Tee Ball Rules, Explained for Parents (6U Softball)
Tee ball is softball with the hard parts taken out. Every player bats each inning, most hits come off a tee or a coach's soft underhand pitch, nobody steals or leads off, and the game runs on a clock instead of a scoreboard. The details vary by league, but the shape of the game is the same everywhere, and it's built so a five-year-old can learn one thing at a time.
Quick Play 6U
One picture. A, B, or C.
Real 6U questions, as she sees them. No account needed, made to be played with a parent.
Try a 6U rep ▸Everyone bats, every inning
In most 6U leagues an inning ends when the whole lineup has hit, not after three outs. That's on purpose: every girl gets a swing every inning, and nobody sits on the bench. A few common wrinkles you'll see on the field:
- The last batter of the inning often rounds all the bases and comes home, clearing the runners.
- Some leagues do count outs and end the inning at three, or cap the runs. Ask your coach which one your league uses.
- Every player takes the field on defense too. Ten or eleven girls out there is normal at this age.
The tee, and when the coach pitches
The ball sits on a tee at home plate and she swings when she's ready. Many 6U divisions mix in coach pitch: a coach from her own team tosses a few soft underhand pitches, and if she doesn't put one in play, the tee comes back out. Hitting the tee without hitting the ball usually counts as a foul or a do-over, not an out. There are no strikeouts and no walks in pure tee ball.
Running the bases
Base running is where the rules protect the game from turning into a footrace. Runners go when the ball is hit, never before.
- No leadoffs and no stealing. She leaves the base when the bat hits the ball.
- On a ball that stays in the infield, most leagues let the batter take first base and stop there.
- On a ball to the outfield, runners can usually keep going at their own risk until the ball is back in the infield.
- Play stops once a fielder has the ball in the infield or the pitcher's circle. Runners hold where they are, or go back if they weren't halfway.
- The base coaches say GO and STOP. The whole job of a six-year-old runner is to listen for those two words.
Outs, and how fielders get them
Outs work the way they do in any softball game, just slower. A fielder can catch a fly ball before it lands, step on first base with the ball before the runner gets there, or tag a runner who isn't on a base. What you won't see at 6U: the infield fly rule, the dropped third strike, or bunting. Most leagues leave those out until the girls are older.
Fair and foul
The two white lines from home plate through first and third base are the whole rule. A ball that stops inside the lines, or passes first or third base inside them, is fair. Outside is foul. On the line is fair. Many 6U fields also draw an arc in front of home plate: a ball that doesn't roll past the arc is foul, so a tap off the tee doesn't become a base hit.
What to watch for from the stands
Score matters less than the read. Did she run through first base without slowing down? Did she get her glove on the ground for the grounder? Did she stop when the coach said STOP? Those are the wins at this age, and they're the ones to cheer. The swing and the arm take years. The reads take a season, and you can practice them at home in three minutes.
Play the game she'll play, one picture at a time
Quick Play 6U asks the questions this guide covers: which one is second base, glove on the ground or up high, which ball is fair. One picture, A, B, or C, and the right one lights up with the why. No account needed, and it's made to be played with a parent.
Try a 6U repCommon questions
How long is a tee ball game?
Most 6U games run on a clock, about an hour, and no new inning starts after time runs out. That usually works out to three or four innings. Games end on time even if the score is lopsided, because nobody is keeping the score in mind anyway.
Do they keep score in tee ball?
Most leagues don't post a score at 6U, and the ones that do don't keep standings. Every player bats every inning, so the score would mostly measure lineup length. The coaches are watching whether the girls ran to the right base, not the total.
What does my daughter need for tee ball?
A glove that fits her hand (a small one, not a hand-me-down she can't close), a helmet with a face mask (most leagues require it), a tee ball bat sized for her, and water. Cleats are optional at this age. Label everything, since every glove on the team looks the same.
Is 6U softball the same as tee ball?
6U is the age division: six and under as of the league's cutoff date. Tee ball is the format most 6U leagues play, often mixed with coach pitch as the season goes on. So a 6U team is usually a tee ball team, and by the end of spring some of the girls are hitting a coach's soft toss.