EVENT DETAILS

PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION BELOW for your upcoming USSSA tournament.  If I have not answered your questions after reading, please feel free to contact me, but please read all the information first!

Our goal is to bring you a well-organized, enjoyable, safe event.  We all know that games get delayed for various reasons but please stress the following to your teams:

• Be at the field, ready to play 20 minutes prior to game time to avoid forfeit. The first game of the day will begin when both teams are ready but no earlier than 5 minutes prior to game time if teams aren’t ready before.

• When you leave the field/dugout after a game, please do so quickly.

• Complete most of your warmup in between games. This includes pitchers who are not in the game (if you are playing back-to-back).  Please warm them up during the game when able.

• The umpires will be instructed to keep the games moving, please do not delay or get upset with them. If you have an issue, please bring it to the Tournament/Site Director or UIC.

• O’Fallon (Sports Park and High School), Edwardsville and Cape Girardeau fields are TURF. Molded cleats, turf shoes, or tennis shoes only.  NO METAL CLEATS, sunflower seeds or gum on the fields! Fines will be accessed to any team who violates these policies! Each complex has a $250 fine per occurrence penalty. 

• If you need to add a guest player for the weekend, do so via your team manager page. Guest players must be added 4 hours prior to the start of the tournament, not your first game but the first game of the event.

• You will receive a computer-generated email from USSSA with your game times, once the schedule is published. This email is generated and sent to everyone in the tournament with an email address (players and coaches).

• Download the USSSA App to see schedules, rosters, teams. The app will be used to communicate event information such as weather updates, delays, etc.… This is how we will communicate with teams, parents and spectators before, during and after the event. Please ensure everyone is aware of the USSSA App and downloads it to their mobile device. Smart phones will receive pop up notifications on their device with all updates.

• Pool games will be seven innings or 70-minute finish the inning. Pool games can end in a tie. Bracket games will be seven innings or 75-minute finish the inning.  If tied at the end of 7 innings or time expires, the International Tie Breaker rule will be used to determine a winner. During bracket play, higher seed is home. Run rules are in effect throughout the event (pool, bracket international tie breaker).
  • The above time limits apply to most tournaments, but not all!
    • 3GG, one day events, will be 70-minute finish the inning for both pool and bracket.
    • 7 in the Spring will be 65-minute finish the inning for pool games and 70-minute finish the inning for bracket games.
    • State tournaments will be 75-minute finish the inning for pool and bracket and 80-minute finish the inning for Championship games.
    • National events will be 75-minute finish the inning for pool and 80-minute finish the inning for bracket games.

• This is a variation from the USSSA Rule Book: If an International Tie Breaker is required: 1st inning, Runner on second, no outs. 2nd inning, until a winner is determined, runners on second and third, no outs.

Bracket Play will be seeded by pool play. The format of most events is 3 pool, single elimination.  One day events and some 3GG events will be 2 pool, single elimination. 7 in the Spring will be a round robin with a bracket depending on the number of teams in a division. Meaning, if there are 8 teams in the division, we will play a full round robin and the top two teams will play for the Championship. If there are 7 teams in the division we will play a full round robin into a single elimination bracket, etc… State tournaments will be a straight 3GG Bracket, National Championship will be 2 pool into a 3GG bracket.

• Courtesy runner: For the courtesy runner, if you are not batting your roster, the courtesy runner must be an unused substitute first!  An unused substitute is a sub who has not entered the game in any capacity other than a courtesy runner.  Once a sub enters the game, she cannot be used as a courtesy runner.  If you do not have an unused substitute then you use the last completed at bat, as in the example below.

• Go up the lineup until you find a player who is not a pitcher, not a catcher, not a player who has already run in the half inning for the opposite position, or not a player who is on base. THAT’S your courtesy runner.  CLIMB THE LATTER FROM THE BATTER! See example: The courtesy runner for your catcher, Storm, is Sadie.  Go up the lineup from the player you want to use a Courtesy Runner for, in this case, Storm.  Skylar is on base, Sandy is your pitcher, and Sierra has already run in that half inning for the Pitcher.   If the wrong Courtesy Runner is put on base and discovered by the defense, while the ball is LIVE, the penalty is an out!  Please make sure you look at your lineup before using a Courtesy Runner.  And please turn in your lineups with First name, last name, number, and position.
  • Sally
  • Suzy
  • Samantha
  • Sara
  • Shelby
  • Sadie
  • Sierra (has already run for the pitcher)
  • Sandy (Pitcher)
  • Skylar (on base)
  • Storm (Catcher)
• Note: A player of the opposite position means a Courtesy runner cannot run for the pitcher and catcher in the same half inning. Therefore, if you were using a Courtesy Runner for the catcher, you would skip a player who has already been used as a Courtesy Runner for the pitcher.

• No buckets on the field

• Please keep outside food and drink to a minimum.

• No warming up from the opposite on-deck batting circle

• If a player steps in the batter’s box with an illegal bat, she will be ejected from the game. In addition, the head coach will be ejected for the remainder of that game and the next.

• All players must be on a permanent roster or listed as a guest player. If during the tournament, a player on your team is protested and they are not on your roster, your team will be ejected from the tournament, as per the rule book.

• Umpires are responsible for managing the game, coaches are responsible for managing their players, themselves, and their fans. If a fan is warned, a coach is warned.  If a fan is ejected, a coach is given a bench restriction.

• Any coach who is ejected from a game will be ejected from the next game as well, NO EXCEPTIONS

• No refunds will be issued unless games are cancelled due to weather or other unforeseen events.
  • In the event of a weather cancelled game, games will be deemed complete based on the USSSA Rulebook (Rule 4, Sect 6, C, 1 &2).
  • Teams will receive a prorated refund based on the number of games played less than the game guarantee.
• Play it Forward Sportz will furnish the softballs for this event.

• Dogs are NOT allowed inside the quads in O’Fallon, Edwardsville or Caseyville. Dogs are allowed in Cape Girardeau and Trenton, on a leash.

• Pre-ordered T-shirts can be picked up at the sales tent, near the concession stand. If you forget to pick up your T-shirt, there will be a $7 charge to mail it to you.

• The address to your complex can be found under the venue tab on the tournament website or on the app

• There is a map of the complexes on the tournament page under the “Event Info” tab.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 217-840-7929 or by email at [email protected].

Good luck to you and your team!

Thank you,

Lori