Rules for Youth (9u-14u) and High School (15u-18u)

NFHS rules apply with the exceptions listed below

  1. Official playing rules for all Primetime Baseball Tournaments will be the National Federation of High School Rules.
  2. A players age on MAY 1ST of the season will dictate his age group for that season. 9u-13u will play their age group with no exceptions made to play in their grade. The 14u-18u divisions can play their age or their grade. At the 14u division, any player that turns 16 before September 1st will not be eligible to play in this division.
  3. Each manager is responsible to carry copies of birth certificates or high school transcripts to provide proof. An illegal player will be removed from the entire tournament.
  4. Rosters consist of all players that have signed the tournament waiver. When a player signs their waiver, that player will appear on each team’s home page. This waiver list is your team’s roster. Players can only participate for 1 team each weekend. No player can participate in multiple age groups, different class levels or another team if their team is eliminated.
  5. Teams should arrive at least 45 minutes prior to scheduled start time. Primetime can start games up to 15 minutes early if previous game has ended early. Teams may play with 8 players and take an out in the 9th spot until the player arrives. A team may also hit 8 players, but if the 9th player arrives, the 9th player can only be a substitute.
  6. Home team for Pool Play will be determined by coin flip and will be the official scorebook. The higher seed will have the choice once Bracket Play begins.
  7. Start times will be announced by the umpire at the end of the home plate meeting. Both coaches are responsible for asking for the start time.
  8. Length of games and dimensions.
    • 9u/10u: 46’/65’ 6 innings with a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    • 11u/12u: 50’/70’ 6 innings with a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    • 13u: 54’/80’ 7 innings with a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    • 14u: 60’/90’ 7 innings with a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    • 15u-18u: 60’/90’ 7 innings with a time limit of 2 hours
  9. No new inning can start once time limit is reached. All Championship Games will have a time limit of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
  10. Tie Games: In the case of a tie, each team will receive ½ win and ½ loss. In Pool Play, if a game is tied after the time limit expires, the game will be recorded as a tie. If time remains, there will be one extra inning with each team starting the inning with a man on second base, 1 out and 1-1 count on each hitter. The base runner will be last batted out from previous inning. If still tied, it will be recorded a tie. In Bracket Play, this will continue until a winner is determined.
  11. Pitching: There are no pitching restrictions. Coaches are responsible for the health of all pitchers by monitoring their pitch counts and innings pitched. It is recommended that coaches follow the USA Pitch Smart Guidelines.
    • NFHS balk rule is used so the ball will be dead
    • NFHS mound visits are used so the coach is allowed 3 mound visits per game without removing the pitcher.
    • NFHS pickoff move is used so the 3rd to 1st pickoff move is allowed.
    • Intentional Walks: Notify the umpire and the batter will awarded 1st base with no pitches thrown.
  12. Team Lineups.
    • Teams may hit 9 hitters with a DH or no DH
    • Teams may use up to 2 Extra Hitters (10/11 hitters) with a DH or no DH
    • Teams may bat a continuous lineup using all present players
    • Teams will have open defensive substitutions for all players in the hitting lineup
    • Teams can use the NFHS DH rule for their pitcher.
    • For teams with substitutes, the NFHS re-entry rule is used. Starters may re-enter once.
  13. Courtesy Runner for the pitcher/catcher of record at any time. The courtesy runner shall be a legal sub or if you are using a continuous lineup then it shall be the last batted out. The same player may run for both the pitcher and catcher.
  14. No slashing is allowed. The hitter will be declared out and the play is dead.
  15. Ejections: If a player is ejected during the game, that spot in the batting order will be an out unless you have a substitute not yet in the lineup. All players/coaches that are ejected must leave the field and the complex. All players/coaches that are ejected may also be given an additional one game suspension. Primetime will determine if an additional game will be required.
  16. If a player becomes injured and is unable to continue playing, his spot in the batting order shall be skipped with no penalty. Once the players spot in the batting order is skipped, the player is out for the remainder of the game. If a team has players not in the hitting lineup, one will enter for the injured player.
  17. Mercy Rules
    • 9u-12u: 15 runs after 3 innings – 8 runs after 4 innings.
    • 13u-18u: 15 runs after 3 innings – 10 runs after 4 innings – 8 runs after 5 innings.
    • All ages have a 20 run mercy rule after 2 complete innings.
  18. Tiebreakers for Youth (9u-14u) and High School (15u-18u)
    1. Winning Percentage
    2. Head to Head: if 3 or more teams are tied, all teams must have played each team that are tied. If not, next tie breaker applies.
    3. Runs Allowed
    4. Run differential (+/-8) max allowed
    5. Runs Scored
    6. Coin Flip
  19. All 9u-14u bats must have a 1.15BPF stamp or a USA bat. 13u can have a max drop of -8. 14u can have a max drop of -5. 15u-18u are BBCOR only or Wood Bat.
  20. Banned Bats:
    • 2017 CF Zen Balanced 2 5/8″ (-8) – (29/21, 30/22, 32/23, 32/24)
    • 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) – (28/18, 29/19, 30/20, 31/21, 32/22)
    • 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10) – 29/19 30/20)
    • 2018 Easton Ghost X 30/20 (USA Bat only)
    • 2018 Dirty South Kamo (30/22, 31/23, 32/24, 31/21, 32/22)
    • 2018 Mattingly Balistk BBCOR
    • 2018 CX2 Nike BBCOR (Light Grey, Dark grey and Blue)
    • 2018 Reebok Vector TLS (32/29, 33/30)
    • 2018 Marruci Cat 5 (33/30, 34/31)
    • 2018 Marruci Black (33/30, 34/31)
    • 2018 TPX Dynasty -12
    • 2020 Meta Prime BBCOR 33′ /30 oz
  21. Weather: In the event of weather or rain, all rainout games may not be resumed or made up due to field availability and time constraints. All games will be considered complete if 2 innings have been played or 1 ½ innings with the home team leading.
  22. Refund Policy
    1. If zero games are played, teams will receive a full credit to a future Primetime Tournament.
    2. If 1 game is played, teams will receive a 50% credit to a future Primetime Tournament.
    3. If 2 or more games are played, there is no credit or refund.
    4. All credits are good for the current season or the following season.
  23. Withdrawal Policy
    1. Teams that withdraw after an event is sold out will not receive any credit or refund
    2. Teams that withdraw within 90 days of an event will not receive any credit or refund
    3. Teams that withdraw prior to 90 days of an event will receive a full credit or a cash refund.
  24. All age groups will be played if there are 4 teams registered. A team must be registered and paid in full in order to secure their spot in a tournament. At our discretion, Primetime may change locations or combine with another tournament depending on the number of teams in each age group.
  25. Admissions: All tournaments will have a daily admission and offer weekend passes. All admission sales are final. No refunds are issued for weather related changes or any other schedule changes. Inwood Sports Complex, Romeoville High School, Duly Stadium, University of Illinois-Chicago, Benedictine University, St Xavier University, Rosemont Dome, and Ozinga Field all have a daily admission. University of Illinois-Chicago, Benedictine University, St Xavier University, Ozinga Field and Duly Stadium are credit/debit card only. No cash accepted at these facilities.
    • Daily Admission – $10 Adults $5 Children/Seniors
    • Sat/Sun Weekend Pass – $15 Adults $8 Children/Seniors
    • Fri/Sat/Sun Weekend Pass – $20 Adults $12 Children/Seniors
    • Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun Weekend Pass – $25 Adults $15 Children/Seniors
    • Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun Weekend Pass – $30 Adults $15 Children/Seniors
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