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Tournament officials The tournament is administered by a director with the assistance of a volunteer board of commissioners. These and other key officials are: Bill Bert, tournament director Bob Herr, tournament commissioner Bill Reuter, tournament commissioner Adrian Shelley, tournament commissioner David Barganier, tournament commissioner, Lancaster County Youth Baseball League, formerly Penn Manor League Allen Toth, tournament commissioner, youth baseball Ernest Schreiber, editor, Lancaster New Era Jeff Young, sports editor, print, Lancaster Newspapers Changes for 2010 Late change: MM batters may advance on a dropped third strike, just as at the other levels. Roster rules modified in 1-6 and 1-7. Rules clarified for qualifier games in 2-6-1-6 and 4-3. Note: JM tournament again will use wood bats. Section 1 Team eligibility 1. The tournament is open to championship teams located in Lancaster County. All players must live in Lancaster County or in an extended community that stretches just beyond the county line. 2. Each league must have at least four teams. Leagues with eight or more teams that play their regular season in divisions will be permitted to send the champion of each division of four or more teams. 3. A league or group of leagues that includes all of the teams in an age division in Lancaster County may jointly request an alternate method of determining its tournament qualifiers. Such organizations may seed an 8-team tournament for any age division with 20 or more teams, or a 4-team tournament for any division with fewer than 20 teams. Such alternate plan shall be provided for approval at the commissioners’ winter meeting. 4. Independent teams are not eligible for tournament participation. All-star teams are not eligible. 5. A league that did not participate in the New Era Tournament during the previous season may be required to qualify its teams through a pre-tournament round with participating leagues. Once a league advances one or more teams to the formal tournament it will be entitled to at least one spot in the quarterfinals. 6. Each team is limited to 18 players who must meet all league requirements and be on the roster at the deadline listed in the next article. 7. Team roster with each player’s name, address and date of birth plus manager’s name, phone number and e-mail address must be submitted to the tournament director at the start of the season. Players may be added to the roster until 15 days before the division’s first game unless league rules provide an earlier deadline. A player without complete information on file with the tournament director at the deadline is ineligible for the tournament. (Note deadlines for 2010: 11:59 p.m. June 30 for Midget-Midget, 11:59 p.m. July 7 for Junior Midget, 11:59 p.m. July 18 for Midget.) Section 2 Divisions 1. Age eligibility a. Midget-midget -- 12 years and under as of April 30 of the current year. b. Junior midget -- 14 years and under as of April 30 of the current year. c. Midget -- 16 years and under as of April 30 of the current year. 2. Field dimensions a. Midget-midget games will be contested on a field measuring 48 feet from home plate to the pitching rubber and 65 feet between bases. b. Junior midget games will be contested on a field measuring 52 feet from home plate to the pitching rubber and 75 feet between bases. c. Midget games will be contested on a field measuring 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate to the pitching rubber and 90 feet between bases. 3. Field ground rules will be the official playing rules for all levels of the tournament. Section 3 Playing rules All levels of the tournament shall be played under the published rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations with the following exceptions: 1-1-1 Midget-midget games will consist of six innings. This modification applies to all other sections listing game length, including 2-17-1. 1-2-1 The field shall meet the dimensions described in 2-2 above. Field ground rules will apply, and layouts that do not fully comply with the listed requirements -- especially at the lower two levels -- will be official. 1-3-4 Bats must meet the high school standards -- 2 5/8-inch maximum diameter for nonwood, 2 3/4-inch maximum diameter for wood, 36-inch maximum length, weight of no less than three ounces less than its length and with nonwood bats labeled as meeting the Ball Exit Speed Ratio -- with the following exceptions: a. Midget-midget nonwood bats may not exceed 2 1/4 inches in diameter and must be marked Little League approved. b. Junior midget bats must be wood, wood composite or MetalWood. c. Wood, wood composite and MetalWood bats are permitted at all levels. 1-4-1 Midget-midget and junior midget players may not wear metal spikes. 1-4-4 No restriction on logos on team uniforms as long as they are done in good taste. 2-33-1 Courtesy runners adopted as presented under the suggested speed-up rules. In levels playing free substitution a courtesy runner may be anyone who has not been in the offensive lineup as a batter or runner. (This and all subsequent mention of the state association shall refer to the New Era Tournament Commissioners.) 3-1-3 Midget-midget and junior midget only: Free substitution will be permitted. a. A player must always bat in the same spot in the batting order. b. A player cannot run for other players except one who batted for him. c. If a player has not batted and enters the game as a runner (other than a courtesy runner in 2-33-1), he may bat or run only in that spot in the order. d. A fielder may enter or leave the game at any time and play any position at any time. e. Substitution is permitted any time the ball is dead, except no player may re-enter until a batter completes his turn at bat or an out is recorded and as provided in Rule 3-1-2 in regard to pitchers. 3-1-4 Midget only: Extra hitter is permitted. a. Teams may bat 10 players and play any 9 of them in the field. b. The lineup used to start the game must be used throughout. c. The extra hitter may be used with or without a designated hitter in the lineup. 3-2-1 Coaches are not required to wear team uniforms, but they are encouraged to wear a team jersey or coach's shirt and cap. 4-1-1 Tournament commissioners or other designated official shall determine whether the grounds are suitable for starting the game. 4-1-3 Before game time, a commission representative shall toss a coin for the purpose of determining the home team. Each team must provide its batting order on the official tournament lineup card. 4-2-2 10-run rule is adopted as listed. Midget only: A 15-run rule will apply after 3 innings. 4-2-4 A game that does not meet the requirements in 4-2-3 will be suspended and resumed from the point of interruption. If a game is called while an inning beyond the fifth is in progress, the game becomes a suspended game in each of the following situations: a. The score is tied. b. The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead and the home team has not retaken the lead. 4-5-1 Protests are not permitted except in the three championship games, when they will be decided immediately by the tournament commissioners. Judgment calls are never subject to protest. 6-1-6 A player may pitch in no more than 14 innings during the entire junior midget tournament and 12 innings during the entire midget-midget tournament. Delivery of one pitch constitutes having pitched in any inning. For MM and JM, innings pitched in qualifier games will not count as long as there are 2 calendar days between the day of the game and the day of the division’s first tournament game. Midget pitchers are subject to the following restrictions: A player may pitch in a maximum of nine (9) innings in one (1) calendar day, but not more than fourteen (14) innings in any calendar week (Sunday through Saturday). Delivery of one (1) pitch constitutes having pitched in any inning. If an inning is played in part on two (2) calendar days, delivery of one (1) pitch in that inning in each of those calendar days constitutes having pitched in two (2) innings. If he pitches three (3) innings or less in one (1) calendar day, no rest is required; however, no player may pitch more than three (3) consective three-inning days. If he pitches three (3) consecutive three-inning days, he must have one (1) calendar day of rest. If he pitches in four (4) or five (5) innings in one (1) calendar day, he must have two (2) calendar days of rest. If he pitches in six (6) or more innings in one (1) calendar day, he must have three (3) calendar days of rest. Section 4 Game Management 1. Any postponed or suspended game will be rescheduled by the tournament commissioners on the first available date. 2. A player, coach or other team personnel ejected for misconduct will be ineligible to participate in the next game. 3. Tournament rules shall be used in all qualifier games, which will be played at the tournament venue if possible. 4. Tournament commissioners shall have authority to rule on any subject not fully covered in tournament rules. |