How to build a Little League lineup: batting order, positions, and playing time
You volunteered to coach, and now you need to tell 12 players when they'll bat and where they'll play. Only 9 can take the field at once, so you'll also need a plan for who sits. If you've never played baseball, start with the batting list and field positions below.
Our example uses North Bothell Little League's (NBLL) 2026 regular-season Majors baseball rules and a fictional roster, the list of players on a team. Majors is one of NBLL's divisions, or playing levels. Ask your league for your division's current rules before using these settings for your team.
Rules checked September 5, 2026 against the NBLL 2026 Majors supplemental rules linked from its coaches page. This is an independent worked example, not an NBLL publication. The rules here apply to the named division and season. Check separately for fall ball or tournaments.
Batting, fielding, and innings
Your lineup records the order players hit in and where they play when the other team bats.
- Batting order: the list that says who gets a turn to hit first, second, and so on. A player taking a turn to hit is the batter.
- Defense, or fielding: when the other team bats, 9 of your players take positions to pitch, catch, and field the ball. With 12 players, 3 wait on the bench during that part of the game.
- Inning: a round of the game in which each team gets a turn to bat and a turn to field. Teams normally switch after 3 outs. An out ends a batter's or runner's chance to continue around the bases. Catching a hit before it lands is one way to get an out.
Each inning column in the plan below shows where your players go during your team's turn in the field. That turn is a defensive inning. Time spent batting counts separately.
Know how much playing time each player needs
NBLL Majors requires each player to spend a minimum number of innings in the field, including some in the infield. Infield positions are around the bases, and outfield positions are farther from home plate. NBLL also counts pitcher and catcher as infield positions for this rule.
- Completed game of 6 innings or longer
- Each player fields for at least 4 innings, including at least 2 at an infield position. That's 4 total, not 4 plus another 2.
- Completed game of fewer than 6 innings
- Each player fields for at least 2 innings, including at least 1 at an infield position. This matters when rain, darkness, or a time limit ends a game early.
- Throughout the game
- No player sits on the bench for 2 innings in a row. If Alex sits while your team fields in inning 1, Alex needs a field position in inning 2.
NBLL counts positions 1–6 as infield: pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, and third base. See Majors rules 13, 18, and 19 in the linked document.
1. Confirm who is available
Check with families about absences and late arrivals. Then talk with your assistant coach about which positions each player has practiced. Pitcher and catcher need particular preparation. Choose players who have practiced those roles.
Also check who's allowed to pitch today, including any required rest after games with other teams. Our example assumes all 12 players arrive on time and are prepared and allowed to play their assigned positions. Step 6 covers the pitching checks.
2. Keep batting order and field positions separate
Write every available player's name in a numbered list. Use what you've seen at practice to choose the order, with help from an assistant coach. For example, you might place players who often reach first base safely near the beginning.
NBLL uses a continuous batting order: everyone on the game roster is in the list, and after player 12 bats, you return to player 1. When your team bats again, carry on from where you left off instead of restarting at player 1. Players keep their place in the batting list when they sit on defense or change field positions.
In the table below, Lane is 12th on the list. Lane sits while the team fields in inning 1, but still bats whenever the 12th spot comes around. The fictional names are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked by hitting ability.
Under NBLL rule 13, a player arriving late goes at the end of the batting list. Add them to the plan for the remaining fielding turns, too.
3. Decide who sits each inning
Write the 3 bench turns for each inning into your plan, checking that nobody sits twice in a row. Fill the 9 field positions with the remaining players. Check the bench turns before the game so you have time to adjust if someone is sitting too often.
With 9 fielders over 6 innings, you have 54 fielding turns to share among 12 players. Giving everyone 4 turns uses 48, leaving 6 extra turns. In our example, 6 players field for 5 innings and 6 field for 4.
Keep a note of who gets the extra time so you can consider it when planning the next game.
4. Put infield time into the plan early
Start with pitchers who are allowed to pitch and catchers who are prepared for the role. Then fill the other positions, checking each player's infield turns. Schedule those turns early so a shortened game is less likely to leave someone without their required infield time.
In this example, everyone plays infield within the first 2 innings. That's our planning choice, not an NBLL 2-inning deadline.
The table uses these short names for the 9 positions:
- P and C: pitcher (throws the ball to the batter) and catcher (wears protective gear behind the batter to receive the pitches). Both count toward NBLL's infield minimum.
- 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B: first base, second base, shortstop, and third base. These are the other 4 infield positions. Shortstop usually plays between second and third base. The second baseman usually plays between first and second.
- LF, CF, and RF: left field, center field, and right field. These are the 3 outfield positions, beyond the bases. Left and right are as you look out toward the field from home plate, where the batter stands.
Read across a row to see one player's assignments, or down an inning column to see where the whole team goes. Bench means sitting while your team fields. Field is the total innings a player fields. IF is how many of those are infield innings. On a small screen, scroll the table sideways.
| Batter | Inn 1 | Inn 2 | Inn 3 | Inn 4 | Inn 5 | Inn 6 | Field | IF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alex | P | LF | 1B | Bench | SS | LF | 5 | 3 |
| 2. Blair | C | CF | 2B | Bench | 3B | CF | 5 | 3 |
| 3. Casey | 1B | RF | P | Bench | 2B | RF | 5 | 3 |
| 4. Drew | 2B | Bench | C | LF | 1B | Bench | 4 | 3 |
| 5. Eli | SS | Bench | 3B | CF | P | Bench | 4 | 3 |
| 6. Finn | 3B | Bench | SS | RF | C | Bench | 4 | 3 |
| 7. Gray | LF | P | Bench | 1B | LF | SS | 5 | 3 |
| 8. Harper | CF | C | Bench | 2B | CF | 3B | 5 | 3 |
| 9. Indy | RF | 1B | Bench | P | RF | 2B | 5 | 3 |
| 10. Jules | Bench | 2B | LF | C | Bench | 1B | 4 | 3 |
| 11. Kai | Bench | SS | CF | 3B | Bench | P | 4 | 3 |
| 12. Lane | Bench | 3B | RF | SS | Bench | C | 4 | 3 |
Try reading Alex's row: pitcher, left field, first base, bench, shortstop, left field. That's 5 innings in the field, including 3 infield innings at pitcher, first base, and shortstop. The bench turn doesn't count toward either total.
Everyone in this plan gets at least 4 fielding innings and 3 infield innings. All 9 positions are filled in every column.
5. Plan for a game that ends early
Rain can make play unsafe, and a field without lights can get too dark to finish the game. A late start or delays can leave less playing time before the field's time limit or the next scheduled game. Any of these can prevent you from playing all 6 planned innings.
Imagine rain ends the game after 4 innings and it's declared a completed game. You planned for Lane to play shortstop in inning 5 and catcher in inning 6. Those innings never happen.
Lane has spent inning 1 on the bench and the next 3 in the outfield, with no infield time. That misses NBLL's minimum of 1 infield inning for a completed game shorter than 6 innings. Moving an infield turn earlier changes the outcome:
Lane's assignments, innings 1–6
- Infield time left too late
- Bench → RF → RF → CF → SS → C. No infield innings by the end of inning 4.
- The earlier rotation shown above
- Bench → 3B → RF → SS → Bench → C. Lane plays third base in inning 2 and shortstop in inning 4, completing both turns before the rain ends this example game.
If you swap Lane with another player, check that player's totals too, so helping Lane doesn't leave someone else short. In the full table above, everyone has fielded for at least 3 innings, including 2 infield innings, after your team's 4th turn in the field.
A stopped game may need to resume on another day or be replayed. Ask the umpire or league whether the game is complete and how any unfinished inning counts toward playing time. Record what each player actually played, including where play stopped.
NBLL local rule 7 covers games stopped by rain or darkness. Majors rule 5 sets time limits. Both are in the linked supplemental rules.
6. Check pitching separately from playing time
A pitch count is the number of pitches a player throws to batters during a game. Rules limit that number and can require days without pitching afterward. A player who pitched yesterday may be allowed to play another field position today but still need rest from pitching.
Rules also restrict when a player can pitch after catching, or catch after pitching. Our sample avoids that combination: nobody plays both pitcher and catcher.
The table uses a different pitcher each inning to show the position changes. You don't need to follow that schedule: choose your pitchers based on who's available, their actual pitch counts, and the rules for your game. None of the sample pitchers returns to pitch after moving to another position.
NBLL sets a lower pitching limit before spring break and uses age-based limits later in the season. Check Majors rule 21 and the current Little League pitching rules for your players' limits. NBLL rule 21 includes exceptions for a pitcher who reaches a limit while facing a batter. Ask an experienced coach or your league to explain when that pitcher can finish facing the batter and how to record the pitches.
Choose a backup pitcher and catcher, and arrange for an adult to track pitches during the game. If your pitcher reaches a limit earlier than expected, you'll know who can take over. Update the rest of the field positions when that happens.
Record pitching from other teams in the app, too. It can only include recorded games when checking who's allowed to pitch.
7. Configure those checks in Who's on Second
In the full app, open your team's rules and configure these settings for the NBLL Majors example:
- Batting order style: choose Continuous so everyone stays in the batting list, including players sitting on defense.
- Compound minimum play: the setting for different playing-time requirements depending on game length. Set 6 or more innings to require 4 defensive innings, including 2 infield innings. Set shorter games to require 2 defensive innings, including 1 infield inning.
- No consecutive bench innings: turn this on to check that nobody sits for 2 innings in a row.
Set the applicable pitching rules separately, using your league's requirements. Selecting Little League doesn't automatically load every NBLL local rule. When reviewing a shortened game, update the game length and assignments to match what was actually played so you're checking the right totals.
You can configure additional rules if your league or coaching plan calls for them. The examples below are optional settings, not extra NBLL Majors requirements:
- Minimum infield innings per game: set how many infield innings everyone needs. You can also set a deadline, such as requiring an infield turn by the end of inning 4.
- Minimum outfield innings per game: for example, give everyone at least 1 inning in left, center, or right field.
- Equal bench time: Alex can't sit a second time until everyone has sat once. This differs from the consecutive-bench rule, which only checks whether someone sits twice in a row.
8. Print the plan, then keep it current
Before printing, read down each inning column: is every field position filled exactly once? Then read across each player's row: do they get enough field and infield time, without sitting twice in a row? Share the plan with your assistant coach so you both know who goes where.
If someone is absent, fill their field position with a player who was scheduled to sit and has practiced that position. Check the remaining bench turns and everyone's totals after the change. For a late arrival, add them to the batting list and remaining field positions as described in step 2.
Save the assignments you actually used, including changes made during the game. The app's Fairness Summary shows playing time by position and on the bench across games. Use that history when deciding who gets which positions next time.
Try arranging positions in the Little League lineup tool or the baseball lineup maker. The public tool is a 5-inning preview. Create an account to build and save a 6-inning plan with your team's rules. Your first 3 saved lineups are free per account.