NEO USSSA BASEBALL

Welcome to NEO USSSA Baseball and thank you for participating in this USSSA World Qualifier Tournament.  We hope your team has a great time and wish you all the best of luck.  If there is something we can do to make your experience more enjoyable, please let us know!

Entry Fees:   All entry fees must be paid before your team will be entered into a Tournament.  If a team withdraws from a Tournament once the bracket has been drawn, they will be responsible for paying the entry fee anyway.

Refunds:   If rain or inclement weather forces a Tournament cancellation, refunds will be given based on # of games played.  If 1 game has been played, teams will receive 1/2 their entry fee back and if 2 games have been played no refund

Home Team:   Home team will be determined by coin flip during pool play.  Team on top of bracket or listed first in pool play will occupy third base dugout.  Highest seed in bracket play is home.  Flip for home in the championship game.

Time Limits:  Coach Pitch:  6 innings or 1 hour 15min    9 – 12 yr olds:  6 innings or 1hr 30 min    13 – 16 yr olds:  7 innings or 1hr 30 min      Pool play games may end in a tie/ 2 hr time limit on Championships   Game times may be adjusted….based on field space, # of teams, weather etc

Roster:   All rosters must be online at www.usssa.com   No player may be added after a team has played their first game.  Pickup players must be written in at the bottom of an official roster printed from the USSSA website.

Run Rule:   20 anytime     or     15 after 3,  8 after 4 (6 Innings)     or     15 after 3, 12 after 4, 8 after 5 (7 Innings)

Tie Breakers:    win/loss record,  head to head (between 2 teams only), runs allowed,  runs scored,  coin toss

Extra hitter:   In 9-14 age groups an extra hitter will be allowed.  If a team starts with an extra hitter and is not able to finish with this position filled, that slot will be an automatic out when that position is scheduled to bat.

Protest:   All protests will be resolved by Tournament Officials.  No protests will be allowed on judgment calls.  The umpire must be notified before the next pitch is thrown.  The manager protesting must present a $100 cash protest fee, before the protest will be accepted.  If you win your protest, the full fee will be refunded.  If your protest is not upheld, you will forfeit the protest fee.

Ejections:   Any coach or parent ejected from a game must leave the complex immediately for the rest of the game.  They may return for the next game.  If they are ejected after a game has completed, they must sit out the next game.  If a player is ejected from a game, they must return to the bench and remove their uniform top for the remainder of that game.   They may return for the next game unless the ejection occurred after the game has been completed.  In that case, they must sit out the next scheduled game. Additional penalties may be imposed by the Tournament Director is necessary.

Gate Fees:   Gate fees will be $7 for adults and $4 for children 6-12 yrs and Seniors 65 or older.  Children under 6 are free    Any team with any fan not paying gate fee will be subject to forfeiture of a game.  Please be sure your parents are aware of the fees and the penalty for not paying them.  NO GATE ADMISSION REFUNDS ON RAINOUTS!

NEO USSSA Baseball

Tournament Pitching Rules

We will use the USSSA Official Pitching rules for Tournaments.  Please see the USSSA Rules 8.05 for a full explanation of the pitching rules.  http://www.usssa.com/usssa/usssa-general/BaseballBylawsCurrent.pdf

Age	ONE DAY MAXIMUM TO PITCH THE NEXT DAY:	ONE DAY MAXIMUM	THREE DAY MAXIMUM
9U – 12U	3	6	8
13U –14U	3	7	8

Please Keep accurate records to avoid forfeit of games due to pitching violations.  Record pitchers and outs for each game.  Verify with the umpire the outs he has recorded for your game as his record is the official pitching record.

Coach Pitch Rules

1.   Fair Ball Arc:  There will be a twenty (20) foot arc drawn from First (1st) baseline to third (3rd) baseball in front of home        plate.  A batted ball must go past this line to be a fair ball.

2.   Safety Arc:  There will 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.

3.  Pitching Circle:  There will be a ten (10) foot diameter circle with the front edge set at forty-two (42) feet from the back point of home plate.  The pitching coach must keep one foot on or straddle the pitcher’s line.  The pitching coach cannot coach while he is in the pitching position, either verbally or physically and once the ball has been hit, must position himself as not to be an obstruction to the defensive team on any possible play.  Penalty:  If a coach violates this rule after the ball is pitched, then the obstruction will be called.  If a coach violates this rule before the ball is pitched, he will be warned.  On his second offense, he will be removed from the pitching coach for the remainder of the game.

4.  Ten (10) defensive players will play in the field with four (4) outfielders which must stay behind the baselines

5.  No lead off or stealing.   No bunting.   No infield fly rule is ever in effect.    Teams will use 9″ baseballs.

6.  Free substitution on the defense.

7.  Teams will bat their roster and the batting order will remain the same throughout the game.  Late comers will be added to the bottom of the lineup.

8.  A player may only be intentionally  walked once per game by announcement from the defensive game.

9.  Umpires will call “time” after every play and declare the ball dead.  “Time should be called as soon as the lead runner is not attempting to advance.  “Time” does not have to be called by the defense for the purpose of this rule.

10.  Pitching rules:  Coach Pitch – 6 pitches or 3 swinging strikes.  Batter will continuing batting if his last strike is fouled off.  The offensive side is retired when 3 outs or seven runs are scored.

11.  The defensive player listed as pitcher cannot leave the pitching circle until the ball is hit.  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.  If a player violates this rule on his  first offense he will be warned.  On his second offense  he will be removed  from the pitching position for the remainder of the game.

12.  A team may use a courtesy runner for the catcher anytime he gets on base.  The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out.  If no outs, the courtesy runner shall be the last batter who is not on base.

13.  When a batted ball hits the Pitching Coach, the following rules will apply.  If in the umpires judgment, the coach did not make a legitimate attempt  to avoid contact, the batter is declared out and no runners shall advance.  If in the umpires judgment, the coach did make a legitimate attempt to avoid contact, the ball becomes dead and no-pitch is declared.

14.  Rules not addressed here will follow the USSSA National Rules.   Have fun and remember these are just little boys.