General Tournament and Field Information

General Tournament and Field Information

BASE DISTANCE / 70’
PITCHING DISTANCE / 50’
INNINGS/GAME / 6
NO NEW INNING AFTER / 90 MINUTES
GAME OFFICIAL AFTER / 4 INNINGS (3 ½)
OFFICIAL BALLS / Diamond DOL-MVP (NFHS Certified)

AGE LIMITS

The age limits for the THF Singapore Baseball Classic 12U baseball tournament are as follows: The age of a player on January 1, 2016 will be their eligibility age for the tournament with the following exceptions:

ØThe tournament officials will consider all other age waivers on a case-by-case basis with a maximum allowance of 2 per team and a strict NO PITCH rule for over-age players. Applications for waivers received after January 15, 2016 will not be considered.

LINEUPS & ROSTER SIZE:

Each team Manager shall decide the number of players to roster or play in a game up to the tournament minimum of 9 and maximum of 14 players per team. Special allowances will be considered for rostered players sustaining an injury within 2 weeks (14 days) of the start of the THF Singapore Classic. Teams cannot use a Designated Hitter. A maximum of 9 players is permitted in the batting order at all times, meaning that no extra hitters can be added to a team’s batting lineup. The number of batters in your lineup (9 only) must stay the same throughout the game.

ØTeams are permitted to start and/or end a game with 9 players. Anything less than 9 available players at any time during a game will result in a forfeit for that team.

ØTeams must provide their own line-up cards. A copy should be given to opposing team each game.

ØIt is the responsibility of the opposing team to verify the accuracy of the other team’s lineup prior to the start of each game. Managers must bring any issues to the attention of a Tournament Official before the game. If a lineup issue is discovered during the game, the ruling will be that the lineup is corrected at that point for the rest of the game. If it is brought to our staff’s attention after the game – there will be no penalty. There will not be a forfeit in this situation since the opposing team is responsible for verifying the other team’s lineup prior to the start of the game.

ØTeams are permitted to start and/or end a game with 9 players. Anything less than 9 available players at any time during a game will result in a forfeit for that team.

ØTeams must provide their own line-up cards. A copy should be given to opposing team each game.

COACHING STAFF:

Each participating team shall have one person designated as the team’s “Manager” or head coach. Each team may have two other persons designated as “Coach(es).” The final team roster submitted to the Tournament Director should clearly indicate the names of the Manager and Coaches.

v Aside from the rostered players for a team, only the designated Manager and Coaches may enter the dugout or the field. The Manager should be the point of contact for all direct communication with the Umpires.

INJURIES:

If a player is injured and no substitute is available, that spot in the lineup will be skipped with no penalty. If an injury occurs during an at-bat and the player can’t continue the at-bat, the next batter in the lineup will take over that at-bat and assume the count. If an injury occurs while on the base paths, the player that made the last recorded out will take the place of the injured player on the bases

SUBSTITUTIONS AND RE-ENTRY:

If a substitute enters the game, she/he must play 6 defensive outs and have one at bat before the starter can re-enter the game.

ØOnly starters can re-enter the game. A Starter can re-enter anywhere in the line-up and at any position

ØAll substitutions and position changes on the field must be reported to the umpire and official scoring table at the same time prior to play resuming after the change.

ØPitcher Re-Entry: If a pitcher is removed from the mound and goes to another defensive position, they may not return as a pitcher in that game. In other words, as soon as another pitcher throws a pitch to a batter (becoming the new ‘pitcher of record’), the previous pitcher is no longer able to pitch in that game.

ØCourtesy Runner for Catcher: the player who made the out previous to the catcher’s at-bat may stand as courtesy runner for the catcher. There shall be no courtesy runner in the top half of the first inning. The catcher for whom the courtesy runner is designated must have caught the previous inning.

ØMinimum Play Rule - Any player who is substituted into the game must bat at least once in the lineup and play in the field for 6 defensive outs. If a game cannot be completed due to the time limit rule, then the minimum play requirement will not be enforced.

PITCHING DISTANCE/BASE PATHS

The pitching mound will be 50 feet from home plate and the distance between bases will be 70 feet.

TIME LIMITS:

The maximum innings allowable for a complete game is 6 innings. No new inning can start after 90 minutes. Games can go into extra innings as long as the time limit has not expired. If the time limit is reached during an inning, that inning will be the last one of the game. If the home team is winning after the top half of that last inning, they will be declared the winner of the game and will not hit in the bottom half. If the home team is trailing and must hit in the bottom half of the last inning, the game will end at the moment the home team scores the winning run or at the moment of their third out. If the time limit is reached during the bottom half of an inning and the home team is winning at that moment, we will let the current batter complete the at-bat and then the game will end.

ØThere is no time limit in the championship game. The championship game will be 6 innings, or played until there is a winner. See ‘Tie Game in Championship for further explanation.

ØA game becomes official after 4 innings (3 ½ depending on home/away).

ØRound-robin games can end in a tie.

Ø Scorers shall keep time starting from the first pitch and shall notify the plate umpire when the time limit is reached.

ØUmpires, managers, coaches, players and scorers are all responsible for speeding up the game to try and ensure that full innings are played, and shall not unduly delay the game in any way.

ØTime in-between innings - Our expectation is that teams will take 2 minutes in between innings. Pitchers are permitted to throw 8 warm-up pitches in their first inning of work or 5 warm-up pitches every other inning. If a catcher is still getting dressed, a coach should be ready to warm-up the pitcher.

ØGame starting times may not allow for in-field practice. Teams and umpires should be ready to start play immediately at their scheduled game time. Warm-ups can and should be done on spaces allocated prior to start of the game.

ØIntentional Delays: Intentionally delaying a game to achieve a victory through the time limit is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will not be tolerated at a Ripken Baseball Tournament. The umpires and/or tournament officials at the game reserve the right to eject a coach or player for intentionally delaying a game and possibly declare a forfeit to that team.

WEATHER-RELATED DELAYS:

Weather is often a factor in Singapore but it typically comes and goes quickly. In the event of rain, we will do everything within our power to stay as close to the game schedule as possible. However, because of limited field availability, we may have to deviate from the printed schedule. If and when we need to alter the schedule, we will use the following procedures/priorities as our guide:

1. Our first priority will always be the safety and well being of our players, coaches, umpires and spectators. There is a lightning detection system in operation at the Kallang Diamonds. If the siren sounds and/or security receives a lightning advisory, ALL PLAY CEASES with immediate effect, and all players, coaches, umpires and spectators must take shelter under cover until the lightning detection system is turned off.

2. Even if the lightning siren has not sounded, the plate umpire has discretion to call for a delay of play if he/she feels that lightning is present and poses a potential danger to players and/or spectators.

3. It is our goal to ensure that each participating team has the opportunity to play its minimum 4 games.

4. We will attempt to maintain the original game schedule as much as possible

5. We will prioritize the championship game

6. We reserve the right to alter the format and/or schedule of the tournament in order to achieve these goals.

ØGames will continue play in the event of drizzle/moderate rain. The umpire will have discretion to call for a delay of game if rain is such that it causes a safety concern (ie, pitchers cannot properly grip the ball, batters cannot properly grip bats, or low visibility).

ØA game is considered official after 4 full innings are completed (3 ½ innings if the home team is leading).

ØIf a weather delay occurs, the officials will stop the running of the game time and ask the scorekeepers and team managers to agree to the official elapsed time of the game.

Ø Round-Robin and Play-Off Weather-Related Delays:

v If a game is suspended after it becomes a regulation game (ie, 4 innings or 3 ½ if home team is leading) and the weather delay is such that the game cannot be resumed at least 20 minutes before the scheduled start of the subsequent game, it will be considered official at the end of the last complete inning, even if the game has not lasted at least 90 minutes.

v Games that do not make it to regulation (4 complete innings or 3 ½ if home team is leading) due to weather will be considered a suspended game and will be resumed (if possible) from the exact point of suspension (the count on a batter will resume and runners will be placed back on the bases they occupied when play was suspended). In such an instance, the following guidelines apply:

· Umpires will not re-start a suspended game once we are 20 minutes away from the scheduled start of the subsequent game on that field.

· All suspended games that cannot continue will be allocated a make-up game slot for that day or the following day in order of occurrence (ie, the first delayed game of the day plays in the first available make-up slot for that field, then the second and so on).

v If there are two or more games in line for a field’s make-up slots, each of those games will be limited to 4 complete innings (3 ½ if the home team is leading), irrespective of elapsed time or a tied score with a 90-minute game time limit.

v Special Considerations for Play-Off Round:

· If less than one full inning has been completed at the time of a weather delay and there is not enough time to resume prior to the start of the championship game, the higher seed would advance to the championship game.

· If tied at the end of the last complete inning and there is not enough time to go into extra inning before the start of the championship game, the higher seed would advance to the championship game.

· If tied at the end of the last complete inning and the two teams are the same seed from different divisions entering the game, we will revert back to tie-breaking system to decide which team will advance to the championship game

ØChampionship and Consolation Game Weather-Related Delays:

v If the championship and/or consolation game starts and is not able to complete due to weather and there is no time to resume, the game will be considered official at the end of the last complete inning.

TIE GAMES IN ROUND-ROBIN PLAY:

Round-robin games can end in a tie. A tie game in round-robin play equals 1⁄2 of a win and 1⁄2 of a loss for both teams toward their overall record and/or winning percentage. Therefore, a team that is 2-0-1 would have a winning percentage of .833 and a team that is 2-1-0 would have a winning percentage of .667. In other words, the 2-0-1 record is better than the 2-1-0 record.

TIE BREAKER SYSTEM:

2-TEAM TIE BREAKER SYSTEM:

If 2 teams are tied at the completion of round-robin play, follow the list below until the tie is broken:

1. Head-to-head results (if applicable)

2. Least runs allowed (average per games played)

3. Lowest single game runs allowed

4. Each subsequent lowest single game runs allowed (2nd lowest for each team, 3rd lowest, etc)

5. Highest average run differential for games played

6. Highest single game run differential

7. Each subsequent highest single game run differential