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2024/2025 GRAND SLAM MS RULES

All rules below are specific to the state of MS & may or may not refelct Grand Slam corporate rules

ABIDES BY "NATIONAL FEDERATION" RULES WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:

ROSTERS 

GENERAL: 

• EVERY TEAM that participates in a Grand Slam event is REQUIRED to HAVE AN ONLINE ROSTER.
• Roster limits are 24-players.
• Rosters will freeze on midnight the night before an event begins. 
• Teams are allowed to add a player to their roster before they start their first game, however, they must go through the Tournament Director for the player to be approved if rosters have been frozen. 
• Teams cannot add a player to their roster once their first game of an event has started. 
• A player may NOT play on TWO different teams, regardless of age division, in the same tournament. 
• A player who plays in an event that ends on Saturday can NOT participate on Sunday of another event. (Exception to this rule is coach pitch players)
• Each player listed on your roster must also have a corresponding birth certificate that you should ALWAYS HAVE ON HAND at the tournament in the event of a player eligibility protest. (digital copies are allowed)
• FAILURE to provide birth certificates if requested will result in  forfeiture of that particular game if not provided by the end of the game. (Digital copies are allowed)
• Each player on your roster must be approved by a parent/guardian.
• Once a player is listed on your roster, each parent/guardian is sent an email to verify and approve their child's participation on your team! 
• Any illegal player, which also constitutes an illegal pitcher that is used in a game, and after protested is found to indeed be illegal will result in that player and his/her respective team being forfeited from that particular game only. 
• Any player not listed on the roster and is protested successfully, said player will not be eligible to play for the rest of that event. 
• Players that are showing Pending are not considered ineligbile to play. However, Grand Slam Sports Tournaments will not be held responsible for anything regarding this player if the parent has not signed the waiver.  
• No player should be listed on 2 rosters of the same age division. (Consequence - player is immediately removed from the team not being played on if this is found during an event. If found before an event, parent of player will be contacted to determine which roster they want their player on)
• EVERY PLAYER, regardless of whether they are a pick-up player, rostered player or other, THEY MUST APPEAR on a team's roster in order to be a legal participant for that team in the event that team is participating in.

GUEST PLAYERS: 

• A team may ADD up to THREE additional (3)  guest players per weekend to their roster at any time prior to rosters freezing May 20th, 2024. 
• Players are consided A, AA, AAA, or Major based on the team they are rostered with. 
• Teams are allowed to add a player from a higher aged group if that player qualifies as the correct age or is a grade exception player, however the player must qualify classification wise. Please chart below. 
• It doesn't matter if a player qualifies age wise as a guest player if said player is rostered with a team that would make him an ineligble guest player.
• Teams CAN add 3 players in the same age divison & class
• Teams CAN add 1 player in the same age division from 1 class higher
• Teams CAN add 3 players in a lower age division from 3 classes lower (See example below)
• Teams CAN add 1 player in a lower age division from 2 classes lower (See example below)
• A team can NOT add a guest player from 2 classes higher of their age division. Ex. A 10-A team can NOT add a 10-AAA guest player or above. 
• A team can NOT add a guest player from 1 division lower of their age division. Ex. A 10-A team can NOT add a 9-Major player. 
• Consequence; If it is discovered during a tournament that a team has violated the guest player rules, that player will be immediately remvoed from the event.  It is not a forfeit!      
• No guest players from higher divisions  or one class lower from a lower age divsions are allowed as guest players in the State Tournament. Only guest players from the class can be added for State Tournament. 

         Formula example using a 10-A team as the example

         Can add as a guest player

• 3 10-A players
• 2 10-A players & 1 10AA player
• 0 10-AAA or 10-Major players
• 0 9-Major players
• 1 9-AAA player & 2 9AA players or below
• 3 9-AA players or below

       When adding a player that is classified from a higher age division but qualifies age wise..please use the informaiton below. 

•   A teams are allowed to add a guest player from an older age A team as long as the player qualifies age wise
•   AA teams are allowed to add a guest player from an older age AA team or A team as long as the player qualifies age wise
•   AAA teams are allowed to add a guest player from an older age AAA, AA, or A team as long as the player qualifies age wise  
•  Major teams are allowed to add a guest player from an older age Major, AAA, AA, or A team as long as the player qualifies age wise

ROSTERS FREEZE:

• Season roster freeze date is May 20th. 
• Once a player is FROZEN on a team’s roster past May 20th, that player may NOT be listed on another team’s roster or be eligible to play for another team in a Grand Slam Event IN THE SAME AGE DIVISION unless the manger from the original team RELEASES that player. 
• A team is only allowed 3  permanant roster adds after May 20th. In order to add a permananet player, player's current team must drop them. 
• A player who is FROZEN on a team’s roster does NOT have to be released if he is being added as a guest player for an event. 
• Players can be added as guest players past May 20th without any consequence to either team.
• No guest players from higher divisions  or one class lower from a lower age divsions are allowed as guest players in the State Tournament. Only guest players from the class can be added for State Tournament. 

2023/2024 GRAND SLAM MS GENERAL BASEBALL RULES 

(Grand Slam MS abides by "National Federation HS" rules for all age divisions with the following exceptions below in the 7-U through 14-U age divisions. 

PITCHING RULES:

Pitch Counts are the responsibility of the coaches & parents. Grand Slam recommends that coaches & parents familiarize themesleves with the MLB Pitch Smart guidlines for youth. You can see that information by clicking this link. MLB Pitch Smart Guidelines 

• For a 2 or 3 day event, There are NO daily limitations as to the number of innings a pitcher can pitch in a day and still pitch the next day.
• 8UKP -      6-INNINGS (18 outs) for a 2 or 3 Day -  4-INNINGS  (12 outs)  for a 1 Day
• 9U-12U -   8-INNINGS  (24 outs) for a 2 or 3 Day -  6-INNINGS (18 outs)   for a 1 Day
• 13U-14U - 10-INNINGS (30 outs)  for a 2 or 3 Day -  7-INNINGS  (21 outs)  for a 1 Day 
• If the last out of the game exceeds the pitch limit, the opposing team is allowed to protest to the umpire before the Umpire leaves the field of play. 
• The above rules does not apply if the game ends with a double or triple play.
• Only the Starting Pitcher can re-enter the game as a pitcher once. 
• Fake 3rd to first pick move is legal (NFHS Rules)

MOUND VISITS: 

• Coaches are allowed 3 "unpenalized" visits during a game - Example; Visiting the mound & not removing the pitcher, is an "unpenalzied" visit. 
• Removing the pitcher from the game on a visit is considered "self penalized" & doesn't count toward the 3 "unpenalized" visits.
• Once a coach has made his 3 "unpenalzied" visits, on the 4th visit...& every visit thereafter, the pitcher must be removed from the game. 
• There are no limits per inning on mound visits. 
• If a game goes into extra innings, a team who has reached their "unpenalized" visit limit will be awarded 1 "unpenalized" visit. 
• Starting pitcher can re-enter the game once as a pitcher. 

BATTING ORDER & LINEUP 

• You have 5-choices for your lineup:

1. Bat 9-straight
2. Bat 9 with a DH (If the DH enters the game on defense, the player he was hitting for is burned)
3. Bat 10/Play 9 with EH (Players can rotate in and out on defense to the bench as long as they don't move in the batting order)
4. Play 10 or 11 with a EH and a DH 
5. Bat the entire roster (Continuous batting order with FREE Defensive Substitutions applies).

• In kid pitch, A team must start the game with at least 8-players on defense. 
• If you start a game with 8, the 9th spot will be an automatic out. 
• If you start the game with 8 players and an injury, ejection, or any other reason causes you to only have 7 eligible players, the game will be considered a forfeit. 
• You can list a 9th player on your lineup card & once that player arrives, he can immediately enter the game. 
• If you do not have an eligible substitute to replace a player that is injured, ejected or cannot bat for any reason, it is an AUTOMATIC OUT when that players turn comes up in the batting order.  EXCEPTION:  If a player is injured or incapacitated where he cannot play the rest of the tournament, the lineup can be collapsed without penalty as long as a team does not fall below nine players.  The coach will inform the umpire and that player will not be eligible for the rest of that event. 

COACH PITCH 

• You have 5-choices for your lineup:

1. Bat 9 or 10 -straight
2. Bat 9 with a  DH (If the DH enters the game on defense, the player he was hitting for is burned)
3. Bat 10/Play 9 with a DH
4. Bat 10/Play 9 with and EH
5. Bat 11/Play 10 with EH or DH
6. Play 10 with an EH & DH
7. Bat the entire roster (Continuous batting order with FREE Defensive Substitutions applies).

• A team must start the game with at least 9-players if planning to bat 10 and 8 players if planning to bat 9 
• If an injury, ejection, or any other reason causes you to only have 7 eligible players, the game will be considered a forfeit. 
• You can list a 10th player on your lineup card & once that player arrives, he can immediately enter the game. 
• If you do not have an eligible substitute to replace a player that is injured, ejected or cannot bat for any reason, it is an AUTOMATIC OUT when that players turn comes up in the batting order.  EXCEPTION:  If a player is injured or incapacitated where he cannot play the rest of the tournament, the lineup can be collapsed without penalty as long as a team does not fall below nine players.  The coach will inform the umpire and that players name will not be eligible for the rest of that event. 
• Each Tournament Director will decide the time limit for coach pitch games per event. 
• There is a 30-foot safety arc from the back tip of home plate and from the first-base line to the third-base line. A ball must pass this line to be considered as a ball in play (fair ball)
• Fielders must stay beyond the arc until the ball is hit. 
• There is a pitching plate 40 feet from the tip of home plate from which the coach may pitch from or a coach can choose to pitch inside the pitchers circle as long as one foot remains inside circle when pitch is thrown. 
• There is a circle drawn with a 10’ radius with the pitching rubber in the middle. This equates to the front of the circle being at 30-foot, the pitchers plate at 40-foot and the back for the circle at 50-foot from home plate This is a safety area for the player in the pitching position.
• The defensive player listed as the pitcher cannot leave the pitching circle until the ball is hit.
• If the pitcher leaves the circle early, the play continues. After the play has ended, the offensive team has the option of taking the result of the play or accepting a no-pitch and ruling of the play as over. If this occurs a second time by the same pitcher, that player is removed from the pitching position for the remainder of that inning. If it occurs any time after that by the same player, then he or she is removed from the pitching mound the remainder of the game. 
• Each batter is allowed six pitches or three strikes. If a batter hits a foul ball on the sixth pitch, he or she is allowed to continue batting until he or she either does not make contact with the ball or puts the ball in play.   
• If a base runner is said to have left early by an umpire, said runner is out regardless if there was a swing, contact, etc. 
• NO Intentional walks are allowed!
• There is a maximum of seven runs or three outs per inning. 
• A fair batted ball hitting a coach pitcher is declared a foul ball if the umpire rules that the coach pitcher’s contact with the ball was unintentional. If, in the umpire’s judgment, a coach pitcher intentionally makes contact with a batted ball, the batter is out, and no runner can advance. 
• Bunting is NOT allowed.
• Umpires call time after every play and declare the ball dead. Time should be called as soon as all three of the following occur: 
• The lead runner stops attempting to advance. 
• The ball is in the possession of a fielder in the infield.
• No defensive play is imminent.
• If time expires while the visiting team is batting, & is winning by 8 runs or more,  the home team still gets their at bat. The reason for this is because any run they score can affect seeding. If this scenario arises in bracket play, the game is over as soon as time expires & one team is winning by 8 runs or more. 

COURTESY RUNNERS:

• For the Pitcher AND Catcher ONCE they FIRST reach base!
• A courtesy runner will NOT be allowed if a pitch has been made to the next better.
• The courtesy runner MUST BE A LEGAL SUB currently NOT IN THE GAME, which includes STARTERS that have been substituted for but are eligible for re-entry.
• If all legasl subs have been use, players that are on the roster and have been removed from the game can still be a courtesy runner. 
• IF you are batting your entire roster, the courtesy runner MUST BE THE LAST BATTED OUT!
• If a team only has one substitute or only 1-out has been recorded, the courtesy runner will revert back to the last batted out if the substitute is on base or the last batter in the lineup if the last batted out is on base.
• If the pitcher or catcher is the lead off batter in the top of the 1st and reaches base, & there are no legal subs available, the last batter in the lineup will be used as the courtesy runner. 

RUN RULE:

• 12 runs after 3 innings
• 10 runs after 4 innings
• 8 runs after 5 innings
• Run Rule remains in effect in ALL Game’s, including CHAMPIONSHIP!

HEAD FIRST SLIDE:

• Head First slide is NOT allowed in 7U-12U age divisions when the player is wearing a helmet with a face guard; C-flap or chin strap.
• Players NOT wearing this type of helmet may slide head first.
• Head first slide is determined when a player is advancing towards a base, not retruning to one.
• A team warning will be issued after the initial infraction.
• Any infraction thereafter will be deemed an out on the player violating this safety rule. This will be a delayed dead ball scenario.
• There are no restrictions for head first slides in ages 13 & up. 

FAKE BUNT/SWING RULE:

• A Fake Bunt and then Swing in age divisions 9-U through 13-U (unless playing 60-90) is NOT ALLOWED!
• Penalty for a fake bunt and then swing will result is an OUT!
• Contact with the ball is NOT required for an out to be called.

HOME TEAM DETERMINATION:

• Pool Play games the home team is determined by flip of the coin at the home plate meeting.
• For Elimination games, the home team will be the HIGHEST SEEDED TEAM 
• Tournament Directors have the discretion to use a coin flip to determine the Home team for a championship game. 
• Double Elimination bracket where the UNDEFEATED team in the championship game will be the home team regardless of seed.
• A coin toss will be done in the “IF” game in a Double Elimination bracket to determine the home team.
• The home team may have their choice of dugout, unless, the other team is currently occupying that dugout in a preceding game.
• Umpires will be the official scorekeper along with the home team furnishing an official scorekeeper. 

PROTESTS:

• There will be a $300.00 fee payable in cash for any protest. The issue at hand will not be discussed without this. 
• If you have a successful protest, the money will be returned. 
• You can ONLY Protest a RULE INTERPRETATION or PLAYER ELIGIBILITY 
• Protest must be made before the game officially ends. 
• Player eligibility protest must be done no later than said player's second at bat. Once said player has started his second at bat, he can't be protested. 
• If a birth certificate is requested during a game by a tournament director, it must be provided NO LATER than the end of the game it is requested. 
• Birth Certificates will be viewed by Tournament Director ONLY as we will NOT make birth certificates visible to anyone other than the parent/guardian of the player, the player's head coach and the tournament director if necessary.
• Failure to comply will result in a forfeit of that particular game only. 

UNIFORMS:

• Uniforms of all team members should be of the same color combination
• All jerseys must have a uniform #.
• Duplicate jersey numbers are highly discouraged & jersey numbers should match the roster online.
• Any uniform discrepancy must be brought up at the plate meeting prior to the start of the game.
• The umpire(s) &/or Tournament Director will determine if a team can gain advantage based on a uniform violation.
• If in the umpire's &/or Tournament Director's judgement he/she deems the players dress to be inappropriate, the player can be removed from the game until he/she conforms with the requirements set forth.

CONDUCT:

• If the head coach is thrown out of any game by the umpire, that coach WILL NOT be eligible to coach/manage in his/her team's next scheduled game.
• The Tournament Director and/or UIC can override this rule by letting the manager coach in his/her next game if he/they so choose.
• If the assistant coach is thrown out of any game by the umpire, that coach WILL NOT be eligible to coach/manage in his/her team's next scheduled game.
• If a specatator from a team is removed by the umpire or Tournament Director, that spectator WILL NOT be allowed to return for that event. 
• Coaches, if we have to remove one of your fans from the complex, the head coach will also be ejected for that game. Fan will not be allowed to return for that event. 
• Any pattern of badgering of an umpire, other fans, coaches, players, directors, gate workers, etc...will result in being escorted from the park by the local PD. Coaches/Spectators, if you put your hands on an umpire/tournament staff, you will be prosecuted & vice versa for umpires/tournament staff to coaches/spectators. Tournament Directors have the discretion to have anyone removed from the park. 
• NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ALLOWED.
• The Tournament Director has the discretion to remove anyone from a game or from the park at anytime.  
• NO Sunflower seeds, hard candy, gum, etc is allowed at any complext that has turf fields.
• Teams who have sunflower seeds in their dugout could face a forfeit or monetary fine from the city the complex is located. These are city ordinances, not Grand Slam. 
• Spectators who have sunflower seeds will be asked to leave the park and could face a fine from the city the complex is located. These are city ordinances, not Grand Slam.                

PLAYER DUGOUT CONDUCT:

• When the pitcher starts his windup or as he is delivering a pitch, Players can't freely scream without including verbal conotation. Ex...Pitcher starts his windup the dugout can yell "rip, rip, rip" but can't just scream.
• Players can't verblaize the word "Pitcher"
• Players can't verbalize the player's position
• It will be up to the umpire's discretion if a team is abusing this. 
• Consequence for this is a warning the 1st time. 2nd violation head coach will be ejected. 3rd violation will be a forfeit. 

GAME LENGTH/OFFICIAL GAME:

• Directors for each event could modify these time limits based on weather, field space, etc.
• In elimination play, games have to be played out until there is a winner! When time limit is up & home team is batting & home team is ahead, the game is over regardless of score! 
• The Final score is the score at the end of the time limit and inning is finished.  Umpires will keep official time.
• Championship Games still have a time limit. 
• Do not let an umpire tell you that no inning can start withing 5 minutes of scheduled time limit. If you are told this, stop the game and ask for a director.
• A new inning starts as soon as the 3rd out from a previous inning is made.
• If the time expires as the pitcher is in his motion to the plate or as the ball is put in play, that pitch/play will be allowed to finish. 

OFFICIAL GAME:

• In the event of natural occurrences to include weather, field conditions, or any other situation that causes a game to be STOPPED and it can not be physically or reasonably continued, the game will be considered an official game if the teams have played 3 1/2 innings with the Home Team winning or 4 complete innings if the Home Team was losing after 3 1/2 innings.
• If stoppage is required after the 4th inning, the winner will be determined based on the last inning both teams completed an equal number of times at bat. For instance, if the Visitors are batting in the top of the 5th and they score 3 runs to go up 5 to 4, if the game is STOPPED, the Home Team will be declared the winner because at the bottom of the 4th, they were winning, 4 - 2. This is based on a STOPPED game that cannot be completed for various reasons to include time constraints, not a POSTPONED or DELAYED game that can be continued.
• If stoppage is required before a game can be considered "official", and the game cannot be continued: During pool pay OR bracket play, the team winning after the last complete inning (that was played) will be considered the winner UNLESS the Home team takes the lead in the bottom of the inning that the game was stopped.  Example:  Visitors lead 3-2 and do NOT score in top of 2nd inning, home team takes the lead 4-3 in bottom of the 2nd but game is stopped prior to the inning being completed; final score is 4-3 in favor of the home team.
• Only Tournament and/or Site Directors can STOP a game and consider it an official game.  

BASEBALLS:

• Each team must provide (2) two new baseballs per game for games in North MS Events.
• In Central MS & South, Grand Slam will provide 2 baseballs per game. 
• It is the responsibility of each team to shag foul balls during a game & throw in game conditioned balls until the umpire has been replinished. 

GAME TIE BREAKERS:

• Games can end in a tie in Pool Play. 
• In Elimination games, IF a game is tied after the time limit has expired or all regulation innings have been played, whichever comes first, we will be placing the last 3 batters from the previous inning on base and their will be 1 out. (Tournament Directors have the discrection to amend this if needed based on weather issues or other factors deemed necessary) 
• If a player who is supposed to be placed on base is not able participate due to injury or ejection, the offensive team will not be able to replace that runner. 
• In extra innings, if one of the runners place on base happens to be the current catcher or pitcher, a courtesy runner is NOT allowed.

STANDINGS TIE BREAKERS & INFO:

• Tie Breakers for seeding purposes are as follows:

1. Head-to-Head (IF applicable)
2. Least Runs Allowed
3. Run Differential (7-Run Max per game)
4. Most Runs Scored (10-Runs Max per game)
5. Coin Toss

• In the event of a 3 or more teams are tied at 1-1, we will determine the Highest Seed of those teams using the above mentioned tie-breakers and THEN after the top two teams of that group is determined, if those two teams played head to head, the head to head winner will be the higher seed.
• Note, Head-to-Head will ONLY be used once we are down to the FINAL two teams in the event of a tie amongst 3 or more teams at 1-1.

NO-SHOW TEAMS RULE: 

• IF a team that is entered in an event no-shows without prior notice and this team's games are then counted as forfeits for their opponents in pool play if it isn't the first game of the day. 
• This no-show team will AUTOMATICALLY be the LAST/LOWEST SEED in bracket play.  Example:  If there are 8-teams in a bracket, this no-show team would be seeded #8 REGARDLESS of any other tie-breaker rule.
• If it is the first game of the day then we are able to redo the schedule to adjust for the team who did not show, we will do so. If this isn't plausable, we will revert to bullet point 1. 
• Forfeits will be scored as a 6-0 victory for ages up to 12U. 13U & 14U will be 7-0. 
• A team who does not show up will be responsible for the full entry fee of that event & it must be paid before being allowed to participate in their next scheduled event.
• Said team will also be required to prepay for future events of that season. 

AGE CONTROL:

• 14U Division
  Players who turn 15 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.   Also, any player turning 16 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 8th grade who turn 15 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 13U Division
  Players who turn 14 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 15 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 7th grade who turn 14 years old before May 1st, 2025.
  
• 12U Division
  Players who turn 13 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 14 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 6th grade who turn 13 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 11U Division
  Players who turn 12 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 13 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 5th grade who turn 12 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 10U Division
  Players who turn 11 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible . Also, any player turning 12 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 4th grade who turn 11 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 9U Division
  Players who turn 10 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 11 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 3rd grade who turn 10 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 8U Division
  Players who turn 9 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 10 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 2nd grade who turn 9 years old before May 1st, 2025.
• 7U Division
  Players who turn 8 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible.  Also, any player turning 9 prior to August 1 will not be eligible.  ONLY 2 school grade exemptions per team will be allowed for players who are in the 1st grade who turn 8 years old before May 1st, 2025.
  

AAA/Major TEAMS PLAYING UP: When AAA or Major Teams play up in a different age division, the following rules will apply. 

• AAA teams can NOT play up to the next age single A division. They must play AA or higher. 
• Major teamsm can NOT play up to the next age single A or AA division. They must play AAA or higher. 

Exception....When playing up an age division requires bigger base/mound dimmensions, teams will be allowed one exception. After that one exception, the State Director will determine future status of playing up eligibility. 

• EX - using 10-AAA as an example
• 10-AAA will be allowed to play 11-A 1 time as an exception due to bigger mound/base dimmensions. After this exception, the State Director will determine future eligibility status of playing up. 
• 10-Major will be allowed to play 11-AA 1 time as an exception due to bigger mound/base dimmensions. After this exception, the State Director will determine future eligibility status of playing up. 

TEAM INSURANCE:  Grand Slam MS encourages all teams to carry insurance. You can click here if your team needs to purchase team insurance.

STEEL SPIKES:

• No Steel Spikes are allowed at any location with turf.
• If a players is found to be wearing steel spikes on a turf field, he will be given an opportunity to immediately change, if this can't be done in ample time, this player must be removed from the game. 

FIELD SIZE:

• Coach Pitch age divisions play on fields with 40-foot pitching rubber and 60-foot bases. 
• 8U Kid pitch-10U age divisions play on fields with 46 foot pitching rubber and 60 foot bases.
• 11U & 12U age divisions play on fields with 50 foot pitching rubber and 70 foot bases.
• 13U age division play on EITHER 54 foot pitching rubber and 80 foot bases OR 60 foot pitching rubber and 90 foot bases. Each Tournament Director has the authority to determine which field size to use in their respective 13U events.
• 14U & up play on 60 foot pitching rubber and 90 foot bases.

AWARDS: 

• IN THE EVENT OF RAIN where play CANNOT be completed, Awards will be given based on TEAM SEEDING relative to either side of the bracket at the time the tournament is called off unless the game in progress at the time of postponement is an official game where 3 ½ innings have been completed or falls under the official game rules listed above. All teams must have completed all their pool play games in order for awards to be given. 

BATS:

• Grand Slam will go with the following bat rule for the 2024/2025 Season.

1. Must be a baseball bat.
2. All bats made completely of wood, that are not altered or defective are legal.
3. BBCOR certified bats are legal unless otherwise banned by the NFHS Association.
4. All other bats must be stamped 1.15 BPF or have a certified BESR rating imprint.
5. Age groups 7-U through 12-U do not have a restriction on the weight/length ratio for non-wood bats.
6. Players who are 13 and playing 12U as a grade exception must use a -5 bat. 
7. The 13-U age division for ALL GRAND SLAM EVENTS must swing either a -5 stamped 1.15 BPF or have a certified BESR rating imprint bat or -3 non wood bat that must be BBCOR certified.  This applies to ALL GRAND SLAM SANCTIONED EVENTS, regardless of where it is held, NO exceptions!
8. 14-U age divisions must use a BBCOR certified bat and have a weight/length ratio of -3 & can use non-wood bats but they must be BBCOR certified bat and have a weight/length ratio of -3. 
9. A batter who enters the box with an illegal bat and it's discovered during said at bat, the bat will be thown out and the at bat will continue with a legal bat. 
10. A batter who completes an at bat and it is discovered having used an illegal bat with the infraction being detected by the umpire or the defense prior to the next pitch is out. The ball is immediately dead and all runners return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch.

• The CFZEN -10 2 ¾’ barrel bat (WTDXCBZ-18) has been granted continued approval by Grand Slam Sports Tournaments.
• Effective for the 2022/2023 season, the following bats are ILLEGAL in ALL Grand Slam Sports Tournaments.  

2023/2024 GRAND SLAM MS 8-U KP RULES 

• 1:10 time limit or 6 innings.  
• 6 runs max per inning. When time has expired and a team is mathematically eliminated then the game is over.
• Pitchers limited to 6 innings for the weekend, counted by thirds (an out is a third).  
• No infield fly rule
• No drop third strike rule
• No leading off.
• No Stealing
• Players can advance to second or third on a pitch that is dropped or missed by the catcher. 
• Once a player reaches 3rd base, the ONLY way they can score is to be batted in or forced home on a bases loaded walk.  
• Pitchers mound set at 46-feet and bases set at 60-feet.
• Balk rules do NOT apply.
• Buntin is allowed
• Only 9 players are allowed on defense

2024 SPRING EVENT REFUND POLICY

• ALL Grand Slam MS events are NON-REFUNDABLE EVENTS regardless of when a team drops out. A team must email the state director, mikenarmour@aol.com, for any exceptions. 
• No refunds will be given unless their is a credit left after the State Tournament in June. 
• If a regular weekend tournament is completely cancelled due to weather or other Acts of God, teams that have prepaid will receive a credit toward their next event. If this credit is more than the next tournament entry fee, the balance will be credited to the next event after that. If this credit is less than what's due for the next tournament entry fee, the team will be required to pay that balance. 
• If a team plays at least one game and the tournament is completely cancelled due to weather or other Acts of God, the team will be credited 60% of their entry fee that is applicable toward their next events. 
• If a team plays at least two games and the tournament is completely cancelled due to weather or other Acts of God, the team will be credited 30% of their entry fee that is applicable toward their next events. 
• If a team drops out after the schedule has been released & has prepaid for the event, said team will owe $125 administrative fee for that event. The balance of their fee that was paid will be credited to their next scheduled event. If that balance does not cover the entire entry fee of the next event, then that balance must be paid before the team is placed on the schedule. 
• Once a team has dropped out of an event after the schedule has been released, said team will be required to prepay for all future events of that season. 

2024/2025 STATE TOURNAMENT & WORLD SERIES QUALIFICATIONS

• All 7-U CP through 14-U teams that are based in MISSISSIPPI are required to play in Three total qualifying events plus the Spring State Tournament to qualify for the World Series.
• Only 1 of the 3 required events can include a Fall season event.  
• All 7U-12U teams must play in 3 Spring events to qualify for the Grand Slam MS State Tournament. Only 1 of these required events can be from the Fall Season. 
• All teams that participate in the Spring State Tournament will be required to play on Friday! No Exceptions
• State Tournament Fee must be prepaid via online or mail in check.