TbS Georgia Major Elite

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RULES OF THE GAME

Playing rules not covered in the Travelball Select Internet version on www.travelballselect.com revert to the Official Rules of Major League Baseball by Triumph Books or the online MLB rules at http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/foreword.jsp.

Local and State Directors have the right to adjust rules for local and state play with the approval from Travelball Select.

A. THE PLAYING FIELD

Table 1 describes the recommended mound height, rubber-to-plate, base-to-base, and fence distances for each age division. The rubber-to-plate distance is measured from the rear of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber or coach’s pitching plate.

Table 1. Recommended playing field dimensions Age Division Mound Height Rubber-to- Plate Distance Base-to-Base Distance Recommended Fence Distance

8U Kid Pitch 40’ 40’ 60’ 60’ 0” 4” 180’ 180’ 
9U 46’ 65’ 
10U 46’ 65’ 
11U 50’ 70’ 
12U 50’ 70’  
13U 60’ 90’ 
14U 54’ 80’ 
14U 60’ 90’ 

B. UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT

1. Players must be uniformed with proper baseball attire. It is recommended that the numbers are at least 4” in height on all jerseys. Only the director can make rulings on uniform legality. No one can protest uniforms.
2. All offensive players participating in a PBR Baseball event must wear a double ear flapped helmet while on the playing field. This includes bat boys and bat girls while performing their duties. Youth coaches under 18 years of age must adhere to this standard.
3. If the umpire observes any violation of these rules, he or she directs the violation to be corrected.
4. The catcher must wear a head protector, body protector, protective cup, shin guards, and a mask with a throat protector. The throat protector, which is part of or attached to the mask, must adequately protect him. The helmet must have full ear protection. The head, face, dual ear flaps, and throat protector can be one piece.
5. Age divisions 12U and below cannot wear metal cleats.
6. Bats must be made of an approved material, and they must be smooth and round.
7. Bats must be certified by the manufacturer to meet a Bat Performance Factor of 1.15 or less.
8. BBCOR bats will be required in the 14u division.
9. For 13U bats will be restricted to a -5 ratio or heavier. (The weight of the bat in ounces as compared to its length in inches, must be no greater than 5).
10. Penalty – the bat will be removed from the playing field by the umpire and the manager of the team will be warned against further use. If the illegal bat is discovered after the end of the play, and the play results in the batter/runner safely reaching first base, the batter/runner will be declared out and all runners must return to the last base legally occupied prior to the play. No run may score on this play. Any out that results on the play will stand. On a second offense, the above penalties will apply and the manager of the offending team will be removed from the field and will be prohibited from managing for the remainder of the game.
11. A batter using an altered bat is declared out, and all runners return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch. A batter is deemed to have used or attempted to use an illegal bat if the player brings such a bat into the batter’s box. Any out or outs made during the play stand.

C. GAME RULES

1. A flip of a coin between the two teams determines the home team for each pool play game. For bracket play games, the highest seed is home team.
2. Roster batting:

• Teams can bat a nine-player lineup, a 10-player lineup using an extra hitter (EH), or roster bat all present uniformed players. The lineup must be declared before the start of the game and used the entire game.
  • If a team uses a lineup that contains 10 players, the player in the EH position, while not actually playing a defensive position, is treated as such for substitution purposes.
  • Any team that is not roster batting should declare all eligible substitutes by noting them as such on the official lineup that is exchanged with the opposing team and/or home plate umpire at the beginning of the game. Players not listed as eligible substitutes but appear legally on the online roster will be considered legal substitutes.
  • If a team chooses to roster bat, then all players other than the nine defensive position players are extra hitters and can move freely in defensive positions.
  • If a team is batting all present, uniformed players, with no eligible substitutes listed on the lineup card, and the number of players is nine or 10, that team is considered to be roster batting for the purposes of defensive substitutions and courtesy runners, unless the coach has specifically declared otherwise at the pregame plate conference.
  • If additional players arrive after the game has started, those players are placed at the end of the batting order. If the coach declares at the pregame plate conference that he is not roster batting, the late players are listed on the lineup as eligible substitutes. (See Rule C.7)

1. For teams that are not roster batting, starting players can withdraw and re-enter once (including designated hitters, for age divisions that allow them), provided that the players re-enter in their original position in the batting lineup.
2. Teams can start a game with eight players provided they take an out for the ninth player. Teams must have a minimum of eight players to start a game. If the lineup drops below eight players, the game is declared a suspended game and is not rescheduled. The suspended game is then ruled a forfeit by the tournament or league director. Umpires have no authority to forfeit a game.
3. Teams having eight players to start a game are automatically the visiting team.
4. If a team’s ninth player arrives late to the game, the manager of that team must make an announcement at the plate conference before the game begins and advise both the plate umpire and the opposing team that he or she has a player that will be arriving late. When the player arrives, the player is announced to both the plate umpire and the opposing team and is placed in the ninth position in the batting order. The game resumes as if he or she was there at the start of the game. Until the player arrives, an out is recorded in the ninth position.
5. If roster batting, players arriving after the game has started are added to the bottom of the batting lineup. If batting nine, or ten with an EH, players arriving after the game has started are legal substitutes as provided in rule 2.C above.
6. If a player is removed from the game for illness or injury there will be an out recorded for his spot in the batting order (subject to rule 9).
7. 9U and above teams batting nine, ten, or the roster that drop below nine players are subject to the following:

a) If a team drops below nine players due to illness or injury, an automatic out is recorded.

b) If a team drops below nine eligible players due to an ejection or any reason other than illness or injury and leaves the game,