HITE SAUNDERS LITTLE LEAGUE
BY-LAWS AND LOCAL RULES
Preamble
We the parents and concerned members of the Hite Saunders Little League, in order to form a better place for the children of the League and the community, to promote harmony among the players, coaches and others in the League, and to teach the children better sportsmanship and citizenship, do ordain the "Hite Saunders Little League By-Laws and Local Rules" as the document which, in concert with the League Constitution, shall guide the League in its affairs. By-Laws and Local Rules amended and approved on the above date.
Article I
A reasonable Little League participation fee should be assessed as a parents’ obligation to assure the operational continuity of the local Little League. A maximum of $75.00 per player fee for first child, $65.00 for the second child and $55.00 for third child may be assessed (plus applicable transaction fees). AT NO TIME SHOULD PAYMENT OF ANY FEE BE A PREREQUISITE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE PROGRAM. It is the intent of the Hite -Saunders Little League never to deny admission to any child to the League because of financial reasons.
Hite Saunders Little League will accept late registrations, however will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis based on individual circumstances.
Article II
LITTLE LEAGUE DRAFT
The Hite Saunders Little League teams shall be comprised of teams of a minimum of 10 players.
Draft order to be determined by overall record or blind draw, whichever applies. If drafting order for Little League will be determined by the best overall record. If the records are tied then the head-to head games will determine the drafting order.
Tee Ball Baseball 4 and 5 year olds.
Advanced Tee Ball 6 and 7 years olds.
Minor League Baseball and Softball 6 to 11 year olds.
Little League Baseball and Softball 9 to 12 year olds.
Senior League Softball 13 to 16 year olds
The Board of Directors shall decide if a younger player playing up, or an older player playing down will pose a safety concern to him/herself or others. The Board will then make their recommendation which division the player shall be drafted in.
Eligible players shall then be drafted to field teams of a minimum ten players for each team.
If an eligible player refuses to tryout, they shall not be eligible to play.
Due to WV SSAC rules, all Junior and Senior Girls eligible to play will be allowed to play once their High School softball team has concluded play and they have been released to join other programs, but must register during the league’s regular registration. Late sign-ups will not be accepted.
POST SEASON ALL-STAR TEAMS
The President will recommend the managers and coaches for each All-Star team and the board will approve the recommendations.
The determination of the All-Star players shall be decided as follows:
A letter will be sent out to all players within the first month of play with the proposed dates, set forth by the District for the All-Star Tournament and the dates of the Regional Tournament. All players will be asked to return a form that lists if they will be able to participate in All-Stars. Players will be required to attend practices as well as all games.
The President, two (2) Player Agents, one (1) manager plus two (2) coaches from each team in the respective leagues will vote for a minimum of 10 players, however, there must be a minimum of one (1) player from each team (if a player on each team shows interest).
Managers and Coaches vote in their respective division. Little League coaches will vote for the All Stars and Stripes in the 9/10 and 11/12-year-olds age group. Minor league coaches will vote for All Stars and Stripes in the 7/8 and 9/10-year- olds age group. All 9-year-olds shall be eligible for the All Star draft.
Minor league players are not permitted to move up and play All-Stars ahead of an eligible Little League player.
Voting for the All Stars shall be conducted at a meeting called by the President.
Article III
Expenditure Limitations
(1) Little League President up to $500.00
(2) Board of Directors ‑ all other expenditures must be approved by the Board either previous or subsequent to the purchase
(3) 2 (two) signatures required on checks written for the Little League expenses. The Secretary shall be added to the checking account in the event the President or Treasurer was not available.
Audit Committee
The President, if necessary, may appoint a minimum of three (3) Board members to provide an audit of the finances of the Hite-Saunders Little League who should consult with a Public Accountant, if necessary.
Board Voting
If a board member shall miss two consecutive meetings without receiving special permission from the president to be excused or providing verification of a medical or family emergency for themselves or immediate family member, said board member shall not be permitted to vote until they attend two consecutive board meetings.
Article IV
Other Local Rules
Little League Baseball, Softball, Senior League Softball, Minor and Tee Ball teams will field a minimum of 10 players per team.
Consistent with West Virginia State Law and Cabell County School policy, no tobacco products will be permitted to be used on school property by anyone.
A Frank Ray Award will be given to one departing 12 year old in baseball and softball designating the number of years of participation in the Hite Saunders Little League.
All teams shall have a sponsor. Sponsors shall be sent a picture and playing schedule of their team.
All teams will be treated equally, including, but not limited to, quality of uniforms and practice field scheduling.
The cost of sponsoring a team will be as follows:
Minor League $300.00
Tee Ball Teams $300.00
All Others $350.00
The sponsor for two or more Little League teams will receive a $100.00 discount. The sponsor for one Little League team and one Minor League/ Tee Ball team will receive a $50.00 discount.
The fee for outfield sign charges for non-team sponsors will be set annually by vote of the Board upon the recommendation of the President and Fund Raiser. 2015 fee is $300.00 for the first year and $200.00 for every year after that as long as the sign lasts and doesn’t need replaced.
All players in Tee Ball and Minor Leagues must wear safety helmets with a mask being optional. All players in Little Leagues must wear a safety helmet. All male catchers must wear an athletic support cup. The umpire shall enforce the wearing of such safety equipment.
The length of Tee Ball games shall be one hour and fifteen minutes. Advanced Tee Ball games shall be one hour thirty minutes Time will kept by the official score keeper.
The length of Minor League boys and girls games shall be one hour and forty five minutes. Time will be kept by the official scorekeeper.
The length of Little League boys, girls and Senior League girl’s games shall be two hours adhere to Little League International rules. Time will be kept by the official scorekeeper.
Each manager shall be required to umpire in other divisions.
Managers shall instruct their players to clean their dugouts after their game.
Managers and coaches are allowed on the field for Tee Ball and Minor League divisions.
No extra bases may be taken in the Tee Ball division. One base shall be advanced at a time. In the Advanced Tee Ball division they may take one extra base.
Two adult base coaches are allowed for all divisions of play.
Managers must notify the Player Agent within two (2) days to request a replacement for an injured player.
Managers must notify the player agent if any player misses more than two consecutive games for any reason. Failure to do so will be cause for corrective action against the manager. Any player who is out of the lineup for more than three consecutive weeks (or six games), is subject for removal from his/her team by action of the board of directors. However, the board of directors reserves the right to allow such player to remain on the roster.
Minor players may be called up to fulfill the spot on a Major team if the Major team suffers the loss of a player through injury (out for entire season), a player quits, or a player moves out of the area and is unable to play the remainder of the season. The league will incur the cost of a new uniform for the minor player being pulled up to the majors. The player shall be determined after the Player Agent confers with the Major manager needing the player and all Minor managers. The President shall have the final say in whether or not the player will be pulled up or not. If a minor player is called up to the Majors, he/she shall no longer be permitted to play in the Minor Division. No player shall be called up from the Minor League to a Major League team in the last two weeks of the regular season.
A “Player Pool” system will be utilized and will be posted and maintained by the Player Agent.
All volunteers must complete a volunteer application and satisfactorily complete a screening process.
All Managers and Assistant Coaches listed on the roster with Little League International are subject to random drug screens throughout the season. Only the Safety Officer, Coaching Coordinator, and President shall have access to those results. If a drug screen is refused or failed, that individual may not be permitted to continue as a manager or coach. The individual must provide documentation of any prescriptions they are taking.