Rule 3.00 – Individual Player & Team Eligibility

3.01 Age Based with Grade Exceptions Divisions:
4U Division
Players who turn 5 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Pre-Kindergarten-4. Also, any player turning 6 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 4u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
5U Division
Players who turn 6 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Pre-Kindergarten. Also, any player turning 7 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 5u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
6U Division
Players who turn 7 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Kindergarten. Also, any player turning 8 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 6u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
7U Division
Players who turn 8 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 1st grade. Also, any player turning 9 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 7u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
8U Division
Players who turn 9 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 2nd grade. Also, any player turning 10 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 8u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
9U Division
Players who turn 10 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 3rd grade. Also, any player turning 11 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 9u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
10U Division
Players who turn 11 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 4th grade. Also, any player turning 12 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 10u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
11U Division
Players who turn 12 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 5th grade. Also, any player turning 13 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 11u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
12U Division
Players who turn 13 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 6th grade. Also, any player turning 14 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 12u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
13U Division
Players who turn 14 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 7th grade. Also, any player turning 15 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 13u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
14U Division
Players who turn 15 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 8th grade. Also, any player turning 16 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 14u eligible are eligible for this division regardless of grade.
15U Division
Players who turn 16 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are a freshman in High School. Also, any player turning 17 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 15u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
16U Division
Players who turn 17 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are a sophomore in High School. Also, any player turning 18 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 16u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
17U Division
Players who turn 18 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are a junior in High School. Also, any player turning 19 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 17u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
18U Division
Players who turn 19 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are a senior in High School. Also, any player turning 20 prior to August 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 18u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.
3.01.A     In divisions 4U – 18U, all players participating in USSSA Baseball tournament play shall have photocopies of their original birth certificate in the possession of their team manager at all times. Upon protest, failure to have a photocopy of the original birth certificate immediately available upon demand shall result in the offending team losing the game(s), being ejected from the tournament,
being placed last in the standings and forfeiting all awards, points, sponsors travel money, and berths that would have been or have been awarded.
3.01.B     All grade-based players must have a copy of their birth certificate, current report card, or official school ID with grade, or any official government document stating the grade.
3.02 A player that is found to be illegal due to an age or grade violation during or after a league or tournament game, shall result in the offending team losing the game(s) team and player being ejected from the tournament, team being placed last in the standings and forfeiting all awards, points, sponsors travel money, and berths that would have been or have been awarded. The illegal player shall be removed from the offending team’s Official Online Roster and additional penalties may be applied to the illegal player and / or team manager / coaches.
3.03 A player shall be eligible to compete in the USSSA Baseball program as long as he abides by the USSSA Constitution and the Official Baseball National By-laws & Rules when his first name, last name (no middle names, nick names, shortened names, slang names, initials, prefixes or suffixes are allowed) and date of birth (in proper format – mm/dd/yyyy) are listed EXACTLY as they appear on
his original birth certificate, as a member on an eligible team’s Official Online Roster. Failure to comply with this rule shall result in your team being prohibited from participating in USSSA.
3.04 A player who is in violation of the USSSA Constitution or the Official Baseball National By-laws & Rules shall be an illegal player.
3.04.A     A team with a player found to be illegal due to age, grade or class violation, anytime during the USSSA event, will be deemed ineligible. The team WILL be disqualified and put in last place. The manger could face suspension.
3.04.B     Any team in violation of any roster rules located in section 3.08, 3.09 and 3.10 MAY be disqualified from their current event and be placed in last place. The manager could face suspension
3.04.C     A player found to be playing on multiple teams in the same weekend, anytime during the USSSA event, both teams MAY be disqualified and put in last place. The player, parents and managers could face suspension
3.04.D     An ineligible player is any player not listed on the official online roster (when rosters are required), a player with an incorrect birthday, or a player with name listed incorrectly on the official online roster. All players must be listed on a team’s online roster correctly prior to their first game or prior to the event’s deadline to add players. Penalty: Any ineligible player MAY cause the team to be
disqualified and put in last place. Each case will be looked at by the teams State Director to determine if the player is ineligible.
3.05 Player Roster Eligibility:
  3.05.A     Prior To Being Qualified / Frozen To An Official Online Roster (age Divisions 4U – 14U ONLY):
  3.05.A.1     A Player can only play on one team in any given tournament and can only play in one tournament at any given time.
                    3.05.A.2     Players shall only physically play for one (1) team per day, event, tournament, week or weekend, regardless of location, venue, age division and / or classification.
3.05.B     After Being Qualified / Frozen To An Official Online Roster (Age Divisions 4U – 14U ONLY):
3.05.B.1     Players shall only appear on one (1) Official Online Roster per age division and shall only participate with such qualified / frozen team (unless previously released pursuant to these rules).
3.05.B.2     Players participating in multiple age divisions shall only appear on one (1) Official Online Roster per age division and shall only participate with such qualified / frozen team(s) (unless previously released pursuant to these rules).
                    3.05.B.3     A Player can be on teams in multiple age divisions as long as the older teams class is the same or lower than the younger teams class.
                    3.05.B.4     A Player can only play on one team per weekend regardless the age.
3.06 Team Eligibility:
          3.06.A     No team shall be allowed to compete in any USSSA Baseball program without first paying their team registration fee to the Association.
          3.06.B     All teams shall maintain an Official Online Roster.
Rule 3.06.B Comment: State Directors with the approval of the Association’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations may waive this roster requirement for the traditional “Fall” playing months of August 1 – December 31.
3.06.C     Team rosters for age divisions 4U – 14U shall be composed of not more than twenty-five (25) players.
3.06.D    Team rosters for scholastic divisions 15U – 18U shall be composed of not more than forty (40) players.
3.06.E     A team’s “home” state shall be determined by the home residency of fifty-one percent (51%) or the majority (whichever is greater) of the players on the team’s Official Online Roster.
3.06.F     The team manager shall be responsible for all aspects of eligibility of the players and the information of the players contained on the team’s Official Online Roster pursuant to these rules. This includes but is not limited to: age eligibility, classifications of teams the players may participate on in other age divisions, classifications of previous teams the players may have participated on, legal names of the players, and correct dates of birth of the players.
          3.06.F.1     The intentional or unintentional act of adding ineligible players to the team’s Official Online Roster shall be grounds for team manager suspension and disqualification of the team.
          3.06.F.2     The intentional or unintentional act of incorrectly spelling a player’s name on the team’s Official Online Roster shall be grounds for team manager suspension and disqualification of the team.
          3.06.F.3     The intentional or unintentional act of incorrectly entering a player’s date-of-birth on the team’s Official Online Roster shall be grounds for team manager suspension and disqualification of the team.
  3.06.G     State Directors shall have the authority to approve or reject all players contained on a team’s Official Online Roster State Director approval of a team’s Official Online Roster shall not release the team manager of his responsibilities pursuant to these rules.
  3.06.H An all-girls team can request roster exemptions from the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.
3.07 How A Team Qualifies (Roster Qualified / Frozen):
          3.07.A     A Qualified / Frozen team is defined as a team whom earns a berth to postseason play at a sanctioned event. Additionally, teams can become qualified / frozen from a berth which automatically passes down to them from a higher seed which is already qualified / frozen. Pass down berths are done automatically and cannot be declined.
         3.07.B When a team qualifies (is awarded a berth for a postseason play);
                    3.07.B.1 After May 1st of the current season (whether the team accepts the berth or not), the team’s Official Online Roster shall become qualified / frozen immediately at the qualifying event regardless of the date the roster is physically frozen in the USSSA online system.
                    3.07.B.2 For Super NIT and Select 30 SNIT Events – Major Divisions Only
                              3.07.B.2(a) From August 1st to December 31st, rosters are only frozen if a team accepts a berth. Berths are passed down until a team accepts. Their roster then will become frozen and fall under the frozen roster add restrictions. (3.08)
                              3.07.B.2(b) From January 1st to July 31st, the winning teams roster will become frozen and fall under the frozen roster restrictions, even if the team does not accept the berth. If the team had already accepted a berth, the berth passes down. Any team that accepts the berth will become frozen at the time of the event and fall under the frozen roster add restrictions. (3.08)
          3.07.C When a team qualifies all players on the team’s Official Online Roster become qualified / frozen to the qualified team (unless released pursuant to these rules) and shall be bound to the qualified team till July 31st. No player shall appear on any other team’s qualified/frozen or unqualified / unfrozen Official Online Roster within the same age division regardless of class.
3.08 Qualified Team Roster Additions & Releases:
3.08.A     For Teams In The Major Classification ONLY, the manager shall be allowed to add a maximum of six (6) players to their qualified / frozen Official Online Roster. Players may be added before a team starts their first game of a tournament.
                    3.08.A.1 When a team classified as Major adds any player above three (3), (i.e.; the fourth, fifth and / or sixth add), the team shall forfeit the ability to be reclassified below Major for the remainder of the season.
                    3.08.A.2 Player(s) shall not be on any other qualified / frozen Official Online Roster in the same age division regardless of classification.
3.08.A.3 Player(s) on two (2) or more qualified / frozen rosters in different age divisions, shall be rostered so the older team is equal to or lower in class then the younger team.
         3.08.B     For Teams In All Other Classifications, the manager shall be allowed to add a maximum of three (3) players to their qualified / frozen Official Online Roster. Players must be added before a team starts their first game of a tournament.
                    3.08.B.1     Player(s) shall not be on any other qualified / frozen Official Online Roster in the same age division regardless of classification.
                    3.08.B.2     Player(s) shall not have been frozen to a team of a higher classification in equal or older age group during the current season.
                    3.08.B.3     Player(s) on two (2) or more qualified / frozen rosters in different age divisions, shall be rostered so the older team is equal to or lower in class then the younger team.
                    3.08.B.4     Player(s) added to a qualified / frozen Official Online Roster must have a traceable playing history within the USSSA online system for the current or previous season.
                    3.08.B.5     Players (s) added to a qualified / frozen Official Online Roster may cause a team’s classification to be changed.
        3.08.C There is no limit to the number of players’ team managers may release from their qualified / frozen Official Online Roster.
3.08.D A player released from a qualified / frozen Official Online Roster shall be prohibited from returning to that team during the current season.
3.09 Special Qualified Team Roster Addition(s):
    3.09.A     Teams participating in the Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series ONLY shall be permitted to add one (1) additional player to their qualified / frozen Official Online Roster for participation in the Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series.
          3.09.A.1 Such additional player shall not appear on an Official Online Roster of any other team participating in the Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series regardless of age division.
          3.09.A.2 Such additional player shall not participate with the team in any capacity in any sanctioned event prior to the Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series.
          3.09.A.3 Such additional player shall be added to the team’s Official Online Roster at Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series Team Registration by USSSA Staff.
3.10 Disbanded Teams:
    3.10.A A team with a qualified / frozen Official Online Roster listing less than nine (9) players, which has used all options for additions shall be automatically disbanded and shall forfeit all points and / or berths awarded.
    3.10.B If a disbanded team (Major Classification ONLY) chooses to reform;
                    3.10.B.1 The team manager shall register a new team for the current season pursuant to these rules.
                    3.10.B.2  The team manager shall be bound by all roster and eligibility rules contained within these rules.
                    3.10.B.3 The new team Official Online Roster shall contain no more than six (6) players from any disbanded or previous disbanded team within the same season, regardless of team name, age division, classification and / or team manager, coach or sponsor.
                     3.10.B.4 All players on the new team Official Online Roster from a previously disbanded team shall be bound to the disbanded team’s classification.
                    3.10.B.5 The new team shall be required to qualify.
    3.10.C If a disbanded team (AAA, AA, A & All-Star Classifications) chooses to reform;
                    3.10.C.1 The team manager shall register a new team for the current season pursuant to these rules.
                    3.10.C.2 The team manager shall be bound by all roster and eligibility rules contained within these rules.
                    3.10.C.3 All players on the new team Official Online Roster from a previously disbanded team shall be bound to the disbanded team’s classification or higher.
                    3.10.C.4 The new team shall be required to qualify.
3.11     In divisions 4U – 14U a player can only participate on a team up to 2 years older. (example: a 10U player can be on a 11U or 12U team)
3.12    Area Directors, Executive Board Members, Executive Committee Members, Local Directors, National Committee Members, National Directors, State Directors or Tournament Directors shall not be eligible to participate in the program as a team manager, team coach, team sponsor, Umpire or player without approval of the Association’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.