West Seattle Junior Mustang Shootout Tournament Rules

Coaches,

Thank you for entering this year’s tournament. We will attempt to follow PONY tournament rules for Mustang league play with a few minor exceptions. We will start with Pool play with each team playing 3 games in their pool. The top 2 teams from each pool advance along with 2 wild card teams with best records. These 8 teams will be seeded 1 thru 8 and will play in a single elimination bracket. The remaining 4 teams, 9 thru 12 seeds will play a consolation bracket. There is a 4 game guarantee. Teams will be seeded after pool play using the following criteria:

  1. Win/loss record;
  2. Head to head play;
  3. Run differential;
  4. Coin flip.

The following is a checklist of things you need to bring. Please arrive a little early for your first game to check in with the tournament director.

  1. Team roster and birth certificates - keep with you at all times
  2. Player medical release forms - keep with you at all times.
  3. Team or league insurance affidavit - keep with you at all times

PONY Tournament rules for Mustang will apply with the following clarifications:

  1. Players must be league-age 9 or younger according to your league's policy.
  2. The fields will have 60’ bases and the mounds will be at 44’.
  3. No metal cleats allowed.
  4. Home team will be determined by coin flip. Home team will be required to keep the official book and will report scores to the Tournament Director at completion of the game.
  5. Dugouts are first come, first served. Only players and coaches will be allowed in the dugout during games. It is the team's responsibility to keep the dugouts clean, removing all litter after the game.
  6. No pre-game warm up on the infield is allowed.
  7. Games are six innings in length. The ten run rule is in effect after four complete innings, or three and a half innings if the home team is ahead.
  8. No new inning will start after 2 hours of play. Games will terminate after 2:15 hours of play. Ties will be allowed in pool play. In bracket play, the final score of a tie game will revert to the last completed inning with a clear winner. If there is no clear winner the outcome will be determined by a coin flip. Semi’s and Championship will have no time limit.
  9. 60’ bases, 44’ pitching distance, no lead off, no dropped 3rd strike, no slug bunting. Penalty for slug bunting: batter is out.
  10. No headfirst sliding. Diving back to base headfirst is allowed. Penalty for headfirst sliding: runner is out.
  11. Runners are required to slide or avoid when there is an impending play at a base (rule of thumb: when in doubt, slide!). A runner will be called out for not sliding in this situation.
  12. Only bats approved for youth baseball may be used. No softball bats allowed.
  13. Bat the entire roster. Unlimited defensive substitutions.
  14. Pitchers may not pitch more than two innings per game, nor more than 6 innings in one calendar day. There is no rest requirement for pitchers in this tournament. One pitch thrown in an inning counts as an inning pitched. Pitcher removed from the game may not re-enter as a pitcher.
  15. Thrown bat - one warning per batter. On the second offense the batter shall be called out and ejected for remainder of game.

No protests will be acknowledged. No arguing of balls and strikes or judgment calls is allowed. Only the Head Coach may address an umpire. The home plate umpire will be the final decision-maker. Umpires are empowered to eject any player, coach or fan for unsportsmanlike behavior or disruption of the tournament. Anyone ejected must leave the ball fields and have no contact of any kind with their team until the tournament is completed. Failure to comply may result in team’s forfeiture of remaining games.

PROFANITY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Use of any tobacco or alcohol products is not allowed at the ball fields.

Radios, portable stereos ("boom-boxes") or other amplified audio devices may not be played at any time during games. Use of such devices by teams or spectators associated with a team will result in forfeiture of the game by the offending team.

Team trophies for First, Second and Third place. Individual trophies for First and Second place.