2021 Middle School Baseball & Softball Information
Reed Willis SCIAA Baseball/Softball Coordinator
Office 416-2915 Cell 901-237-5968
Fax 416-9949 Email willisrh@scsk12.org
Lou Stackley SCIAA Baseball/Softball Agent
Cell: 901-488-8490 Email: alstackley@sports-ems.com
2021 MS Baseball & Softball Handout
2021 MS baseball and softball meeting
Important Dates
March 3 | Baseball & Softball Coaches Meeting | Teams |
Upon completion of Spring Sport checklist (AD and Principal approval) | First date of practice | |
March 15 | First games allowed by TMSAA | |
March 29-April 2 | SCS Spring Break | |
April 5 | First week for SCIAA scheduled district games | |
*April 23 | SCIAA Championship Meeting | Teams |
*April 26-May 1 | SCIAA Championship Tournament | TBA |
May 10-11 | TMSAA West TN A Softball Sectionals | Away TBD |
May 10-11 | TMSAA West TN AA Softball Sectionals | Brighton/Munford |
May 10-11 | TMSAA West TN A Baseball Sectionals | Dyer County |
May 12-13 | TMSAA West TN AA Baseball Sectionals | USA Baseball Stadium, Millington |
May 21-22 | TMSAA Baseball & Softball State Championships | Hendersonville, TN |
*Tentative Dates | ||
Players
Eligibility List
Eligibility must be entered into the TSSAA Portal at least one week prior to the first scheduled contest.
Insurance
All participants must be insured. For more information, please contact India Weaver at (901-416-7470).
Games
Limits
TMSAA limits middle schools to play a maximum of 16 games played. The SCIAA Championship tournament will count as two games in the TMSAA limit. Coaches are welcome to schedule more games up to the max 16. Non-league games must be reported to the SCIAA by March 15th. Schools will be responsible for fields and umpires if submitted after the deadline.
Admission
Admission charge is optional. $5.00 max ticket price.
Line-up Cards: Coaches should exchange line-up cards before the start of each game. The player’s uniform number is to be included. This is necessary due to the re-entry rule. The exchange of line-up cards is currently discouraged by TSSAA due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Options for exchanging lineups are by text or by using a whiteboard with lineup hung outside of the dugout.
Inclement Weather: Cancellation or postponement of games for inclement weather is the responsibility Athletic Director of the home team or his/her representative. The final decision and notification to the visiting team, umpire or assigning agent, and the SCIAA agent, Lou Stackley, must be made by 11:00 a.m. on the day of the game. If there is any question as to playing conditions of Park Commission fields, the final decision for determining whether or not the field is playable will be made by the Park Commission representative.
Rescheduling Inclement Weather Games: The home team is responsible for obtaining field assignments for make up games and contacting assigning agents to obtain umpires. The home team is responsible for contacting the visiting team within three days of the postponed game and setting a playing date for the rescheduled game. If the visiting team has not received notification of game reschedule by the third day, they are responsible for contacting the SCIAA in writing (e-mail). Please CC the SCIAA on all correspondence concerning make-up games (willisrh@scsk12.org).
Games have not been scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays to allow dates for make-up games. If we have a lot of reschedules the SCIAA reserves the right to schedule multiple games on a Saturday at a Parks Services facility.
Memphis Parks Services Fields: Tobey, Willow, Kennedy, Carruthers
All games on Tobey (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) & Willow (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) must be completed by 6:00 pm. Drop dead, no excuses!
Andrew Fisher (901) 636-5580 office
Games postponed on Park Commission fields should be rescheduled through the Park Commission office. Please contact them at 636-5580 between 10am and 12pm, daily. The participating teams should reschedule games postponed on school fields.
Umpires
The home school is responsible for changes of the field location –You must notify the umpire’s assigning agent of any change:
Softball & Baseball Assigning Agent:
Tony Walsh (901) 634-5201 Twump9@gmail.com
Notes:
- All umpires are required to contact the home team school by 12:00 noon on game day. Check with your financial secretary to insure that the officials have called in. Do not leave for your playing field without 100% assurance that your officials are assigned and are aware of your game.
- Any changes on game day, coaches are required to contact the umpires or an assigning officer by 11:00 a.m. of game day or be in jeopardy of paying game fees.
- In case it becomes necessary to postpone a regular game after the umpires have arrived, but before any play takes place, the umpires shall be entitled to collect only half of the fee.
- If a change on the schedule is required, contact an assigning agent immediately. If no answer, leave a message on the voice mail and call the SCIAA Office.
Umpire Fees:
Middle School Baseball
One Umpire – $85.00
Two Umpires – $70.00
Middle School Softball
One Umpire – $85.00
Two Umpires – $65.00
The home team of each contest must upload the outcome of the game to their DigitalSports website by noon of the following day. Usernames and passwords as well as instructions will be provided.
SCIAA Rules:
Section V – Baseball and Softball Rules
- Limits Upon Games
503.5 Middle School Baseball – No new inning will begin 1 ½ hours after the official starting time of the contest, except in case of tie games, which should be played to completion.
Middle Softball – No new inning will begin 1 hour and 15 minutes after the official starting time of the contest, except in the case of tie games, which should be played to completion.
503.6 Baseball – If a team is ahead by ten (10) runs after five (5) complete innings of a seven-inning game has been played, the game will be called as a complete game, provided there is a mutual agreement between the two coaches.
Softball – If a team is ahead by fifteen (15) runs after three (3) complete innings or ten (10) runs after five (5) innings of a seven inning game has been played, the game will be called as a complete game, provided there is mutual agreement between the coaches.
- SCIAA Championship
Schools must play all league games to be eligible to participate in the SCIAA championship. (This could be amended if there are cancellations due to Covid-19). All league games that are cancelled must be scheduled within three working days. Forfeits for championship purposes must go through the SCIAA office. Forfeiting a regular season game will remove the team from consideration for the Championship. The SCIAA Championship format will be determined prior to each season.
- Inclement Weather and Postponed Games
105.1 Inclement Weather – When school is cancelled because of inclement weather conditions, all athletic events will be postponed. The home school is responsible for notifying officials and calling everyone involved in the contest.
105.5 Guidelines for Forfeiting Athletic Contests
Forfeit – Any game that is cancelled by a school for reasons other than weather related conditions.
- To keep from paying a fine, the forfeiting schools must notify the opposing school and the SCIAA office in writing at least 24 hours before the contest.
- Officials should be notified of game cancellation by 11:00 a.m. on the day of a scheduled contest. If the school fails to notify the officials, the forfeiting school must pay and will not receive reimbursement from the Athletic Office.
- Both schools in a forfeiting situation should send a letter to the SCIAA office and a copy to the opposing school principal.
- The fines for forfeiting are two hundred dollars ($200.00) for major sports, fifty dollars ($50.00) for minor sports. Baseball and Softball are both defined as major sports.
- If a school fails to notify the opposing team by 11:00 am in writing on the day of a scheduled contest the forfeiting school must pay the cost of the bus for the visiting team if a bus charge is incurred.
- The forfeited game will not be rescheduled.
- If there is a continued pattern of forfeiting in any sport, the Athletic Manager may request an explanation.
- Any school that has a forfeit situation must notify the SCIAA within 24 hours. Failure to notify the SCIAA in writing will result in a no contest for championship purposes.
- A forfeit will remove the forfeiting team from consideration for the SCIAA Championship.
Field Dimensions
Baseball Bases-80’ Pitching Rubber-54’ (Sectional and State Championship games will be played at 60’-90’)
Softball Bases-60’ Pitching Rubber-43’
Dugout Area
- Only coaches and players are allowed in the dugout area.
- When a team is on offense only 4 people are allowed outside of the dugout (batter in the box, on deck batter, 1st base coach, 3rd base coach). If a student is coaching a base, he/she must have on a batter’s helmet.
- When a team is on defense no one is allowed outside of the dugout. Areas behind the dugout may be used to increase social distancing. Masks must be worn at all times in the dugout.
Tobey Park
2599 Avery Ave.
Behind the SCS Board of Education
Central to Flicker Street
Willow Park
4971 Willow Road
Will Carruthers Park
3924 Neely Road
Kennedy Park
4575 Raleigh LaGrange Road
Fields 6-9 are the first fields you come to
Fields 1-5 are the last fields
NO BUSES OR OTHER VEHICLES INSIDE ANY
PARK FENCE!!