West Hernando Little League

2026 Top Team Rookie Baseball/ Softball Coach Pitch Tournament

May 14th – 18th

 

West Hernando Little League would like to invite you to their Top Team Rookie Baseball/Softball Tournament . The rules are specifically designed to ensure that ALL PLAYERS get to play and bat as much as possible. The entry fee for the Spring Rookie Tournament is $75.00 per team.

 

The tournament is open to the top team in your Rookie Division based on the spring standings. Deadline to enter your league is_May 1st. Deadline for Payment is May5th.

 

POOL PLAY

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 

            All week night games begin at either 6:00PM or 8:00PM

 

 Finals

                Sunday, Monday

             

 

NO COOLERS/Drinks/Food will be allowed to be brought to the park. The league needs the Concession profits to help offset the cost of running this tournament. Each team will be allowed a cooler in their dugout with cold drinks/ice/towels for the players and coaches.

 

All games are under the authority of the Tournament Director  that includes handling of all protests. Violation of the Batting or Sitting Time Rule is considered grounds for a one game Manager Suspension. This tournament is specifically designed to ensure that ALL players get to play and bat as much as possible. If a protest is properly made/filed, the Tournament Director will review the circumstances and will determine whether or not a FORFEIT will be declared. The decision by the Tournament Director is FINAL.

 

                                AS ALWAYS, REMEMBER, WE’RE HERE TO HAVE FUN

 

 

Please direct any questions to Wayde Ullery

 

WHLLPresident2020@gmail.com

(813)598-4552

 

 

 

 

 

            

  West Hernando Little League

2026 Top Team Rookie Tournament

Rules and Regulations

 

The Mission of this tournament is to ensure that ALL of the players participating

have the opportunity to play as many innings and bat as much as possible.

 

For this Tournament ONLY, these rules supersede any in the Little League Rulebook. 

If a Rule is not listed below, the Little League Rule Book governs. 

 

If a team is short players it will be allowed to use Pool Players. (If a team has 8 players it can use 2 Pool Players, if it has 9, it can use 1 Pool Player). Pool Players are treated the same as Regular Rostered Players under Rule 1.

 

1. NO PLAYER MAY SIT OUT TWO INNINGS IN A ROW AND NO PLAYER MAY SIT OUT MORE THAN ONE INNING MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLAYER. No player may sit out a second inning until all the players have sat out at least one inning.  Likewise, no player may sit out a third inning until all the players have sat out two innings, etc.

Violation of this Rule MAY result in Forfeiture of the game if a Protest is properly made by the opposing Manager.  The decision on whether or not a forfeit will be declared will be made by the Tournament Director after reviewing the official scorebook, sitting log, and any other information and interviewing the Managers and the Head Umpire (Umpire In Charge).

 

2. ALL games in this Tournament will follow this Playing Time Rule:

• A new inning CANNOT start after 1 hour and 30 minutes (a new inning starts when the 3^rd out of the previous inning is made).

• If 6 innings are completed prior to the time limit, the game is over (unless the game is tied).

• If the 1 hour and 30 minutes time limit occurs while an inning is in progress, that inning must be completed.  Note:  If the game is more than 1 hour and 30 minutes old and the home team is ahead when the visiting team makes its third out, the game is over.

All games are regulation games regardless of how many innings are completed.

3. If the game is more than 1 hour and 30 minutes old and the home team has completed its at bat and the game is tied, the game will be recorded as a tie. (Semi-final and final games will be played until there is a winner.)
4. This tournament will be Coach pitch.       
5. All teams will be allowed to have 10 players on defense (4 outfielders).
6. CONTINUOUS BATTING IS IN EFFECT.  All players present at the start of the game will be listed on the team’s line-up card/sheet and all players will bat in that order for the entire game. Batting Order changes are NOT allowed.  If a player arrives late the manager may place his/her name at the end of the batting order.  Under Continuous Batting, players may re-enter the game freely provided:

• Players are meeting the requirement in Rule 1

• During an inning, a defensive player may only be replaced if injured or ill

 

7. A batter is out on 3 strikes or 5 pitches, whichever comes first. Exception: if the 5^th pitch is fouled off, the batter will continue to receive pitches as long as they are fouled off. If the Batter is hit by a pitch that pitch will not count towards the 5 pitches unless the batter is swinging when struck by the pitch.
8. No stealing or bunting is allowed.
9. A 5 Run Rule is in effect through the 4^th inning. Opens up in the top of the 5^th inning.

Exception: a team may score more than 5 runs ONLY IF the additional runs score on a Home Run hit over the fence.

10. All Run Rules are in effect.(15 after 3,10 after 4,8 after 5)
11. When the ball is in possession of the pitcher with one foot on the mound/circle, he/she is considered to be on the rubber. At that point, all runners who are at least halfway to the next base will be allowed to advance to that base as long as it is empty. Any runner who is less than halfway must go back to the previous base.
12. If a play is being made on a runner and there is an OVERTHROW, “TIME” will be called and the runner (and any other runner on the bases) will be given One Base.  An OVERTHROW is defined as a ball thrown towards a defensive player in an attempt to make a play which is outside of the defensive recipients catching arm distance and continues on past the defensive player. A ball that is thrown in an attempt to make a defensive play and is CATCHABLE (either within catching arms distance in flight OR missed within catching arms distance rolling passed) is ruled a live ball (THIS IS NOT AN OVERTHROW) and the runner may advance at their own risk of being put out.
13. Batted balls that hit the Coach pitcher will be considered “DEAD” and the batter will be awarded 1^st base. Any runners forced to advance will advance one base. If a Coach pitcher is judged to intentionally get hit by a batted ball the ball is “Dead” and the Batter will be declared out. No other Runners will be allowed to advance.
14. Coach pitchers MUST make every effort to avoid a thrown ball.
15. Coach pitchers will pitch from 35 feet. they may pitch from one knee or standing. If on one knee that knee must rest on the pitchers plate. Standing pitchers must pitch from the pitchers plate.
16. Coach Pitchers should remain in place unless actively avoiding a thrown/batted ball.
17. Each team will have one adult manager and three adult coaches. One adult coach/manager must remain in the dugout at all times. The offense will supply one adult coach to pitch. This coach may NOT coach the base runners, he/she is strictly there as a pitcher. Two adults (manager/coaches) may be in foul territory past 1^st and 3^rd to coach during the defensive side of the inning. The offensive manager/coaches must occupy each coach’s box. In the absence of an adult coach or manager the player who made the last out of the previous inning will be the base coach. (All players acting as a base coach must wear a batting helmet.)
18. Team moms/dads are NOT permitted in the dugout or on the playing field during any games or practices.
19. Scorebooks and Sitting Logs WILL BE USED for this tournament.  The Home Team will be responsible for keeping the official score (at the scorer’s table) including the Sitting Logs.  Each team should be prepared to have someone keep score.  If the team that wins the coin toss for Home Team does not have a scorekeeper the other team will become the home team and will keep score.
20. Managers MUST keep track of the innings that each player sits in the dugout. The official scorer will be using a Sitting Log and when the defensive team takes the field each inning, the manager is required to report to the scorer, the names and numbers of the players remaining in the dugout.  If the scorer or Tournament Director sees a violation of Rule 1 occurring, they must correct the situation.
21. If a team fails to field 9 players, it will be up to the Site Director on how to proceed.  Forfeits will be avoided if possible and will be called only if the Tournament Director deems them necessary.  The winning team will be credited with 6-0 win.
22. Home team will be determined by the toss of a coin by the Tournament Director/Designee.  If none is available 30 minutes before game time, the toss should be conducted with any league Official present and the two managers.

 

23. EJECTIONS: Any Manager, Coach or Player ejected from a game will leave the playing field area.  He/she will not be allowed to sit in the stands or be near the fences/dugouts.  In addition, he/she is automatically suspended from the team’s next game in the Tournament.

NOTE: If a player is ejected and the player’s parent/guardian is not at the field the player will remain in the dugout until the end of the game.

 

 

24. All Protests must be made in accordance with Rule 4.19. Protests must be resolved before the next pitch and the time clock shall continue to run while the protest is being decided.

The Tournament Director has the authority to interpret the above rules and resolve all challenges to these rules. 

All protests will be decided by the Tournament Director and the Tournament Director’s decision is FINAL.

Protests for violations of Rule 1 (Sitting Log) will be decided based on the effect the violation had on the game.  In such Protests, the offending manager will be removed (ejected) from the game and will be suspended from the team’s next game.  Forfeiture of the game is at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Protests for a sitting log violation must be made before the umpire leaves the field.

 

Pool Play Winners/Tie-Breakers

In case of a Tie, the Pool Champion will be decided as follows:

1. Head-to-Head record
2. Runs Allowed Ratio
3. Coin Toss

                  In case of a multi-team tie, once a step has been completed, it will not revert back.

 

 

GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN

 

Remember this Tournament is “For the Kids” Let’s make it FUN for ALL of Them!

Explain the rules to the Player’s Parents, It makes for a better tournament!