$495

     WELCOME TO THE 2024 USA SOFTBALL MEN'S CLASS E NORTHERN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

                               HOSTED BY USA SOFTBALL OF KANSAS & VISIT TOPEKA

PRE-TOURNAMENT DEADLINES & REQUIREMENTS: Registration deadline is Wednesday August 21st, 2024, which includes all required forms and payment turned in by the deadline, to the Tournament Director. 1) Tournament Entry Fee of $495 per team, payable by check to Kansas IFA or thru the tournament PayPal account. 2) Tournament Entry Form (signed by your State Commissioner) 3) Championship Roster Signature Form (signed by your State Commissioner) 4)  Pick-Up Player Form IF NEEDED up to 3 player max (signed by your State Commissioner) All 3 forms can be downloaded from the Tournament Documents section on this tournament webpage.

PAYMENT OF TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEE: Payment can come from your State Commissioner. Checks should be sent to Loren Fisher, 825 Choctaw Ave, Salina, KS 67401; make checks out to Kansas IFA. Teams can pay with Venmo; Loren Fisher @eskerpie or PayPal, which you can do on this webpage thru your team account. This must be done by the entry deadline which is Saturday August 24, 2024.

TOURNAMENT UPDATES (as of Monday August 19, 2024)

BALLPARK FACILITY LOCATION: Rueger Park; 2801 SE Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS 66605

STARTING GAME TIMES: 1st games will start on Saturday, August 31 at 9:00 a.m.

HOTEL HEADQUARTERS: Hyatt Place Topeka; 6021 SW 6th Ave, Topeka, KS 66615; 785-273-0066

MANAGER'S MEETING (REQUIRED): Friday, August 30, 2024 @ 6:00 p.m. at the Hotel Headquarters; Hyatt Place Topeka; 6021 SW 6th Ave, Topeka, KS 66615 (Mandatory meeting; 1 representative from each team playing is required.) This will be a meeting to ask questions about the tournament, go over rules and to make sure everyone is on the same page for the weekend.

PLAYER CHECK-IN (REQUIRED): Player check-in will take place at Rueger Park on Saturday, August 31, 2024 from 7:30 am - 10:00 am. All players participating in the tournament must provide a current valid picture ID at time of player check-in.

BAT CHECK: Bat checks will take place at Rueger Park on Saturday, August 31, 2024 from 7:30 am - 10:00 am. Bats will be checked against the USA Softball approved bat list, as well as with the USA Softball bat compression fixture. ALL bats will be compression tested and stickered by the Tournament Committee on-site at the ballpark before entering play. 2 certified bat testers will be on-site.

GAME BALLS: AD Starr USA Approved 52/300 Tattoo softballs will be provided. We do not have an endless supply of balls, so the more softballs that are hit for over-the fence home runs or as foul balls that are retrieved, the more new softballs we will have available later in the event. Your cooperation on this is appreciated.

UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS: The only uniform requirement are shirts similar in color with a number.

TEAM BENCHES: The team listed on the top of the bracket will be in the 1st base dugout. The team listed on the bottom of the bracket will be in the 3rd base dugout. In the event a team plays back-to-back on the same field, changing dugouts will not be required.

GATE FEE: No gate admission will be charged. 

RAINOUT NUMBER: 785-251-6940

TOURNAMENT T-SHIRTS: Will be available for sale Saturday only 9:00 am-5:00 pm

TOURNAMENT RULES & REGULATIONS

GAME RULES: All playing rules and regulations for the tournament will be governed by the 2024 USA Softball Official Guide and Rule Book.

HOME RUN RULE (Men's E/Rec): One ( 1 ) over-the-fence home run per game.  For any in excess, the ball is dead, the batter is out and no runners can advance.

RUN AHEAD RULE: 20 after 3 innings, 15 after 4 innings or 10 after 5 innings. 

STEALING: Runners can advance once the pitched ball reaches the front edge of home plate.

PROTESTS: The tournament committee will rule on all protests. Proper protest procedures are included in USA Rule 9.

INCLEMENT WEATHER: In the event of inclement weather, the game must be resumed at the exact point where it was suspended. It is the manager’s responsibility to report to the Tournament Director for rescheduling information.

CONDUCT: Managers and coaches are expected to have complete control of their players both on and off the playing field in accordance with the USA Official Rules of Softball, 2024 Edition.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: For more information on this tournament contact: Loren Fisher, 825 Choctaw Ave, Salina, KS 67401;  785-820-6191; fisher6081@gmail.com