2012 Baseball Tournament Information

TOURNAMENT ENTRY form is required & is due by June 23rd noon deadline!

IMPORTANT DATES

• Rule books will be sent out upon receipt of sanctioning form beginning in March.

• All sanctioning fees are due in the league office by May 1st, or tournament entry fees will be at the non-sanctioned team rate.

• Tournament entry fees are to be paid before you play ― they are due at the league office by July 1st.  No team will be allowed to play until payment is made.

• Entry & Drop Deadline is at noon on June 22nd.  After this date, it will be too late to enter the tournament, or drop from it.  Fees will still be due if dropped after June 22nd.

TOURNAMENT & BRACKET DISTRIBUTION MEETINGS

Meeting will be at the Interpretive Center at the Wabash & Erie Canal Conference Center

Baseball – Monday, June 24th - 7:00 PM for all age groups
BRING YOUR ENTRY FEES TO THIS MEETING IF NOT ALREADY PAID

 

TOURNAMENT DATES

Baseball – for All Age Groups (weather permitting):

District level of the State tournament will start as early as Tuesday, July 9th (depending on District size & fields available) & will end on Monday, July 15th. 

Semi-State round may start on Wednesday, July 17th or Thursday July 18th (depending on the number of teams advancing) & will end on Monday July 22nd.


State Finals will start on Thursday, July 25th & end on Monday, July 29th.

QUESTIONS?  Please first try website at www.townandcountryleague.com for most answers.  All updates will be posted on website ASAP.  Please DO NOT call for brackets, game results, etc.

Please complete the registration information below & return by email, fax (765) 564-6202 or mail to:

Town & Country Youth League                
c/o: Nelson Smith, Commissioner               
P.O. Box 75                                                   
Delphi, Indiana 46923                                  

 

 

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Town & Country Baseball State Tournament

Entry Fee: Sanctioned Leagues - $175.00 per sanctioned team;  Non-Sanctioned - $400.00 per team
Advancement fee - $75 per qualified team paid directly to next host site upon arrival

Tournament Host Rules

• Host site shall establish a “Tournament Director” position that does not also coach or manage. It does not have to be the same person for the entire round, as long as a designated person is appointed & filling the role on-site during all games.
• Host site shall designate a person to check each player’s birth certificate that plays at your site. At the District level, this should be someone other than the Tournament Director. No player shall be allowed to play until proof of age has been provided & no team allowed to play is form is either not completed. The designated person will initial in the far right column beside each player’s information at the time of check-in.
•    After the District round, the Tournament Director must simply verify that each player has been cleared to play.
• The Tournament Director will appoint a “Protest and Rules Committee” for each game of the tournament.  Protests will be resolved before play resumes. The committee shall consist of the Tournament Director and 1 coach or parent from each team involved, with input from the umpires. The team Manager cannot serve on the protest committee. All protests should be resolved in a peaceful and professional manner without having to call League Officials. Any loss of perspective & any type of verbal or physical abuse will be grounds for ejection, forfeiture of game &/or team, law enforcement if needed & ban from future participation in the tournament.
• The tournament host shall provide 2 “patched” umpires & 1 adult scorekeeper per tournament.
• Host site will provide all game balls needed to run a successful tournament.  Any player that hits a home run shall be awarded the ball.
• Host shall maintain the supplied pitcher’s log to track innings pitched.

 

Team Roster Rules:

• A team cannot exceed 13 players, 1 manager, & 2 coaches. A scorekeeper may accompany the team in the dugout. The roster must be selected from players who participated in at least ½ of their regular season team’s scheduled games. Rosters may not be changed once a team starts play of their first District tournament game.
• Each player must furnish a legal birth certificate at the District level to be eligible for the tournament.  The Board of Directors must approve all other documents used for proof of age.
•    Three tournaments are sanctioned for three different age levels – a 12u, 10u & an 8u. League age for eligibility is determined by the player’s age as of April 30th, i.e. a 10th b-day on 4/30 is 10, but if b-day is on 5/1, age is 9.
• A player can be listed on two different tournament team rosters from the same league, but not on the same age level & can only play for one team at a time per round (i.e. a 10-yr-old plays on 10u District team, then the 12u Semi-State team)

 

Tournament Playing Rules:

• The tournament will be played using the Town & Country Rule Book except the following:
• Pitching Rule 8.07 (B), (D), (E), (G), & (I) shall not apply. Pitchers will be limited to 6 innings per game & not more than 9 innings in any 2 consecutive games played, no matter when they are played. Pitchers may pitch up to 12 innings during any round, with records reset with the advancement to the next round of the tournament.
• Rule 8.05 (B) shall have the sentence about receiving a warning removed.  Pitcher will not receive a warning for a quick pitch; the pitch will be called a ball.
• Rule 4.16 & 4.17 do not apply.  All games will continue as scheduled or be forfeited. However, the 4.16 & 4.17 exceptions re: an automatic out do apply with the phrase ‘and chooses to play’ removed. 
• Rule 3.03 (A) re: minimum playing requirements for a substitute shall be removed.  A substitute is not required to fulfill any playing requirements in tournament play. Therefore, Rule 3.03 (D) shall not apply in tournament.
• As an option, teams may use an extra player in their batting order.  However, if used, all substitution rules apply, and you must finish with what you elected to start with or an automatic out may result.
• All loser’s brackets & elimination games suspended for weather will be finished to their entirety.  However, a team can choose to forfeit as desired.
• The ‘tie-breaker’ for extra inning games will include the last batter out from the prior at-bat starting at 2nd base to begin the next inning and will be implemented starting in the 8th inning, except for both the championship & “if necessary” games of the State Finals round only when it shall be implemented starting in the 9th inning.

All other rules follow the Town & Country Rulebook

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2012 MINOR LEAGUE (8-YEAR-OLD-&-UNDER) BASEBALL RULES

 

Game Preliminaries

• 2 Umpires per game for all State tournament games with one designated to handle all pitching machine issues (loading, adjusting, etc.).  Adjustments should be made at the end of a complete inning, but may be adjusted during an inning if the machine throws 3 consecutive balls or is bumped during play.
• A pitching machine will be used for all games.  It will be set up directly above the pitcher’s plate.  The machine should be set to a speed of 36-37 mph on the machine readout, with speed determined at the machine.  If no mph read-out on machine, then it is to be radar gunned from where catcher’s glove would be to catch pitch & set at 36-37 mph.
• A “catcher’s area” will be marked prior to the game & will be from the front of the batter’s box and extend 6’ beyond the back of the batter’s box.  It will be from the outside of one batter’s box to the outside of the other batter’s box.
• A “halfway line” perpendicular to the base path will be drawn halfway between first and second base, between second and third base, and between third base and home plate in order to establish enforcement of the “halfway rule”.
• If a player has started a game cannot finish it for any reason; the team will have to take an out in that players spot in the batting order. A team may start a game with only 9 available players without having to take an out. However, if a team is forced to start a game with less than 9 players, the team must take an out in the batting order in a spot designated by the coach. In State tournament, Rules 4.16 & 4.17 shall not apply. Game must be played with 8 players or less, or forfeited.
• Before the start of each game, both coaches will be called either to the mound or home plate in an effort to ensure that all involved is in agreement as to where the machine is starting at, positioned & throwing at.
• District Tournament Rule:  A 2-hour time limit will be enforced for any team’s first round game & for all first round games in the loser’s bracket games.  Any inning started prior to the time limit shall be completed.  Rule 4.10 applies.

 

Batting

• All players on the game line-up roster available to play shall bat in the batting order, which allows for free defensive substitutions.
• Each batter shall receive 6 pitches or 3 swinging strikes before being called out.  If the sixth pitch is hit foul, the batter will continue his turn at bat until he does not swing, swings & misses, or hits the ball in play. No walks will be issued.
• If a batter is hit by a pitched ball, it shall be ruled as a no pitch and does not count towards the 6 pitch limit, unless swung at then it becomes a dead ball strike.  If it happens again, the umpire shall adjust the machine as needed.
• Bunting is allowed, but once a batter squares to bunt, he may not pull bat back & swing.  If batter swings after showing the bunt position, or attempts a slap or drag bunt, a dead ball will be called, batter is out & all runners return to previous base.
• If a batted ball makes contact with the pitching machine or umpire, the ball will be ruled dead with the batter awarded a single, and all runners will advance one base.  Any ball that stops under or hits the machine will be ruled a dead ball.  The umpire has the final discretion on any calls with regard to safety around the machine, including thrown balls.
• 6-run rule per inning for first 5 innings. In 6th inning & beyond, unlimited runs may be scored until 3 outs are recorded.

 

Defense

• No defensive coaches will be allowed on the playing field.
• The defense may use 10 defensive players.  No more than 6 players may start a play within the infield dirt area.  The tenth player is to be used as a 4th outfielder, not an extra infielder.
• Outfielders may not receive the first throw from a defensive player on a batted ball to make a put out at any base, whether by forcing or by tagging.  They can participate in a ‘run-down pickle’ situation or any subsequent play following the first throw.
• The pitcher must start within the pitcher’s circle (10’ diameter) and not closer to home plate than the pitching rubber.  Any contact with the circle will be considered inside the circle either when ball is pitched or play is being made.
• Play is stopped when the pitcher has the ball within the pitcher’s circle.  Any runner that has reached the halfway line or forced from a base may proceed to the next base without the risk of being put out.
• If the pitcher fields a batted ball within the circle, he may make a play on a runner at any base from inside the circle.  Otherwise, the play is dead when runners reach base safely.  If the pitcher makes a play on a runner, the ball is declared dead once the ball is returned to the pitcher and he enters the pitcher’s circle.  Once the pitcher re-enters the circle, he cannot make a play on any advancing runner, the play is dead, and the halfway rule applies.
• No infield fly rule.

 

Baserunners

• Base stealing is permitted, but only if the pitched ball leaves the “catcher’s area”.  The runner may not leave the base at all until the ball leaves the catcher’s area.  A ball on the line is still considered to be in the catcher’s area.  Any violation of this rule will be treated the same as the ‘leave early rule’ (7.07) in the Town & Country rulebook. 
• Any runner who has established contact with or beyond the halfway line will be allowed to advance to next base.
• If a runner crosses the halfway line, then crosses it back to head back to a base, he would have to continue to the previously occupied base unless forced to advance.

 

All other rules follow the Town & Country Rulebook.