Playoff Format

Top 6 teams make the playoffs (#1 & #2 get first round bye)

#4 vs. #5.....#3 vs. #6

#1 vs. Winner 4/5.....#2 vs. Winner 3/6

Championship Game

Prospect Wire General Event Rules

POOL PLAY/SHOWCASE EVENTS

1.       Games are 7 innings or 2 hours, whichever occurs first. Time limit is NOT drop dead, unless home team is batting AND winning when time limit hits. No new inning will start after 2 hours. If a game is in the top of an inning when time hits, and home team is losing, the full inning must be completed.

2.       Games are considered official after 4 full innings of baseball (in the event of weather)

3.       Games can end in a tie during pool play, consolations or showcase games.

4.       If a game is tied after 7 innings, and there is time left on the clock, the 8th inning & beyond start with the last batted out at 2nd base, 0 outs.  Both teams will hit this way til there is a winner or time limit is reached & game ends in tie.  Same rules apply, once top of inning starts, if time limit hits, full inning must finish.  ***ADDENDUM – A team may NOT Pinch Run in this situation. For tie-breakers, teams must use the last batted out at 2nd base. 

5.       Teams may hit as many players as they wish.  You may utilize 1 “DH” that is “married” to whoever they are hitting for.  You may use “EH” for any other players that you wish to bat.  Prospect Wire does not recommend hitting every player, however. If a player in the lineup were to get hurt, then that spot in the order would take an out each time it came up, regardless of situation. We always recommend leaving bench players in case of those situations.

6.       RUN RULES – 15 runs after 4 innings of play OR 10 runs after 5 innings of play

7.       Courtesy Runners allowed at any time for the catcher and/or pitcher (if he is hitting).  The runner must be a player that has not previously entered the game. If no one is available, then it is the last batted out.  ***NOTE – you may NOT pinch run for the last batted out, if all bench players are exhausted. In that situation, it must be the last batted out.

8.       Home Team is determined by a Coin Flip (or coach’s mutual decision before the game) during pool play, consolations or any showcase event games. Coin flip should be conducted in front of PW scorekeeper or the coaches can let him know if mutually decided upon before the game.

9.       Coaches should have their lineup cards filled out no less than 15 mins before their game & ready for the Scorekeepers when they come for them. Please make sure to include first & last name (or at least a first initial) and their jersey # & positions. 

10.   During games, Coaches are required to report any Pitching & Offensive changes to the scorekeeper & umpire.  Prospect Wire does not necessarily need to know defensive changes in the field, but failure to report a pitching change or offensive change in the lineup may result in information going on the wrong player’s profile or stats being incorrect.

11.   Umpires keep the official Game time, and should give a courtesy “reminder” when time limit gets close to hitting. Prospect Wire scorekeepers do not keep official game time.

12.   Prospect Wire will side with whatever an umpire calls on the field of play.  Prospect Wire does not make a habit of over ruling an umpire’s call, unless it’s in direct conflict with a printed rule. Appeals are $100/appeal.  Money is returned if the issue is overturned only.  Coach must announce protest at the proper time and inform the home plate umpire & opposing coach that the remainder of the game is being played under protest.

13.   If a player or coach is ejected for any reason within the normal scope of a baseball game (i.e. – snap reaction, throws a helmet or bat, gets tossed) that player may return for the next game, if there is one.  Same with a coach.  If the ejection is deemed “offensive” or “over the top” then the player will miss that game and the next game played in the tournament. These situations will be discussed between the umpire & tournament director, with possible discussion with both coaches. 

14.   If a team’s only coach is ejected, and it was not for something considered offensive or over the top, the umpire may allow that coach to stay in the dugout to keep order.  The coach may not do any coaching on the field. He may only encourage his players and keep dugout order.  If the umpire feels the coach is continuing to coach on the field, he may have the coach removed from the park completely for the remainder of that game.  He may not return to coach the next game either, if this occurs. 

15.   Coaches are responsible for their team’s parents.  If a parent is out of hand and disruptive to the game, the umpire has the right to eject the head coach, and assistants if order cannot be kept.

16.   If a player or coach is ejected more than once in an event, they are ineligible to return for the remainder of the tournament, regardless of severity of ejection.

17.   When in doubt, National Association (HS) rules apply.  This is with regard to substitutions, slide rules at each base, pickoffs & balks, etc. 

TIE BREAKERS (In Order)

1.)     Head to Head (If 3 or more teams tie for best record, head to head is only used if 1 of the teams beat each of the other teams with same record. Otherwise, head to head is thrown out and we move to 2nd tie breaker)

2.)    AVG runs allowed during pool play

3.)    AVG runs scored during pool play

4.)    Total Differential Runs Scored vs. Runs Allowed

PLAYOFF SEEDING

Prospect Wire reserves the right in the 1st round of any playoff consisting of 8 or more teams, to switch opponents if two teams from same pool OR same organization are scheduled to meet in the first round.  This is only the case in Round 1 of a playoff that has a Round of 16 or Quarterfinal as it’s first round.  If playoff only consists of Semi Finals & Championship, then seeding stays as is. 

FORFEIT GAMES & SCORING

In the result of a forfeited game, the following will take place regarding standings & score:

a.       If forfeit occurs prior to start of the game, the final score will be 1-0 in favor of the team that was ready to play.  The run, however, will NOT count towards tie breakers. 

b.       If forfeit occurs once game has been started (due to injury) – then final score will be whatever game result was. If losing team received the forfeit, then the win/loss result will be switched but score remains same for tie breakers.

c.       If a game is protested and result changes outcome of the game, the final score will remain but the result of the game will be flipped if protest upheld. 

TIME LIMITS

Pool Play:  2 hours (unless otherwise noted due to weather related issues)

Round of 16 or Quarterfinals:  2 hours

Semi Finals:  2 hours, 15 mins (Unless otherwise noted)

Championship:  2 hours, 30 mins (Unless otherwise noted)

APPROVED BATS FOR EACH DIVISION

Upperclass Division (18u/17u) – WOOD BAT ONLY (ash, maple, composite, BAUM, etc…)

Underclass Division (16u/15u) – WOOD BAT ONLY (ash, maple, composite, BAUM, etc…)

NextGen Division (14u/13u) – BBCOR or WOOD BAT ONLY (when division is combined, all teams must use BBCOR (drop 3 max) unless see below:

***If two 13u only teams are scheduled to play each other then they may abide by the following bat rules:  All bats must have a branding, label, or stamp proving BPF 1.15 or BBCOR on it. There is length to weight ratio maximum of -5 (5 ounces)

APPROVED AGES FOR EACH DIVISION

Upperclass Division (18u/17u)

Players must not turn 19 on or before May 1st, 2018

OR

Any player that is a 2018 grad or higher is eligible to play in this division

Underclass Division (16u/15u)

Players must not turn 17 on or before May 1st, 2018

OR

Any player that is a 2020 grad or higher is eligible to play in this division

NextGen Division (14u/13u)

Players must not turn 15 on or before May 1st, 2018

OR

Any player that is a 2022 grad or higher is eligible to play in this division

Special Note Regarding Pitching Limits

Prospect Wire does not believe in setting pitching limits for our teams to follow. We believe that coaches should not only know their players better than us, but be responsible adults when handling their pitchers.  It is a coach’s responsibility (as well as the parents) to ensure a player is not being overused during an event.

Prospect Wire takes player safety very seriously. While we do not impose pitching restrictions, we do reserve the right to ban a coach/team from an event if we feel they are blatantly abusing a pitcher’s arm by allowing him to throw multiple appearances with excessive innings during an event. 

Prospect Wire will handle each situation on a case by case basis. Again, coaches should be responsible and educated on how to properly handle their players. But Prospect Wire will not actively set limits on how many pitches a player can throw in a given game or event.