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Rules are up to date as of March 1st, 2012.
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1.
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Competition is open to boys and girls who are 12 and under years of
age and eligible to play VFW Baseball. A boy or girl who has reached
his or her 13th birthday by May 1st of the current year is not eligible
for the 12 and under programs. There will be three classes AA Travel,
A and B. Starting in 2009 tournament sites and dates will be chosen one
year in advance by the State Baseball Chairman and State VFW Officials
during annual VFW Baseball Committee Meeting. The number of teams that
register, skill level of team players and high school enrollments will be
factors when teams are placed in a class. Considerations that best fit
the situation for each team will be taken to place a team in a certain class.
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2.
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A 12 and under Baseball team to be eligible for any tournament play must
submit a $125.00 entry Fee and 12 and under Entry Form to Department
Headquarters, 3601 South Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105 postmarked
on or before June 10th and 12 under and roster on or before June 10th. If
the team entry fee and other information are received after June 10th or
are postmarked after June 10th the team entry fee will be increase by $25.00
and be $150.00 per team.
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3.
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Team entry forms and team roster forms must be postmarked by June 10th and
sent to VFW Department Headquarters. Team roster forms must include the name
of the player, complete address of the player, name of school attended the
last school year, date of birth, and age on May 1st of the current year. If this information is incomplete, it
can affect the eligibility of the player. You may list up to (25) twenty-five
players per roster for each team.
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4.
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All games in the 12 and under division will be six (6) innings. The 10 run
rule will be effect after 4 innings and the 15-run rule will be in effect
after 3 innings. There will be no tie. Games will go extra innings if needed
to determine the winner.
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5.
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Pitching distance for the mound will be 48 feet and bases will be 65 feet.
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6.
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Pitching rules are 3 innings per game, 6 innings per day, 12 innings a
tournament. Any violation to the pitching rules (inning pitch) will result
in a forfeit of that game. Pitchers will be allowed 6 warm up pitches between
innings. There is no balk rule, there will be no balks. If a pitcher takes
another position on the field, he/she may not pitch again in that game.
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7.
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Batter, base runners, bat boys, any players acting as base coach and any
players out of the dugout must wear a helmet that covers both ears.
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8.
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Catchers must wear a protective headgear, chest protectors, throat protectors,
catcher’s cup and shin guards. This includes catchers warming up a pitcher.
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9.
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Metal cleats are not allowed.
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10.
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Bats may be no more than 2 ¼ inches in diameter and no more than 33 inches in length.
Any illegal bat will be removed from the game and the batter is out.
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11.
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Base running. Stealing is permitted, however, the runner cannot leave the base until the
ball crosses the plate. The runner is out if he/she leaves the base early. The batter may
run on a dropped third strike.
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12.
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A courtesy runner is encouraged but not required for a catcher with two outs
and it is also optional for a pitcher with two outs, but must be a bench player.
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13.
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A courtesy runner may be any player who is not currently in the game and does not
count as an entry into the game. A courtesy runner may later enter the game at any
position.
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14.
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Slide rule is in effect if a fielder has the ball before the run reaches 2nd, 3rd,
or home. The runner is out if contact made, umpire discretion will be applied and
decision is final.
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15.
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You may replace starters during the game, but if he/she re-enters the game, he/she
must go into the game for the player he/she was replaced by and also in the same
spot in the batting. When the sub comes out, he/she is out of the game. In the event
of a serious injury and there are no players left on the bench who have not played,
the last player taken out may be placed back in the game in place of the injured player.
In the alternative, in case of serious injury, a team may continue to play with eight
players and the team will receive an automatic out when that player’s turn to bat occurs.
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16.
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VFW baseball rules will apply to all games unless a change is listed above.
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17.
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Pool Play Tie Breakers Formats for all VFW Baseball Tournaments.
- Win-Loss record in pool play.
- Head-to-head competition provided all teams have played each other.
- Fewest runs allowed (overall).
- Best run differential in all pool play games (maximum per game run differential of +10 or -10).
If, in the event of a 3-way tie or more, the 3-way tie is broken either before step #4 or upon
completion of step #4 and a 2-way tie still remains, the two remaining tied teams will revert back
to step #2 and repeat the tie-breaker criteria from that point in order to break the tie.
In the event of forfeit in Divisional/Pool Play, the non-forfeiting teams will be credited with a
10 run differential victory. Teams that forfeit a game cannot advance in tournament play.
- Coin Toss
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