.  Double headers scheduled on weekdays on a field with lights will start at 5:30pm and 7:45pm.
16. Game Days.  (Variations may occur due to field conflicts). Senior Division Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.   
17. Home/Away.  All teams in all divisions shall be scheduled for an equal amount of Home and Away games when possible.
18. Warm-up.  Twenty(20) minutes before the start of each game the visiting team will be given use of the field for a fifteen(15) minute infield/outfield practice.
19. Lineup.  A team lineup card must be exchanged before each game for all players eligible to play that day.  The lineup shall include players'; first name, last name, uniform number, starting positions and should identify any Player Pool call ups.  No game shall start until lineup cards are exchanged.  Late arriving players must be reported to the opposing team as soon as the player arrives.  
20. Lineup Options. Any team may choose to use a continuous batting order of entire lineup at their own discretion for any game during the regular season regardless if the opposing team chooses to do so.  This option allows for free defensive substitutions throughout the game. Teams using a continous batting order must norify the umpire and opposing manager when defensive substitutions are made.
21. Minimum Playing Time.  All players included on a lineup card must receive the Little League required minimum playing time for every regulation (7 inning) game.  A player not receiving their minimum playing time because the home team did not bat in the bottom of the seventh (7th) inning does not excuse this rule.  Any team violating this rule will forfeit the game along with the offending manager being suspended the next scheduled team game.
22. Mercy Rule.  There will be no mercy rule for purposes of ending an inning prior to three(3) outs or ending a game prior to seven(7) innings.  Managers may concede a win when their team is trailing by more than 10 runs after five(5) innings.
23. Speed Up Rule.  During regular season games only, a catcher may be pinch run for when there are two(2) outs in an inning.  The pinch runner must be the last recorded out of that inning.  Teams shall also agree to allow injured players to be run for.  Injured players must be identified prior to the start of the game.
24. Game Reporting.  The winning managers must report the game score by text message to the League Standings Coordinator, Bob Zelinski, at (570) 430-6278, following every game.
25. Equipment.  Little League bat rule 1.10 shall apply to all Divisions.  
26. Media.  Winning managers may submit game scores and highlights to local newspapers at their discretion.
27. Standings. Games results & standings will be kept at www.ValleyBaseball.org 
28. Umpires.  The home team is responsible for scheduling and paying umpire fees.  
29. Game Balls.  The home team shall supply three(3) new game balls at every game.
30. Playoff Format.  The top seven(7) teams, according to seeding and eligibility, will make the Playoffs. The #1 seed will have a first round Bye. #7 @ #2, #6 @ #3, #5 @ #4. The matchups for each following round will be the lowest seed remaining vs the highest seed remaining.  Higher seed is always home.  All Playoff rounds will be single elimination.
31. Playoff Schedule.  All playoff games, including the Championship Game, will be scheduled with one(1) day off between games.  
    
32. Team Playoff Eligibility. Ant team forfeiting more than two(2) games may not be eligible for Playoffs.
33. Playoff Eligibility.  Players must have played in at least half of their team's regular season games to be eligible to play in the playoffs.
34. Playoff Roster.  Teams may only call up players from a younger Division to fill temporary vacancies for playoff games.  Players from another team in the same age group or players that are rostered on an older Division team can not be added to a team's playoff roster.  Players, league age thirteen(13), playing in the Intermediate Division, may be called up to a Junior Division playoff team. 
35. Playoff Player Pool Notification.  All playoff Player Pool call ups must be reported to the League Commissioner and opposing manager prior to any game being played.
36. Playoff Seeding.  Following the end of the regular season all teams will be seeded.  Seeding and Tie Breakers will be based on;
    1. Overall Record.
       
    2. Head-to-head record.
       
    3. Runs against average.  
       
    4. Quality Wins (number of wins defeated teams have).  
       
37. Should a tie remain, seeding will be decided by the flip of a coin.
38. Playoff Umpires. The League Commissioner shall schedule umpires for all playoff games.  Umpire fees shall be split by both teams for all games.  One(1) umpire will be scheduled for all single elimination games.  Two(2) umpires will be scheduled for the Championship game.
    
39. League Commissioner.  The League Commissioner shall have authority to make all decisions concerning the League.  Shall a dispute arise a meeting may be called by any League President to resolve the issue.  Any and all disputes shall be decided by a majority vote.  If an issue cannot be resolved the District Administrator will be asked to resolve it.
40. District Medallions. Each team will submit a $25 payment to cover the cost of District Flags and Medallions for Championship teams.  Checks should be made out to District 17/32 Playoffs.  Mail payments to District 17/32 Teener League, 308 E Jefferson St. Olyphant Pa. 18447