A number of rule and regulation changes were approved at the 2014 Little League International Congress.
Effective 2014
| Agenda Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Item 1 |
Challenger Division Boundaries Adjustments to the definition of the Challenger boundaries in Regulation II |
| Item 4 |
Softball Pitching Regular Season Limits Major and Minor pitchers to 12 innings in a day, and requires a day of rest if more than 6 innings are pitched. |
| Item 5 |
Softball Multiple Games in a Day – Regular Season Allows two doubleheaders per week in Majors and Minors. Allows Juniors and up to play three games in a day. |
| Item 7 |
Softball Special Games – Teenage Divisions Allows “special games” to count toward Regular Season schedule and Tournament eligibility. |
| Item 8 |
Short Model Chest Protector for Males Modifies Rule 1.17 to allow “short model” chest protectors to be worn at all ages. |
| Item 14 |
Softball Multiple Games in a Day – Tournament Allows two doubleheaders in one week for Majors and below, and a maximum of three games per day for Juniors and above. |
| Item 15 |
Baseball Portable Pitching Mounds Allows the use of artificial mounds at District level. Use at Section level and above requires Tournament Committee approval. |
| Item 16 |
DA and Field Representative Terms Changes term for District Administrator and Field Representative Directors to four years. |
| Item 17 |
Baseball Special Games – Teenage Divisions Allows “special games” to count toward Regular Season schedule and Tournament eligibility. |
The above items are effective immediately, and will be added to the rulebooks next year.
Effective 2015
| Agenda Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Item 3 |
Challenger Senior Division Establishes a Challenger Senior Division |
| Item 6 |
5-Year-Olds in Coach Pitch Permits 5-year-olds to advance to Minor League Coach Pitch or Machine Pitch after a year of Tee Ball participation |
| Item 11 |
Softball Illegal Pitch – Teenage Divisions Changes the penalty for an illegal pitch in Juniors and above to a ball on the batter and a one-base award to base runners |
| Item 13 |
Big League Tournament Eligibility Changes Big League eligibility to 40 percent of the regular season games |
The above items will be written into the 2015 rulebooks.
Effective 2018
| Agenda Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Item 2 |
Baseball League Age Determination Date Changes the date used to determine “League Age” to December 31st. |
Although the agenda item proposed this to be effective in 2015 (with 2015 being a “transition year”), it appears that the Congress voted to have this effective in 2018 instead.
Not Approved
The following items did not receive the required votes to pass:
| Agenda Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Item 9 |
Batter Remaining in the Box Would have required a batter to keep one foot in the batter’s box except under prescribed situations. |
| Item 10 |
Fake Bunt – Major and Minor Baseball Would have prohibited a batter from faking an bunt and then taking a full swing |
| Item 12 |
Pitcher Hitting Multiple Batters Would have required a pitcher who hit three batters during the course of the game to be removed from the mound |
A copy of the Congress agenda with the full text of the changes may be found here.
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