Rules for Qualifying Tournaments and the
Appeals
A.
There are two types of appeals, a live
ball appeal and a dead ball appeal.
B.
The defense may appeal during a live
ball immediately following the play and before the next pitch (legal or
illegal), granting an intentional base on balls, or before the next play or
attempted play. If the offensive team initiates a play before the next
pitch (legal or illegal), the defensive team does not lose the right to
appeal. A defensive player may make a live ball appeal with the
ball in his possession by tagging the runner or touching the base that was
missed or left too early.
C.
A coach or any defensive player with or
without the ball may make a dead ball appeal by verbally stating that
the runner missed the base or left the base too early.
D.
All appeals must be made 1) before the
next pitch (legal or illegal); 2) at the end of an inning, before the pitcher
and all infielders have left fair territory; 3) before and intentional base on
balls is granted; or 4) on the last play of the game, before the umpires leave
the fenced area of the playing field.
Coach Pitch
A.
Each batter will be allowed five (5)
pitches. If a batter hits a foul ball on the fifth pitch, he will be
allowed to continue batting until he does not make contact with the ball, puts
the ball in play.
B.
A fair batter ball hitting a coach pitcher
will be declared a foul ball if the umpire rules that the coach pitcher’s
contact with the ball was unintentional. If in the umpire’s judgment a
coach pitcher intentionally makes contact with a batted ball, the batter will
be out and no runner can advance.
C.
Play shall be stopped and the ball ruled
dead when returned to the infield. The umpire shall determine the
position of the runners when the ball becomes dead.
D.
All teams must roster bat for all games
and use (10) defensive players.
E.
The catcher shall be located in the
catcher’s box, no more than four (4) feet behind home plate.
F.
There will be no: 1) Base on Balls 2) Base
Awards for Hit By Pitcher 3) Infield Fly Rule 4) Base Stealing 5) Bunting
(players must take a full swing).
G.
Runners may not leave their bases until
the pitched ball crosses the front edge of home plate. A runner who
leaves early will be declared out and the pitch will be called a no pitch.
H.
A coach pitcher is prohibited from
coaching while in the pitching position either physically or verbally.
I.
Courtesy runners are allowed for the
catcher only.
Designated Hitter (only ages 15-18)
A.
The designated hitter rules below apply to
ages 15-18. There is no designated hitter in ages 14U and below.
B. A hitter may
be designated (not mandatory) for any one starting player and all subsequent
substitutes for that player.
C. A
starting defensive player cannot be listed as the designated hitter in the
starting lineup.
D.
Failure to declare a designated hitter
prior to the game precludes the use of the designated hitter during the game.
E.
The role of the designated hitter is
terminated for the remainder of the game when: 1) The defensive player or any
previous defensive player for whom the designated hitter subsequently bats,
pinch-hits or pinch-runs for the designated hitter or 2) The designated hitter
or any previous designated hitter assumes a defensive position.
Protests
A. If a team
protests, they must notify the home plate umpire and the umpire will beckon the
tournament director to the field to address the protest. The game clock
will not be stopped for the protest.
Rosters
A. Rosters must
be online in the USSSA computer before any team plays in a sanctioned USSSA
event. Rosters are public information that can be accessed by any
director, coach or parent. The success of the USSSA roster system depends
on the accountability of many. To that extent, the following rule has
been implemented beginning with 2006 USSSA events:
"Your opponent's roster is available at the USSSA team
website for your review. Please verify the legality of your opponent's
game roster before you take the field. Commencement of play designates
your acceptance of your opponent's roster and game results will not be
changed. Any coach guilty of fraud in regards to a roster will immediately
be suspended from play and reported to the USSSA State Director."
Therefore, regarding
rosters, the only protestable offense after a game
begins is the use of a player that does not appear on a roster at all.
Sportsmanship
A. The umpires
will handle UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT if the unsportsmanlike conduct is on the
field of play. If an umpire has a problem with a fan or parent outside of
the field, the umpire should go to the manager of the team that the problem is
with and have the manager handle the situation. If the manager fails to
handle the situation then the umpire will eject the manager from the
game. The manager then has the option of handling the situation himself
or getting a facility director to handle the situation.
Game Lengths
A.
All 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
year old games will be six innings of play. All 13,14,15,16,17
& 18 year old games will be seven innings of play.
Pitching Limits
A.
All age groups that are scheduled for six
(6) innings, a pitcher may not pitch more than eighteen (18) outs in any given
day. All age groups that are scheduled for seven (7) innings, a pitcher
may not pitch more than twenty-one (21) outs in any given day.
B.
For all age groups, a pitcher may not
pitch more than twenty-seven (27) outs in a week (Monday thru Sunday) or a
specific tournament no matter if it is a three, four or five game guarantee.
C.
A second trip to the same pitcher in the
same inning will cause the pitcher’s automatic removal from the mound (not the
game).
D.
When a pitcher takes his position at the
beginning of each inning, or when he relieves another pitcher, he shall be
permitted to pitch not to exceed eight (8) preparatory pitches to his catcher
during which play shall be suspended.
Lineup
Roster Batting
A.
If a team is batting the entire roster,
and a member is unable to continue due to injury or illness, the team will not
be penalized when it is the missing players turn to bat. His batting spot
will be skipped over without penalty.
However, he may not re-enter the game.
B.
If a team is roster batting (nine or more
players) and a player on the original lineup card arrives before the entire
lineup has been batted, he may be added to the end of the batting order
provided he is announced to both the plate umpire and the opposing team when he
arrives to the field. Once announced, he will be placed at the end of the
batting order.
C.
Players who arrive late for the start of
the game shall be added to the team batting order at the end of the lineup and
bat when this position comes up. Players who must leave before the end of
the game may do so, but they may not return to the game. Their position
in the batting order will be ignored for the rest of the game and no out will
be charged unless the batting order fall below nine players.
D.
If roster batting, any time the
batting order is reduced by an ejection, an automatic out shall be declared in
that batting order position.
Run Rules
A.
All games, including tournament
championship games, will be played with a run rule in effect.
B.
The run rule for all games will be as
follows: 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings and 8 runs
after five innings.
C.
In ages 5,6,7
& 8-year-old games, teams will be limited to seven (7) runs per inning.
D.
In ages 5,6,7
& 8-year-old games, mathematical elimination will apply.
Safety Rules
A.
While on offense, only the batter and the
on deck batter shall be outside of the dugout fence.
B.
A bat boy/girl may leave the dugout to
retrieve a bat after all playing action is completed.
C.
All bat boys/girls must have a helmet with
two earflaps when not in the dugout.
D.
While on defense, there shall be no
equipment outside the dugout; this includes the on deck circle.
E.
Catchers are required to wear helmets that
protect both ears and the back of the head. Either throat protector or
mask protecting the throat must be worn. Skullcaps are not permitted.
Catchers are also required to wear a protective cup.
F.
A player participating in a USSSA
sanctioned game shall not wear jewelry. PENALTY: The umpire shall
ask the player to remove the jewelry. Play shall not be resumed until the
jewelry is removed or the player is replaced. This is not an ejection or
an out. Medical alert bracelets or necklaces are not considered
jewelry. If worn, they must be taped to the body so as to remain visible.
G.
Shoes with metal cleats may not be worn by
players that are playing as a twelve (12) year old or younger.
H.
The use of cell phones is prohibited on
the playing field by players, coaches or umpires.
I.
If the runner from third base is running
toward home plate attempting to steal or is participating in a squeeze play,
the following apply: 1) The batter has two options take the pitch or attempt to
bunt the pitch. PENALTY – Failure to do so will result in the following:
1) The batter is called out 2) All runners return to
the base occupied at the time of the pitch 3) The third base coach is
ejected. NOTE: With the bases loaded, three balls and two strikes
on the batter, coaches please have your runner on third start running towards
the third base dugout and not sprinting towards home plate.
UMPIRES: In this situation, please be aware that this is not a steal play
or squeeze play if the batter swings the bat. Do not enforce the penalty
with this circumstance.
Slide Rule
A.
A legal slide can be either feet first or head first. If a runner slides feet
first, at least one leg and buttock shall be on the ground. If a runner
slides he must slide within the reach of the base with either a hand or a foot
without going past the base.
B.
On a force play if the runner slides, it
must be on the ground in a direct line between the two bases, stopping at the
base. The runner may slide or run in a direction away from the fielder to
avoid making contact or altering the play of the fielder. PENALTY – An illegal
slide causes both the runner and the batter-runner to be called out and all
other runners to return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch.
C.
No player shall initiate malicious
contact. The question of what is malicious is umpire judgment.
PENALTY – The player initiating malicious contact shall be removed from the
game. NOTE: There can be a collision where both players go
head over heals and not be malicious contact. The key for malicious
contact is "intent", umpires need to ask themselves when making the
call, "Did the runner deliberately or intentionally run into the fielder
to break up the play or cause harm to the fielder?" If your
answer is yes, then you have malicious contact, if your answer is no, then it
is a clean play and you have nothing. Umpire's
need to be careful when making this call as to not eject a player if the intent
is not there. Keep in mind that the younger ages are just
learning the game and sometimes there will be contact by the runner not sliding
and running into the catcher. Remember the key word is
"INTENT".
D.
Runners are never required to slide, but
if a runner elects to slide the slide must be legal.
E.
To prevent contact, if the fielder has the
ball or his receiving of the ball is imminent the runner has the following
choices: 1) Slide 2) Give Up 3) Go Around or 4) Go Back
If contact results due to the runner failing to do one of the above, the
runner shall be declared out and ejected from the game.
F.
If a defensive player is obstructing the
runner (judgment call by the umpire), contact by the runner is not illegal
unless malicious.
Speed Up Rules
A.
At anytime with time remaining on the
clock, the team at bat may use courtesy runners for both the pitcher and/or
catcher of record. Running for the incoming pitcher and catcher is not
permitted. Once time has expired, courtesy runners will not be
permitted. The same runner may not run for both the pitcher and the
catcher in the same half inning. A courtesy runner will be designated as
a player not in the batting order or if roster batting, the last out (not
necessarily the last batted out). Courtesy runners are mandatory for the
catcher with two outs provided time has not expired. Courtesy runners for
the catcher are optional before two are out.
B.
The defensive team may give an intentional
base on balls by having its catcher or coach request the umpire to award the
batter first base. This may be done before pitching to the batter or on
any ball and strike count. It is a dead ball when an intentional base on
balls is being awarded, no runners can be put out or advance. An
intentional base on balls is only in effect for ages nine (9) and above.
There will be no intentional base on balls for coach pitch or tee ball games.
C.
The batter must keep at least one foot in
the batter’s box throughout his time at bat with the following exceptions: 1)
The batter swings at the pitch 2) The batter is forced out of the box by the
pitch 3) The batter attempts a drag bunt 4) The pitcher or catcher makes a play
or attempted play at any base 5) The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the
pitching mound 6) The plate umpire calls time 7) The catcher does not catch a
pitched ball. If the batter leaves the batters box and one of the above
exceptions does not apply, the umpire may call an automatic strike if he
determines leaving the batters box delayed the game. The batters box is
defined in the rulebook even if it is not marked on the field and
all batters box restrictions still apply.
D. There will be
no infield warm up between games in tournament play.
Starting A Game
A.
Teams can start a game with eight (8)
players provided they take an out for the 9th player. If a
team has not taken the field ten (10) minutes after the scheduled start time of
a game, the game will be declared a forfeit. Teams must have a minimum of
eight (8) players to start a game. Anything less than eight, the game
will be declared a suspended game and will not be rescheduled. The
suspended game will then be ruled a forfeit by the tournament director.
Umpires have no authority to forfeit a game only tournament directors have that
authority.
B.
Teams having eight (8) players to start a
game will automatically be the visiting team.
C.
If a teams’ ninth player arrives late to
the game, the manger of that team must make an announcement at the plate
conference before the game begins and advise both the plate umpire and the
opposing team that he has a player that will be arriving late. When the
player arrives, he will be announced to both the plate umpire and the opposing
team and be placed in the ninth spot in the batting order. The game will
resume as if he was there at the start of the game.
D.
If batting nine players a team drops below
nine eligible players due to an ejection, an automatic out shall be declared in
that batting order position, providing there is no eligible substitute.
E. Teams will
flip for home team in pool play games. In the elimination rounds of
tournaments, the higher seeded team will be the home team.
Substitutions
A.
A team may bat nine, with or without a
designated hitter (15U-18U) or the entire roster.
B.
If a team is batting the entire roster,
there is free substitution on defense, except for the pitcher.
C.
If a team is batting nine players, any of
the starters may be withdrawn and reentered one time, including a player who is
the designated hitter (15U-18U), provided such player returns to the lineup in
the same batting position in which he left.
Suspended Games
A.
If a game is called due to weather or
other hazardous conditions, it will be ruled an official game provided 3 ½
innings have been completed if the home team is ahead or four innings if the
home team is behind.
B.
All games stopped by an umpire for weather
or other reasons before the game is declared official shall be a suspended
game.
Tournament Refunds
A. Tournament
refunds will be rewarded for every guaranteed game not played in a
tournament. A refund equal the registration fee divided by the number of
guaranteed games, less an administration fee of no more than $50.00, will be
refunded if a team gets less than it's number of
guaranteed games.
Teams that pull out of a tournament before scheduling will receive a full
refund. Teams that pull out after the tournament schedule has been
posted, will receive back all remaining funds after any teams have been paid
back for guaranteed games not received due to the team not playing in the
tournament, less an administration fee of no more than $50.00.
Teams
A.
Each team is required to have an online
roster at www.usssa.com before they can be
scheduled for any USSSA tournament event.
Time Limits
A.
Innings that start within the time limit
will be completed. The umpire shall announce, if the home team is batting
and winning, “Time has expired, ball game”. If the visiting team is
batting and behind in the score and time expires, the umpire shall announce, “ Time has expired, we will complete the inning”. Game are
B.
If the teams are ready and want to start
early, the time will start on the catcher’s throw down. If the game is
starting late, the clock will start on the umpire’s announcement of start at
the completion of the pre-game conference. No umpire shall ever start the
clock without making an announcement to both teams.
C.
If a game is tied after the regulation
number of innings and time still remains, the game will continue one extra
inning to determine a winner. If the game is still tied after one extra
inning, the game ends in a tie, even if additional time remains.
D.
An inning is deemed to begin at the moment
the third out is made in the previous inning.
E.
The umpires are the sole judge of time as
long as there is no official game clock.
F.
The umpire shall not stop the clock unless
there is a serious injury or a weather delay that stops the game. The
umpires on the field will determine a serious injury and the decision to stop
the clock is of umpire judgment.
G. All championship games will be 6 innings
long, no time limit in effect. The run
rules will be in effect.
Tournament Game Cards
A.
Umpires are responsible for keeping track
of the score by innings, number of out recorded per pitcher and listing the
final score. Umpires are to print legibly so that there is no question of
the above information.
B.
Make sure you sign and observe your game
cards after the game. Double check your
teams pitching totals from the card.
Those cards are the official pitching records. Managers will have 30 minutes to sign the
card after their game ends to verify final score and pitching records. Failure to sign the card within the allotted
time means that you are in agreement with the contents of the card as scribed
by the umpire.
Tournament Reporting and Seeding
A.
Teams will be seeded for elimination play
using the following criteria:
1) Won-Loss
2) Least Runs Allowed
3) Run Differential (Using + - 8 runs max. per game)
4) USSSA Points
5) Coin Flip
B.
Place settings will be determined by:
1) Highest Round Advanced to.
2) Winner-Loser
3) Won-Loss
4) Head to Head
5) Least Runs Allowed
6) Run Differential (Using + - 8 runs max. per game)
7) USSSA Points
8) Tie