The distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate in Little League baseball depends on the age of the participants. For players up to age 12, the official Little League field specifications call for 46 feet. This is the distance used in the Little League World Series. For players age 13 and older, the distance is 60 feet, 6 inches -- the same distance used at the top levels of baseball.
Junior League Exception
Little League's rules allow one exception on the distance between the pitching mound and home plate. For the Junior League division, which includes players ages 13 and 14, local Little League affiliates can use a pitching distance of 54 feet rather than that age group's standard 60 feet, 6 inches. This exception applies only to regular-season local league play. Once teams from those leagues advance to postseason tournaments, they must play with the 60-foot, 6-inch distance.
Measurements
The mound-to-home measurement is specifically the distance between the pitcher's plate and home plate. The pitcher's plate, also called the pitching rubber, is a block of hard rubber or wood, 2 feet long by 6 inches wide, set level with the top of the pitcher's mound. The pitcher must keep one foot on the rubber when delivering the ball to the batter.
PONY Leagues
The PONY youth baseball organization has a graduated series of distances between the pitcher's mound and home plate. For Shetland League, players ages 4-6, PONY requires a distance of 35 feet from the rubber to the plate. For Pinto League, for ages 7-8, it requires 38 feet. For Mustang League, ages 9-10, it requires 44 feet. For Bronco League, ages 11-12, it requires 48 feet. For PONY League, ages 13-14, it requires 54 feet. The highest levels -- Colt League, ages 5-16, and Palomino League, ages 17-18 -- use 60 feet, 6 inches
Babe Ruth League
The Babe Ruth League youth baseball organization uses the same distances as Little League. For the "Cal Ripken" division, made up of players age 12 and younger, the pitching distance is 46 feet. For the "Babe Ruth" division, encompassing players ages 13 to 18, the distance is 60 feet, 6 inches.
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