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Baseball field dimensions grow with the players. Little League Major and Minor divisions (ages 12 and under) use 60 ft bases and a 46 ft pitching distance, Little League Intermediate (ages 11-13) and PONY Bronco (12U) step up to 70 ft bases and 50 ft pitching, and by ages 13 to 16 most players are on the full 90 ft diamond with a 60 ft 6 in pitching distance shared by high school (NFHS), college (NCAA) and Major League Baseball. Outfield fences follow the same progression, from 200 ft recommended for Little League Majors to at least 325 ft down the lines and 400 ft to center field in MLB.
The table below compares the main youth and adult levels. Pitching distance is measured from the back point of home plate to the front of the pitcher's plate. Home to second is the straight-line diagonal across the infield, which is the number you need when laying out the field.
| Level | Ages | Bases | Pitching distance | Home to second | Mound height | Outfield fence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little League Major and Minor | 12 and under | 60 ft | 46 ft | 84 ft 10 1/4 in | 6 in | 200 ft recommended |
| Little League Intermediate (50/70) | 11-13 | 70 ft | 50 ft | 98 ft 11 3/4 in | 8 in in many 50/70 leagues | 200 ft minimum, 225 ft recommended |
| Little League Junior and Senior | 13-16 | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 10 in | 300 ft recommended |
| High school (NFHS) | High school | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 10 in | 300 ft down the lines, 350 ft to center recommended |
| College (NCAA) | College | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 10 in | 330 ft down the lines, 400 ft to center recommended |
| MLB | Professional | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 10 in | 325 ft down the lines, 400 ft to center required (parks built after 1958) |
Major League Baseball's Official Baseball Rules (Rule 2.01), the NCAA college rules and the NFHS high school rules all use the same 90 ft diamond. If you are building a field for high school or older players, these are the numbers to work from.
Bases are 90 ft apart, and the diagonal from the back point of home plate to second base is 127 ft 3 3/8 in. Bases are 15 in square and 3 to 5 in thick. MLB has used 18 in square bases since the 2023 season, but the 15 in base remains the standard for college, high school and youth play.
The infield grass line is an arc 95 ft from the front of the pitcher's plate. The dirt circle around home plate is 26 ft in diameter (a 13 ft radius), and the cutouts around first, second and third base also use a 13 ft radius.
The regulation mound is 10 in above the level of home plate and 18 ft in diameter, with its center 59 ft from home plate. The pitcher's plate, or rubber, is 24 in wide by 6 in deep, and its front edge sits 60 ft 6 in from the back point of the plate. The mound center and the rubber are not the same point, so measure both.
Home plate is 17 in wide across the front, with two 8 1/2 in sides and two 12 in angled sides that meet at the back point. Each batter's box is 4 ft wide by 6 ft long and sits 6 in from the plate. The catcher's box is 43 in wide and 8 ft deep behind the plate. On-deck circles are 5 ft in diameter, and the coach's boxes at first and third are 10 ft by 20 ft.
MLB recommends 60 ft from home plate to the backstop. For outfield fences, MLB requires at least 325 ft down the foul lines and 400 ft to center field for parks built after 1958. The NCAA recommends at least 330 ft down the lines and 400 ft to center, while the NFHS recommends at least 300 ft down the lines and 350 ft to center for high school fields.
Little League Baseball runs three field sizes, and each division's dimensions are tied to age. The smaller diamond keeps the game playable for younger arms, and the Intermediate size bridges the jump to the full field.
These are the classic little league field dimensions most people picture: bases 60 ft apart, a 46 ft pitching distance and a home-to-second diagonal of 84 ft 10 1/4 in. The mound is 6 in high and 10 ft in diameter. The pitcher's plate is 18 in by 4 in, although a 24 in by 6 in plate is also permitted. Batter's boxes are 3 ft by 6 ft, smaller than the 4 ft by 6 ft box on the full diamond. A 200 ft outfield fence is recommended.
The Intermediate division uses 70 ft bases and a 50 ft pitching distance, which is where the 50/70 name comes from. Home to second is 98 ft 11 3/4 in, or about 99 ft. The fence should be at least 200 ft, with 225 ft recommended. Many 50/70 leagues use an 8 in mound, between the 6 in youth mound and the 10 in regulation mound.
Junior and Senior League players move to the full 90 ft diamond with a 60 ft 6 in pitching distance and a 10 in mound, the same field used by high school, college and professional teams. A 300 ft fence is recommended.
Little League Rule 1.06 requires breakaway (disengage-able) bases. If you are outfitting a chartered Little League field, standard stanchion-style bases will not meet the rule, so budget for a compliant breakaway set.
PONY Baseball changes the field in smaller steps than Little League, adding an 80 ft diamond for 14U players before the jump to 90 ft. The two-year age brackets are shown below.
| PONY division | Age | Bases | Pitching distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shetland | 6U | 60 ft | Varies by league | Same 60 ft base paths as Pinto |
| Pinto | 8U | 60 ft | 38 ft | Shortest pitching distance in the PONY system |
| Mustang | 10U | 60 ft | 46 ft | Same 60/46 layout as Little League Majors |
| Bronco | 12U | 70 ft | 50 ft | Home to second 98 ft 11 3/4 in |
| Pony | 14U | 80 ft | 54 ft | Home to second 113 ft 1 3/4 in; 8 in mound |
| Colt | 16U | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | Regulation diamond |
| Palomino | 18U | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in | Regulation diamond |
Cal Ripken Baseball, the youth arm of Babe Ruth League, plays its Majors division on a 70 ft diamond with a 50 ft pitching distance and its Minors on 60 ft bases with 46 ft pitching. The Babe Ruth 13-15 and 16-18 divisions use 90 ft bases and the 60 ft 6 in pitching distance. A Cal Ripken Majors field therefore matches Little League Intermediate and PONY Bronco, so one 70/50 field can serve all three programs.
Two numbers cause most layout mistakes: the home-to-second diagonal and the mound height. The diagonal depends only on the base distance, so it is the same for any league using that diamond. Mound height is set by the level of play.
| Base distance | Home plate to second base | Typical mound height | Used by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 ft | 84 ft 10 1/4 in | 6 in (softball: no mound) | Little League Major and Minor, PONY Shetland through Mustang, Cal Ripken Minors, all fastpitch softball |
| 65 ft | 91 ft 11 in | No mound | Adult slowpitch softball |
| 70 ft | 98 ft 11 3/4 in | 8 in in many 50/70 leagues | Little League Intermediate, PONY Bronco, Cal Ripken Majors |
| 80 ft | 113 ft 1 3/4 in | 8 in | PONY Pony (14U) |
| 90 ft | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 10 in | MLB, NCAA, NFHS, Little League Junior and Senior, PONY Colt and Palomino, Babe Ruth |
Many schools and parks share space between baseball and softball, so it helps to know how the softball diamond differs. USA Softball, NFHS and NCAA all use 60 ft bases at every fastpitch level, with adult slowpitch on 65 ft bases. Home to second is 84 ft 10 1/4 in, the same as the Little League Major diamond.
Softball has no mound. The pitcher throws from a flat 16 ft diameter circle (8 ft radius) around a 24 in by 6 in pitcher's plate. Fastpitch pitching distance is 43 ft for college, high school and adult women, 40 ft for 12U and 35 ft for 10U. Slowpitch pitches from 50 ft. Batter's boxes are 3 ft by 7 ft. NCAA softball fences are at least 190 ft down the lines with 220 ft to center recommended, and youth fastpitch fences are commonly 200 ft.
You can lay out any size of diamond with two long tapes, a few stakes and the diagonal from the tables above. The method is the same for a 60 ft Little League field or a 90 ft high school field. Only the numbers change.
A 12-piece layout system with a 600 ft cord replaces the loose tapes and stakes, and a dry line marker handles the foul lines and boxes.
Before you buy a single base, confirm the parcel can hold the field at the level you need. Work outward from home plate.
Backstop clearance. MLB recommends 60 ft from home plate to the backstop. Whatever level you build, the area behind the plate needs to hold the 43 in by 8 ft catcher's box and the 26 ft dirt circle around home plate, with room for the catcher and umpire to work.
On-deck circles and coach's boxes. Each on-deck circle is 5 ft in diameter and each coach's box is 10 ft by 20 ft. Both sit in foul territory beside the base lines, so leave open ground outside the first and third base lines rather than fencing tight to the diamond.
Infield footprint. The infield grass line on a regulation field is an arc 95 ft from the front of the pitcher's plate, and the base cutouts use a 13 ft radius. The mound needs its full circle: 18 ft in diameter on the 90 ft field and 10 ft on the Little League Major field.
Outfield depth. Fence distance is the biggest driver of land use. A Little League Major field needs about 200 ft to the fence. Intermediate 50/70 needs 200 ft minimum and 225 ft recommended. Little League Junior and Senior and NFHS high school fields call for 300 ft down the lines, with NFHS recommending 350 ft to center. NCAA recommends 330 ft down the lines and 400 ft to center, and MLB parks built after 1958 must reach 325 ft down the lines and 400 ft to center. Add the backstop distance to the center field distance to estimate the total length of the site.
Multi-use fields. If one field must serve several age groups, build the infield to the largest diamond you need and use portable mounds and movable base anchors for the smaller layouts. The diagonal table above gives the second base location for each size. Portable mounds come in 4 in, 6 in, 8 in and 10 in heights, so a flat 60 ft softball field or a 70 ft youth field can host a mound game without permanent earthwork.
Pitching rubbers. Regulation fields use a 24 in by 6 in plate, such as the Jaypro PR-424 removable rubber with steel ground anchors ($86), the PR-524 step-down ($95) or the wood-filled 12 in by 24 in PR-550 step-down ($137). Little League fields can use the 18 in size: the PR-618 Little League rubber is 4 in by 4 in by 18 in with a PVC core that can be filled with dirt or concrete ($49), and 18 in removable (PR-418, $83) and step-down (PR-518, $63) versions are also available.
Bases. Standard 15 in by 15 in by 3 in bases range from an economy foam-filled set of three with straps and anchors ($83) to flex impact bases ($212), pro-style Hollywood bases with 6 in stanchions and 1 1/2 in ground anchors ($217) and breakaway bases that comply with Little League Rule 1.06 ($386). Pro-style 18 in by 18 in by 3 in bases match the MLB size ($408). A 30 in by 15 in by 3 in double first base comes in white/orange or white/green ($245). For indoor work or practice, a rubber throw-down set with three bases, a home plate and a pitching rubber costs $25.
Home plates and templates. The regulation plate is 17 in wide. Options include the Major League HP-200 with a 1 1/2 in anchor, 17 in wide and 1 1/8 in thick ($191), the HP-250 with five zinc-plated spikes ($178), the Bury-All HP-100 with no edges to catch spikes ($146) and the economy HP-50 ($72). Batter's box templates come in Little League 3 ft by 6 ft ($321), softball 3 ft by 7 ft ($348) and an adjustable galvanized steel model that marks 3 by 6, 3 by 7 and 4 by 7 ft boxes ($269).
The dimensions in this guide come from the MLB Official Baseball Rules (Rule 2.01), the NCAA baseball and softball rules, the NFHS baseball and softball rules, the Little League Baseball official regulations and playing rules (including Rule 1.06 on breakaway bases and the Major, Minor, Intermediate 50/70, Junior and Senior division field specifications), PONY Baseball division rules, Babe Ruth League and Cal Ripken Baseball rules, and USA Softball rules. Local leagues sometimes adopt variations, so confirm with your governing body before finalizing a layout.
JoySport Store carries the field equipment for every level in this guide. Find pitching rubbers in 24 in regulation and 18 in youth sizes, infield bases including 15 in standard, 18 in MLB-size, double first and Little League breakaway sets, home plates from economy to Major League anchor models, portable game and practice mounds in 4 in, 6 in, 8 in and 10 in heights, pitching mounds and field defense for mounds and field protection, and layout systems, string lines and starter tools to measure and mark the diamond.
Little League Major and Minor divisions (ages 12 and under) use 60 ft bases, a 46 ft pitching distance, a home-to-second diagonal of 84 ft 10 1/4 in, a 6 in mound that is 10 ft in diameter, and a 200 ft recommended outfield fence.
60 ft 6 in from the back point of home plate to the front of the pitcher's plate, the same as MLB. The mound is 10 in above home plate level and 18 ft in diameter, with its center 59 ft from home plate.
A field with 70 ft bases and a 50 ft pitching distance, used by Little League Intermediate (ages 11-13), PONY Bronco (12U) and Cal Ripken Majors. Home to second is 98 ft 11 3/4 in, and Little League calls for a 200 ft minimum fence with 225 ft recommended.
It depends on the base distance: 60 ft bases give 84 ft 10 1/4 in, 65 ft bases 91 ft 11 in, 70 ft bases 98 ft 11 3/4 in, 80 ft bases 113 ft 1 3/4 in, and 90 ft bases 127 ft 3 3/8 in.
10 in on 90 ft diamonds (MLB, NCAA, NFHS, Little League Junior and Senior), 8 in for PONY 80 ft fields and many 50/70 leagues, and 6 in for Little League Major and other 60 ft diamonds. Softball has no mound and uses a flat 16 ft pitching circle.
Little League Major recommends 200 ft, Intermediate 50/70 is 200 ft minimum and 225 ft recommended, Little League Junior and Senior recommend 300 ft, NFHS recommends 300 ft down the lines and 350 ft to center, NCAA recommends 330 ft and 400 ft, and MLB requires 325 ft and 400 ft for parks built after 1958.
Bases are 15 in square and 3 to 5 in thick, and MLB has used 18 in bases since 2023. The regulation pitching rubber is 24 in by 6 in, while Little League uses 18 in by 4 in with 24 in by 6 in also permitted. Little League Rule 1.06 requires breakaway bases.
