Situational Defense Reference

Know your next play

Before each pitch, the shortstop checks the outs, runners and likely force play, then shares the coverage call with the second baseman.

What should you decide before contact?Only who made the last errorWhere you will play the ball and who covers the next baseWhich teammate throws hardestThe final score

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

Ask two adjacent defenders to repeat the same coverage call.

Common Mistakes

Knowing your own job is not enough when the next base is uncovered.

Alternative Considerations

The coach may change alignment by hitter and score; communicate the change.

Coaching exercise: not a national rule requirement.

Secure the routine out

A ground ball comes with no realistic play on the lead runner. Field under control and choose the available out instead of forcing a late throw.

Which decision protects the defense?Throw toward the lead runner without lookingHold every ball because an error is possibleTake the available out with a controlled throwRush the transfer before securing the ball

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

Rehearse the first choice and a fallback when the ball is bobbled.

Common Mistakes

A predetermined throw can survive in a player's mind after the play changes.

Alternative Considerations

Late-game score and outs may justify a different risk; name it before the pitch.

Coaching exercise: not a national rule requirement.

Separate the force from the fly rule

In AA, first and second are occupied with one out. A fair pop-up drops untouched; no other out has occurred.

What should the defense understand?AA has no infield-fly batter out; the original force remainsEvery runner is automatically outEvery pop-up is immediately deadEvery runner receives a free base

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

Secure the ball and identify the actual force or tag play before throwing.

Common Mistakes

Do not apply an AAA infield-fly outcome to AA.

Alternative Considerations

A caught ball is a different event; walk through it separately.

Rules/safety: fly (local-adopted-option)

Apply this division's fly rule

There is one out with first and second occupied. A fair fly, not a bunt or liner, is within ordinary infield effort.

Which statement applies here?Automatic double playBases loaded are always requiredAutomatic dead ballAA does not use the infield-fly rule

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

The catch still matters. Communicate and avoid collisions rather than waiting for an assumed outcome.

Common Mistakes

Ordinary effort is a judgment appropriate to the players, not a painted line.

Alternative Considerations

The local AA exception is not evidence for an AAA exception.

Rules/safety: fly (local-adopted-option)

Assign coverage for a short ball

A softly hit swinging ball rolls in front of the AA infield. This is not a bunt drill.

What makes the coverage useful?Everybody chargesName the fielder, covered target and backupLeave every base emptyThrow before securing the ball

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

Walk the jobs first, then add a controlled ball and receiver.

Common Mistakes

A short ball does not require every infielder to chase it.

Alternative Considerations

AA prohibits bunting, but defenders still need a plan for softly hit balls.

Rules/safety: local-bunt (local-adopted-option)

Defend after legal departure

The pitcher has the ball on the plate and the catcher is ready. This Minor runner has no legal pre-pitch lead.

What should the defense practice?An unrestricted pre-pitch pickoff drillThe appropriate post-pitch play, with the local runner limits checkedA balk award on any motionIgnoring every runner after the pitch

My practice notes (no personal details)

Coaching Points

There is no conventional pre-pitch-lead pickoff situation. That does not mean every later attempt to retire a runner is forbidden.

Common Mistakes

Do not import Intermediate leads or use the no-balk classification as a complete illegal-pitch rule.

Alternative Considerations

AA practice must also satisfy its midseason and base-advance restrictions.

Rules/safety: leads (national-rule) balk (national-rule) local-steal (local-adopted-option)

Rules and source notes

Little League International · SLVLL AA · regular-season pilot. Sources reviewed 2026-09-06. Minor League Baseball; San Lorenzo Valley Little League local program. National rules, SLVLL published local instructions and coaching choices are distinct. AAA is the local Minor program. Placement is a draft/player-agent decision; historical page dates and exceptions do not establish a fixed 2026 age band. Amendment summary is not the full rulebook or proof that unmentioned rules are unchanged. Minor League section establishes 60/46 geometry, not a fixed SLVLL AA or AAA roster age band. No-balk classification does not remove illegal-pitch rules or prescribe a penalty. Ordinary effort is umpire judgment, not a fixed part of the field. Published SLVLL intraleague instructions refer to the current-year Little League rulebook but retain older revision annotations. Applied only to AA. No separate 2026 board-adoption instrument or waiver was supplied. User-attested app origin; no edition/build metadata shown. Capture consistent with supplied 2026 material, not an independently acquired app session. This is not a complete rulebook or a tournament eligibility guide. Coaching suggestions are labeled teaching choices, not national rules.

eligibility: SLVLL AA and AAA are draft-placement programs within Minor League Baseball, not national fixed age bands. The player agent must verify roster placement and any exception; division placement alone does not establish pitching eligibility. (local-intraleague; local-adopted-option) SLVLL Draft Policies
amendments: The 2026 national changes were checked separately from older local annotations. A national courtesy-runner permission does not itself prove local adoption. Do not import the Majors-only local paragraph into AAA or assume an intraleague option applies to district or tournament play. (regular-season; national-rule) 2026 Rule Changes and Clarifications
balk: Little League does not call balks in Major Division and below. Illegal-pitch rules still matter. There is no conventional pre-pitch-lead pickoff situation; do not confuse that with all later runner-retirement plays. (all-play; national-rule) What is a balk?
infield-fly: The SLVLL AA instructions do not use the infield-fly rule. Continue the ordinary play rather than importing an automatic infield-fly batter out. (local-intraleague; local-adopted-option) SLVLL AA Local Rules Explanation of the Infield Fly Rule
geometry: The Minor League field uses 60-foot bases and a 46-foot pitching distance. Local AA coach pitching has its separately stated delivery location. (all-play; national-rule) Little League Baseball Divisions
leadoffs: Under Rule 7.13, when the pitcher has the ball on the plate and the catcher is ready in the box, runners stay on base until the delivered pitch reaches the batter. Early departure is not a universal automatic out; the actual play controls the remedy. (all-play; national-rule) Little League Baseball Rulebook app: Rule 7.13
eligibility: SLVLL AA prohibits bunting and fake bunting. Do not import an AAA bunt station into AA. (local-intraleague; local-adopted-option) SLVLL AA Local Rules
leadoffs: AA stealing begins only after the midseason point. Wait until the pitch crosses home plate; advance at most one base per steal and never beyond third. No extra advance on that steal overthrow. Coach-pitch stealing is allowed after the four-ball transition. A runner on third scores only on a batted ball or a bases-loaded player-pitch hit batter. (local-intraleague; local-adopted-option) SLVLL AA Local Rules

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