Determining a Player’s League and/or Tournament Age

• Top Tier Sports will use May 1 as the date cutoff to determine a players age as it pertains to league & tournament play
  • A player that turns 15 on or before May 1st, 2025 would be league/tournament age 15
  • A player that turns 15 anytime after May 1st, 2025 would be league/tournament age 14
• A player’s age determines the oldest level that they are eligible to play in. For example, a player determined to be league/tournament age 14 based on their birth date would be eligible to play in the 14U division or any older division. However, that player would be ineligible to participate in any divisions 13U or younger
• Top Tier Sports reserves the right to allow exemptions to the age rules in specific cases

• Some exceptions may apply to base lengths & pitching distance based on field availability and the potential to combine divisions
  • 10U teams that prefer to play leadoff will need to play in the 11U division of that given event
    • Select tournaments may offer 10U Majors leadoff divisions; those divisions will follow the 11U-12U listed above
  • 13U divisions may be played on 60/90 fields depending on the event & field availability
• No warnings on balks regardless of age group
• Metal cleats are allowed at the respective division listed above EXCEPT when the field restrictions say otherwise – these restrictions will be clearly identified and communicated with teams prior to each event

• Top Tier will use the USSSA Banned Bat list as a guide for which bats are not allowed in tournament play
• For Wood Bat events, Baum & composite bats are allowed

Penalty for the Use of an Illegal Bat

• Each team is responsible for ensuring their are using legal bats – umpires will not check all team’s bats prior to the game
• In the case where the batter is discovered to have used an illegal bat (or step in the batters box with an illegal bat) prior to the next pitch being thrown, the batter is declared OUT and all base runners will be returned to their original bases from the start of the previous pitch.
• The second offense of an illegal bat in the same game (by ANY player) will result in the same penalty above, as well as a coach & player ejection

Pool Play

• The home team will be determined by a coin flip unless otherwise pre-determined on the tournament schedule; the team that wins the coin flip will have the option to choose home or visitor

Bracket Play

• The higher seed will have the option to choose home or visitor for that contest
  • If both teams are the same seed from their respective pool (I.E. A #1 vs. B #1), tiebreakers will be used to determine which team gets to choose home or visitor

• The official start time to a game is based on when the plate meeting concludes – this is to ensure consistency across the board and a clear determination of when the time clock will start. Umpires should declare the game start time at the plate meeting; coaches should confirm prior to leaving
• A “new inning” starts immediately following the third out being recorded in the previous half-inning
• Time limits apply to all pool play and bracket games with the exception of the championship game
• We will attempt to stay on schedule as much as possible. Teams should do their best to be warmed up and prepared to play at their scheduled game times, regardless of when the game being played in front of them ends. Player health and safety will be first and foremost, but please show a sense of urgency when getting players & pitchers warmed up for your games if the prior game runs longer than expected
• No game will start prior to the scheduled start time unless agreed upon by both coaches

Extra Innings & Tie Games

• For all pool play and/or consolation games, if a game is tied after regulation but time remains, the game will continue until either (A) a winner has been determined or (B) the time limit has been reached
  • • All extra innings will be played by placing the previous batter in the lineup on second base with no outs, following the Major League Baseball rule
    • If after an extra inning is played and the time has elapsed, the game will be declared a tie
  • All ties will be considered a 1/2 (.5) win and a 1/2 (.5) loss in the pool standings
• For all bracket play games where a winner must be determined, all extra innings will be played by placing the previous batter in the lineup on second base with no outs, following the Major League Baseball rule

Shortened Games

• If rain/darkness forces the stoppage of a game, the following rules apply:
  • Games are considered official after 3 innings (2 1/2 if the home team is leading)
  • Any game called prior to an official game will go down as a no contest
  • If an official game is called mid-inning with no lead changes during the impacted inning, the game will be deemed an official game, with the final score being the score after the last completed inning
    • If an official game is called mid-inning with the visiting team taking a lead prior to the game being called, the game will revert back to the last completed inning
    • If an official game is called mid-inning with the home team taking a lead prior to the game being called, the game will be considered final, with the final score being the score at the time of completion

The following mercy / run rules apply for ALL age divisions (unless otherwise noted for a specific event):

• 12 runs after 3 innings of play (2 1/2 if the home team is ahead)
• 10 runs after 4 innings of play (3 1/2 if the home team is ahead)
• 8 runs after 5 innings of play (4 1/2 if the home team is ahead)

The following divisions will have a limit of 5 runs per inning:

• 8U (all divisions)
• 9U (AA, AAA, Open Divisions)
• Any AA divisions (up through 14U)

Lineup Rules

• The batting lineup must consist of a minimum of 9 players; there is no maximum
  • (EX) If a team’s roster consists of 13 players, they can choose to bat 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13 batters
  • NOTE: Teams can start a game with as few as 8 players; in that case, the 9th spot in the order is an automatic out. Teams with fewer than 8 players must take a forfeit – the game can still be played
  • If players are removed from the lineup for whatever reason (injury, etc.), the spot of the player removed from the lineup will result in an automatic out
• High school substitution rules apply – starters are eligible to re-enter the game one time in their original spot in the batting order
• Regardless of lineup construction, teams are allowed free defensive substitutions throughout the game. A player may enter the game defensively at any time without entering the batting lineup
  • • The only time a player should report as an eligible substitute is when replacing another player in the batting order. This is NOT a requirement per Official Baseball Rules; it just serves as a courtesy to the umpires and the opposing team
• Based on the fact that there are free defensive substitutions, there is no need for a designated hitter, as anyone can be in the field at any given time
• For the purposes of tracking pitching, all pitching changes MUST be reported to both the game officials and opposing team. Pitchers are eligible as free defensive substitutes

• • Intentional Walks – teams simply need to request to the umpire to issue an intentional walk
  • Sliding – the high school force play/slide rule is in effect. Players must go straight into the bag on force play sides; no malicious contact
  • Possession – defensive players must have possession of the ball to block a base or home plate
  • Head first slides – allowed in ALL divisions

• For all non-leadoff divisions – when a runner is deemed to leave the base prior to the ball crossing the plate:

• • • If the ball is not put in play, the runner that left early must return to the base he came from
    • If the ball is put in play, upon completion of the play, the runner that left early must be returned to the last unoccupied base – he can only advance to the base that the hitter forces him to. If the runner that left early is called out, the out will stand as called

• Courtesy runners – allowed for the current pitcher and catcher WITH 2 OUTS only

• • • If you are not batting your entire team, the courtesy runner can be anyone NOT CURRENTLY in the batting order – they do not have to be an eligible substitute. The same player cannot run for both the pitcher and the catcher in the same inning
    • If you are batting your entire team, the courtesy runner MUST BE the last batted out
• Coaches / Team Personnel – We ask that each team has no more than four (4) coaches / team personnel in the dugout for games
• Electronic Communication – one-way electronic communication from the coaching staff to players is allowed at all levels of play
• For 8U divisions, runners may ONLY advance to home via batted ball, or be forced in via walk or hit by pitch. Runners will not be allowed to score by stealing home or advancing on wild pitches, passed balls, or throws back to the pitcher.

• • • • Once a pitcher is removed from the mound, he is ineligible to return to that game as a pitcher, even if he remained in the game at another defensive position.
      • Mound Visits – 1 coach visit per inning to the same pitcher, 2nd coach visit in an inning to the same pitcher must result in a change.  No limit per game.
    • Balks – big book; balks are live balls until the conclusion of the pitch/play. No warnings on balks regardless of age group
    • Third to First Move – this move is ILLEGAL; penalty is a balk
    • • GameChanger will be the system of record for all pitch count protests. The site / tournament director will review GameChanger records to determine whether a pitch count violation has occurred
        • If the team being questioned does NOT use GameChanger, the site / tournament director will use their opponent’s GameChanger data to determine whether a violation has occurred. If neither team has a GameChanger account, the pitch count protest will not be upheld
        • If there is a discrepancy between pitch counts in GameChanger between teams, the GameChanger for the team that the player in question is on will be used as the official pitch count
      • Each team is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to keep the welfare of their players at the forefront of all pitching decisions. Additionally, we have imposed the following pitch count rules for all Top Tier Sports events:
    • 8U – 12U Divisions
    • • • • 40 pitches or less requires NO day off; 41+ requires one day off
          • 41 to 60 pitches – 1 day rest
          • 61-85 pitches – 2 days of rest
          • Maximum of 85 pitches in a single day
          • Maximum of 105 pitches over a 2 day period
          • Maximum of 125 pitches over a 3 day period
    • 13U – 18U Divisions
    • • • • Days of rest required:
            • 40 pitches or less 0 days of rest
            • 41 to 60 pitches 1 day of rest
            • 61 – 85 pitches 2 days of rest
            • 86+ pitches 3 days of rest
          • Maximum of 105 pitches in a single day
          • Maximum of 125 pitches over a 2 day period
          • Maximum of 150 pitches in a single event
        • NOTE: Pitchers will be allowed to finish out the batter when they hit a pitch count threshold (threshold = DAILY MAX) during an at-bat. Days of rest needed will be determined by the FINAL pitch count, regardless of what the number was when the pitcher started his final at-bat
    • For example, if a pitcher started his final at-bat at 37 pitches and finished the at-bat at 42 pitches when removed from the game, one day of rest is required
    • • All protests of pitch count violations must happen during the game, and only apply to the current pitcher. No protests will be considered once a game has concluded, or on pitchers that have already been removed from the mound..
      • Process of a pitch count protest is as follows:
        • Coach must ask for time and alert the umpires that he/she is submitting a pitch count protest. $100 cash is required for all filed protests. The cash will be refunded if the protest is deemed successful. For all denied protests, the $100 is non-refundable
        • Umpires will contact the site / tournament director and alert them of the protest
      • If it is determined that a pitch count violation has occurred, the pitcher must IMMEDIATELY be replaced on the mound. The pitcher and head coach will be ejected from the game, and the head coach will also be suspended for the team’s next game

Seeding and Tiebreakers

Divisions (and pools within divisions) will be seeded from top to bottom based on pool play record (win percentage). If ties exist, the following tiebreaker criteria will be used:

1. Head-to-Head record (in the case of a two-way tie or when all tied teams have played each other)
2. Average runs allowed per game played (ranked fewest to most)
3. Average run differential per game played (max +/- 8 per game)
4. Average runs scored per game played
5. Fewest runs allowed in a single game 

(EX) If a team allowed 3 runs in one game and 5 in the other, the tiebreaker score would be 3

1. Most runs scored in a single game

(EX) If a team scored 3 runs in one game and 5 in the other, the tiebreaker score would be 5

1. Last actual run differential – the ACTUAL run differential in the last completed pool play game
2. Coin flip

EXAMPLE

• Teams A, B and C all finish at 2-1 in pool play, and did not all play each other.  Since head-to-head record would not break this tie, you move to step 2 above (runs allowed).  
  • Team A = 7 runs allowed
  • Team B = 10 runs allowed
  • Team C = 13 runs allowed

• In this scenario, Team A is seeded #1, Team B seeded #2 and Team C seeded #3

NOTES:

• Games ending in a tie will count as a ½ win & a ½ loss for the purposes of determining the pool play standings
  • (EX) A 2-1 record in pool play is the same as a 1-0-2 record

• We will never revert back to a previous tie breaker once a tie has been broken

Pool protection – we reserve the right to change matchups in the first round of bracket play to avoid pool play rematches and/or interprogram matchups. The goal here is to create unique matchups within the same event as much as possible. If pool or program protection results in a “like” matchup that has already happened in pool play, we will not “pool protect”.

Team No Shows

• Teams are expected to honor their commitment to the tournament and play in all scheduled games. Teams that no show games that result in their opponent’s not reaching their game minimum may be billed the amount of the refund owed to the opponent who fell short of their tournament game guarantee

Forfeits

• Teams who are unable to attend a game during the event will be required to take a forfeit; all forfeits will be scored 7-0
• Teams that end up forfeiting games will receive no refund. Additionally, they will be expected to cover the costs of any refunds that need to be sent to their opponent due to their opponent not meeting their minimum game guarantee for the event

Protests

• Protests can be made on rules interpretations only – judgment calls are not subject to protest
• All protests must happen immediately prior to the next pitch being thrown. Once play resumes, the opportunity to protest is lost
• To initiate a protest, coaches should calmly request time out and inform one of the umpires that you would like to file a protest. At that moment, the game will stop and a Top Tier Sports tournament director will be contacted to resolve the protest
• $100 cash is required for all filed protests. The cash will be refunded if the protest is deemed successful. For all denied protests, the $100 is non-refundable

Ejection Policy

• Players / Coach Ejections
  • Any player or coach ejection will result in a one-game suspension, to be served in the next tournament game
    • For all player ejections, the player should remain in the dugout
    • For all coach ejections, the coach must leave the complex immediately and be out of sight from game officials. Failure to comply with this directive will result in forfeiture of the game
  • If the same player or coach is ejected for a 2nd time (either in the current tournament or any future Top Tier Sports event), he or she will be suspended for the remainder of the tournament
  • If the same player or coach is ejected for a 3rd time, that player or coach will be suspended for the remainder of the current tournament season

• Fan / Parent Ejections
  • Any fan or parent ejections will result in removal from the complex. The fan or parent in question will not be permitted back into the complex for the remainder of the tournament
  • A second fan or parent ejection for the same team will result in the removal of ALL FANS for that given team. This fan restriction will remain in place for that team for the remainder of the current event

• Alcohol Policy
  • Alcohol will not be permitted within the complex at any Top Tier Sports event. This offense will result in immediate removal from the complex, and the above fan ejection policies will apply

Zero Tolerance Policies

• Alcohol – Top Tier Sports is committed to providing a positive and safe experience for all participants at our events. Alcohol has no place at a youth sporting event, and we will have zero tolerance if anyone is found to be consuming alcohol at any complex being used for a tournament. Failure to comply with these guidelines and/or comply with on-site tournament staff will result in the immediate removal from the complex, along with the consequences listed in the fan ejection policy above. Thank you in advance for your help with this policy.
• Sunflower Seeds – For games played on turf fields, absolutely NO SUNFLOWER SEEDS are allowed on site – on the playing surface, in the dugouts, or in the stands. This includes spitting the shells into a cup. All in attendance should not chew sunflower seeds on the complex in any capacity.

Top Tier Sports is committed to providing a clear and fair refund process for all teams participating in our tournaments. Please carefully review the following policies:

 Payment Requirements

• All tournament entries must be paid in full no later than 14 days prior to the start of the event
• Failure to meet this payment deadline may result in the removal of your team from the event

 Withdrawal and Schedule Policy

• Teams that withdraw within 14 days of the event will not receive any refunds or credits.
• Once the tournament schedule has been released, no refunds or credits will be issued under any circumstances.

3-Game Guarantee Refund Policy

• 0 games played: 100% credit toward a future tournament or a refund minus a 10% administration fee.
• 1 game played: 66% credit toward a future tournament or a 50% refund.
• 2 games played: 33% credit toward a future tournament or a 25% refund.
• 3 games played: No refunds or credits will be issued.

4-Game Guarantee Refund Policy

• 0 games played: 100% credit toward a future tournament or a refund minus a 10% administration fee.
• 1 game played: 75% credit toward a future tournament or a 66% refund.
• 2 games played: 50% credit toward a future tournament or a 33% refund.
• 3 games played: 25% credit toward a future tournament. No refunds will be issued.
• 4 games played: No refunds or credits will be issued.

Credit Usage

• Credits issued due to weather-impacted events must be used within the same calendar year as the original event.
• Unused credits will expire at the end of the calendar year.

Refund Requests

• Refund requests must be submitted in writing to Arlo.Evasick@TopTierSports.net within 14 days following the conclusion or cancellation of the event.
• Approved refunds will be processed within 14 business days.

For questions or additional information, please contact Arlo.Evasick@TopTierSports.net. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Conflict Resolution

• Top Tier Sports is committed to ruling on all conflicts in a way that is both (1) fair to the teams involved and (2) good for the tournament as a whole. All conflicts will be discussed amongst our staff to determine the best course of action