How To Construct The Pitcher’s Mound On A Little League Baseball Field

The pitcher’s mound is often the focal point in a baseball game. After all, every play starts with a pitch. In order to ensure fair, consistent and safe play for all the participants, it’s important that the pitcher’s mound on your Little League baseball field is constructed just right. Thankfully, Little League baseball has very clear specifications detailing the proper dimensions of the pitcher’s mound at each level of play.

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The Dimensions of a Little League Pitcher’s Mound

Having the right measurements for your pitcher’s mound is essential to complying with the rules of Little League. Here are the key measurements and dimensions you need to know:

• Distance from the front of the pitching rubber to the back point of home plate: 46 feet
• Pitching mound height: 6 inches for younger players below the age of 11; 8 inches for older players 11-13 years old.
• Pitching mound diameter: 10 feet
• Pitching rubber: 18 inches long

Building Your Pitcher’s Mound

Building a quality pitcher’s mound that will stand up to the wear and tear of play throughout the season takes a careful approach. This may require the assistance of a professional, as it can be a fairly complex task. However, here are some basic tips that will help you through the process:

• Use the right soil mix — A proper soil composition for a Little League pitcher’s mound is said to be 40 percent clay, 40 percent sand, and 20 percent silt. This will provide enough clay to create a stable, safe playing surface and good footing for the pitcher.
• Build up the mound an inch at a time — As you build up the mound a little at a time, you’ll need to tamp or roll the soil on a regular basis to create firm composition. Remember, the mound needs to slope properly. From the middle of the mound, the slope is supposed to decrease approximately one inch per one foot in each direction.
• Moisten the mound throughout construction — It’s important that you keep the soil mixture moistened throughout the building of your pitcher’s mound. This helps everything stick together properly to create a strong, long-lasting bond.
• Keep the pitching rubber level — When you install the pitching rubber (46 feet from the back corner of home plate), use a carpenter’s level to verify that it stays even and flat.

Remember, your job isn’t done when you finish building the pitcher’s mound. You need to perform regular maintenance to keep the mound in good, safe playing condition. Make sure to do simple preventative maintenance by always covering your pitcher’s mound with a tarp when it’s not in use to protect it from the elements and any unwanted foot traffic.

Good mound maintenance goes a long way to improving the quality of your field. The safety of the little athletes is always a top priority!

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