Tournament Rules
Triple Crown Baseball Rules-- Arizona
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. TCS Spring Championships are excluded from these rules
1. New age cutoff information for 2021, all age divisions:
**Coaches are required to provide photo copies of birth certificates for proof of age and current report card for proof of grade (if applicable).
8u Division – Player turning 9 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 2nd Grade
Player turning 10 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
9u Division – Player turning 10 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 3rd Grade
Player turning 11 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
10u Division – Player turning 11 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 4th Grade
Player turning 12 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
11u Division – Player turning 12 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 5th Grade
Player turning 13 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
12u Division – Player turning 13 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 6th Grade
Player turning 14 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
13u Division – Player turning 14 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 7th Grade
Player turning 15 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
14u Division – Player turning 15 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 8th Grade
2. Rosters: May not exceed 20 players during the tournament.
3. Game Time: Starting time is forfeit time unless delay is created by Triple Crown. Game time starts during the home plate meeting.
4. Championship Games: No time limit, unless there is a facility curfew. Run rules are still in effect.
5. Home Team: Determined by coin flip. Choice of dugout will be given to visiting team unless the dugout is occupied. Home team is required to keep the official book. Higher seed is awarded the home team in playoffs and championship games. If records are tied and there was not head to head play, we will use a coin flip.
6. Player Minimum: A team must start with a minimum of 9 players but can finish with less, taking outs in the vacant batting order positions.
7. All age groups can have an EH (Extra Hitter) if they choose to bat
8. Batting Order: Teams may bat any number of players and retain subs but must remain at the same total number of batters they started with throughout the game: Example 11 batters and three subs must finish with 11 batters. Batters not listed defensively will be extra hitters (EP or EH) and may rotate anywhere on the field like any other starter. DH can still be used as well
*If batting the entire lineup and an injury or ejection occurs it will also be an out but only the first time around the batting order.
9. Courtesy Runners are allowed for the pitcher and catcher only. The courtesy runner must be either the last batted out or a legal substitute from your bench not having played in the game. The same legal substitute may run for both the pitcher and the catcher.
10. Pitching Rules (Innings per Tournament):
8U, 9U, 10U, 11U & 12U = 6 innings
13U, 14U = 7 innings
15U,16U = 8 innings
*One additional inning per pitcher for every game played after 4 games. *No limit on the number of appearances. *Violation of these pitching rules will be discussed with the tournament director and may cause the Pitcher in question as well as the Manager to be ejected for the rest of that game.
*Eight warm-ups to start, five thereafter.
*Visits to the Mound: High School Federation rules allow three visits to the mound in a game. On the fourth visit and on every visit thereafter, the manager is required to make a pitching change. Only one visit is allowed to the mound with the same batter at the plate. A visit is not charged if the pitcher is removed from the game during the visit. 10.
Tie-Breaker System: In playoff rounds only, if a game is tied after all innings have been completed, or the time limit has expired, the "California" tiebreaker rule will go into effect. Each team puts the batter who is scheduled to bat last in that respective 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. Tie games in pool play shall stand as ties.
11. Scorecards: Please pick up scorecards 30 to 60 minutes prior to your game’s scheduled start time. Fill out your line-up on the scorecard (substitutes need not be listed). Then, pass the card on to the opposing manager to fill in his line-up. The completed scorecard must be presented to the home plate umpire at the pre-game meeting. The umpire will track the score and pitching from that point on. At the end of the game, the umpire will request that the managers sign the scorecard and submit that card to the tournament director. It is the manager’s responsibility to make sure the information on the card is correct when it is signed. Cards that are not signed by the manager will be assumed to be correct.
12. Infield Warm-Ups: No pre-game infield. All teams are encouraged to warm-up as much as possible before game time.
13. : Triple Crown will supply 2 new and 1 used baseball for each game. If needed the teams will be asked to throw in a used ball.
14. Metal cleats allowed in ages 11 and up. (No metal cleats in any age division are allowed on portable mounds)
15. BAT RULES 13u and Younger: All bats -5 or greater must be stamped BPF 1.15. Must be a baseball bat – no restriction on weight or length as long as bat has “BPF 1.15” stamp. All -3 bats must be stamped BBCOR. Wood bats allowed. 14u and Older: -3 weight/length ratio only. All bats must be stamped BBCOR. Wood bats allowed. 19u: To be considered a wood bat , a bat must be made of a single piece of wood. All other bats such as bamboo or two piece must meet the BBCOR standards and have the BBCOR stamp Bat rules apply to the age division you are playing in (not the age of the player or team).
Penalties for illegal bats will be assessed as per the NFHS rule book. -First violation of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and head coach restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game. -Second violation of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and head coach ejected -Subsequent violations of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and the designated head coach is ejected -When a batter is declared out for violation of the new bat rules, the defense may take the penalty or the result of the play. The head coach penalties apply in either case.
16. Uniforms: Numbers necessary, matching uniforms recommended.
17. 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.
18. Protest Fee: $100 cash (on rule interpretation only). - Protests must be done immediately. Please inform the umpire(s)to stop the game and then proceed to find the tournament director. Protest must be made at the time of the infraction and must be decided on before continuing the game.
19. Decisions: Tournament Director shall have final decision on all tournament questions.
20. Hotels/Motels/Condos: Teams that leave unpaid bills or damages will be removed from the tournament and reported to their respective leagues.
21. Refund Policy: There will be a $50.00 administration fee charged for complete rain outs; 1 game played = 50% of entry fee; 2 or more games played = no refund. Credits may be applied based on each individual tournament circumstances.
22. 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 following season.
Players may only play for 2 teams if they are in different age divisions (so playing up for 1 team) but may only pitch for 1 team but may not be added to during the tournament.
TRIPLE CROWN DIMENSIONS AND RUN RULES
8U 40' pitching, 60' bases; 1:30 hours or 6 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5.
Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
9U and 10U 46' pitching, 60' or 65'bases; 1:45 hrs or 6 innings.
Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5.
Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
11U and 12U 50 'pitching, 70'bases; 1:45 hrs or 6 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5. Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
13U 54” pitching, 80 'bases; 2 hrs or 7 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2 or 3, 15 after 4, 10 after 5 or 8 after 6. Championship game no time limit 7 innings and run rules are still in effect.
14U AND OLDER 60’6” 'pitching, 90 'bases; 2 hrs or 7 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2 or 3, 15 after 4, 10 after 5 or 8 after 6.
Championship game no time limit 7 innings and run rules are still in effect.
8 Year Old Rules: (single umpire for 8 Yr. old games) Pitching distance shall be 40 feet. Base length shall be 60 feet. Bunting is allowed. Pitching restrictions: Each player may pitch 6 innings for the entire tournament. A player will gain an additional inning for each game played after a minimum of 4 games played. 1 pitch delivered to a batter is considered an inning. Once a pitcher is removed from mound, he may not return to pitch in that game. Illegal pitches will result in a dead ball The batter is considered out on a dropped third strike. No lead-offs. Players cannot leave base until after ball crosses home plate. Stealing is allowed. Runners may advance once the ball is passed home plate at their own risk. If a player leaves early he is out. If ball is hit, it is a dead ball and batter returns and hits again unless there were already 2 outs (inning is over). Stealing home is not allowed. Runner may advance to home only on hit ball, when forced in by a walk, or when hit by pitch. The ball is considered dead once the pitcher has possession of the ball near the mound area. 8 & Under has a 10 run max per inning until the last designated inning. No new inning after 1 hr and 30 minutes. Each game shall be considered an official game regardless of the number of innings played. Mercy rule: 20 runs after 2 innings, 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, 8 runs after 5 innings. Intentional walks: Coach or fielder just needs to inform umpire and point to first base. No pitches need to be thrown. The Infield Fly Rule does not apply in the division.
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. TCS Spring Championships are excluded from these rules
1. New age cutoff information for 2021, all age divisions:
**Coaches are required to provide photo copies of birth certificates for proof of age and current report card for proof of grade (if applicable).
8u Division – Player turning 9 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 2nd Grade
Player turning 10 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
9u Division – Player turning 10 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 3rd Grade
Player turning 11 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
10u Division – Player turning 11 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 4th Grade
Player turning 12 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
11u Division – Player turning 12 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 5th Grade
Player turning 13 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
12u Division – Player turning 13 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 6th Grade
Player turning 14 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
13u Division – Player turning 14 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 7th Grade
Player turning 15 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE
14u Division – Player turning 15 prior May 1 of current year is NOT ELIGIBLE, unless player is in 8th Grade
2. Rosters: May not exceed 20 players during the tournament.
3. Game Time: Starting time is forfeit time unless delay is created by Triple Crown. Game time starts during the home plate meeting.
4. Championship Games: No time limit, unless there is a facility curfew. Run rules are still in effect.
5. Home Team: Determined by coin flip. Choice of dugout will be given to visiting team unless the dugout is occupied. Home team is required to keep the official book. Higher seed is awarded the home team in playoffs and championship games. If records are tied and there was not head to head play, we will use a coin flip.
6. Player Minimum: A team must start with a minimum of 9 players but can finish with less, taking outs in the vacant batting order positions.
7. All age groups can have an EH (Extra Hitter) if they choose to bat
8. Batting Order: Teams may bat any number of players and retain subs but must remain at the same total number of batters they started with throughout the game: Example 11 batters and three subs must finish with 11 batters. Batters not listed defensively will be extra hitters (EP or EH) and may rotate anywhere on the field like any other starter. DH can still be used as well
*If batting the entire lineup and an injury or ejection occurs it will also be an out but only the first time around the batting order.
9. Courtesy Runners are allowed for the pitcher and catcher only. The courtesy runner must be either the last batted out or a legal substitute from your bench not having played in the game. The same legal substitute may run for both the pitcher and the catcher.
10. Pitching Rules (Innings per Tournament):
8U, 9U, 10U, 11U & 12U = 6 innings
13U, 14U = 7 innings
15U,16U = 8 innings
*One additional inning per pitcher for every game played after 4 games. *No limit on the number of appearances. *Violation of these pitching rules will be discussed with the tournament director and may cause the Pitcher in question as well as the Manager to be ejected for the rest of that game.
*Eight warm-ups to start, five thereafter.
*Visits to the Mound: High School Federation rules allow three visits to the mound in a game. On the fourth visit and on every visit thereafter, the manager is required to make a pitching change. Only one visit is allowed to the mound with the same batter at the plate. A visit is not charged if the pitcher is removed from the game during the visit. 10.
Tie-Breaker System: In playoff rounds only, if a game is tied after all innings have been completed, or the time limit has expired, the "California" tiebreaker rule will go into effect. Each team puts the batter who is scheduled to bat last in that respective 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. Tie games in pool play shall stand as ties.
11. Scorecards: Please pick up scorecards 30 to 60 minutes prior to your game’s scheduled start time. Fill out your line-up on the scorecard (substitutes need not be listed). Then, pass the card on to the opposing manager to fill in his line-up. The completed scorecard must be presented to the home plate umpire at the pre-game meeting. The umpire will track the score and pitching from that point on. At the end of the game, the umpire will request that the managers sign the scorecard and submit that card to the tournament director. It is the manager’s responsibility to make sure the information on the card is correct when it is signed. Cards that are not signed by the manager will be assumed to be correct.
12. Infield Warm-Ups: No pre-game infield. All teams are encouraged to warm-up as much as possible before game time.
13. : Triple Crown will supply 2 new and 1 used baseball for each game. If needed the teams will be asked to throw in a used ball.
14. Metal cleats allowed in ages 11 and up. (No metal cleats in any age division are allowed on portable mounds)
15. BAT RULES 13u and Younger: All bats -5 or greater must be stamped BPF 1.15. Must be a baseball bat – no restriction on weight or length as long as bat has “BPF 1.15” stamp. All -3 bats must be stamped BBCOR. Wood bats allowed. 14u and Older: -3 weight/length ratio only. All bats must be stamped BBCOR. Wood bats allowed. 19u: To be considered a wood bat , a bat must be made of a single piece of wood. All other bats such as bamboo or two piece must meet the BBCOR standards and have the BBCOR stamp Bat rules apply to the age division you are playing in (not the age of the player or team).
Penalties for illegal bats will be assessed as per the NFHS rule book. -First violation of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and head coach restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game. -Second violation of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and head coach ejected -Subsequent violations of this rule – batter is declared out (if discovered before a pitch to next batter) and the designated head coach is ejected -When a batter is declared out for violation of the new bat rules, the defense may take the penalty or the result of the play. The head coach penalties apply in either case.
16. Uniforms: Numbers necessary, matching uniforms recommended.
17. 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.
18. Protest Fee: $100 cash (on rule interpretation only). - Protests must be done immediately. Please inform the umpire(s)to stop the game and then proceed to find the tournament director. Protest must be made at the time of the infraction and must be decided on before continuing the game.
19. Decisions: Tournament Director shall have final decision on all tournament questions.
20. Hotels/Motels/Condos: Teams that leave unpaid bills or damages will be removed from the tournament and reported to their respective leagues.
21. Refund Policy: There will be a $50.00 administration fee charged for complete rain outs; 1 game played = 50% of entry fee; 2 or more games played = no refund. Credits may be applied based on each individual tournament circumstances.
22. 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 following season.
Players may only play for 2 teams if they are in different age divisions (so playing up for 1 team) but may only pitch for 1 team but may not be added to during the tournament.
TRIPLE CROWN DIMENSIONS AND RUN RULES
8U 40' pitching, 60' bases; 1:30 hours or 6 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5.
Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
9U and 10U 46' pitching, 60' or 65'bases; 1:45 hrs or 6 innings.
Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5.
Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
11U and 12U 50 'pitching, 70'bases; 1:45 hrs or 6 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2, 15 after 3, 10 after 4 or 8 after 5. Championship game no time limit 6 innings and run rules are still in effect.
13U 54” pitching, 80 'bases; 2 hrs or 7 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2 or 3, 15 after 4, 10 after 5 or 8 after 6. Championship game no time limit 7 innings and run rules are still in effect.
14U AND OLDER 60’6” 'pitching, 90 'bases; 2 hrs or 7 innings. Run Rule: 20 after 2 or 3, 15 after 4, 10 after 5 or 8 after 6.
Championship game no time limit 7 innings and run rules are still in effect.
8 Year Old Rules: (single umpire for 8 Yr. old games) Pitching distance shall be 40 feet. Base length shall be 60 feet. Bunting is allowed. Pitching restrictions: Each player may pitch 6 innings for the entire tournament. A player will gain an additional inning for each game played after a minimum of 4 games played. 1 pitch delivered to a batter is considered an inning. Once a pitcher is removed from mound, he may not return to pitch in that game. Illegal pitches will result in a dead ball The batter is considered out on a dropped third strike. No lead-offs. Players cannot leave base until after ball crosses home plate. Stealing is allowed. Runners may advance once the ball is passed home plate at their own risk. If a player leaves early he is out. If ball is hit, it is a dead ball and batter returns and hits again unless there were already 2 outs (inning is over). Stealing home is not allowed. Runner may advance to home only on hit ball, when forced in by a walk, or when hit by pitch. The ball is considered dead once the pitcher has possession of the ball near the mound area. 8 & Under has a 10 run max per inning until the last designated inning. No new inning after 1 hr and 30 minutes. Each game shall be considered an official game regardless of the number of innings played. Mercy rule: 20 runs after 2 innings, 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4 innings, 8 runs after 5 innings. Intentional walks: Coach or fielder just needs to inform umpire and point to first base. No pitches need to be thrown. The Infield Fly Rule does not apply in the division.
