To print these rules, go back to the tournament quick facts page and click on "Documents/Print Packet"
Triple Crown Baseball Rules
Unless noted prior to the event, National Federation High School Rules will be used with the following notations. Triple Crown reserves the right to enforce particular invitational tournament rules. Franchisees may offer rule variations.
1. Age Requirement: May 1 will be the designated date to determine ages. Photocopies of birth certificates will be required.
2. Roster rules are as follows:
7u to 14u – Rosters may not exceed 20 players during the course of the season. 15u to 18u – Rosters may not exceed 25 players during the course of the season.
3. Protest Fee: $100 cash (on rule interpretation only).
4. Game Time: Starting time is forfeit time, unless delay is created by Triple Crown. Game time starts at completion of coin toss.
5. Home Team: Determined by coin flip in pool play, in playoff rounds the better seeded team will be given choice of home/visitor. Home team is required to keep the official book.
6. Player Minimum: A team must start with a minimum of 9 players but can finish with less, taking outs in vacated batting positions.
7. Championship Games: No time limit... **The "Triple Crown Tie Breaker” and run rules are still in effect.
****One additional inning per game, per player starting in a team’s 5th game played****
*Scorecards must be signed by both team managers to eliminate inning validation problems. (Managers, please help with this process.)
*No limit on the number of appearances.
*One pitch will be considered an inning pitched.
*Eight warm-ups to start, five thereafter.
*Mound: 14s and younger may throw on flat surfaces depending on field availability.
*If pitching rules are violated and the infraction is detected, the situation will be reviewed and consequences will be determined by the tournament director. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, the following: coach and/or player ejections, game forfeiture, removal of team from the tournament, suspension from additional tournaments.
9. Infield Warm-Ups: All teams are encouraged to warm-up as much as possible before game time. No pre-game infield.
10. Baseballs: Teams must provide all game balls. (Typically two new balls and one used ball per game are sufficient.) Rawlings or better accepted.
11. No steel cleats in the following age groups: 10u and younger. (The CT Sportsplex does not allow steel cleats in any divisions other than 13/14/15/16/18u)
12. 14u and younger = High School bat weight/length differential rule is waived. 15U and older = -3 restriction in effect.
14. Adverse Weather: The Triple Crown Baseball Tournament will be played in adverse weather conditions. The format may be changed to lesser time limits or fewer innings to complete the tournament. Coaches and players accept these conditions when entering the tournament.
15. Decisions: The Tournament Director shall have final decision on all tournament questions.
16. Hotels/Motels/Condos: Teams that leave unpaid bills or damages will be removed from the tournament and reported to their respective leagues.
17. Refund Policy: There are NO cash refunds. Refunds will be given in the form of EVENT CREDIT. There can be a $100.00 administration fee charged for complete rain outs; 1 game played = 50% of entry fee; 2 or more games played = no refund. All teams accept this policy upon entering.
18. Tie-Breaker System: If a game is tied after all innings have been completed (or at time limit), the "Triple Crown Tie-Breaker" will go into effect. Each team puts the batter who is scheduled to bat last in their offensive half of the inning on second base and plays out a full inning. This happens until the tie is broken and the game is complete.
19. No Show: Teams that no-show will forfeit their entry fee and may be subject to suspension from competition in Triple Crown events for the remainder of the season.
20. All age groups can have an EH (Extra Hitter) if they choose to bat 10. Both a DH and EH may be used at the same time. Teams may choose to bat their entire roster and have free defensive substitution. If this option is chosen, there will be no courtesy runners. An out will be recorded if any batting spot is vacated during the course of the game. An EH is considered a postion player and can enter the game defensively at any time, while staying in the same spot in the batting order. If you have 15 kids and wish to bat 13 kids and have 2 substitutes or any situation like that, you can most certainly do that. You need to list the players as EH's. If your DH goes into the game defensively, you will lose the DH and the person that was being DH'd for must come out of the game.
21. Courtesy Runners: (Not used if batting entire line-up.) As per NFHS rules, a courtesy runner may be used for the pitcher or catcher. The courtesy runner must be a substitute player that has not been in the game. A courtesy runner may run for either the pitcher or catcher, but not both. Two courtesy runners (one for pitcher, one for catcher) may be used if the team has eligible substitutes for both roles. If there are no substitutes available, there will be no courtesy runner allowed. MANDATORY WITH TWO OUTS!! OPTIONAL otherwise. This rule is intended to speed the game up, please adhere.
22. Visits to the mound: As per NFHS rules, each team is allowed three charged visits to the mound within a game. A charged visit is a trip in which the manager or coach does not remove the pitcher. After the three charged visits are used, every trip to the mound will result in the pitcher being removed. A visit is not “charged” when the manager removes the pitcher from the mound. Remember, charged visits are cumulative for the entire game (visits are not tracked “per pitcher”). No restrictions on visits per inning.
23. All Ejections will carry a 1 GAME SUSPENSION.. Absolutely NO Exceptions..
****TRIPLE CROWN WILL PLAY THESE DIMENSIONS AND RUN RULES****
8u **40’ pitching**60’bases**1 hr 45 min**6 innings**15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings or 8 runs after 5 innings.
9u, 10u**46' pitching**60 or 65' bases**1 hr 45 min**6 innings** 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.
11u, 12u**50' pitching**70' bases**1 hr 45 min**6 innings** 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.
13u**60'6” pitching**90' bases**2 hrs**7 innings** 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.
14u**60'6” pitching**90' bases**2 hrs**7 innings** 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.
15u, 16u, 18u**60'6” pitching**90' bases**2 hrs**7 innings** 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, or 8 runs after 5 innings.
All Championship Games: no time limit, **The Triple Crown Tie-Breaker is still in effect. Run rules are still in effect.**
*********All ages have a 20 run rule after 2 completed innings*********
With regards to the time limit. It is NOT a drop dead time limit. No new inning can start after the time limit has been reached. 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. If you start an inning before the time limit, you must finish it. Time starts at the completion of the coin toss @ Ground Rules. The umpire is the only one that keeps the official clock.
Seedings are determined by the following: 1- A teams overall record 2- If two teams have identical records and have not played one another head to head run differential will determine high seed. (+/- 7 runs is the most and least you can get) ie; if a team gets run ruled 20-4 the losing team will receive a -7 and the winning team a +7
3- If three or more teams are tied with identical records run differential will serve as the first tie breaker to determine seedings. head to head will not be used in this case.
*** If run differential is identical between the tied teams the next tie breaker will be least runs allowed. The team that allowed the least amount of runs in their pool play games will receive the higher seed.
*** If least runs allowed is identical between the tied teams, most runs scored will determine the higher seed. The team that scored the most runs in their pool play games will receive the higher seed.
***If the teams are still tied with identical most runs scored, a coin flip will decide the higher seed.
