NFHS baseball rules govern unless modified by these tournament rules or an event-specific notice. The tournament director has final authority over items not specifically covered and may make the fairest ruling available when conditions require it.Coaches may not cross a foul line while addressing an official.• First offense: warning.• Second offense: confined to the dugout.• Third offense: ejection.Coach-to-player electronic communication devices are allowed. Airhorns are prohibited at all events.

The official game clock begins with the first pitch. The umpire’s clock is the official time.• 9U–12U: six innings or 1 hour 30 minutes.• 13U–14U: seven innings or 1 hour 40 minutes.Games end when a team leads by:• 12 runs after three innings.• 10 runs after four innings.• 8 runs after five innings.If the home team is already ahead by the required margin, it does not bat in the bottom half of that inning.

Home team:• Pool play: determined by coin flip.• Bracket play: the higher seed is home.• If the lower-seeded team wins the undefeated game and reaches the championship undefeated, that team remains home.• An “if” game uses a coin flip.Official game:• Seven-inning games are official after four complete innings, or 3½ if the home team leads.• Six-inning games are official after three complete innings, or 2½ if the home team leads.• A stopped game that is not in a complete inning reverts to the last completed inning.Weather and stoppages:• Makeup games depend on available time. Teams are responsible for monitoring schedule changes and keeping current contact information on file.• Special schedule requests cannot be guaranteed after weather changes.• A stopped game must restart within one hour unless the director extends that period for field work, lightning procedures, or another exceptional condition.• A suspended game resumes from the point it stopped.• If an official pool game ends tied, it is recorded as a tie.• Weather cancellations may use the published tiebreakers to determine pool winners and bracket qualifiers.• Awards are normally issued only after teams reach the championship. If a championship cannot be completed after both finalists qualify and too few innings were played to determine a winner, both finalists receive awards.Forfeits:• A pool-play forfeit places the forfeiting team in the final seed.• The tournament committee decides all forfeits and may adjust the outcome to prevent an unfair competitive benefit. Its decision is final.

Age is determined as of May 1 of the current season.• 7U: a player turning 8 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 1st grade; a player turning 9 before May 1 is ineligible.• 8U: a player turning 9 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 2nd grade; a player turning 10 before May 1 is ineligible.• 9U: a player turning 10 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 3rd grade; a player turning 11 before May 1 is ineligible.• 10U: a player turning 11 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 4th grade; a player turning 12 before May 1 is ineligible.• 11U: a player turning 12 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 5th grade; a player turning 13 before May 1 is ineligible.• 12U: a player turning 13 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 6th grade; a player turning 14 before May 1 is ineligible.• 13U: a player turning 14 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 7th grade; a player turning 15 before May 1 is ineligible.• 14U: a player turning 15 before May 1 is ineligible unless in 8th grade; a player turning 16 before May 1 is ineligible.Players who meet the division age are eligible regardless of grade. The source rule permits up to three grade-exempt players from 6U through 13U. At 14U, all eighth-grade players are eligible and no separate grade-exemption limit applies.

• Force plays at second, third, or home: a runner who chooses to slide must slide directly into the base. Every runner must avoid violent contact. Failure to avoid a collision results in an out; malicious contact also results in ejection.• The force-play slide rule applies to every age group. Headfirst slides are legal.• Courtesy runners are allowed for the pitcher and catcher at 9U–14U. Use an eligible substitute when the team is not batting everyone; otherwise use the last recorded out. If that player is the pitcher or catcher, use another eligible runner.• An intentional walk at 9U–14U may be awarded without throwing pitches.• A starter may re-enter once in the same batting-order position. A substitute may not re-enter. A pitcher removed from the mound may not return as pitcher.• In the windup, the pitcher’s free foot may be on, in front of, behind, or beside the rubber.• Two mound visits are allowed without removing the pitcher. The pitcher must be removed on the third visit and on every later visit. Visits do not reset for a new pitcher; a removal visit is not charged.• A balk is a dead ball. A fake to third followed by a throw to first is legal.• Slash bunting, meaning showing bunt and then swinging away, is prohibited from 7U through 13U. The batter is out.

9U–12U:• 35 pitches or fewer: eligible to pitch the next day.• Daily maximum: 75 pitches.• Three-day maximum: 110 pitches.13U–14U:• 35 pitches or fewer: eligible to pitch the next day.• Daily maximum: 85 pitches.• Three-day maximum: 120 pitches.A pitcher may appear in no more than two games in one day. A player who throws 36 or more pitches in a day is not eligible to pitch the next day.Four-day World Series limits:• 9U–12U: 145 pitches over four days.• 13U–14U: 155 pitches over four days.The regular daily maximums still apply. A pitcher who exceeds 35 pitches must rest the following day. Once the four-day maximum is reached, the player may not pitch again in that tournament.

Finish the batter: a pitcher who reaches a limit during an at-bat may finish that batter, then must leave the mound. Pitches thrown beyond the limit to finish that batter are not added to the limit total.Mandatory rest:• More than 35 pitches in one day requires rest the next day.• A 9U–12U player who reaches 110 pitches over two consecutive days must rest the next day in a tournament lasting three or more days.• A 13U–14U player who reaches 120 pitches over two consecutive days must rest the next day in a tournament lasting three or more days.• Any player who pitches on three consecutive days must rest the next day, regardless of total pitches.• Pitches thrown in a game that later becomes a forfeit still count.• Any pitch beyond a legal maximum creates a violation.Pitch-count protest:• Challenge the violation immediately while the pitcher is still on the mound.• Stop play and notify the umpire. The clock stops while the director reviews the official pitch-count record.• First violation: remove the pitcher, replace the pitcher with an eligible player, and eject the coach.• Second season violation: team forfeits the game.• Third season violation: team is removed from remaining tournaments for the season.• Questions about the previous day’s count must be raised before the team’s first game the following day.It is recommended that a player not pitch and catch in the same game and not pitch in more than one game per day.

Bats may be wood, aluminum, or another approved material. Non-wood bats must display an accepted BPF 1.15, USA Baseball, or BBCOR mark unless the model appears on the prohibited list.Division limits:• 7U/8U through 12U: BPF 1.15, USA Baseball, BBCOR, or wood; no maximum drop specified.• 13U on 54/80 or 60/90 fields: maximum drop 5.• 14U on 60/90 fields: BBCOR .50, maximum drop 3.Suspended models:• 2017 USSSA DeMarini 2¾-inch Drop 10, blue/white.• 2017 USSSA DeMarini 2⅝-inch Drop 8, green/white.• 2018 USA Easton Ghost X, 30-inch.• 2020 BBCOR Louisville Slugger Meta, 33-inch.• 2018 USSSA Dirty South KAMO, all listed sizes.• BBCOR Mattingly Balistk.• BBCOR Nike CX2.• BBCOR Slugger TPX Dynasty.• BBCOR Marucci CAT 5².• BBCOR Reebok TLS.• BBCOR Marucci Black.• Black Emerald bats carrying non-NCS BPF 1.15 branding.• Homerun Legends Drip Bat, all sizes and years.

• If an illegal bat is found before the batter puts the ball in play, remove the bat and continue the at-bat with a legal bat. The head coach must remove or secure the illegal bat.• If a player later brings a previously removed illegal bat back to the plate, the batter is out and the coach is ejected.• If an illegal bat is discovered after the ball is put in play but before the next pitch, the batter is out and runners return to the bases they occupied before the play. Advancement caused by a pitcher’s balk is not reversed.• The opposing coach must ask the umpire to inspect the bat before the next pitch. This also applies when runners advanced or scored on a passed ball, pickoff attempt, or steal during the interval.

This rule applies to 9U A divisions and selected 9U AA divisions and may vary by region. It does not apply when an A/AA team enters an open 9U event.Runners may lead. They may advance only when:• A walk forces the runner forward.• The batter puts the ball in play.• The umpire enforces a balk.• A pitched ball reaches the dirt or backstop.• A pitcher or catcher makes a throwing error on a pickoff attempt.• The catcher overthrows the pitcher.Clarifications:• A runner may advance on a dropped or passed ball.• A runner may not gain a base from a pickoff rundown; if the runner reaches second during the rundown, return the runner to first.• A runner may advance on a dropped third strike under the 9U provision stated by the source.• Pitchers must work from the stretch with runners on base. Pickoffs are legal at occupied bases.• Each pitcher receives one balk warning. The umpire calls a dead ball, explains the violation, and enforces the next balk by that pitcher.The purpose of the rule is player development: controlled baserunning allows coaches to teach bunting, hit-and-run play, secondary leads, dirt-ball reads, pickoff reads, cutoffs, relays, bunt defense, double plays, positioning, pitching mechanics, catching, and situational hitting.

Competitive divisions:• Major: highest level, intended for teams regularly competing against strong regional or nationally ranked opponents.• AAA: middle level, intended for mid-level local and regional teams.• AA: entry or developing level, intended for beginner/intermediate teams playing similar local and lower-level regional opponents.• Select Series: premier invite-only classification for top teams.The tournament director may require a birth certificate for any player. A player using a grade exception may also be required to present a current report card at the event.

Recommended layout by division. Fence distances may change with the complex and available field.Division — Base paths / Pitching distance / Foul-line fence / Center-field fence• 7U/8U — 60 ft / 40 ft / 160 ft / 185 ft.• 9U — 65 ft / 46 ft / 180 ft / 210 ft.• 10U — 65 ft / 46 ft / 180 ft / 210 ft.• 11U — 70 ft / 50 ft / 230 ft / 275 ft.• 12U — 70 ft / 50 ft / 230 ft / 275 ft.• 13U (54/80) — 80 ft / 54 ft / 275 ft / 300 ft.• 13U (60/90) — 90 ft / 60 ft 6 in / 320 ft / 375 ft.• 14U (60/90) — 90 ft / 60 ft 6 in / 320 ft / 375 ft.Items not stated here, including field orientation, fair/foul territory, grading, mound construction, batter’s and catcher’s boxes, bases, and home plate, follow the applicable official baseball field specifications.

• Every participating team must maintain a complete online roster before play.• A player may not appear for two teams in the same event. A violation may cause both teams to forfeit.• A team playing up must use players eligible for that team’s registered age. To add older players, register and compete as the older team.• By March 31, teams choose Major, AAA, or AA classification for the remainder of the spring season, including applicable state and World Series events. The director may place teams at the appropriate competitive level.• Rosters become official when bracket play begins. Any roster challenge must be presented before bracket play; disputes will not be accepted after bracket play begins.Pickup players:• Age-eligible pickup players may be added before the roster-freeze date and must appear on the approved online roster before the first game.• A pickup player may not play down in classification. AAA/Major players may participate in open divisions.• Select Series players may not be borrowed from another Select Series team for a Select Series event, regardless of age, but may be used in an open event when otherwise eligible.• The online system verifies age and birth date, not classification. The tournament director has final eligibility approval and may order a forfeit for an ineligible pickup player.• Coaches should obtain director approval before adding a questionable pickup player.The source rule sets a permanent roster freeze on May 15. Changes after that date require an electronically submitted exemption request.

• Maximum roster: 24 players.• Up to two players may be added until 30 days before the World Series begins.• Up to two players may be replaced until 15 days before the event when injury or family emergency documentation shows the original player cannot participate.• A replaced player is removed entirely and may not participate.• Once frozen, a player may not join another roster in the same age division unless the original manager releases the player in writing. A released player may not return to the former roster.• A frozen player may join another team in a different age division without release when age eligible.• A coach who intentionally violates roster rules receives a mandatory two-game suspension.• Rosters are final when bracket play begins. Roster disputes must be submitted before bracket play starts.

Lineup choices include batting nine, batting ten, or batting every present eligible player. Teams may also use a DH and/or EH as described below. The selected lineup must be declared before the game and used throughout.• A team may start with eight players, but the ninth batting position is an automatic out each time. A ninth player and later arrivals may be added to the bottom of the order when available.• In a continuous lineup, an unavailable player’s position becomes an out when that turn arrives.• Starters may leave and re-enter once in their original batting positions. Nonstarters may not re-enter. When a starter returns, the player occupying that batting position leaves and may not return.• With ten hitters, the EH has free defensive substitution. In a continuous lineup, all extra hitters may move freely among defensive positions except pitcher.DH options for 9U–14U:• The DH may bat for any defensive player and must be listed with that player in the lineup.• The DH and defensive player are locked into one batting position and may not appear elsewhere in the order.• If the DH enters on defense, the player for whom the DH was batting leaves the game.• A starting DH and the paired defensive starter may each re-enter once in the same batting position.• The DH role ends if a replaced DH returns on defense, the paired defensive player bats or runs for the DH, or the DH takes a defensive position.

Pool seeding order:1. Overall pool-play record or winning percentage.2. When two teams are tied, head-to-head result.3. With three tied teams, a team that defeated both others advances; otherwise continue.4. Fewest total runs allowed in pool play.5. Most total runs scored in pool play.6. Remove each team’s pool game with the most runs allowed and compare again.7. Remove each team’s two pool games with the most runs allowed and compare again.8. Compare runs scored inning by inning, beginning with the first pool game, until the tie breaks.When teams are separated into pools, pool winners receive the top seeds; overall placement determines the remaining positions.A pool game tied when time expires is recorded as a tie.Bracket international tiebreaker:• Load the bases with the last three hitters who completed an at-bat in the prior inning: last hitter at first, previous hitter at second, and the hitter before that at third.• Normal substitution rules apply.• Begin with one out and repeat each inning until a winner is determined.

Protests:• An umpire’s judgment call cannot be protested.• A rules protest must be declared during the game and follow the tournament’s protest procedure before play resumes.• The provided source uses a $300 protest deposit, returned when the protest is upheld. Confirm the current Impact Events payment method with the tournament director before filing.Conduct:• Zero tolerance applies to verbal or physical abuse of umpires, opposing coaches, spectators, facility personnel, directors, and event staff, including profanity and repeated berating.• One warning may be issued by the umpire or director. Continued behavior causes the spectator and the team’s head coach to be ejected.• Coach ejections are reviewed by the director and umpire. When the conduct is excessive, the coach is suspended for at least one additional game, subject to the director and umpire-in-chief.

Insurance:• Each team must carry team and participant liability coverage and provide a certificate naming the tournament organizer as additionally insured when requested.• Minimum coverage from the provided source: $1,000,000 general-liability occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate, and $25,000 participant medical per participant.• The registered team name must appear on the certificate; a separate certificate is required for each team.Payments and cancellations:• Regular-event payment is due one week before the event.• World Series and Super NIT payment is due 30 days before the event.• If an event or division sells out, payment becomes due at sellout. Unpaid teams may be replaced by waitlisted teams.• Once schedules are released, the card on file may be charged for an unpaid entry.• A withdrawal within one week of a regular tournament forfeits the full entry fee.• A withdrawal within 45 days of a Super NIT, State, or World Series event forfeits the full entry fee.Weather and entry-fee refunds:• Schedule changes are sent to the registered contacts and posted through the event website or app.• Three-game guarantee: no refund/credit after two games; one completed game receives 50% of the entry fee back.• Four-game guarantee: no refund/credit after three games; one or two completed games receive 50% back.• If no games are played, the team receives full credit toward a future event.• Awards are normally issued only after teams reach the championship; if a championship cannot be completed after both finalists qualify, both receive awards.Gate admission:• Tournament passes are nonrefundable and no gate refund is issued after the first pitch.• When a gate-refund process is offered, follow the event communication instructions by 10:00 p.m. Sunday. Requests are not accepted more than 24 hours after the event.

The tournament director may make minor regional adjustments and will communicate them before play.• Six innings or 1 hour 20 minutes.• Maximum seven runs per inning.• Standard tournament pitch-count rules apply.• Pitching distance: 40 feet. Bases: 60 feet.• Defense may use four outfielders.• Runners may lead and may advance on a forced walk, batted ball, enforced balk, pitch in the dirt or to the backstop, pickoff throwing error, or catcher overthrow to the pitcher.• Runners may advance to second, third, or home on a passed ball or ball in the dirt.• A runner may not gain a base from a pickoff rundown and may not advance on a dropped third strike.• Pitchers work from the stretch with runners on base. Pickoffs are legal at occupied bases.• Each pitcher receives one warning before a balk is enforced. Balk calls are dead balls; the umpire explains the first violation and enforces the next balk by that pitcher.

Field markings:• Fair-ball arc: 20 feet from the first-base line to the third-base line in front of home plate; a batted ball must pass it to be fair.• Safety arc: 30 feet from first-base line to third-base line; infielders remain behind it until contact.• Pitching circle: 10-foot diameter with the front edge 42 feet from the back point of home plate.• Draw a pitcher’s line from the circle to the safety arc.• Infield fly is not used.Pitching coach:• May pitch anywhere along the line while keeping one foot on or straddling it.• May not coach verbally or physically from the pitching position and must avoid obstructing a defensive play.• A violation after the pitch is obstruction. Before the pitch, the first offense is a warning and the second removes that coach as pitcher for the rest of the game.Defense:• Catcher receives the pitch normally in the catcher’s box. After a warning, continued improper positioning causes the manager’s ejection.• Ten defenders may be used with four true outfielders; the fourth outfielder may not take an infield position and all outfielders stay behind the baselines.• With nine defenders, fill the nine standard positions. Only a tenth player may be used as a fourth outfielder.• The defensive pitcher must remain in the circle until contact. The play continues; offense then chooses the play result or a no-pitch. First offense is a warning, second removes the player from pitcher for the game.• Defensive coaches remain in the dugout.

Lineup and substitutions:• Bat every present rostered player in order. Late arrivals go to the bottom.• A team may start with eight; the ninth spot is an out each turn. Later players may be added at the bottom.• Free defensive substitution is allowed without changing the batting order.• Bunting is prohibited.At-bats:• A batter may receive up to six pitches. Three swinging strikes end the at-bat.• A foul on pitch six extends the at-bat until the batter swings and misses, takes a pitch without swinging, or puts the ball in play.• A batter who does not swing at pitch six is out.• One player may be intentionally walked per inning and the same player only once per game.• Runners may not lead or steal. Leaving before contact or before the pitch reaches home results in an out.• A courtesy runner may be used for the prior inning’s catcher: use the previous out, or the most recent batter not on base if there are no outs. For the visiting team in the first inning, the player run for must catch in the next half-inning.Time and scoring:• Six innings or 1 hour 20 minutes; no open inning.• Mercy rule: 15 after four innings or 8 after five.• Seven-run maximum each inning, including the final inning.• The umpire calls time when runners stop trying to advance. Feinting between bases is treated as no attempt to advance.• If time expires and the home team is mathematically eliminated, the game ends.• If a batted ball hits the pitching coach, the batter is out when the coach failed to avoid contact; otherwise it is a dead ball and no-pitch.Format:• Open 7U/8U divisions; normally two pool games followed by single-elimination bracket play, subject to team count and event type.• Seeding: record, head-to-head, runs allowed, runs scored, run differential, then coin flip.• One defensive timeout is allowed per inning.