Paul Gilbertson
Minor Division Coordinator

MINOR DIVISION TEAMS - 3rd/4th graders - Any youth enrolled in 3rd or 4th grade for the current school year, is eligible to tryout for the Minor Division of MJBO for the spring season.

Players are evaluated durying baseball tryouts on hitting, fielding ground balls, fielding fly balls, throwing accuracy, and arm strength. For all Divisions, players are separated into three distinct levels based on skills and results of MJBO Tryouts. The three levels of competition are Federal, American and National.

• Bases are to be 60 feet apart.
• Pitching distance is 45 feet.
• Games are officially terminated after five innings (except ties), 4 ½ innings if the home team is ahead. Due to weather or darkness, three innings constitute a legal game, 2 ½ innings if the home team is ahead. If a legal game is completed, both teams have not had an equal number of complete turns at bat, but the home team has scored a go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning, the final score is recorded.
• For National skill level, no new inning will start after two hours playing time, even if the result of the game is a tie.
• Every eligible player must play a minimum of six defensive outs in all legal games, bottom half of the unplayed final inning does not count towards this requirement.
• There will be a five-run rule per inning with the final inning open. The umpire must declare, prior to the start of any inning, that this is the final inning, based on the following conditions: time restriction, field condition, darkness or the fifth inning
• For National and American skill level, the batter is out regardless of whether the third strike is caught or not.
• For the National skill level, a runner may not steal home and may only advance as a result of a hit ball, walk, pickoff attempt, rundown, or penalty.

For more information about the Minor rulebook, click here.