USSSA Tournament Playing Rules

1. USSSA Tournament Playing Rules

3. Approved Team Line-ups: Teams may bat a nine (9) player line-up, a ten (10) player line-up using an Extra Hitter (EH) or a continuous line-up of all present uniformed players. Such line-up must be declared before the start of the game and used the entire game. Protests If a team protest, they must notify the home plate umpire. The Home Plate umpire will inform the coach that only rules interpretations are protestable and a protest fee of $100.00 cash must be collected prior to calling the tournament director to the field. If the protest is a rules interpretation and the protest fee is collected by the umpire, the umpire will beckon the tournament director to the field to address the protest. The game clock will not be stopped for the protest. Sportsmanship The umpires will handle UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT 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 that team 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 tournament director to handle the situation.

4. Game Lengths A. All 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 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.     A second trip to the same pitcher in the same inning will cause the pitchers automatic removal from the mound (not the game). B.     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.  A pitcher may not return to the mound during the same game once he is removed.

5. 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 be penalized by taking an out when it is the missing players turn to bat. B. If a team is roster batting (9 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 announce, 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. If the player leaving the game is a runner and no legal substitutes are available, the runner is declared out. When the player who has left the game is scheduled to bat and no legal substitutes are available, an out shall be declared for each turn at bat. D. If roster batting, anytime the batting order is reduced by an ejection, an automatic out shall be declared in that batting order position.

6. Run Rules A. all games, including tournament championship games, will be played with a run rule in effect. B. The run rule for 6 inning games will be as follows: 15 runs after 3 innings, 8 after 4 innings. C. The run rule for 7 inning games will be as follows: 15 runs after 3 innings, 12 after 4 innings and 8 after 5 innings. D. In ages 5, 6, 7 & 8-year old games, teams will be limited to 7 runs per inning. 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. All bat boys/girls must have a helmet with 2 earflaps when not in the dugout. C. While on defense, there shall be no equipment outside the dugout; this includes the on deck circle.

7. .Safety Rules cont.’ D. The catcher shall wear all appropriate protective gear including a catcher’s helmet with facemask and either a built in extended throat guard or a separately attached throat guard, chest protector, shin and/or leg guards, and protective cup. E. In age divisions 4U – 12U, the catcher’s helmet shall fully cover both ears. F. Shoes with metal cleats may NOT be worn by players that are playing as 12-year old or younger. G. The use of cell phones is prohibited on the playing field by players, coaches or UMPIRES. Slide Rule A. There is no mandatory slide rule. B. Whenever a tag play is evident, a runner must slide or seek to avoid contact with the fielder and / or catcher. Attempting to jump, leap, or dive over the fielder and / or catcher is not interpreted as seeking to avoid contact. Malicious contact shall supersede all obstruction penalties.

8. Slide Rules cont’. 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 not, then it is a clean play and you have nothing. Umpires need to be careful when making this call as to not eject a payer 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. If a defensive player is obstructing the runner (judgment call by the umpire), contact by the runner is not illegal unless malicious.

9. Speed Up Rules A. At any time, the offensive team may use a courtesy runner for the pitcher and catcher of record the previous inning on defense. The courtesy runner must be a player not presently in the line-up. If no players not presently in the line-up are available, the courtesy runner shall be the player making the last batted out. Rule 8.04.B Comment: The re-entry status of the courtesy runner, pitcher, and catcher shall not be affected by this rule. If at any time, a courtesy runner is determined to be ineligible, a proper replacement pursuant to these rules (if available) will be used without penalty. B. An Intentional Walk may be issued upon announcement from either the pitcher or catcher. The four (4) pitches need not be thrown. C. The batter must keep at least one foot in the batters 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.

10. Substitutions A. A team may bat 9 or 10 (using a extra hitter) or the entire roster. B. If a team is batting the entire roster, there is free substitution on defense, expect for the pitcher. C. If a team is batting 9 or 10 players, any of the starters may be withdrawn and reentered one time, including a player who is the extra hitter, 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 the umpire for weather or other reasons before the game is declared official shall be a suspended game.

11. Time Limits B. 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 and the time expires, the umpire shall announce, “Time has expired, we will complete the inning”. C. If the teams are ready and want to start early, the time will start on the catchers throw down. If the game is starting late, the clock will start on the umpires 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. D. If a game is tied after the regulation number of innings in pool play the games is over. If the game is tied the regulation number of innings in bracket play a tournament tie bracket will be used. Usually this is a Texas Shoot Out, which is bases loaded and one out. Play until there is a winner. E. An inning is deemed to begin at the moment the third out is made in the previous inning. F. The umpires are the sole judge of time there is no official game clock. G. 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.

12. 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. B. 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. C. 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

13. Coach Pitch 8.06 Coach Pitch Specific Rules of Play: 8.06.A Fair Ball Arc: There shall be a twenty (20) foot arc drawn from first (1st) baseline to third (3rd) baseline in front of home plate. A batted ball must go past this line to be a fair ball. For this rule we use the cut of the grass in front of home plate. 8.06.B Safety Arc: There shall be a thirty (30) foot arc drawn from first (1st) baseline to third (3rd) baseline in front of home plate. Infielders must stay behind this line until the ball is hit. 8.06.C Pitching Circle: There shall be a ten (10) foot diameter circle with the front edge set at forty-two (42) feet from the rear point of home plate. 8.06.D Pitcher’s Line: There shall be a line drawn from the pitcher’s circle to the fair ball arc. 8.06.D.1 The pitching coach shall keep one foot on or straddle the pitcher’s line. 8.06.D.2 The pitching coach shall not verbally or physically coach while in the pitching position 8.06.D.3 The pitching coach shall position himself as not to be an obstruction to the defensive team on any possible play once the ball has been hit. Rule 8.06.D.1 – 8.06.D.3 Penalty: If a coach violates this rule after the ball is pitched, obstruction will be called.

14. Coach Pitch Rule 8.06.D.1 – 8.06.D.3 Additional Penalty: If a coach violates this rule before the ball is pitched, First Offense: Warning; Second Offense: Removal of coach as the pitcher for the remainder of the game. 8.06.E The catcher shall receive the pitch in the catcher’s box in a normal baseball manner. If in the umpire’s judgment, the catcher is not receiving the ball in a normal baseball manner, there will be a warning issued. If the act continues after the warning, the offending teams’ manager will be ejected. 8.06.F Ten (10) defensive players shall play in the field with four (4) outfielders. The fourth (4th) outfielder shall not assume an infield position. All outfielders shall stay behind the baselines. 8.06.G The defensive player listed as pitcher shall not leave the pitching circle until the ball is hit. Rule 8.06.G Penalty: The play continues. After the play has ended, the offensive team has the option of taking the result of the play or no-pitch. Rule 8.06.G Additional Penalty: First Offense: Warning ; Second Offense: Removal of player from the pitching position for the remainder of the game. 8.06.H Defensive coaches shall not be allowed on the field of play and shall coach from the dugout. 8.06.I The Infield Fly Rule shall not be in effect at any time.

15. Coach Pitch 8.06.J The batting order shall constitute all present players on the team roster at the beginning of the game. Late arrivals shall be inserted at the bottom of the batting order. All players on the roster shall bat before returning to the top of the batting order. 8.06.J.1 Teams may start a game with eight (8) players. The ninth (9th) & tenth (10th) positions in the batting order will be declared an out each time at bat. A ninth (9th) & tenth (10th) player and all subsequent players may be added to the batting order as soon as they become available. 8.06.K Teams may use free substitution on defense but the batting order shall remain the same. 8.06.L Bunting shall not be allowed. 8.06.M The batter shall receive a maximum of six (6) pitches or three (3) swinging strikes. Rule 8.06.M Comment: A batter that has received less than six (6) pitches and has a count of two (2) swinging strikes shall have his turn at bat extended on foul balls up to the six (6) pitch limit. 8.06.N A player may only be Intentionally Walked once per game by announcement from the defensive team. 8.06.O Runners shall not lead-off or steal bases. A runner is out for leaving the base before the ball is hit or reaches home plate.

16. Coach Pitch

17. “Tournament” Game Cards A. Umpires are responsible for keeping track of the score by inning, number of outs recorded per pitcher, the pitcher’s name (first and last name and number) and listing the final score. Umpires are to print legibly so that there is no question of the above information. B. After the game, umpires are to take the game card immediately to the tournament director. Managers will have (30) minutes to sign the card after their game ends to verify the final score and pitching records at the tournament directors table. Failure to sign the card within the allotted time means that you are in agreement with the contents on the card as scribed by the umpire. C. Umpires are encouraged to present games cards to coaches immediately after the game. If there where problems with a coach/manager during a game take the card to the tournament director do not approach the coach/managers to sign game cards.