Outlaws Summer Blast 2019 Tournament Rules Tournament Director for Baseball: Mike Light (616) 560-8161 Summer Blast will be using Tourney Machine for all scheduling and communication this year. ALL teams need to text final scores to Ron at 616-450-8439. Text Example- 8u Outlaws Blue (2) vs 8u Smash Red (1) on GVLL Field 7 at 1pm

*West Michigan Outlaws tournament management will make every effort to treat all teams with fairness. If questions or disputes arise about policies and procedures, coaches shall bring them to the attention of the tournament directors to be dealt with. Any interpretation and decision of the tournament directors shall be final.

MHSSA RULES WILL BE AHERED TO, WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:

BATS:

■ 8u-14u age divisions will use either 2019 USSSA approved 1.15 BPF or BBCOR bats. 15u, 16u and 17u- BBCOR only. No exceptions are allowed. Players found in violation of these rules will be removed from the contest and their roster position will be counted as an for the remainder of the game. A team found violating bat rules more than once in a tournament may be disqualified from the tournament pending approval by the tournament directors.

GAME AND TIMES AND SPECIAL TOURNAMENT RULES:

■ All games will have 1 hour and 45 minute time limits. No new will start after this time limit. Championship games will not have time limits. Mercy rules will be in effect for Championship games. ■ Games will be seven for 13U and up (if time allows) and six innings for 8U-12U. ■ 8U will be player with 9 fielding positions. No walks are allowed. Coaches will enter and finish the after ball four has been delivered. Three strikes will constitute an out. ■ 8U and 9U will not be allowed to advance on a dropped third strike. All other age levels will play dropped third strike. Any player, coach or fan ejected from a game must leave the facility for the remainder of that game. No exceptions. Umpires and the Tournament Directors have the discretion to remove any player, coach or fan from the facility for any length of time deemed appropriate for misconduct. Umpires will hear concerns from head coaches only.

DUGOUTS AND TEAMS ■ Home teams will be determined by a coin flip except in seed play where the higher seed will be the home team. In Pool Play the team that has traveled the greatest distance to attend the tournament will call the flip. In all other instances, the will designate a team as “heads” and the other team as “tails” for the purpose of the flip.

■ selection will be on a first come first-serve basis. LEADING OFF AND STEALING:

■ 9U: Leading off is allowed. Stealing is allowed until the runner reaches 3rd base. At that point, runners must be forced in from 3B by a , a walk or a play made on the runner at 3B by the or . ■ All other age levels will be allowed to lead off and steal according to MHSAA rules and regulations.

MERCY RULE AND TIES:

■ is as follows: 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, 8 runs after 5 innings. ■ Championship Games will utilize the mercy rule ■ Ties will not be played out once time has expired. If a game is tied after time the allotted number of innings (including championship games), and assuming that time still remains, international rules will apply. The last player to record an out of any kind will be placed on second base with one out. Every batter will start the at bat with a 1-1 . The same situation will apply for both teams for the remainder of the game until time expires or the tie is broken.

STANDINGS FOR SEED PLAY: To determine standings, the following rules will apply in the following order: o Overall Record o Head to Head o Runs Allowed o Runs Scored o Coin Flip with the team traveling the furthest distance from the facility calling the flip. ORDER RULES:

■ MHSAA pitcher/catcher courtesy runners will be allowed for all aged levels 9U and above. Courtesy runners will be either the last batted out, or substitute players (12U and above) not listed in the lineup. ■ Rocket Rule batting (batting a continuous lineup using all the players on your roster, with free positional substitutions) is allowed at all age levels, and required for 9U and below, as long as stated by the Head Coach prior to the start of the contest. Once adopted, this order cannot be altered for the duration of the game. Teams 11U and younger must bat everyone on the roster. If a player is injured and unable to bat, that player will not be counted as an out, but will not be able to return to the lineup for any reason for the remainder of the contest. Teams 12U and above may elect to bat nine, bat nine with one hitter being a DH (), or bat nine with an additional player being designated as the EH (Extra Hitter). Free positional substitution for all starters is allowed, including the EH as long as the remains the same. Changes to the batting order via substitutions must be communicated to both the umpire and to the opposing head coach. ■ All other batting order adoptions must conform to MHSAA rules

PITCHING RULES:

■ There will be no pitching restrictions for this tournament. The West Michigan Outlaws encourage all coaches to be proactive in protecting the health and well-being of their players. This includes properly managing age appropriate and player appropriate pitch counts. ■ warnings will be issued (one per pitcher per game) for 8U- 11U. 12U will be allowed one balk warning per game per team. 13U and up will not be issued warnings for . SCORE SHEETS:

■ All Baseball Teams must text final game scores to 616-450-8439 no later than 30 minutes after the completion of the game. The text must include the team names, final score, field number and time. Failure to text in a score will result in a loss for the team. ■ 8U-11U will have one umpire ■ 12U and up will have two umpires when possible ■ Championship games for 8U and 9U will utilize one umpire. Championship games for 10U-17U will utilize two umpires. WEATHER AND ACTS OF NATURE:

■ Games may be shortened if weather conditions dictate. Game cancellations will be approved by the tournament directors. There will be no refunds for games lost due to weather or other acts of nature. FIELD DIMENSIONS: -- 8U 40/60 --9U-10U 46/60 --11U 50/65 --12U 50/70 --13U 54/80 --14U and up 60/90 *Every effort will be made to make sure base distances, pitching distances, and field dimensions are accurate. Because we use many different public facilities, dimensions are sometimes slightly off. So as long as the field dimensions are reasonable and the same for both teams, play shall not be stopped to reinstall bases or pitching rubbers.

ROSTERS:

■ All coaches must be ready to present rosters, Birth Certificates, and proof of insurance at any time during tournament play as directed by a tournament director. Roster challenges submitted to an umpire by a coach will result in a $50 non-refundable fee to be paid by the team lodging the protest/challenge. Teams found in violation of roster rules will be disqualified from the tournament.