Play9 Sports Tournament Rules:

*ALL SCHEDULE REQUESTS ARE DUE TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE EVENT

All Play9 Events are a choice of BBCOR or WOOD bat use. Teams will be notified via website and email if the event is scheduled to be wood bat only.

Play9 Sports Events are STAY-TO-PLAY events. Contact information will be on your confirmation and welcome email.

All Summer Play9 Events are a 4 game guarantee with bracket play unless otherwise posted. 

Fall events are 3 or 4 game guarantee showcase style Tournaments with NO bracket play.

ALL PLAY9 EVENTS DO NOT PERMIT THE FOLLOWING – AT TURF VENUES:

• Sunflower seeds/Gum (on field and in stands)

• Metal spikes (unless permitted which will be communicated)

• Absolutely NO outside food and drink, including coolers with venues that have concessions available. 

• No Tobacco at all venues. 

****Play9 Sports reserves the right to remove any player, coach, or fan from the venue if these rules are violated. If the individual(s) fails to comply with removal of the venue, a forfeit will be issued to the coordinating team. No refunds will be issued.  This is a strict rule from the venues and all participants of the event must comply including Play9 staff.

****A Team Fine of $250.00 will be invoiced to the team in violation on behalf of the venue. Payment of said fine is required to complete the remaining tournament schedule. 

REFUND POLICY:  If a team were to withdraw prior to the schedule posted, Play9 Sports will issue a credit for the amount paid for any Play9 Sports future event. If a team were to withdraw after the schedule has been posted, the team will not receive a credit or refund.

*No team will be scheduled without payment received 2 weeks prior to the event.

*Play9 Sports PROVIDES BASEBALLS FOR ALL EVENTS*

*STARTING IN THE SUMMER OF 2024, ALL GATE TRANSACTIONS WILL BE CASHLESS. You may pay in cash, but it MUST be in exact change.

The number of teams who advance to the playoffs corresponds with the total teams registered – For Bracket Events, Pool Winners and (TBA) Wild Cards will advance.

Play9 Sports LLC reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

National High School Federation Baseball Rules will be enforced with the following exceptions. 

IMPORTANT RULES and INFORMATION 

1. Pool Play: A strict two-hour time limit will be adhered to in all Pool Play games (USSSA HS games will be played at 1:45 game times). The game clock will begin immediately following the home plate coaches meeting prior to the game. No inning will start after two hours (or 1:45 for USSSA games) has elapsed. The umpires will be the official timers for every game. A new inning starts when the last out of the previous inning is made. Each team’s pool play schedule will be predetermined. Home and away teams will be determined via coin flip during the umpire/coaches meeting prior to the game. Teams must adhere to this predetermined designation. All pool games tied after 7 innings or the 2 hour time limit or 1:45 for USSSA (whichever occurs first) will be recorded as a tie. Tie games will not go into extra innings regardless of remaining time.

2. Championship Round/Playoffs: A strict two-hour time limit will be used in all games leading up to the Semi-Final and Championship games. No time limit will be enforced in the Semi-Final and Championship games. In all championship round games leading up to the Championship game, if tied after seven (7) innings, the game will go to the tiebreaker procedures outlined below. In the Championship game, there is no tiebreaker. This rule is subject to change. The home team in bracket play will be determined by the highest seed. 

*Teams from the same organization will not play each other in the first round of the playoffs. The organization’s (worst) seeded team will be moved down one slot. For example, Team Sox is number 2 seed, Team Sox Blue is number 3 seed and Lumberjack Baseball is number 4 seed. Team Sox Blue will now become the number 4 seed and Lumberjack Baseball will now become the number 3 seed. This process will be started once pool winners and wild cards have been established. No team outside of the organization in question will be seeded lower. 

*In the instance an organization has (2) teams from the same organization occupying seeds in which the lower seed cannot move any lower, (last seed in the bracket) the higher seed will move down a seed. 

*In the instance an organization has (2+) teams in bracket play, the Tournament Director will work in good faith to avoid teams playing from the same organization.

Tie Breaker: If the two teams are still tied, the following tiebreaker rules will go into effect:

The last three hitters from the previous inning will load the bases, and the base runners will be placed as follows: 

o   Last hitter from previous inning (A) @ 1st Base 

o   Hitter (B) before (A) in the lineup @ 2nd Base 

o   Hitter (C) before (B) in the lineup @ 3rd Base 

o   Normal substitution rules apply to these runners. 

o   The hitting team will start the inning with one out. 

o   Play continues until one team is ahead at the end of an inning

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WILL HAVE NO TIE-BREAKER AND WILL BE PLAYED OUT UNTIL ONE TEAM IS AHEAD AT THE END OF THE INNING

3. Forfeits: Any team not on the field and prepared to start the game, at game time, will give cause for immediate forfeit. The tournament director will rule on all forfeits. No team should benefit from the result of a forfeit in an unfair manner. This rule could result in a dispute and the tournament director reserves the right to look at and rule in the fairest manner. The director’s decision will be final. In the event of forfeiture, the score is recorded as 7-0. If the teams decide to play a scrimmage following the forfeit decision, the forfeit result will stand regardless of the scrimmage outcome. 

4. Pre-Game: No infield will be allowed during the tournament BP will be allowed in the batting cages when available. Teams may have to share cages. Coaches from both teams must work together to ensure all players are allowed to hit.

5. Mercy Rule: These rules apply in all rounds of the tournament including the Playoffs/Championship round:

Summer Events – 12 after 3, 10 after 4, 8 after 5

Fall Events – 8 after 5

6. Trips to the Mound: The pitcher must be replaced on the (2nd) trip by a coach to the mound in any inning. 

7. Hitting Lineup: Lineups can consist of 9, 10, or 11 hitters. The lineup must stay with the same number of batters for the entire game. The 10th and 11th hitter, if used, will be designated as an EH and XH on the lineup card. XH is a 2nd EH. The EH and XH are the same as any position on the field. All games must be started with at least eight (8) players. A game can be finished with no less than eight (8) players. The player leaving the original lineup cannot return and his spot in the hitting lineup will be recorded as an out. With (2) outs in an inning, a courtesy runner will be required for the (Pitcher) and (Catcher) on the bases. 

8. Weather Issues: Time constraints will determine the status of all rain out games. It is solely the team’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of any scheduling changes. All information will be posted on Tourney Machine, Group Text and social media platforms as soon as it becomes official. 

• Rescheduled games due to rain must be played as scheduled by Play9. Refusal to play the rescheduled game will result in a 7-0 forfeit. 

Note: No special requests will be honored if rescheduling becomes necessary. If games are canceled, pool winners and championship qualification will be determined by the tie breaking procedures (listed below). 

9. Stop in Play: If a game is stopped, the game must resume within 1 hour of the stop in play. The game will resume but the original game clock will be the remaining balance game time. The Tournament Director will have discretion to amend plans to complete the game should the above steps not lead to a completed game. All efforts will be made to keep the remaining schedule intact and on time.

If a game is not resumed, it will become suspended or called official. If five (5) innings have been completed, or 4 1/2 innings and the home team is ahead; the game will be official if not resumed within 1 hour. 

After 5 complete innings, a tie score will be recorded as a tie in pool play. A suspended game will resume where the game was stopped. If a tournament is stopped before or during championship determination, the tournament champion will be decided by Play9 Sports based on the seeding and tiebreaker processes within the rules (listed below). *As a note, the results of any postponed game, now considered official, will revert back to the last completed inning. 

10. Protests: Protests will be heard and ruled on by the tournament committee. The team protesting must make a cash payment of $100 at the time of the protest. If the protest is ruled in the protesting team’s favor the $100 will be refunded. The ruling made by the committee will be final. If during the game, protests must be filed and ruled on before the next pitch. If the protested call ends the game, the protest must be made before the umpires leave the field. 

11. Rosters and Roster changes: Teams may change their rosters up until they start their first game. A player is eligible to compete in multiple divisions in the same tournament, but cannot play on more than one team per division in which they are eligible. In order to be eligible for playoff participation, the athlete participating in two different divisions must have appeared in at least two pool play games for the team he wishes to compete for. Division of play can be determined by grad class or age cut off. The age cut off is whatever the player’s age is on May 1. For example, a 17-year-old is eligible to participate in 16U tournaments if his birthday is May 1st or after. This is determined by the athlete’s graduating class. 

12. Pitch Counts: Play9 Sports encourages proper care for all participants. Although there is not a strict pitch count, the best interest of the athlete is always the expectation for coaches and organizations. The NFHS Pitch Count limits provide a framework for arm care, but are not used as the standard for Play9 Sports tournaments. 

13. Scoring: We recommend that all teams keep a scorebook. The official score of each game will be kept by the umpires. In case of an emergency where the umpire cannot keep the official score, the field scout will be the official scorer. If the scout is not available to keep score, the home team will be the official scorer. To eliminate scoring disputes, scorekeepers should check with the official scorer throughout and after the game. 

14. Sportsmanship: In the interest of sportsmanship, the tournament director reserves the right to remove any person(s) from the tournament at any time for unruly or unsportsmanlike behavior. Any coach or player who is ejected for the second time during the tournament will be eliminated from participating for the remainder of the tournament. Person(s) (Player, coaches and fans) ejected from a game must leave the facility if deemed necessary by the tournament director. 

15. Bat Specifications: All Play9 Events are a choice of BBCOR or WOOD bat use. Teams will be notified via website and email if the event is scheduled to be wood bat only. Bat Requirements: 14U–18U will be subjected to -3 BBCOR. If there’s a bat discrepancy we will refer to the NFHS bat regulations. Illegal bat use will result in an immediate ejection of the head coach. The second offense by a team will result in ejection to the head coach for the duration of the event. Additionally, the team will have no opportunity to compete in bracket play.

• 13u bats require a BPF 1.15 or BBCOR, with a max difference of -8

16. Not covered in the Rules: In the event an item is not covered in the rules, the tournament committee will make the fairest possible final ruling.

17. Bracket Seeding/Tie-Breakers: 

• The POOL WINNERS will be the top seeds in bracket play and wild cards will follow based on tie breaker rules. If there are only 2 pools, it is possible that 3 teams make bracket play from one pool. 

• Bracket seeding is based off of the point system: 2 for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss. For example; a 3-1 record (6) points is the same record as a 2-0-2 record (6 points). The tie breaker between the two teams can be seen below.

• If all Pool Play games are not completed, we will seed by the lowest number of completed games played by advancing teams.

Seeding and Tie Breaker Rules. 

1.    Pool Play Record (points)

2.    If ONLY TWO teams are tied and have played each other – Head to Head winner advances. 

3.    If three teams are tied – If one team has defeated both other teams, that team advances. If not, go to tie breaker #4

4. If still tied – Runs Allowed – Total runs allowed in pool play. 

5.  If still tied – Total runs scored in pool play. Highest total wins the tiebreaker. 

6.  Run Differential – The total difference between a team’s score versus their opponents. The largest differential wins the tiebreaker.

7.  If still tied – Coin Flip 

*In the event that a pool winner chooses not to participate in bracket play, the next best team within the pool will be declared the pool winner, and advance as such. This process will be continued down through the entire pool. If no teams from a particular pool are available for bracket play, an additional wild card team will be chosen to replace them, and will advance to bracket play as a wild card team. 

National High School Federation Baseball Rules apply in all other cases.