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How to Build a Batting Order for 8U Baseball
How to Build a Batting Order for 8U Baseball
At the 8U level, most leagues use a continuous batting order where every player bats regardless of their fielding position. The batting order at 8U should prioritize getting kids at-bats and keeping the game moving — not optimizing for run production. Here's how to build a lineup that's fair, age-appropriate, and gives every kid a good experience.
The Reality of 8U Baseball
At 8U, you're coaching kids who are 6, 7, and 8 years old. Some have played two years of tee ball. Some are holding a bat for the first time. The skill gap is enormous, attention spans are short, and the most important outcome is that every kid has fun and wants to come back next year.
Your batting order matters less than you think at this age — and more than you think for the reasons you're not considering. The order won't determine whether you win. It will determine whether a kid sits in the dugout for 30 minutes waiting to bat and decides baseball isn't for him.
Continuous Batting Order at 8U
Most 8U leagues (and virtually all Little League Minors divisions at this age) use a continuous batting order. Every player on the roster bats in order, all the way through, regardless of who's playing the field in a given inning.
With 11-13 kids on a roster, each player gets 2-3 at-bats per game in a typical 4-inning, 75-minute 8U game. The order you set doesn't create a huge strategic advantage — but it creates a huge experience difference.
How to Set Your 8U Batting Order
Strategy 1: Rotate the leadoff spot every game. Give every kid a turn batting first. At 8U, batting leadoff feels like a big deal. Rotate it game by game so every player gets that experience across the season.
Strategy 2: Alternate stronger and developing hitters. Put a kid who makes consistent contact, then a kid who's still learning, then another consistent hitter. This prevents the back half of the lineup from feeling like a black hole — and keeps the game moving.
Strategy 3: Don't bury your weakest hitter last every game. Kids notice. Parents notice. Rotate so no one is always at the bottom of the order.
Strategy 4: Keep friends near each other. At 8U, the dugout experience matters. Kids waiting to bat with their buddy nearby have more fun than kids sitting alone at the end of the bench. This sounds trivial. It's not, at this age.
Common 8U Batting Order Mistakes
Mistake 1: Optimizing like it's 12U. Putting your three best hitters 1-2-3 every game. You'll score more runs in inning one, but you'll crush the morale of the kids who are always batting 11th.
Mistake 2: Never changing the order. Use the same order for 16 games and the kid who's always 12th knows exactly what that means. Rotate. Every game.
Mistake 3: Overthinking it. At 8U, the difference between your "best" lineup and a random order is maybe one run per game. The difference between a thoughtful, rotating order and a static one is whether three kids quit next year.
Coach Pitch vs. Kid Pitch at 8U
Some 8U leagues use coach pitch (the coach throws to their own batters). Others allow kid pitch with a coach pitch backup. The batting order works the same way in both formats, but kid pitch introduces longer at-bats and more walks, which means fewer at-bats per game. In kid pitch 8U, consider shorter lineups or time-limited innings to make sure everyone gets to bat.
Using Rizzler for 8U Lineups
Rizzler's game planning tool handles continuous batting orders. Set your roster, choose the batting order, and Rizzler rotates the leadoff spot automatically game to game. The free lineup generator is a quick way to build a single-game lineup — the AI batting order on the Pro plan factors in playing time fairness across the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I keep the same batting order for the whole season?
No. Rotate the order so every kid gets different spots across the season. At 8U, development and experience matter more than lineup optimization. Learn more about playing time balance.
Does the batting order really matter at 8U?
Strategically? Not much. Experientially? A lot. A kid who bats 11th every game learns that the coach thinks they're the worst player. Rotating prevents that message.
How many kids should be in the lineup?
At 8U, every kid on the roster bats in a continuous batting order. Typical rosters are 11-13 players.
Should I put my fastest kids at the top?
Speed is a factor, but at 8U, "getting on base" is more about contact and walks than speed. Put a mix of hitters throughout the order and rotate the top spots.
Build your 8U lineup in minutes. Try Rizzler's free lineup generator or sign up for full game planning.
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