Baseball Tournament Rules

2024 Tournament Rules

NFHS rules apply with the following exceptions and clarifications:

GAME LENGTH

9U-12U: 6-inning Game, Subject to 1:45-minute Time Limit 

13U - 18U: 7-inning Game, Subject to 1:50-minute Time Limit 

Championship Game - No Time Limit (Weather Permitting)

GAME TIMES

Head coaches should be present one hour prior to the first game of the tournament for rules briefing.

Teams should be present and ready to play 30 minutes before all games.

Games completed early may result in an early start for the following games, weather permitting.

Teams not available to start within 15 minutes of their scheduled start time will be subject to a forfeit at that point.

ASH CENTRE FIELD GUIDELINES

NO Metal Cleats permitted on ASH Centre Fields. Molded rubber or Turf Shoes ONLY

NO chewing gum or sunflower seeds 

NO Tobacco products

HOME/VISITOR DESIGNATION

Pool Play: Home and Visitors will be predetermined by the tournament director.

Championship/Consolation: Higher seed will be Home Team.

If same seeds are playing, then teams will flip for home/visitor.

TIE-BREAKER RULES

Teams with the overall best record will be placed in the highest seed. For seeding purposes the following tie-breaker rules will be used.

• Most wins
• Fewest losses
• Two-way tie: Head to head
• Three/four-way tie: Head to head (tournament director will clarify for this scenario)
• Fewest runs allowed in all of pool play
• Most runs scored in all of pool play
• Coin-flip (one team is heads, the other team is tails)

RUN RULES (MERCY RULE)

15-run rule after 3 innings

10-run rule after 4 innings

8-run rule after 5 innings

All games: Pool play and championship/consolation rounds

PITCHING RULES

The Hoosier Classics do not have a mandatory pitching limit. Coaches are responsible for player safety.

COURTESY RUNNERS

Courtesy runners for pitchers and catchers any time, mandatory for catchers with two outs.

Courtesy runners need to be any player currently not in the game.

If teams do not have any bench players, then they may designate the last batter to be out as the courtesy runner.

The same player may serve as the courtesy runner multiple times.

OFFENSIVE LINE-UP OPTIONS

Ages 9U-18U

Continuous Batting Order – Optional

Designated Hitter – Optional

Extra Hitter – Optional (you may have multiple EH's)

Coaches simply need to clarify offensive lineup with umpires and opposing coaches prior to the start of the game.

Offensively players MUST stay in their original offensive spot in the line-up.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Ages 9U-18U

Free substitution for both starters and substitute players in regards to entry and re-entry into the game.

Offensively players MUST stay in their original offensive spot in the line-up.

INTENTIONAL WALKS

Automatic intentional walk rule may be used.

SLIDE RULES

Head First Sliding: Players are encouraged to slide feet first. Though we stress the safety of the players, there are times where head-first sliding is acceptable and more comfortable for a player. Please advise your players to be safe and smart when sliding head first and avoid sliding head first into home plate.

BAT RESTRICTIONS

Ages 9U-14U: No bat restrictions

Ages 15U-18U: BBCOR certified - 3 oz. bat differential (aluminum)

Woodbat Tournaments: All woodbats are legal, composite woodbats are legal

WEATHER AND RAIN DELAYS

If inclement weather occurs, games are subject to being “complete” if the losing team has hit through five complete innings or one hour and 15 minutes has been played.

If inclement weather occurs and games are not officially complete, then that game will be treated as a “suspended” game. That game will then be finished by picking up exactly where the game was ended due to weather if the completion of the game is necessary for seeding purposes.

If a game is delayed for 30 minutes or longer due to inclement weather, then that game is subject to being declared a “complete” or “suspended” game.

New Rule: The National Federation of High School (NFHS) has implemented a “Thunder and Lightning” rule that requires teams to clear the field for 30 minutes if lightning is seen or thunder is heard. Our tournaments need to abide by the liability coverage of our umpiring staff on the safety issue regarding inclement weather. We apologize for the inefficiencies that this new ruling may create with the addition of the “Thunder” clause.

EJECTIONS

If any players, coaches or fans are ejected, they are required to leave the baseball complex and go to a parking lot. These situations are unfortunate, but we must remove the individual so that it minimizes any escalating situations that lead to poor examples set forth for our youth.

If a second ejection occurs, the player, coach, or fan will be subject to expulsion from the tournament.

If any player, coach or fan makes intentional contact with an umpire, that individual will be removed from the event (intent will be determined by the umpire and the tournament director).

If a team is batting a Continuous Order or has no remaining Subs and an injury or ejection occurs the spot in the batting order will be declared an out.

AGE RESTRICTIONS

Eligibility is determined by each player meeting one or both of the following requirements:

The player is the appropriate age based on the April 30th cut-off date OR the player is in the appropriate grade for that particular event.

For 2021:

18&U = Graduation Year of 2021 or younger
17&U = Graduation Year of 2022 or younger
16&U = Graduation Year of 2023 or younger
15&U = Graduation Year of 2024 or younger
14&U = Graduation Year of 2025 or younger
13&U = Graduation Year of 2026 or younger
12&U = Graduation Year of 2027 or younger
11&U = Graduation Year of 2028 or younger
10&U = Graduation Year of 2029 or younger
9&U = Graduation Year of 2030 or younger

For example, if Billy is 14 years of age on April 30, 2021, then Billy will be considered a 14-year-old for the entire baseball season.

Clarification: If Billy turns 15 years of age on April 30, 2021 or before, then Billy is considered a 15-year-old for the entire baseball season. If Billy turns 15 years of age on May 1, 2021 or after, then Billy is still considered a 14-year-old for the entire baseball season.

RAIN OUT AND REFUND POLICY

Due to the potential for inclement weather, the Hoosier Classic Baseball Tournaments have created a standard cancellation policy for all of our tournament events. Refunds stipulated in this policy refer to the individual team’s entry fee money. Once a tournament begins, there are no gate fee/admission fee refunds.

• 100% refund of entry fee if any tournament is cancelled prior to the start of your teams first game.
• 40% refund of entry fee if any tournament is cancelled and only one game has been started.
• 15% refund of entry fee if any tournament is cancelled and only two games have been started.
• No refunds once a third game begins.

Team forfeits count as a competed game.

Thankfully we have only had to cancel five tournaments in 15+ years due to rain!