Cenla Baseball Qualifying Tournaments Rules
USSSA Playing Rules
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.
For ages 6,7, and 8’s will play 1:00/6
innings, Teams 11 and Under will be 1:30/6 innings, Teams 12 and over will play
1:45/ and 6 or 7 innings depending on age.
B.
EACH TEAM IS TO BE READY TO PLAY 30
MINUTES PRIOR TO SCHEDULE GAME TIME.
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.
A pool play game can end in a tie.
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, 7 innings for teams 13 and over, or 10 min longer
than Pool Games. The run rules will be
in effect.
.
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
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, 8 runs after 4 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.
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) Heads Up
5) Coin Flip
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. For ages 12 and under if they pitch more than 18 outs in 1 day they
are ineligible to pitch the next 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, if he pitches more than 21 outs he is ineligible the next day to
pitch.
B.
For
age groups 7 & 12, the maximum number of innings a pitcher can pitch
in 3 consecutive days twenty-seven (27)
outs, 13 & 14 thirty three (33) is the max in 3 consecutive days. Any player 14 and under that pitches 3
consecutive days must rest 2 consecutive days. Pitchers 15 and Up is unlimited.
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 falls 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
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.
. Protests
A. If a team
protests, It must be in writing accompanied with a
Non-Refundable fee of $100.00. 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.
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.
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.
J. If a batter squares to bunt to entice the fielders in, he can not pull
back and hit the ball,
PENALTY- Dead Ball Batter is out.
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.
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.
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 $100.00.
These
rules are in affect as of May 8, 2008.