Bay State Baseball League Policies

CONSTRUCTION OF TEAMS

• Bay State Baseball is designed for cities and towns to enter all-star teams at each division level.
• Applicants for BSBTOC shall either be part of, or have approval from, the existing city/town youth baseball structure to be considered for entry. Bay State baseball will not consider teams that consist of collections of players from different towns.
• Applicant teams must have a home field available within the city/town borders they represent.
• Recognized youth baseball leagues with team(s) entered in BSBTOC may not have more than two teams in any given division in one specific round over the course of a season of play in BSBTOC. (As defined by 'Levels of Play' in Section C.)

Age Groups and Divisions

• The league will be comprised of five divisions based on age. All divisions play on a traditional 60’ diamond with the exception of the A division which plays on 70’ base paths. Divisions are made up of the best players from a league as follows:
  DIVISION

  A

  B

  C

  D

  AGE

  11 or 12

  10 or 11

  9 or 10

  8 or 9
  
  
• To be considered a Bay State Age "8," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/14 and 8/31/15. Those born between 5/1/15 and 8/31/15 may sit out one year and still be considered a "9" for the 2023 season. However, those players born between 5/1/2015 and 8/31/2015 that choose to play in 2023 as a "9" may not repeat as a "9" in 2024. They are automatically considered a "9" in 2024.
• To be considered a Bay State Age "9," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/13 and 8/31/14. Those born between 5/1/14 and 8/31/14 may sit out one year and still be considered a "9" for the 2023 season. However, those players born between 5/1/2014 and 8/31/2014 that choose to play in 2023 as a "9" may not repeat as a "9" in 2024. They are automatically considered a "10" in 2024.
• To be considered a Bay State age "10," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/12 and 8/31/13. Those born between 5/1/13 and 8/31/13 may choose to play as a "10" for the 2023 Season. However, those players born between 5/1/13 and 8/31/13 that choose to play in 2023 as a "10" may not repeat as a "10" in 2024. They are automatically considered an "11."
• To be considered a Bay State age "11," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/11 and 8/31/12.
• To be considered a Bay State age "12," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/10 and 8/31/11.
• Under normal circumstances, there are two qualifying rounds of games for the A and B, C and D Divisions.

Multi-Town Teams

• Bay State Baseball will allow multiple towns to combine their local spring programs to form one Bay State Baseball entry under the following conditions:
  1. Towns must be contiguous.
  2. There must be a 'lead' town with a specific contact person(s) that spearheads all paperwork, requests and information, and identifies fields for baseball use.
  3. Towns must join forces at any/all levels of Bay State Baseball play for that season, not entering separate teams at other levels.
     • Example of what is not allowed: Town 1 and Town 2 fulfill all conditions and decide to enter combined teams in the A Division and the B Division but enter separate Town 1 and Town 2 teams in the C Division and the D Division.
     • Example of what is allowed: Town 1 and Town 2 fulfill all conditions and decide to enter combined teams in the A Division and the B Division and enter no teams in the C Division or D Division.
• Teams must submit a written letter of agreement signed by the local league presidents of all towns involved in the proposed combined team(s).
• Town combinations are good for that season only; neither Bay State Baseball nor the towns involved are required to repeat the combinations in subsequent seasons.
• All town entries are subject to review by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the Board by June 15 of that season.

Rosters

• The official Bay State roster form available on the website MUST be completed before a team can play its first game. Each team MUST submit a player roster containing the following:
  1. The names of up to 20 players who will be eligible to play for the team at the discretion of the coaching staff.
  2. A listing of contact information for players (name, address, phone number, birth date) and coaches (name, address, phone numbers, email address).
• A roster cannot contain more than 20 players in total. The roster may be amended between rounds by adding or deleting players, as long as the roster size or composition rules (see 2.0, Multiple Roster Assignments) are not violated. Roster changes may ONLY be made by informing the Division Commissioner of the desire to do so, and in turn the Commissioner will make the change(s) to the listed roster. Rosters may not be changed following the final round of play (before the T of C or playoffs) in any division.
• Each player participating in a game MUST be listed on the current player roster form.
• Team managers are required to construct rosters and player status for the season at their discretion, but must be ready to bear full responsibility for such actions and consequences. Bay State Baseball will not support managers engaged in internal disputes who do not embrace Bay State philosophies for roster composition.

Multiple Roster Assignments for the Same Player

• A player is eligible to be on any roster for which they are age-eligible but can only be listed on ONE team at any given level of play.
• A player may NOT be listed on two different rosters at the same level of play (A, B, C, or D Division). If the player is listed on a team that has completed play for the season, he/she is allowed to then be part of the roster of another team from the same spring league at the same level assuming the window for roster changes is open.

Legal Residence

• Each player must have played on a team or reside in the geographical area representing his/her local spring league season. Residency in and border limits of each geographical area will be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Exceptions to this rule have been granted by the Board of Directors via the appeal process; exceptions are only granted by the Board of Directors.

Roster Violations and Exceptions

• Any team not submitting a roster as specified in these rules, or violating roster regulations will, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, forfeit games until that team complies with the rules. Penalties for violations will be determined by the Board of Directors and may include forfeiture fees and/or program participation review, depending upon the severity of the violation. All decisions made by the Board of Directors will be final.
• Exceptions to roster rules may be made at the discretion of the Division Commissioner upon request of the team manager, subject to approval by the BSBTOC President.

GAME TYPES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

There are 3 types of games in Bay State Baseball: Qualifying Games, Neutral Site Game and Trophy Weekend Games.

Qualifying Games

• All weekday games and certain non-hosted weekend games will be played at the home team’s field. These are called Qualifying Games.
• No qualifying game in a round shall be played after the Friday night prior to a trophy weekend. Team standings shall be determined as per rule J.18.0 for tie-breakers
• Any qualifying game in a round played on the Friday prior to a trophy weekend shall be started no later than 5:45PM. If the home team does not have a field available, the game shall be played at the visitor’s field (or at a neutral site if both fields are not available). The scheduled home team for the game shall be unchanged.

Neutral Site Games (a.k.a. "Hosted Qualifying Weekend Games")

• Most weekend games will be held at a neutral host site to give the players the feel of tournament baseball. Requirements to qualify as a host site are as follows:
  1. Provide a Tournament Director or alternate who will be physically at the tournament site for all games
  2. Furnish the necessary number of playing fields to successfully complete the scheduled
  3. Furnish the name and telephone number of a person who may be contacted for any last
  4. The Division Commissioner or his representative will be the judge as to whether games will

Trophy Weekend Games All Trophy Weekend games will be held at a neutral host site. Requirements to qualify as a host site are as follows:

1. Furnish the necessary number of playing fields to successfully complete the scheduled weekend games (two or three fields). The fields must be properly marked and manicured and have outfield fences.
2. Furnish the name and telephone number of a person who may be contacted for any last minute changes, especially in the event of inclement weather.
3. Receive trophy delivery, provide secured storage space for trophies and an area to conduct trophy presentations.
4. The Division Commissioner or his representative will be the judge as to whether games will be started or postponed as it relates to weather/field conditions.
5. The following shall determine the home team on trophy weekend:
   1. Team with the best standing,
   2. If tied after 1. , team with the best win-loss record in said round,
   3. If tied after 2. , coin toss. A coin toss shall give the winner choice of home or away, or choice of dugouts. The loser shall have a choice of home or away, or dugouts, based on what was selected by the winner.
6. On trophy weekends, a protest shall cause the game to be halted until the issue is resolved by the Division Commissioner or his representative. The decision will be final.

Rescheduling Games

• All games MUST be played as scheduled with the following exception:
  1. Scheduled Bay State Baseball games may only be rescheduled to accommodate Little League Baseball (Williamsport) or Cal Ripken tournament games. Bay State Baseball will not honor requests to alter the game schedule to accommodate ANY other tournaments or league games. A request may be made to the Division Commissioner if a team wishes to reschedule a game due to a conflict with a game on the same day. The request must be made as far in advance as possible of the Bay State scheduled game and MUST be played on the next available day/night.
• The following procedures must be adhered to:
  1. Teams must disclose their involvement with Little League/Williamsport or Cal Ripken district/state/national tournament play as early as possible, to the Division Commissioner and include format, dates, times and sites, whenever possible. Efforts will be made to match teams still alive in LL/CR tournament play in the same Bay State Baseball group, with Division Commissioner’s recommendations taken into account.
  2. The minimum number of games played in a round required to be eligible for trophy weekend inclusion shall be four in the C and D Divisions and six in the A and B Divisions.
  3. Should a conflict arise due to a district/state/national tournament game, the teams must make every effort to play the game within the timeframe of the round. If the game cannot be played, there will be no forfeiture awarded for either team; the game will be declared no contest.
  4. Trophy Weekend games will not be rescheduled for any reason. If a qualifying team can not commit to their trophy weekend schedule, they must inform their commissioner so a replacement can be made.
• The Bay State Baseball philosophy in these instances is to try and play the game within the required round timeframe, with communication between the managers and Board crucial. Any undue attempts to obstruct this tenet will be looked upon unfavorably by the Board and may have a determining effect on a ruling. Division commissioners MUST be notified, and approve of, any schedule change before the game can be moved.

Home Team Responsibilities

• The home team is responsible for the condition of the field. The field should be manicured, marked, and preferably have an outfield fence
.
• The home team manager is responsible for notifying the visiting team in the event that inclement weather does not permit a game to be started. The home team should make every effort to notify the visiting team in sufficient time to keep them from traveling unnecessarily. Once the game has started, the umpires have control of the game and shall decide when a game should be stopped and/or terminated.
• Games postponed in the event of inclement weather MUST be played on the first open date on the BSBTOC schedule. It shall be the responsibility of the home team manager to notify the Division Commissioner of any postponements.
• The home team is responsible for balls (Wilson A1074 or better) for all games, INCLUDING weekday, qualifying weekends and trophy weekends.
• The home team has the choice of dugouts

Winning Coach Responsibilities

• The winning team (i.e. head coach, assistant coach or person designated to do so at manager’s direction) must enter the correct result and pitching information for both teams into the Bay State Baseball web site within 24 hours of the completion of the game. If this is not done, the win shall not be credited. The first time a manager/team fails to properly enter the information into the web site within 24 hours, it shall result in a warning. Subsequent offenses shall result in a forfeit. Discretion will be observed by the Division Commissioners for extenuating circumstances.
• In the event of suspension of a game, the home team is responsible for entering the information available for the game, up to the point of game suspension, on the Bay State web site and to notify the division commissioner.
• Should there be a dispute on entered information, managers must bring said item to the notice of the Division Director within 48 hours of the completion of the game or else the entered data shall stand as reported. Discretion will be observed by the Division Commissioner for extenuating circumstances.

UMPIRES

• Bay State Baseball will provide two umpires for each game. The home team will be responsible for payment of these umpires for all qualifying games. Teams will split the costs of umpires for trophy weekend and Tournament of Champions games, with the exception being the semifinals and finals, wherein the league will pay. Any complaints relative to umpires must be made to the Division Commissioner.
• Umpire fees for Bay State games are:
  • $60 per game for B, C, D. $65 for A
  • If only one umpire shows, the cost is the normal fee plus 1/2
• No local league rules regarding umpire payment shall override Bay State rules.
• The Division Commissioner must be informed immediately of any rescheduled or canceled games in order to inform the appropriate umpire assigner.
• If no qualified umpire(s) is available by 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the game, the respective managers have the option of re-scheduling according to available dates or playing the game with a mutually agreed-upon umpire(s). Should the game be rescheduled, the proper Division Commissioner must be notified.
• The first pitch of the game constitutes the acceptance, by both teams, of the umpires.
• All umpire fees must be paid prior to the start of the game. If the game is not started due to weather, but the umpires have arrived, they will be entitled to 50% fee.

CODE OF CONDUCT

• Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their players, parents and themselves.
• There shall be no smoking or chewing of tobacco, drinking alcohol or using unlawful substances by anyone on the field and at the team benches.
• If a manager wants to bench a player during a game for disciplinary reasons, he must inform the opposing manager, and he shall also inform the Division Commissioner before the player is eligible to play again.
• If a manager, coach or player is ejected by an umpire or BSBTOC official, they shall leave the field immediately and take no further part in the game. An ejected participant cannot be in sight or hearing distance of the on-going game once ejected and he/she shall not be in attendance at the following game(s) due to suspension (see 5.0). In the event a player is ejected, it is required of the manager to provide responsible supervision off-premises for the ejected player.
• If a manager, coach or player is ejected by an umpire or BSBTOC official:
  1. First time* - The person shall not take part in the next scheduled game. There is no appeal.
  2. Second time - The person shall not take part in any games scheduled over the next seven days. An appeal may be made.
  3. Third time - The person is suspended for the entire season. An appeal may be made.
  NB* Any manager/coach suspended for a game must vacate the premises of said game no later than 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. A violation of this will incur the next level of penalty, a seven-day suspension. Further violation(s) will be subject to additional penalties, to be determined by the Bay State Board of Directors.
  
  
• No player shall be allowed to harass opposing players or coaches. Such action shall be cause for ejection.
• Any manager or coach who repeatedly harasses umpires shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Directors
• Any team whose parents are abusive to either the umpires, a BSBTOC official or the opposing team shall face disciplinary action by the Board of Directors to include the disqualification of the team for or in the TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ROUND.
• No disciplinary action shall be taken unless there is a meeting of a disciplinary committee appointed by the president along with all interested parties. Failure of an interested party to attend a "disciplinary action meeting", after having been notified, shall not delay any disciplinary action which might be taken by the board as a result of the meeting.
• Any coach suspended/ejected by an official from a game is ineligible to coach at any Bay State Baseball League game at any level until the next contest at the same level he/she was suspended for has/have been completed.
• Processes for reporting ejections - Both managers/coaches involved are required to report any ejection (manager, coach, player or spectator) to their division director and enter it onto the Bay State web site. The umpire involved is required to report the ejection to the umpire-in-chief.
• All organizations shall be reviewed at the end of the season by the Board of Directors.