At this level, players are pretty much baseball players now, and follow most of the rules outlined by the MLB (with a few exceptions). 

• For the 2023 House League season, 15U and 18U divisions will be merged into one division
• 15Us are 14 & 15 years old
• 18Us are 16, 17 & 18 years old
• Season starts in May and goes to late August (subject to weather and field conditions) 
• Playoffs start from late August, ending on Championship Night in early September 
• Games are played on weeknights under the stars at Smythe Park
• Allow 2 hours for a typical game (including pre-game warmup)
• Uniforms (jersey, pants, socks & cap) will be handed out at the start of the season once team rosters have been set 
• Players will need to supply their own baseball gloves
• Baseball helmets are available for games, but it is recommended that players use their own helmets for health reasons
• Players must wear athletic cups 
• Batting gloves and cleats (non-metal only) are allowed but not required 
• York Baseball will supply regulation baseballs, bases, bats and Catcher equipment   
• Don't forget to bring some drinking water
• Teams are coed
• York Baseball is run entirely by a dedicated group of volunteers.  Please consider expressing your interest in coaching or assisting a coach
• NOTE - While umpires are rounding into competent baseball officials at this level, it is still expected that the coaches support our umpires and their calls.  Players are to leave the playing field if they are called out on the bases or strike out, and are to avoid any angry confrontations with the umpires.  Any difficulties with umpires can be brought to the attention of a Convener or the Umpire Coordinator   

 

15U/18U House League Rules

General

• Distance between bases: 90 feet (30.2 metres)
• Distance from pitching rubber to home plate: 60 feet 6 inches (18.4 metres)
• Game length:  1 hour 45 minutes (no new inning after this time)
• Teams may field a maximum of 9 players
• Player positions: Catcher, Pitcher, 1st Base, 2nd Base, 3rd Base, Shortstop, Left Fielder, Centre Fielder, Right Fielder
• Any player playing the Catcher position must wear a Catcher's helmet, chest protector and shin guards
• Catchers MUST wear an athletic cup
• Teams must field a minimum of 7 players.  Teams shall borrow players from the opposing team in order to avoid forfeiting a game should they be short players
• No player shall sit on the bench for 2 consecutive innings, unless in case of injury 
• Teams will bat until there are 3 outs, or if a team scores 4 runs in their half of the inning
• Winning teams will receive 2 points for each win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss
• In the event that a game becomes unplayable due to the weather, the umpire will make the decision to play, suspend or call off the game
• In the event of thunder and lightning, York Baseball follows Baseball Ontario guidelines with respect to lightning safety. "When thunder roars, go indoors".  Games will be halted, and cannot continue until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder
• The Home team will use the 3rd base dugout, the Visiting team will use the 1st base dugout    
• The home team is responsible for setting up the field and making sure bases and equipment are put away    

Batting

• Bunting is allowed
• The dropped 3rd strike rule is allowed
• Umpires can call the infield fly rule 
• There are no designated hitters
• Base runners can steal bases with lead offs
• There are no designated hitters
• Players are not to throw their bats when hitting as this is dangerous.  Each team will receive a warning if the batter throws their bat in a manner deemed dangerous by the umpire.  Subsequent batters who throw their bats and are deemed dangerous throws by the umpire will be called out
• Latecomers are placed at the end of the batting order.  If there is a chronic latecomer, coaches may insert them higher in the batting order to avoid a player always being the last batter.  Inform the opposing team coach of this.
• Any player who has to leave a game early is simply skipped in the batting order without penalty 

Pitching

• A pitcher must be substituted if they hit 2 batters in a game
• A pitcher can only pitch 2 innings per game
• Balks are called without a warning by umpires