Wiffleball Rules

You may suffer physical and/or mental injury from participating in Intramural Sports. There are certain risks of injury that are inherent to participation in sports and recreational activities. These types of injuries may be minor or serious and may result from the actions or inactions of themselves or others. By choosing to participate in Intramural Sports, you do so at your own risk. It is understood that most activities require a certain level of fitness and health, and that each person has a different capacity for participating in these activities. Participants of Intramural Sports are highly encouraged to have a physical examination and procure health insurance prior to play. UC Campus Recreation does not provide health insurance.

Intramural Supervisors undergo concussion recognition training. In the instance a participant is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of a concussion as a result of a head injury sustained during intramural play, he or she will be removed from the activity. This individual must provide a physician’s note clearing the individual to play by a specific date. This note may be e-mailed to intramural@uc.edu or faxed to 513-556-0601.

Following each game, teams will receive a sportsmanship rating between 0.0 and 4.0.

In order to qualify for playoffs, teams must obtain a 3.0 or higher sportsmanship average during the regular season based on the table below:

* A team that receives a "0" rating will be suspended from competition until its captain meets with the Assistant Director or Coordinator of Intramural Sports. The team may be removed from competition.

In addition to team ratings, any unsportsmanlike actions may be forwarded to Judicial Affairs and may include but is not limited to revocation of Intramural Sports and/or Campus Recreation privileges.

To be eligible for intramural sports, each player must possess an active membership to the University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center AND be a current University of Cincinnati student (enrolled in at least one (1) credit hour), faculty, or staff member.

Uptown, full-time UC students receive a Campus Recreation membership through full payment of the Campus Life Fee. All other populations will need to purchase a membership in order to be eligible to play.

Participants may participate on one (1) mixed gender and one (1) non-mixed gender team (i.e. men's, women's, open, Fraternity, Sorority) per sport, per season. Substituting for another team in the same league is prohibited.

Every game, each participant must check in with the intramural official with a valid Bearcat card

Intramural particpants must additionally meet all requirements of Section 3.4:

Teams are limited to two (2) competitive club sport participant (in the same or similar sport) on its roster.

Current varsity athletes and professional athletes are not allowed to play on an intramural team of the same or similar sport as their varsity sport.

Former varsity athletes must sit out 365 days from last appearing on a varsity roster to be eligible to play in the same or similar sport as their varsity sport. Teams are allowed one (1) former varsity athlete (in the same or similar sport) per roster.

Jewelry is not allowed during intramural play. This includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and fitness trackers, among other things.

Medical jewelry is allowed but must be taped down.

Hats are permitted during Intramural play, but are worn at the risk of the participant and must be taken off if deemed dangerous or interferring with the sport by staff

Athletic clothing and footwear is required. Prohibited items include but is not limited to: jeans, cargo pants/shorts, skirts, loafers, open-toed shoes, and boots. 

Rubber molded cleats are the only cleats permitted. Removable or metal cleats are prohibited.

Any casts, braces, or other protective equipment must be padded and secure.

Campus Recreation Wiffleballs are the only legal balls, unless agreed upon by both teams and Intramural staff during Captain's Meeting

Campus Recreation will have legal bats for use.  Teams bringing their own bats must provide the opportunity for the opposing team to use the bat as well, or they shall be required to use the provided bats.

Prior to registration close, a team must have at least five players confirmed on its IMLeagues roster. Teams that fail to do so may not be included in the league.

Once playoffs begin, players may not be added to the roster without direct approval of the Coordinator and/or Assistant Director of Intramurals.

Teams may have up to twelve (12) players on its roster.

No team shall participate with less than four (4) players at any time

If injuries or ejections cause a team to drop below minimum players required, the team may continue, as long as they started with the minimum number of players.

At the approval of the supervisor and opponent, teams may participate below the minimum number of players needed to start a game if deemed competitive by the staff and the opponent agrees to waive protest rights under Section 5.4

Mixed gender teams may not have more than three players of one gender on the court

Mixed gender teams must adhere to section 5.5 regardless of injury or ejection - even if it results in a short handed scenario

Teams are permitted one (1) checked-in coach on the bench. 

Subs may only substitute for one player. Substitutions must adhere to all guidelines of Section 6.1:

Once a substitute has entered the lineup, he or she must play for a full inning (team’s offensive and defensive halves of an inning).

Once a player has been replaced, they must re-enter the game in the same original position in the batting order.

All substitutions must check in with the home plate umpire.

The length of the game shall be five (5) innings or 45 minutes, time permitting.

Time limit shall not be a drop dead, and the inning occurring as time expires shall be completed. A new inning is defined as beginning at the moment the final out of the previous inning is made

A game shall be considered complete after the conclusion of three (3) innings

Each team shall be limited to two (2) visits per game

All checked-in players and coaches have the authority to initiate a visit on behalf of their team.

Teams that arrive late to games and/or are not ready with the minimum roster by start time will receive the following penalty:

1-4 minutes late = Other team begins up 3-0 and has choice of home/away

5-9 minutes late = Other team begins up 5-0 and has choice of home/away

10+ minutes late = Game is forfeited. 

Teams that forfeit must pay a $20 non-refundable reinstatement fee prior to the end of the regular season to be eligible for playoff consideration [Refer to Section XII of the Intramural Handbook for more information]

In order to prevent forfeits, teams may also default once per season. Teams must give a minimum 48 hour notice of default to qualify by emailing intramural@uc.edu. [Refer to Section XII of the Intramural Handbook for more information]

There is no extra innings during the regular season

During playoffs if a game results in a tie at the end of regulation, extra innings will be played until a winner is determined.

Extra innings will be performed in a Texas Shootout manner

The last batted out from the previous inning will start the extra inning at second base, teams will begin with one out

The inning shall be played until three outs are obtained, and the format will repeat until a winner is declared

The official will hold a pre-match Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner will determine if they want to be home or away

In playoffs, the higher seed will determine if they want to be home or away

All players in the field must be in the batting order

Teams may may bat up to the full roster, adhering to rule 9.3 in Mixed Gender competition

Teams are free to use Extra Hitters (EH), but no Designated Hitters (DH)

Mixed Gender batting orders must alternate genders, including an alternation when the order turns over. Extra Hitters and Subs must adhere to Section 9.3

Infield fly rule is in effect when applicable

Teams responsible for hitting and/or throwing the ball out of play are responsible for retrieving the ball

The Nippert Wall (in fair territory) shall be the homerun fence 

Ground rule doubles shall be in effect for fair balls hit out of play (non-homeruns)

If used due to an absence of a catcher, the bucket of Wiffleballs by the pitchers mound shall be deemed foul

A hit ball that unintentionally contacts the pitcher shall be deemed foul, and can result in an out if the batter's courtesy foul is already used.

Any contact with the ball and/or play by the pitcher deemed intentional shall be ruled a dead ball out, with runners returning to their pre-pitch bases.

 Any pitcher interference in the making of a play by a fielder (intentional or not) shall be deemed a dead ball out, with runners returning to their pre-pitch bases.

There shall be a 10 run limit for teams for the first 3 innings of the game

Mercy Rule – A game will be considered final if:

A team leads by 25+ runs at any point

A team leads by 20+ runs at the conclusion of the 3rd inning

A team leads by 15+ runs at the conclusion of the 4th inning

A strike board will be placed behind home plate, serving as the strike zone

Contact with any portion of the strike board shall be considered a strike [Exception: Legs of the board]

Teams shall pitch to their own batters

Pitching distance shall be marked with a rubber or cone at 45-48ft

Contact with the rubber must remain for the duration of the pitch or it shall be deemed an illegal pitch, resulting in a strike to the batter

The pitching motion shall be one fluid overhand motion or it shall be deemed an illegal pitch, resulting in an automatic strike

The count begins with one strike. There are no balls.

A batter with two strikes who hits a foul ball on the ensuing pitch will be given one courtesy foul. After a second foul ball, the batter is out.

With two strikes, balls that are tipped into the strike board shall be considered a foul tip, and result in an out

Bunting is not allowed and is determined at the judgement of the umpires - considered a foul ball if deemed

There shall be five (5) fielders, excluding the opponent's pitcher

All fielders shall be in fair territory (excluding optional catcher)

Pitchers hand shall be in effect

For Pitchers Hand, any player must receive a batted ball within a 5ft vicinity of the pitching rubber prior to all baserunner advancement 

With multiple force outs available, the furthest lead-runner who has not safely reached the next base prior to Pitchers Hand will be out

Pitchers Hand applies to force out scenarios only

For tagging plays to home plate, the strike board shall be used to determine if the tagging runner is safe or out [in addition to pegging]. This is only for tagging baserunners. 

Should the strike board be hit [including legs] by the ball prior to the tagging runner touching home plate safely, the tagging runner shall be deemed out

The following under Section 10.4 shall be methods to get a batter/player out:

Ball is caught in the air

Base is touched by fielder with possession of ball prior to baserunner in forceout scenario

Baserunner is pegged by ball while off a base [Exception: Headshots when not sliding]

Pitcher's Hand 

Strike Board hit [tagging play]

Infield Fly

Bases shall be 45ft apart

Runners are not permitted to steal at any time.

If a player breaks contact with the bag before the batter makes contact with the ball, a dead ball shall occur and the runner shall be deemed out

Runners must slide or give up on all non-forced outs that are close.

Sliding or diving head first into a base is not recommended.  If a player dives or slides head first, serious injury may occur.

If a ball is overthrown and goes out of play, a runner will receive the base they were going to at the time and one additional base.

If a player reaches base safely, but is too severely injured to run, the player sharing that spot in the batting order will replace the injured runner.

If that spot is not shared, the last batted out will replace the runner.  In coed, the last batted out of the same gender will replace the runner.