Tournament Rules

Coaches: Be sure you are aware of all rules and rule changes. SuperEast reserves the right to amend these rules at any time for specific tournament play. National High School Federation Baseball Rules will be enforced with the following exceptions. 

1. Age Requirement: A player's age is determined by their age on May 1 of that year.

2. Roster Rules:

-    7u to 14u – Rosters may not exceed 20 players.

-    15u to 18u – Rosters may not exceed 25 players.

- There is only 1 head coach, 2 assistants and a scorekeeper allowed in the dugout area always.

NOTE: Players may only play in one age division per tournament. For example, a player cannot* play on a 11 year old team and a 12 year old team in the same tournament.

*Exception, Super East Baseball Memorial Day Tournament for 13u and 14u Rosters.

3. Roster Minimum: A team can start with a minimum of 8 players but cannot finish with less. An out will be recorded in vacated 9th spot in the batting order. If a player shows up to fill the 9th spot, he must be on the official roster or line up card.

4. Required Paperwork:

- Rosters must be submitted through the Tourney Machine site prior to the beginning of the tournament or be sent to seb@supereastbaseball.com on an excel spreadsheet ONLY.

- Insurance, All teams must list Super East Baseball, 525 Burnside Ave, East Hartford, CT as additionally insured. All insurance certificates must be emailed to seb@supereastbaseball.com 2 days prior to the start of the tournament. Please be sure to note in the subject line team/program name and tournament name.

5. Protest Fee: $100 cash (on rule interpretation only) to be paid at the time of the protest to the field director. Your protest fee will be returned if your protest is upheld. All protests MUST be settled prior to the next pitch being thrown.

6. Game Time: Starting time is forfeit time, unless delay is created by Super East Baseball. Time starts at completion of ground rules.  For the purpose of assuring every teams plays as many games as possible, please be prepared to start to 30 minutes before the posted starting time. The SITE DIRECTOR HAS FINAL SAY OF STARTING TIME.

7. Home Team: Will be determined by coin toss prior to ground rules. In playoff rounds the higher seeded team will have choice of being home or visiting team. Home team is required to keep the official book.

8. Playoff Tie-Breaker System: If a playoff game is tied after all innings have been completed (or at time limit), the "California Tie-Breaker" will go into effect as follows:

1. Each team places last batted out on 2nd base with 0 outs in the inning.
2. Each team will have the opportunity to hit until the tie is broken.
3. After two complete innings and still at tie, the runner will move to 3rd base with the same rules.

Note: POOL PLAY GAMES WILL END IN TIES. Extra Innings are not played in pool play EVEN if there is time remaining on the clock.

9. Championship Game: No time limit for Championship Game. No California Tie-Breaker. Run rules are still in effect.

10. Run Rules

- 8u- 12u Run Rules: 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings or 8 runs after 5 innings.

- 13u- 18u Run Rules: 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.

11. Bat Rule:

Aluminum Bats - 9u-12u; USA or USSSA 1.15bpf Stamped bats. 

13u Division - Bat must have the BBCOR Stamp (If it is a -3), or the USSSA BPF 1.15 stamp or be USA Baseball Stamp

Aluminum Bats - 14u-18u BBCOR -3.

Wood Bats - One-piece wood bat only. No bamboo or composite wood allowed.

12. Pitching Restrictions and Rules:

- Super East Baseball recommends that every coach follow the MLB and USA Baseball Pitch Smart guidelines. These guidelines are suggested by # of pitches vs. # of innings which is impossible for any tournament to monitor or enforce. We have done our best below. It is 100% the responsibility of the players coach to properly monitor every pitchers throwing restrictions.

- 1 pitch constitutes an inning.

- 9u-12u: Super East Baseball Recommends: A player may pitch a maximum of 6 innings in a day and a total of 10 innings in a 3-5 day event and a maximum of 8 innings in a 2 day event.

- 13u and 14u: Super East Baseball Recommends: A player may pitch in a cumulative maximum of 7 innings in consecutive calendar days with no more than 4 innings in a single day. After which that player must not pitch the next calendar day.

-    15u-18u:  No pitching restrictions.

-    A Pitchers must be pulled on the 2nd trip in the same inning.

-    Eight warm-ups to start, five thereafter.

13. Infield Warm-Ups: All teams are encouraged to warm-up as much as possible before game time. NO PREGAME INFIELD. You may use the outfield to hit ground balls and flyballs.

14. Baseballs: Super East Baseball runs event where we supply baseballs and we also run events where teams are required to provide baseballs. Please find that information when registering on our tournament DETAILS page.

1.  In event where Super East Baseball supplies baseball; 4 baseballs are given to the umpire at the beginning of the game. If teams are unable to retrieve foul balls, then each team will alternate replacing balls at the umpires request.

2. If teams are required to supply baseballs, 2 baseballs per teams are to be given to the umpire at ground rules. If teams are unable to retrieve foul balls, then each team will alternate replacing balls at the umpires request.

Note: NFHS stamped balls for 13u and older.

15. Uniforms: Unique numbers mandatory, matching uniforms recommended. Coaches need not be in uniform but must be in proper baseball attire. NO JEANS. Coaches are not required to wear uniforms but must be dressed appropriately while on the field of play or in dugouts (at a minimum team top and team hat). Coaches must wear clothing that distinguishes them from other parents and spectators. Coaches that fail to comply with this policy will be restricted from the dugout area.

16. Adverse Weather:  All efforts will be made to play all games. By entering the tournament, you acknowledge that the Tournament Director shall have final say to all schedule changes. 4 innings will be considered a complete game. Games start/re-start 20 minutes after last sight of lightening.

1.  Weather Shortened Games: If a game is unable to be restarted after 1 hour from the stop time, the following rules apply to an UNOFFICIAL GAME:

A.  3 Completed Innings – Revert back to the last completed innings score for a winner or a tie(ties only in pool play).

B.  Less than 3 Completed Innings – Tournament Director will decide the best scenario for the team(s) and the completion of the tournament.

17. Lodging: 

18. Refund Policy: All teams accept the below policy upon entering any Super East Tournaments.

1.     There will be a $200.00 per team administration fee charged for complete rain outs.

2.     If a team withdraws 10 days before the scheduled start date of the tournament NO refund will be given

3.     1 game played = 50% of entry fee

4.     2 or more games played = no refund.

19. All games will have a strict 1:45 hours (9-12u) and 2:00 hours (13-18u) time limit unless noted:

1.        The time limit is NOT a drop-dead time limit. I.e., the home team must have the opportunity to hit if they are losing if the time limit hits during an inning.

2.     No new inning can start after the time limit has been reached.

3.     If an inning is started before the time limit, the inning must be finished.

4.     Time starts at the completion of Ground Rules.

5.     The umpire and/or Tournament Official is the only one that keeps the official clock.

6.  As soon as the 3rd out is recorded in the bottom half of the inning, the next inning officially starts. If there is still time left when the third out is recorded, the next inning will be played.

7.  If the home team is up to bat and is winning the game when the time limit expires the game will end at the point of time expiration.

20. EH/DH:  All age groups can have, if they choose to, bat more than 9. Both a DH and EH may be used at the same time. An EH is considered a position player and can enter the game defensively at any time, while staying in the same spot in the batting order. 11 hitters are the maximum number of hitters in 13u-18u.

8U-12U Teams may also choose to bat their entire roster and have free defensive substitution. An out will be recorded if any batting spot is vacated during the game where no eligible substitute is available.

21. Substitutions: ALL substitutions must be reported to the home plate umpire and the opposing team. All pitching changes and courtesy runners must be announced as well to be legal participants in the game. The home plate umpire will notify the other team of all changes.

22. Courtesy Runners: The team at bat may use courtesy runners for the pitcher and/or the catcher. The same runner may not be used for both the pitcher and catcher. Neither the pitcher nor the catcher will be required to leave the game under such circumstances.  A legal substitute must be used as a courtesy runner otherwise the team must use the last batted out if they have no substitutes.

23. Catchers:  Are permitted to wear two-piece catchers’ helmets.

24. Balks- There are no warnings for balks, except for 10u in which each pitcher receives 1 warning.

- 1st to 3rd moves shall be called a balk.

25. Absolutely NO TOBACCO products allowed on the field of play. This includes coaches.

26. Player/Coach/Spectator Ejections:  All ejections will carry a 1 game suspension at the discretion of the tournament director.

27. Intentional Delays: Intentionally delaying a game is unsportsmanlike and will not be tolerated. The umpire as well as the tournament coordinator reserves the right to eject players and/or coaches do to intentional delay. In extreme cases, Super East Baseball staff reserves the right to declare a forfeit to the responsible team.

28. Field Dimensions

- 10u-12u: 50' pitching - 70' bases - 1 hr 45 min - 6 innings

- 13u-18u: 60'6” pitching - 90' bases - 2 hrs - 7 innings

29. POOL PLAY GAMES – Will end in a tie. If the time limit expires at the completion of an inning and the game is tied, the game will be recorded as a tie. If all innings are played (8u-12u: 6 innings and 13u-18u: 7 innings) are completed regardless of time remaining and the game is tied, it will be recorded as a tie. As soon as the 3rd out is recorded in the bottom half of the inning, the next inning officially starts. If there is still time left when the third out is recorded, the next inning will be played.

THERE ARE NO EXTRA INNINGS IN POOL PLAY EVEN IF THERE IS TIME ON THE CLOCK. (example: At the end of 7 innings the score is 1-1 and the teams have been playing for 1 hour and 10 minutes the game is over and recorded as a tie).

If the home team is winning while at bat when the 2 hour limit is reached the game shall be stopped and will be recorded by the score at that time when the game was stopped.

30. Seedings are determined by the following UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED:

1.        A team's overall record.

2.        Head To Head

-If 3 teams tied and all teams have beat each other, move to next tie-breaker.

- If 3 teams tied and 1 team beat the other 2, that team moves on. Remaining teams go back to #1

3.        Total Runs Allowed - The total of a team’s opponents score. The smallest total wins the tie

            breaker.

4.        Total Runs Scored - The total of a team’s score. The higher total wins the tie breaker.

5.        Run Differential - The differential tie breaker determines the total difference between a

 team’s score versus their opponents. The largest differential wins the tie breaker.

6.           Coin Toss

31. Teams Advancing to the Championship Round.

If a qualifying team cannot advance into the next round, the remaining teams in the ENTIRE tournament field will be re-seeded by the above criteria to fill the vacant spot.

32. No Show:  Teams that no-show will forfeit their entry fee.

33. Decisions: The Tournament Director shall have final decisions on all tournament questions.