How to fill out a lineup card

What goes on the card, what the umpire checks at the plate meeting, and how to track changes during the game.

The lineup card is the one piece of paper the umpire, both dugouts and the scorekeeper all rely on. Most disputes in youth games trace back to a card that was unclear: a missing jersey number, a nickname nobody recognizes, or two copies that don't match. Here is how to fill one out so the plate meeting takes thirty seconds.

Step by step

1. Header. Team name, opponent, date, and whether you are home or visitor. Add the field if your league plays at several sites.
2. Batting order. One player per line, top to bottom, with the jersey number and the player's first initial and last name. The number is what the umpire and the other scorebook track.
3. Positions. Write the starting position for each batter using the standard codes (P, C, 1B…) or numbers (1–9). Use X or leave blank for a player who bats but starts on the bench in a continuous order.
4. Substitutes. List every eligible player not in the starting lineup, with numbers. Players not listed may not be eligible to enter, depending on your league.
5. Absent players. If a rostered player is missing, note it. In leagues with continuous batting, this tells the umpire the order is short on purpose.
6. Sign it if your league asks for a manager signature.
7. Make copies. One for you, one for the plate umpire, one for the opposing manager. They must match line for line.

At the plate meeting

The home team usually hands its card over first, then the visitors. The umpire reads both, may ask about unclear entries, and from that moment the cards are the official lineups. Changes after this point are substitutions and should be reported to the plate umpire, who notes them on their copy.

Writing substitutions during the game

Keep your own copy in the dugout and update it every time you change something. A common shorthand:

T4 = top of the 4th; B4 = bottom of the 4th.

Common mistakes umpires flag

• Jersey numbers missing or not matching the uniforms.
• Nicknames instead of names.
• Two players at the same position, or a position left empty.
• Copies that differ because one was rewritten after a late change.
• Illegible handwriting on a carbon or a photo of a card.

Position code reference

Ready to fill one out? Use the free printable lineup card, or get the pack with umpire sheets that print two matching copies from one set of typing.