Tournament Rules
Subscribe to our NewsletterArmed Forces SlugFest 2025 Tournament Rules & Policies Revised 11/15/2024
ROSTERS & INSURANCE:
All teams are required to carry with them at all times a copy of their official roster, a copy of each player’s birth certificates and a copy of their insurance.
The tournament does NOT need to be listed as additional insured. I do NOT need a copy of your insurance but have it available if asked.
Since all rosters have been verified by the tournament director prior to tournament start date,
ALL AGE CHALLENGES will come through the director. Tournament director will verify age
and with review of the birth certificate. If a player is found to be to ineligible the player will be removed from the tournament. There will be NO FORFEITS because of an ineligible player. A sub may replace the ineligible player if one is available, otherwise an automatic out will take place in the same manner as an injured player.
LINEUPS:
Our intent is to encourage coaches to play as many players as possible and provide each coach with options.
The coach must determine prior to the game how many batters he wants in his starting line-up, and this must be communicated to the umpire and the opposing coach/scorekeeper.
All teams have the option of the following lineups:
Team may bat nine (9), the entire roster or any number in-between. However, once the number of batters is established, it must remain the same throughout the game. A substitute is defined as any player not placed in the original batting line-up to begin the game. As soon as a substitute bats or runs for another player, the substitute and the original starter are locked into that batting line-up slot and either one may bat or run at any time (in that line-up position only). If no substitutes are available and a player is ejected from the game, an out will be recorded each time that spot in the line-up is scheduled to bat.
A team may start and play with 8 players. A team with only 8 players must take an out each time the missing player is scheduled to bat. If an injury occurs to a player on a team batting more than 9 players and if the injury prevents the player from batting and no substitutes are available, his spot in the line-up going forward may be skipped without penalty. If he recovers, he may return to the line-up. If an injury occurs to a base runner and no substitute is available, the last batter out may take his place on the bases.
Injuries/Substitutions:
If a player is injured and no substitute is available, that spot in the lineup will be skipped with no penalty. If an injury occurs during an at-bat and the player can’t continue the at-bat, the next batter in the lineup will take over that at-bat and assume the count. If an injury occurs while on the base paths and there are no substitutes available, the player that made the last recorded out will take the place of the injured player on the bases.
RE-ENTRY RULE:
ALL DIVISIONS: Teams may substitute for defensive positions (except pitcher) as many times as they wish, as long as the batting order remains the same. A player does not have to play the field in order to bat. Conversely, a player does not have to bat to play the field. A substitute is anyone not placed in the batting order. Once a substitution bats or runs for a player, the sub and the original starter are locked into that batting position and either one may bat or run in that position ONLY.
TIME LIMIT:
Saturday Pool Play:
Schedule for games will be:
6 innings for 8U – 12U, no new inning will start after 1 hour 30 minutes.
7 innings for 13U and older, no new inning will start after 1 hour and 45 minutes.
No extra innings on Saturday. Games can end in a TIE.
If home team is batting when time limit is reached and they are leading, the game is over.
NO DROP DEAD TIME LIMITS
Sunday Championship Play:
6 innings for 8U – 12U, no new inning will start after 1 hour 45 minutes.
7 innings for 13U and older, no new inning will start after 2 hours.
No time limits Championship games only. All other games adhere to time restrictions.
Games called before a full inning is complete because of weather, darkness, or other pertinent matters will revert back to the previous inning for the score. If the game has not reached official game status by reverting back to previous inning. the coaches will mark their books and the game will be considered a complete game. A game is considered to have reached official status at the completion of 3 innings. Games ending in ties due to darkness, time or weather after 3 innings will remain as ties.
Games tied after regulation on SUNDAY will begin each extra inning with bases loaded and 1 out.
Your 3 base runners will be the 3 listed on line-up before current batter to start the inning. It doesn’t matter who made the last outs the previous inning. No substitutions. Repeat until someone has the lead after a completed inning. This does not apply to the Championship games.
No time limits for championship games only, but mercy rules still apply.
Time limits may be modified in advance at the discretion of the tournament director.
INTENTIONAL DELAYS:
The umpire and tournament director reserves the right to eject any player, coach or fan for intentionally delaying a game. A forfeit may be enforced at the Tournament Director’s discretion.
INFIELD FLY RULE:
There will be NO infield fly rule for 8U - 10U.
There will be infield fly rule for 11U & older.
CATCHER DROP 3RD STRIKE:
8U - 10U the batter is automatically out. 11u & older regular baseball rules apply.
RULE SETS:
The default rule book for Armed Forces SlugFest will be the Official Rule Book for anything not covered within this document.
TIEBREAKERS:
Tiebreak Rules will apply to determine seeding after Saturday pool play. Tiebreakers are applied in this order:
-Win Loss Record
-Head to Head record – if two teams are tied.
- If three teams are tied – The tournament director will make a decision based on who played who and who beat who. I don’t do it like other tournaments so don’t try to compare.
-Least amount of total runs allowed
-Run Differential
SEEDING AFTER POOL PLAY: READ – READ - READ
The success of our tournament is dependent on the great organizations that supply and maintain ballfields for your competition. The DIRECTOR (me) reserves the right to move a HOST team in the seeding to maintain their ballfield. This does not apply for “A” Level or Medal of Honor seeding.
PROTESTS:
No protests!! Judgment calls are final. A coach may politely ask the umpire who made the call to clarify a rules interpretation. The umpires on the field will make a final decision on the field.
SCOREBOOKS:
The home team will be the official scorebook. The visiting team is encouraged to maintain a book also. Text final score to 240-344-7256. Include age group and teams played.
MERCY RULE:
12 runs after 3 innings (2½ if home team is ahead) 10 runs after 4 innings (3½ if home team is ahead). 8 runs after 5 innings (4½ if home team is ahead).
8U ONLY. Maximum of 5 runs per inning for the innings 1 through 5. Only the 6th inning will be unlimited runs.
STEALING:
Stealing is allowed for ALL age groups. Lead offs and steals for 11U and older.
8U -10 U – No Leads. Can’t steal until the ball crosses home plate. The runner will be called out for leaving early and the pitch will not be allowed. (That’s why we have 2 umpires for ALL age groups)
8U Only: 8U teams cannot steal home under any circumstance. The runner cannot advance home on a passed ball, wild pitch, overthrow back to the pitcher or overthrow on a play at 3rd.
COURTESY RUNNER: AT ANY TIME
For Pitcher and Catcher only at any time. If you have substitutes, they will be your courtesy runner. If you do not, then use the player who made the last batted out.
PITCHING:
We no longer impose pitching limits on teams. It is the manager’s discretion. It is the responsibility of the manager, coaching staff and parents/guardians to monitor the pitch counts and mechanics of players to ensure they are pitching safely. There is a significant number of resources available to all that provide recommendations on pitch limits and rest periods across all age groups. We highly recommend all teams and parents review those recommendations and follow them for the safety of all.
INTENTIONAL WALKS:
A pitcher is NOT required to throw to a hitter during an intentional walk situation. In other words, you CAN declare your intent and automatically give the batter 1st base.
BATS:
No bat restrictions for 8U – 13U. 14U and Older will use BBCOR or Wood Bat.
AVOID CONTACT RULE:
On any force play, the runner must slide AND slide directly to the base or remove himself from the play in such a matter as to not interfere, intentional or unintentional, with the fielder making a play. In addition, the runner cannot interfere with a fielder’s ability to throw the ball in any way.
A runner is out when he does not slide and/or his not sliding creates illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play, or on a force play, does not slide in a direct line between the bases. This is true even when the runner did not intend to cause contact. In the case of potential double play, not only is the runner who created the violation is out, but also the other runner trying to be doubled up on the play.
If, in an umpire’s judgment, there is intentional contact, that umpire WILL call the runner out on that play. If the contact is judged as malicious, that umpire WILL eject the player from the game. If a player is ejected for this reason, they may face suspension for their team’s next game with the possibility of further sanctions as well. The Tournament Director will make the final ruling on a possible suspension.
PROPER CHEERING/NOISE MAKERS:
All individuals (players, coaches, parents and fans) are expected to cheer in a positive manner for their own team and never in a negative manner toward the opposing team. Umpires WILL enforce this with warnings and possible ejections for repeat offenders.
Noise makers are not permitted in the dugouts and if they are used by parents/fans, they must not cause any sort of distraction to the opposing team. Because the term “distraction” can be subjective, if an issue arises at a field involving noise makers, then Umpires may mandate that they not be used during moments of game play. They would only be permitted to be used when the ball is dead or in between innings. If that stipulation is not followed, the noise makers would be prohibited all together for that team for the remainder of the tournament.
GENERAL FAIR PLAY/SPORTMANSHIP:
Intentional disregard for the stated rules (or spirit in which those rules exist) as well as obvious unsportsmanlike behavior WILL NOT be tolerated and will place the individuals and/or teams involved at risk for a possible forfeit or banishment from this tournament and future tournaments.
EJECTIONS:
Coaches and fans ejected from a game must exit the park immediately and not return for the rest of that game plus their next scheduled game. Players may stay with their respective teams but may not participate in rest of that game plus the next scheduled game provided they display a sportsmanlike manner for the duration of the game.
DUGOUTS:
Dugouts first come. Teams playing a doubleheader and staying at same field will stay in same dugout for both games. Home team as depicted on the schedule for Pool Play.
PREGAME INFIELD:
There will be absolutely NO infield warm-ups before any scheduled game. Please allow the field crews to work on the fields between games.
START OF GAME:
All teams are expected to be at field and READY to play 1 hour prior to gametime except for 8 am game. Please be prepared to start games early if field, umpires and teams are ready to play. Teams must have 8 players to start game. (Out taken for vacant spot in lineup). Teams may finish with 8 players (out taken for vacant spot in lineup). Umpire may impose 1 run penalty for every 10 minutes a team is delayed for start of game. Home Plate Umpire makes decision on game start time.
REPORTING SCORES:
As the home team is the official scorekeeper, at the completion of the game they will verify with opposing coach/scorekeeper the correct score and then report score to by texting scores to:
240-344-7256, stating score, Age Group and Team names.
REFUND POLICY:
Our preference for cancelled/rainout tournaments is that you take a FULL credit towards a future tourney.
Once you decide on a credit, it will always be a future credit and never a refund. (Tax guy rules)
100% of all proceeds go to our support organizations and our military charities that support our veterans and military families.
If you decide to take the refund, the policy is below.
Tournament Fee refund minus $250 admin fee if all games are cancelled due to inclement weather or other conditions or circumstances outside of our control.
50% refund if only one game is played; No refund if two or more games played.
The Tournament Director has the final say on all rules and rules can be modified up until the start of the first game played.
