Best in the US Tournament Rules
Best in the US Tournament Rules
Best in the US Showcases and the on-site tournament director reserves the right to amend these rules at any time for specific events. NFHS rules will be enforced with the following exceptions. All teams and coaches need to review their event rules prior to the start of each tournament.
Sportsmanship:
Best in the US events require that all teams, coaches, and fans show good sportsmanship on and off the baseball field. All athletes and families will comply with all tournament and facility rules. Team managers/head coaches MUST have full control of their players and parents at all times. Umpires will be treated with respect at all times.
Tournament directors and hosts have the authority to eject any player, fan, or team anytime during the tournament for threatening with physical harm, physical attack, abusive language, destruction of property, or failure to pay gate/tournament fees.
The tournament committee reserves the right to eject any person from the site for unruly or unsportsmanlike behavior.
Any physical altercation between two teams, players, or fans before, during, or after a contest could result in the removal of both teams from the remainder of the event and future events.
Age Restrictions:
14U and Up
High School Freshman or older.
Age is determined by the May 1st date of the current year.
Bracket Tiebreakers:
In the event we do not have a 16 or 32 team bracket for single elimination, teams will play a first-round pool with winners advancing, with the possibility of the Highest Ranked Loser advancing as well. The highest-rated loser is determined by the criteria below.
Highest Ranked Loser Criteria
Total Runs Allowed (Whole Tournament)
Total Runs Scored (Whole Tournament)
(If past first round) Runs Allowed From Current Round
(If past first round) Runs Scored From Current Round
Coin Flip
If a tournament calls for highest-ranked losers in multiple rounds, a team may only receive one Highest Ranked Loser advancement during the tournament. If this is the case, it will go to the next team with only one loss who fits the criteria above. Ex. Team 1 is the highest-ranked loser after Round 1. Round 2 calls for a highest-rated loser again. Team 1 cannot advance as a loser again, so Team 2 advances.
Bats:
14U - 18U
Wood Bat Only (Unless otherwise stated)
Baum and Composite Wood ARE ALLOWED
Rosters:
All Rosters Must Be Provided to Best in the US within 7 Days of the Event.
No player can appear in a tournament for more than one team, per division.
Playing a non-rostered player will result in removal of the player from the tournament and possible forfeit for the offending team. If a team has multiple non-rostered players, that team will be removed from the event.
Each manager is responsible for all aspects of his roster and must carry photocopies of birth certificates and/or high school transcripts to provide proof.
An illegal player may be suspended until documentation is provided or removed from the entire tournament if proven illegal.
Mercy Rules:
15 runs after 3 innings
10 runs after 4 innings
8 runs after 5 innings
Home/Away Determination:
Home and Away will be pre-determined by tournament operators/site directors via coin flip.
The home team will be the official book and will record game start time when announced by the umpire.
All teams need to be prepared to start 20 minutes prior to their official start time.
Time Limits:
Time will begin on First Pitch of the game.
Standard Time Limit is 2 Hours, but can be specific to each event, so please look on each event homepage.
There will be No New Inning After the 1 Hour 55-Minute Mark (time from last out recorded of the inning).
Semi-Final and Championship Games do not have a time limit.
Run Rules still apply.
Extra Innings (Consolation Games)
All consolation games are played with a 2-hour time limit/No new inning after 1 hour and 55 minutes strictly enforced.
Games can end in Ties
Extra Innings (Winners Bracket Games, including Semi-Finals):
If the game is tied at the end of the time limit or 7 Innings the following will occur:
Last hitter from previous inning @ 2nd base.
The hitting team starts with 1 out.
This will continue for 2 innings.
If still tied after 2 complete innings of the above, The following will occur
Last 3 outs placed on the bases.
Hitting team starts with 1 out.
Normal substitution rules apply.
Play continues until one team is ahead at the end of the inning.
Extra Innings (Championship Games)
If the game is tied at the end of 7 Innings:
Championship games will be played with regular extra innings for 2 innings.
If still tied after 2 innings the following will occur
Last 3 outs placed on the bases.
Hitting team starts with 1 out.
This will continue until we have a winner
Normal substitution rules apply.
Complete Games:
In the event of inclement weather, Ex. rainout, lightning, etc., games may not be made up due to time constraints and/or field availability.
If rain or weather suspends a game in a 7-inning contest, 4 innings (3 1/2 innings if the home team is winning) could be considered a complete game.
The host facility and tournament director will make the final decision on all complete games.
In the event of a delay, games that cannot be resumed within 1 hour will be considered an official game.
The tournament director can extend the 1-hour deadline if there are extenuating circumstances - working on the fields, lightning delay, etc.
Pitching:
There are no pitch or inning limits for Best in the US Tournaments.
Coaches are asked to be responsible for the health of their pitchers.
The MLB balk rule will be enforced and will be LIVE, not a dead ball.
3rd to 1st pickoff move is ILLEGAL.
Hitting Lineups:
All coaches/teams must turn in a lineup card to the umpire and/or site director at the plate meeting prior to the start of each game.
Lineups must be legible and include player name, number, and position.
Substitutions are not required to be listed on the lineup card, but are strongly encouraged.
Once the first pitch has been thrown, the number of batters must stay the same for the entire game and the lineup is locked in.
Upper and Underclass will have three lineup options:
Hit 9 hitters with a DH or no DH. We will honor the High School DH Rule.
Hit 10 hitters with an EH and a DH. We will honor the High School DH Rule.
Hit 11 hitters with an EH, XH, and a DH. We will honor the High School DH Rule.
Hit the entire lineup.
Upper and Underclass will play by a modified College DH rule where the pitcher can be P/DH. (This means that once you pull the pitcher out of the game he can remain in the batting order as the DH.) (You can DH for anyone, not limited to the pitcher.)
Intentional Walks:
The Head Coach needs to inform the umpire of the intentional walk and the hitter will be awarded 1st Base. No pitches need to be thrown.
Courtesy Runner:
Courtesy runner is optional for pitcher/catcher of record at any time.
The courtesy runner must be a legal sub.
If you are out of legal subs, the courtesy runner will be the last batter out.
If you are hitting a continuous lineup, the last batted out will be your courtesy runner.
The same player is allowed to run for the Pitcher and Catcher in the same inning.
If an error is made on a courtesy runner, the runner will be replaced with the correct runner.
The courtesy runner will never be mandatory.
Number of Players/Forfeits:
A game can start with 8 players. However, if a team drops to seven or fewer, the game will become an automatic forfeit. The tournament director and committee reserve the right to look at and rule on all forfeits.
If you start the game with 8, the 9th place in the lineup will be an automatic out.
If a team starts with 8 and a 9th player shows up, they are able to be added to the lineup at that point.
Tournament Director has the right to amend forfeit scoring.
Injuries:
If a team is hitting a continuous lineup or has no legal substitutions available and a player gets injured and cannot continue to play, their spot in the batting order will be skipped with no penalty. Once a player’s spot in the batting order has been skipped, the player is out for the remainder of the game and cannot come back into play.
Pre-Game Infield/Batting Practice:
No pre-game infield or batting practice on the field will be allowed during any tournaments unless noted by the tournament director.
Protests:
A protest is only available for a violation or misapplication of a rule, not for coach/fan/player disagreement with an umpire’s judgment call (i.e., ball and strikes, out and safe, interference, etc.). Pitching limitations are not eligible for protest. Protests must be filed and ruled on before the next pitch if during a game, or before umpires leave the field if after a game. The team protesting must make a cash payment of $200 at the time of protest and the protest will only be heard and ruled upon by the tournament committee. If the protest is ruled in the protesting team’s favor, the $200 will be refunded to the team.
Ejections:
Any player, coach, manager, spectator, and fan that is ejected from a game shall be suspended and removed for the remainder of that game. Any individual ejected must leave the complex and exit to the parking lot.
If a team is hitting a continuous lineup, the ejected player’s spot in the lineup will remain and his team is forced to take an out.
Any player or coach that acts maliciously or performs an act with intent to injure, the tournament committee has the final say in the penalty for that individual(s).
Tournament Director has final say in the penalty for any individual that gets ejected for a second time in a tournament.
