SSUSA Message Board

Messages posted by SSUSA Staff

Jan. 21, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Requesting an Intentional 3rd out JohnO28 ... There's nothing in the SSUSA Rulebook that allows this technique ... If something is not covered in the SSUSA book, we default to the ASA/USA Rulebook ... I was not able to find anything there, either ... Hopefully this was just a theory discussion and wasn't a tournament official or umpire "making it up on the fly" ...
Jan. 19, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: team registration for 2026. The form (showing $55 in two places) is correct ... The non-printing instruction (showing $52) WAS incorrect, but is now consistent at $55 ... Refresh your view and you'll have the correct numbers ... Thanks! ...
Jan. 19, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: rerating The SSUSA Ratings Committee evaluates all teams twice annually, at the end of May and after the World Championships in October ... Any rating changes in the earlier rating review cycle are based on performance, either up or down based on the data and Director recommendation(s) ... The season-end rating review cycle is on the same basis, but also includes automatic rating increases for teams who win or finish very high in the World Championships ... SSUSA reserves the right to move teams, up or down, at any time during the year and will occasionally do so when circumstances warrant ... There is no specific formula on how many wins in T.O.C. qualifying events will trigger a move ... Play as well as you can, try to win every event you enter, and we'll handle the rest of the process ... Good luck! ...
Jan. 18, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: rerating It's NEITHER ... The T.O.C. is a 2025 Season event and has no bearing on your rating for the 2026 Season ... You play at the T.O.C. at the rating you were at when you won your invitation ... If you were subsequently re-rated up, that will be reinstated after the T.O.C. ends ... Don't fear winning ... It's the reason we play tournaments! ...
Jan. 5, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: T.O.C. 2026 • "DRAFT" Game Schedules & Brackets There have been a couple of changes that have affected ALL schedules ... We will be starting all facilities on Friday at 8:00 AM ... Additionally, there was a rating move of a 50-AAA team back to 50-AA, which was their rating when they earned their bid to the T.O.C. ... We missed that one over the weekend, but it has been corrected ... Revised schedules now carry a revision date of 01/05/2026 ... Please refresh your downloads to view the most recent versions ... Good luck everyone!
Jan. 5, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: T.O.C. 2026 • "DRAFT" Game Schedules & Brackets DRAFT Game Schedules and Brackets for the SSUSA's Original Tournament of Champions 2026 in Polk County, FL, have been posted and are available from the links below and on the event's Tournament page ... As always, these DRAFT schedules are TENTATIVE, are subject to change and become final ONLY when released as "OFFICIAL" at the Manager's check-in the evening before play commences ... Good luck everyone ... DRAFT Game Schedules & Brackets (PDF's) • Men's: 50's | 55's & 60/65 M+/M | 60's & 65's AAA/AA | 70's | 75's thru 85's • 40-Masters: Men | Women & Seniors • Complete: All Ages & Divisions Tournament Administration (PDF's) • Master Games & Field Grid: T.O.C. 2026 • Participating Teams List: T.O.C. 2026
Jan. 3, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: SSUSA ORIGINAL T.O.C. 2026 • TENTATIVE Field Assignments The following are the REVISED TENTATIVE Field Assignments for the 2026 SSUSA Original Tournament of Champions in Polk County, FL. The changes were required at Loyce Harpe and Walker Rd. complexes following the withdrawal of a 60-Major+ team that collapsed a division ... All affected teams will still play in Lakeland, minimizing issues with team accommodations ... Good luck everyone! LOYCE HARPE PARK (Lakeland) - 23 Teams • Men's 55-Major (2) & 60-Major+ (1) ¤ CHANGED • Men's 65-Major (3), 65-AAA (8) & 65-AA (1) • Women's 40-Masters (5) • Women's 50/60+ Seniors (3) WALKER ROAD SOFTBALL COMPLEX (Lakeland) - 19 Teams • Men's 50-AA (2) & 55-AA (2) • Men's 70-Major (3) & 75-Major+ (1) ¤ CHANGED • Men's 70-AAA (4) • Men's 80/85+ Division - ALL (7) Revised 01/03/2026
Jan. 1, 2026 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Bats Discussion: Bat warmers Illegal
Dec. 30, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: SSUSA ORIGINAL T.O.C. 2026 • TENTATIVE Field Assignments The following are the TENTATIVE Field Assignments for the 2026 SSUSA Original Tournament of Champions in Polk County, FL. Please note that TENTATIVE means they are NOT FINAL and are SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FINAL Field Assignments will be released simultaneous with the publication of the DRAFT Game Schedules and Brackets shortly. Good luck everyone! AUBURNDALE SPORTS COMPLEX (Auburndale) - 28 Teams • Men's 50-Major+ (3), 50-Major (1) & 55-Major+ (1) • Men's 55-AAA (6), 60-Major (1) & 65-Major+ (2) • Men's 60-AAA (11) & 60-AA (3) DIAMONDPLEX SPORTS COMPLEX (Winter Haven) - 21 Teams • Men's 40-Major (2) & 40-AAA (3) • Men's 50-AAA (8) • Men's 75-AAA (5) & 75-AA (3) LOYCE HARPE PARK (Lakeland) - 24 Teams • Men's 65-Major (3), 65-AAA (8) & 65-AA (1) • Men's 70-Major (3) & 75-Major+ (1) • Women's 40-Masters (5) • Women's 50/60+ Seniors (3) WALKER ROAD SOFTBALL COMPLEX (Lakeland) - 19 Teams • Men's 50-AA (2) & 55-AA (2) • Men's 55-Major (2) & 60-Major+ (2) • Men's 70-AAA (4) • Men's 80+ (4) & 85+ (3) Divisions Ratings Notes Teams play in the 2026 SSUSA Original T.O.C. at the age and rating level they had when they won their invitation. If a team won multiple T.O.C. qualifying events in two different ratings, their invitation is at the higher of those ratings. Thank you to all of the participating teams and players, play and travel safely and Good Luck!! Released 12/30/2025
Dec. 19, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Team rating for next year A 55-AA team may have a maximum of three "out of rating" (AAA) players on its roster and retain a AA rating ... Four or more would result in an increase to a AAA rating ... Please call the Sacramento office at (916) 326.5303 during normal business hours in the Pacific time zone if you have additional questions ... Ask for assistance from the Roster/Eligibility department ...
Dec. 19, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: OFFICIAL 2026-27 SSUSA RULEBOOK • Web Version Current for changes through December 3-4, 2025 National Rules Committee meeting sessions ...
Dec. 17, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Team rating for next year If the 50+ team graduates to 55+ intact, you take your rating (AA) with you ... That can change if you add other non-AA players for the current season ... If any questions, please call Sacramento at (916) 326.5303 during normal business hours in the Pacific time zone and ask for the Roster/Eligibility department ... Good luck! ...
Dec. 16, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: SSUSA NATIONAL RULES COMMITTEE 2025 • Meeting Minutes The Official Minutes have been updated and annotated to reflect the language amendments that were made for the 2026-27 Rulebook, which is also available now from the TOURNAMENTS - RULES page ...
Dec. 15, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: TOC Field Assignments Lots of people take the clever approach of reserving a room in both Winter Haven AND Lakeland, then canceling the one they don't need ... That's a pretty reliable and low risk method after the field assignments are determined ... Good luck!
Dec. 12, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Roster Number Verification Your less than 20-word anonymous post is pretty thin on details, so the only sensible/logical thought is: "Call the Sacramento Home Office at (916) 326.5303 during normal business hours in the Pacific time zone and ask for someone in the roster/eligibility department." ... They can help you if you're willing to provide details ... Good luck ...
Dec. 12, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Master roster vs. tournament roster Patrick13 ... Your 2025 Master roster shouldn't (and doesn't) have four 70-Major or equivalent players on it now ... You have two (Cory and Ramsey), both with experience ratings of 75-Major+, which is the same as 70-Major ... The roster system shouldn't allow you to add more than one more of those guys ... You are allowed three on your roster, and are not permitted to "stockpile" more than that and then pick which three you want for a given tournament ... The National Rules Committee addressed this issue last week during their annual sessions in Sacramento ... Good luck for the 2026 Season!
Dec. 12, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Rule Clarification from Minutes of Rules Committee 2025 You may be confusing the term "scoring plate" with the "strike mat" ... The scoring plate is a separate home plate that is in the ground a few feet into foul territory on the third base side of the right-handed batter's box ... It serves as an alternative to a "scoring line" in some facilities ... A base runner is not permitted to run through or over the batter's box or "strike mat" areas ... If a "scoring plate" is deployed, that runner must touch it as described in the last sentence of the rule ...
Dec. 11, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: New video rule GMCinCOS ... Yes, "within the confines of the playing field" is the key point ... We do not want anything mounted on or protruding into the inside of the playing field that could be struck by a ball in play and therefore influence play ... The new rule (see proposed language below) also applies to "body cams" and "GoPro" type devices worn by players or coaches for purposes of the "EFFECT" component of the rule ... That provision was enacted during a video-conference Rules Committee session during the COVID-era in 2019-20, but never found its way into the rule book until now ... __________ §3.11 • VIDEO/CAMERA TECHNOLOGY – Video or still photography equipment is not permitted within the field of play, except for use by official tournament photographers or others who receive SSUSA permission to photograph or record the game. EFFECT: The use of recording devices to challenge or appeal a call on the field is prohibited. NOTE: Tournament officials reserve the right to determine the number and physical location of devices in order to maintain optimal viewing conditions for directors and spectators.
Dec. 10, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Clarification of Rule: PROHIBIT SPECIFIC 'CHIPS' There are really two questions/issues in play here ... You are fine to play on the 65-M team, and are NOT considered as a "chip" because you were re-rated 65-M ... You CANNOT, however, play down another level on a 65-AAA team this season ... The second issue is "how many re-rated" players can a team's roster have? ... The answer is TWO, and they are INCLUDED for the current season in the maximum allowable total of three out-of-rating players ... The National Rules Committee closed the loophole some teams were attempting to slip through to get, in effect, five out-of-rating players ...
Dec. 10, 2025 SSUSA Staff	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Clarification of Rule: PROHIBIT SPECIFIC 'CHIPS' Let's say, for the sake of illustration, that you carry a personal rating history of 65-Major+ ... And due to the severe psychological trauma that causes, you apply for a personal experience downward re-rating and we grant it, making you now a 65-Major rated player ... For the balance of the current season, you will NOT be permitted to be an "out of rating player" on a 65-AAA (or equivalent rating level) team ... You may drop "down" one level, from Major+ to Major via the re-rating, but not two levels until next Season ...