Rules in Effect: All games will be played according to the National High School Federation Associations (NFHSA) Rules, HWSA Rules, and special rules, as described below, or as needed and determined by the Regional Tournament Director at the time of the tournament. See websites at http://www.nfhs.org/catalog-index.htm and http://www.hwsa.net.

Mandatory Coaches Meeting: Each head coach is required to be at the mandatory coaches meeting prior to the tournament. Other coaches and team representatives are welcome to attend but are not required.

Coaches in Uniform: All on-the-field coaches must be in uniform during the game.

Double-Elimination Format: All HWSA Regional Qualifying tournaments will implement a one‑pool double‑elimination bracketing structure. Each Tournament Director will publish the game schedule prior to the tournament. The Top 4 Seeds will be pre-slotted in the brackets based upon seeding criteria. The other teams will be slotted into the brackets through random drawing at the Coaches Meeting.

All schedules are subject to change, and adjustments are at the discretion of the Regional Tournament Director who makes decisions based on the best interest of the tournament as a whole. Game times may vary per regional tournament depending on the contract made with the party in charge of the field that is rented. HWSA will guarantee that all teams who are being affected by necessary changes will be informed of the changes being made prior to playing. Teams are expected to respect the authority of the RTDs and Field Managers as the final HWSA authority at the tournament.

Rain: Contingency plans in the event of poor weather will be outlined at the Coaches Meeting prior to the tournament. If the entire weekend is rained out, the tournament shall be played the following weekend. Teams that fail to show up the following weekend will forfeit their games as well as their fees.

Game Length: Each game will end after seven (7) complete innings or at the completion of an inning after the time limit has expired. In the event of a tie after 7 innings or time expiration, extra innings will be played to break the tie. In an attempt to be able to play a full 7-inning game, “hurry-up” rules may be in effect. The main essence of these rules will be a 90-second time limit between half-innings.  The only exception to this will be to allow a new pitcher eight warm-up pitches. The home plate umpire will monitor this in each game. The “mercy" rule will also be in effect, with 20 runs after 3 innings; 15 after 4 innings, and 10 after 5 innings being used. Note: For "extra games" that are played to ensure that each team gets the minimum number of games, no extra innings or extra time will be played to "break the tie." "Mercy" rules will be in effect.

Minimum Number of Games: Each team is guaranteed a minimum 3 number of games (most teams will get 4 or 5 games). Some regions may guarantee a minimum of 4 games. (Check with the region's tournament director.)

Game Balls: HWSA will provide all game balls.

Game Times: Except for the Top 4 Seeds, slots in the brackets will be filled by random drawing at the mandatory Coaches Meeting. Games times may be adjusted by the Tournament Director, if necessary.  Also, to keep the schedule running as smoothly as possible, infield practice before each game will be available on a separate field in some cases.   Note: An infield practice is not permitted at some Regional Tournament sites. Your Tournament Director will inform you of these indications at the Coaches Meeting. 

Official Score Book: The home team score book will be the official score book for each game. The official score book may not be in the dugout, and must be accessible to the head umpire and the visiting team. Though it is not a requirement, it is strongly encouraged that the scorekeepers from each team work together throughout the game.

Protests: Protests will be handled at the time of the protest. The Field Manager will meet with the protesting manager and the umpire. The Tournament Director may be called into the meeting if necessary. The Field Manager is the final authority in a protest.  NOTE: Protests refer to potential rule misinterpretations only, not judgment calls on the part of the umpire. 

Advancing to the HWSA World Series per Regional Tournament: A total of four berths (4) to the World Series will be awarded in each Regional Tournament, for a total of eight (8) World Series qualifying teams. All teams must come with World Series registration fee in-hand. Qualifying teams must remit payment to the Tournament Director before leaving, in order to confirm your advancement to the World Series. Non-payment will result in the advancement of the 5th Place Team to the World Series in place of the non-paying team.

All-Stars and Awards: HWSA will award the four World Series Qualifying teams with “World Series Qualifier” medallions. A total of 21 awards will be ordered and presented to each World Series Qualifying team (no re-orders will be made). An All-Tournament team will also be selected using a 3-Way Balloting System that allows players, coaches, and Field Managers to vote for the All-Star players on their team.

HWSA Rules: HWSA Rules adopted by the HWSA Board of Directors will apply during Regional play.  Please refer to correspondence that you have previously received for specific guidelines and the HWSA Rules at the following link: Forms\HWSA Rules - Revision3.pdf

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