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Kickball Rules

  • Facility
      •  All matches will be played at the East Upper Field unless otherwise stated. Alcohol and tobacco are not permitted at the complex or in the parking lot.
  • Player Eligibility
      • All UC Santa Cruz Intramural Sports eligibility rules apply. Please check the Intramural Sports Policies & Procedures carefully to see more details
      • All players must have a valid, original UC Santa Cruz or state-issued physical photo identification to participate
      • Players must compete in 2 regular season games to be eligible for playoff
  • Team Composition
      • Each team must consist of at least 7 players and up to 20 players 
      • Co-Rec leagues, if offered, require each team to consist of at least 4 eligible players. There may not be any more than three players on the court at all times identifying as the same gender
  • Equipment
      • Participants must wear closed-toe and closed-heel shoes at all times
        • Rubber cleats may be worn
        • Metal cleats are prohibited
      • Equipment will be provided by Intramural Sports.
  • Beginning the Game
      • Team captains will meet with Intramural Sports Officials and/or supervisors to discuss game rules, exchange kicking lineups, and determine who will be the “home team” via roshambo 
  • The Field 
      • 60 feet or about 20 paces with a base at each corner
      • The pitching rubber is to be 14 paces from home plate and should be centered between all of the bases
      • The pitching circle is a 12-foot radius around the middle of the pitching rubber
      • The strike zone extends 1 foot to either side of home plate and one foot off the ground.
      • Foul territory is outside the first and third base lines.
  • Format
    • Regulation games last 5 innings. In the event of a tie at the end of 5 innings
      • Time limit of 55 minutes 
      • 8 run max per team per inning
    • If the “home team” already leads the game when the bottom of the final inning is reached, or if the home team gains the lead during the bottom of the final inning that team wins the game instantly and the game is over
    • For a game to be official, three whole innings must be completed
  • Pitching, Catching, Fielding & Kicking
      • Games will be self officiated 
        • A member of the kicking team must pitch to their teammates
        • An infielder will be allowed to field the ball
      • Balls must be pitched by hand. Pitchers must start the act of pitching with at least one foot within the pitching circle
      • The catcher must be positioned directly behind the kicking area and behind the horizontal plane of the kicker
      • The catcher may not position themselves in any way that prohibits the effort of the kicker’s motion
      • All kicks must be made by the foot or leg, below the knee.
      • All kicks must occur:
        • At or behind home plate. The kicker may step on home plate to kick; however, no part of the planted foot may be in front of or cross the front edge of the home plate
        • All kicks must be a complete kick with full follow through, no bunting
      • All fielders besides the catcher must remain in fair territory behind the 1st-3rd base diagonal
  • Running and Scoring
      • Runners may choose their path from one base to the next and are free to avoid interference with a fielder making a play
      • When attempting to avoid a ball tag, runners may move no more than 4 feet out of their established path. Running outside of that established path more than 4 feet will result in the runner being out
      • Fielders must stay out of the baseline. Fielders trying to make an out on base may have their foot on base, but must lean out of the baseline. Failure to do so is obstruction and will result in an awarded base to the runner(s).
      • Runners are not allowed to lead off a base or steal a base. Runners may advance once the ball is kicked
      • Hitting a runner’s neck or head with the ball is not allowed unless the runner ducks in an attempt to avoid being hit. Any runner hit in the neck or head shall be considered safe at the base they were running toward when the ball hits the runner.
      • All ties go to the runner
      • If a ball is overthrown, kicked, or deflected into foul territory while making a defensive play toward a player or base;
        • A runner may advance only one base beyond the base the runner is on/established.
      • If any fielder attempts to make an out prior to returning the ball to the pitcher, runners may commence base running.
      • Running past another runner is not allowed
      • A run scores when a runner touches home plate before the third out is made. No run can be scored when the third out is made during a force play situation or when the kicker is out before touching first base
      • At the end of the game the team with the most runs wins
      • When a base is displaced during play, any runner is safe while in contact with the base’s original and correct location. All displaced bases should be restored at the end of each play
      • There is an 8 run max per team each inning
  • Strikes
      • A count of three (3) strikes is an out.
      • A strike is defined as follows:
        • A pitch that is not kicked and is not called a ball as defined in Rule 11, that enters any part of the strike zone
        • An attempted kick missed by the kicker inside or outside of the strike zone
        • A ball that is kicked outside of the kicking box
        • Foul balls do not count as strikes
  • Balls
      • A count of four (4) balls advances the kicker to first base.
      • A ball is defined as follows:
        • A pitch outside of the strike zone as judged by the Intramural Sports Official where a kick is not attempted;
        • A pitched ball that does not touch the ground at least twice or roll before reaching the kicking box;
        • A pitched ball that exceeds one foot in height from the bottom of the ball as it enters the kicking box;
        • A pitched ball that exceeds one foot in height from the bottom of the ball at any time while passing through the kicking box, prior to reaching the kicker;
        • A pitched ball that is higher than one foot at the plate.
  • Fair and Foul Balls
      • A count of four (4) foul balls is an out. Foul balls never count as strikes
      • A foul ball is defined as:
        • A kicked ball landing in foul territory
        • A kicked ball touched in foul territory, if not caught 
        • A kicked ball landing in fair territory but touching foul  territory on its own at any time before reaching first or third base
        • A kick made on or above the knee
        • A ball that is stopped outside the kicking box by the kicker
      • A fair ball is defined as:
        • A kicked ball landing and remaining in fair territory
        • A kicked ball landing in fair territory then traveling into foul territory beyond the 1st - 3rd base diagonal
        • A kicked ball first lands in fair territory and bounces over 1s or 3rd base into either foul or fair territory
  • Outs
      • A count of three (3) outs by a team completes the team’s half of the inning.
      • An out is defined as:
        • A count of three (3) strikes or four (4) fouls;
        • Any kicked ball (fair or foul) that is caught by a legal fielder before touching the ground
        • A force out, being the tag by any part of a fielder’s body of a base to which a runner is forced to run, before the runner arrives at the base, while the fielder has control of the ball. The ball may be touching the ground if the fielder displays full control of the ball while simultaneously tagging the base;
        • A runner touched by the ball or who touches the ball at any time while not on base while the ball is in play;
        • A kicker or runner that interferes with the ball;
        • A tag of a base by any part of a fielder’s body, while the fielder has control of the ball, before the runner originating at that base can tag-up as required due to a caught ball;
        • A runner off base when the ball is kicked;
        • A runner physically assisted by a team member during play;
        • Any kicker that does not kick in the proper kicking lineup;
        • A runner that passes another runner;
        • A runner outside of the baseline;
        • A runner who misses a base as determined by the Intramural Sports Official upon the conclusion of the play;
        • A runner who fails to properly tag-up on a caught ball, as called by the Intramural Sports Official upon the conclusion of the play;
        • A runner touched by the ball while on a base they are forced to vacate by the kicker becoming a runner;
        • A player improperly occupying the sideline area after their team has been issued a warning
  • Ball in Play
      • Once the pitcher has the ball and retains possession in the pitcher’s circle, the play ends. Runners who are off base at this time and in forward motion may advance only to the base directly in front of them. Runners who are off base at this time and not in forward motion must return to the base from which they were running
  • Player Personnel
      • If a player is ejected, injured, or becomes ill and cannot continue, the written kicking order will continue in the same formation, less the removed player. There is no “automatic out” when the removed player’s spot in the order is reached.
      • Injured players who do not kick shall not play in the game.
      • Any player removed from the game due to injury or illness must be noted on the kicking order and mentioned to the Intramural Sports Official
      • Only runners who are injured while traveling to a base, and who successfully make it to a base, may be substituted
      • There are no other allowable runner substitutions
  • Overtime
      • No over time during the regular season
      • Extra Inning until there is a winner 
  • Playoffs
      • Players must compete in 2 regular season games to be eligible for playoffs
      • The playoff schedule may not be consistent with the times you selected during the regular season
      • Overtime is used during playoffs, there must be a winner
  • Forfeit & Defaults
    • Games must begin within 10 minutes after the scheduled game time. Failure to field a team at that time shall result in a forfeit
    • Teams that forfeit games will result in the team captain receiving a $10 Forfeit Fine, the forfeiting team receiving a "2" sportsmanship rating, and have the game recorded as a loss in addition to a negative score differential of 10 points for that game 
    • Teams that forfeit two games in a season will be removed from playoffs
    • If I know my team will not be to play a game I will take the following action to avoid a forfeit:
      • Notify the Intramural Sports office by filling out the Default Form (found on the Intramural Sports website or Instagram) by 2:00pm for weekday games and by 7:00am on weekends. The game will be recorded as a default