General Information
The objective of the Ken Berry League is to promote, develop and conduct safe, constructive, competitive baseball and softball; to teach discipline, fair play, good sportsmanship, cooperation and friendly rivalry. To accomplish the objective for all, everybody must participate in the support of the objective.
It is with this in mind that league officials have set forth specific rules and regulations. They are not intended to create a hardship on any individual, but are to be guidelines for all.
NO ONE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO OVERRIDE ANY RULE IN THIS BOOK WITHOUT FIRST RECEIVING A MAJORITY VOTE AT A MEETING OF THE S.Y.A.A. BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
1. ADMISSION
Admission shall be $1.00 at all league and post season tournament games for each individual 16 years of age and older or a league pass may be purchased for $15.00 per person 16 and older.
All Ken Berry League players are admitted free when in uniform.
There will be a different admission charged for Pre-Season, Memorial Weekend and Invitational Tournaments. Passes are not valid during these tournaments.
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2. BOARD APPROVALS
a. Entries of managers, coaches, sponsors and their teams for participation in the Ken Berry League will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The Board may reject any person as a manager, assistant coach, scorekeeper or any sponsor for any reason the Board, in its sole discretion, deems practicable and in the best interests of the League and the youth participating in League activities.
b. A member of the Southwest Youth Athletic Association Board of Director’s will be on duty at all times. This person has the authority to enforce any or all rules.
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3. MANAGERS
a. Any person desiring to manage any team must submit a written request to the proper Division Representative no later than November 1st of the year prior to that in which said person would like to manage. Those persons approved by the Board as managers shall submit a written request for any person desiring to be an assistant coach for that team no later than March 1 of the year in which said person would like to be an assistant coach. The Board shall make the final approvals for all managers, assistant coaches and scorekeepers.
b. In order to assist in providing a safe environment in the Ken Berry League, all managers and assistant coaches are required to agree to a background check performed at the Board’s discretion. All managers/coaches will be required to provide all personal information requested on both a request to manage and/or a Release Waiver, before being considered to manage/coach a team. Any person failing or refusing to so agree, shall not be approved to manage or act as an assistant coach for that season.
c. Each manager (or a representative) shall help with various fund raising projects throughout the year. Only through all members of the League working together will it be possible to provide youth with a facility to play baseball and softball.
d. Managers must have medical release forms for all players at all practices and games.
e. No beer or other alcoholic beverages are allowed on property of the Southwest Youth Athletic Association. The SYAA property will be a smoke free environment beginning in 2010. The use of smokeless tobacco products is allowed on SYAA property but is prohibited near the concession stand, the dugouts and anywhere within the confines of a playing field.
f. Managers will inform coaches, players and spectators the success of our program heavily depends upon revenue generated by concession sales; therefore the Board of Directors ask that no food or drink be brought to the complex. Exception: Players are allowed to bring their own water or sports drink for consumption by them in the dugout during their game. Violators should be reported to Board. PENALTY—You will be asked to remove the food/drink from the complex.
g. A manager has the right to discipline any player for a maximum of one game per infraction. Any manager or coach disciplining a player during the season must submit a written explanation to the Division Representative, who along with any other Board member, must approve prior to any disciplinary action. Line-up cards should show the player’s name and the word ‘disciplined’. Missing practices, attitude, behavior or missing scheduled games are justification for disciplining.
h. Managers, coaches and scorekeepers will be expected to uphold the standards and qualifications adopted by the Board of Directors. Any infraction of these standards may result in ejection as listed in GENERAL RULES, rule 5. Standards and qualifications for managers, coaches and scorekeepers:
1. Sportsmanship: on and off the field.
2. Respect: for players (own team and others), umpires, other coaches, board members/staff and parents/fans.
3. Knowledge of game and rules : read the rule book, don’t just assume you know the rules : rules can be amended from year to year as well as being different based on the age division
4. Incidents and write-ups: number and severity.
5. Responsible: manager duties (packets, games, etc.) and coaches and team behavior.
i.. Managers are in complete charge of and will be held accountable for actions of all personnel connected with their teams during the course of play.
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4. SCOREKEEPERS
Each team shall furnish a scorekeeper stationed at the scorekeepers’ table. Exception: Instructional does not keep score.
Home team will be the official scorekeeper and shall keep the official time under the direction of the umpire. The league will furnish the official scorebook for each game.
Visiting team shall run the scoreboard.
No coaching shall be done from the score table. The only persons to be at the score table should be the scorers and the manager/coaches of the teams playing.
The official score sheet must be signed by a representative from each team. The official score sheet shall be the official record of the game. If there is a discrepancy between the official score sheet and the official score book, these errors may be corrected by the league representative for that division at any time.
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5. FEES
a. All player fees and completed registrations must be submitted before a team member may participate in a practice or league game.
b. Refund requests must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors for consideration. An administrative fee of $25.00 (Instructional $15.00) will be assessed on all refund requests..
c. No sponsor, manager, coach or any other person associated with a team will be allowed to pay the registration fee for any player or induce a player to play on a particular team by offering awards of any kind, e.g. money, free trips, free meals or free tickets to any event except those approved by the Southwest Youth Athletic Association, Inc.
d. All teams within sanctioned leagues are required to pay their own sanctioning fees.
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6. TEAM EQUIPMENT
Managers should maintain the team’s equipment to meet rules of safety. Manager are REQUIRED to have a first aid kit. All Uniforms and equipment shall be purchased by the team thru sponsors, fundraisers or donations.
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7. UNIFORMS
Baseball – All players shall be fully uniformed, which includes cap, pants, shirts and socks. Shirttails must be uniformly worn.
Softball – All players shall wear matching shirts and shorts/pants. Shirttails must be uniformly worn.
All uniforms shall have numbers on the front or back. Players not in compliance may be penalized. PENALTY: When a player is in violation of this rule, the opposing manager may protest the player’s eligibility subsequent to the first pitch after the player is entered into the official lineup and prior to the first pitch to the next succeeding batter. If the player is determined to be ineligible by the Home Plate Umpire, the player may not participate.
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8. ROSTERS
a. The official roster shall be the only eligibility list of personnel for the team. The final roster shall include name, address and phone number of the manager, coaches and scorekeeper. For all baseball and softball divisions a team shall have a minimum of 10 players and a maximum of 14 players (EXCEPTION: Metro Division). Approval of Division Representative and VP of Baseball or Softball is necessary to carry more than 14 players. PENALTY: Forfeiture of all games during non-compliance.
b. No player shall play in a division below that specified for their age group without approval of the Board of Directors. A player may petition the Board for permission to play one age group up from that to which they would normally be assigned. Such petition shall be submitted in writing no later than December 1st.
Softball (girls): Age as of January 1st
Baseball (boys): Age as of April 30th
c. Baseball players (boys) have the option to request to play with their grade as opposed to age. To do so you must pre-register and notify your division representative by the pre-registration deadline. All requests must be approved by the Baseball Committee. This option does not apply to the National League. The following table will be used:
| Division |
Age |
Grade |
| Instructional |
4, 5, 6 |
Pre-K & K |
| Mini 7 |
7 |
1st |
| Mini 8 |
8 |
2nd |
| Midget 9 |
9 |
3rd |
| Midget 10 |
10 |
4th |
| Minor |
11-12 |
5th & 6th |
| Major |
13-14 |
7th & 8th |
| Metro |
15-18 |
|
d. Softball players (girls) have the option to request to play with their grade as opposed to age. To do so you must pre-register and notify your division representative by the pre-registration deadline. All requests must be approved by the Softball Committee. This option does not apply to the National League. The following table will be used:
| Division |
Age |
Grade |
| Instructional |
4-6 |
Pre-K & K |
| Novice |
7-8 |
1st, 2nd, 3rd |
| Miniette |
9-10 |
3rd, 4th, 5th |
Minorette
|
11-12 |
5th, 6th, 7th |
| Majorette |
13-14 |
7th, 8th, 9th |
| Metroette |
15-18 |
|
| Power League |
15-18 |
|
e. Players may only sign a roster for, and play on, one team per season.
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9. INSURANCE
Southwest Youth Athletic Association, Inc. insurance is considered only a secondary provider.
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10. TEAM AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
a. No team is eligible for play until all qualifications established in these rules are met except by expressed permission of the Board of Directors.
b. If a player is no longer participating prior to June 10, the manager must request a replacement from the player waiting list if players are available and the roster is below minimum level. If a player is assigned by the Division Representative and all fees are paid, they will be immediately eligible to play. If there is no waiting list of players available, a team may participate below the minimum roster limit with Board approval.
c. After June 10, players being added will be required to pay full league fees. They will be excluded from the League fundraiser for that year only.
d. By April 1st, all managers shall have players along with their parents sign a team roster. A player cannot quit one team and play for another in the Division once they have been drafted to a team. A player/parent who refuses to play for the team, to which they are drafted/assigned, will not be allowed to be included in the draft the following year’s season. The player will be allowed to play in the age appropriate division the following year, only if included on a signed protection list and registered before December 31st of the prior year. Player/parent may appeal application of this rule by providing a thorough written explanation of the reason for not playing to the Board of Directors.
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11. USE OF DIAMONDS
PRE-SEASON
Pre-season use of diamonds will be handled through the Division Representatives. Only those teams which participated in the workday and have turned in a completed packet to the division representative will be allowed the pre-season use of diamonds. Use of the field lights for pre-season games and practice is not permitted. PENALTY: May include automatic forfeiture of game (s) and/or suspension from the Ken Berry League as well as a monetary fine equal to the “demand charge” fee from the electric company which could be more than $400.
REGULAR SEASON
Use of the diamonds for practice and/or practice games will not be permitted once the regular season has started. Exception – teams receiving a forfeit may use the scheduled diamond provided the diamond has not been previously rescheduled for a make-up game.
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12. BENCH AND FIELD PERSONNEL
When a team is on defense, players not in the game, coaches and the manager must stay in the dugout, unless players are warming up in the bullpen area. On offense, only base coaches, the batter, on-deck-batter and base runners are allowed on the field. Only one coach is allowed in each coaching box at one time. Only the following personnel shall be allowed to be on or near the players’ bench or in the vicinity of the area reserved for team members:
a. registered team players
b. registered team manager
c. a maximum of four registered coaches. Exception: if no registered coach is available, a fan or parent may be used.
d. one scorekeeper
e. two bat persons
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13. SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Anytime a conflict in scheduling exists between school activities during the school year or dance recitals (Softball only) of three or more players and the Ken Berry League schedule, the school activities or dance recitals (Softball only) take precedence and the Ken Berry activity will be rescheduled.
The appropriate Division Representative must be notified at least 14 days prior to scheduled game time. No punitive action will be taken against any boy or girl involved in such schedule conflicts.
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14. UMPIRES
No League game shall be played without the attendance of at least one official umpire. EXCEPTION: There will be no umpire for instructional division games. If only one official umpire is in attendance, a substitute umpire may be appointed by a League Official (any member of the Board of Directors or the Chief Umpire). Once the game is started, the substitute umpire shall have the same standing authority as an official umpire until such time as the official umpire arrives. The absence or tardiness of any umpire must be reported by a manager of one of the teams involved in the game to the Chief Umpire.
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15. MANAGERS, COACHES OR PLAYERS UMPIRING
Managers and coaches may not umpire in the division which their team participates. Players may not umpire in a division which is higher than two divisions below the division in which they participate or would be eligible to participate. EXCEPTION: 17 & 18 year olds may umpire in the Major and Majorette Divisions.
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16. WEATHER POLICY
On week nights, games will be canceled if there is a tornado WARNING issued for all or a part of Shawnee County on or after 5:45 pm. This rule will not apply to weekend games due to the varying start times. Check our website at www.kenberryleague.com for play / no play information or call the Ken Berry Hotline at 862-3929.
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17. CALLING GAMES DUE TO WEATHER
a. In the case of severe weather conditions (i.e. lightning, fast approaching thunderstorms, etc.) arising during play, the on duty Board Members will determine when play is to be called. This will be accomplished by an announcement over the PA system.
b. In the case of inclement weather (i.e. rainy weather, no lightning, etc.) playing conditions on individual fields will be assessed by board members on duty to determine whether that field is playable.
c. See respective division for guidelines on time and/or innings played.
d. Tournament games that have been in progress long enough to be considered a complete game, but are interrupted by inclement weather, will be suspended and resumed at the point of stoppage at the next playable time. If a tournament game has not played enough innings to be a complete game, the game shall be replayed in its entirety at a later date.
e. When a game is called for any reason and one team has batted more times than another, the game will revert to the last completed inning. If the score is not tied and enough innings have been played at that point to be considered a complete game, the game will end. If the score is tied at that point, and the game has met the inning requirements to be considered a completed game, the game will be suspended and completed at another date from the point at which the game was stopped. If the inning requirements have not been met to be considered a complete game, the game will be replayed in its entirety at a later date.
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18. TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS
Individual team won/loss records will determine tournament seed. In the event of a tie:
a. First tiebreaker is head to head competition.
b. Second tiebreaker is total runs allowed in head to head competition.
c. Third tiebreaker is total runs allowed during the regular season against all teams.
d. Fourth tiebreaker is a coin flip, attended by the affected managers and the Division Representative..
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19. POST SEASON TOURNAMENT
a. All tournament arrangements and schedules are to be under the direct supervision of the Tournament Director, Board of Directors and the Chief Umpire.
b. For purposes of any rules or penalties, the beginning of tournament play shall be considered as a continuation of League season play, i.e. no rules will be suspended or penalties prematurely terminated as a result of completion of the League season unless other wise noted.
c. BASEBALL & SOFTBALL: The higher seeded team will be the home team for all games except the championship game (s). The loser’s bracket finalist shall be the home team for the first championship game and the winners bracket finalist shall be home team for the “If Needed” game.
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20. AWARDS
Awards will be given to teams according to the final league and tournament standings. In leagues of more than 10, first, second, third and fourth place league/tournament awards will be given. In leagues of 6 to 10 teams, first, second and third place league/tournament awards will be given. In leagues of 5 or less teams, first and second place league/tournament awards will be given. Season trophies will be awarded based on the same tiebreaker process used to determine Post Season tournament seedlings. There will be no ties.
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21. SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
The following procedures will determine the winners of the Sportsmanship Award in each division. In divisions where there is an American and National League, a Sportsmanship Award shall be presented in both.
Each team manager, three (3) registered coaches and the team scorekeeper for every team in each division shall receive a ballot furnished by the league. When completing these ballots these individuals should give strong consideration to team members, managers and coaches and the spectators. At Ken Berry – Good Sportsmanship applies to everyone.
In addition to the persons eligible to vote for the Sportsmanship Award listed above, any umpire that has umpired in at least eight regular season games in any division shall be entitled to vote for the Sportsmanship Award in that division. Any umpire that has umpired in more than one division shall be entitled to vote for the Sportsmanship Award in every division that they have umpired, if they have umpired at least eight regular season games in the division in which they are voting. An umpire’s vote shall be counted equally with all other votes.
In the event of a tie, the team receiving the most first place votes shall be judged the winner. If a tie still exists, three board members, one from Baseball, one from Softball and one at large Board member, will vote to decide the winner.
It shall be the responsibility of each team manager to ensure that the team’s ballots are placed in the ballot box designated by the League, on or before the date indicated on the ballots. Failure to comply with these procedures, by any team, can result in team ineligibility for the Sportsmanship Award.
The Awards Committee will not hesitate to recommend to the Board of Directors the disqualification of any team earning the Sportsmanship Award in the regular season that is involved in unsportsmanlike conduct in tournament play.
Winning the Sportsmanship Award is a goal we hope all teams will pursue throughout the entire season.
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22. COACHING
Coaching of players will be allowed from the dugouts only , when their team is on defense. The team at bat may coach their team from the dugout and shall abide by Federation for baseball or for softball by USSSA rules for base coaches on the field of play. There can be no instruction to batters or calling of pitches from outside these areas.
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23. WEB SITE
Be sure to watch the Ken Berry League web site, www.kenberryleague.com, throughout the season for updated schedules, game results and announcements. Look for “Play Ball” or “No Play” each day if the weather is questionable. You can also call the Ken Berry League Hotline 862-3929 for each day’s playing status. Announcements can also be found on the Ken Berry League Facebook and Twitter pages.
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24. CONCESSION STAND
The concession stand will open at 5:45 pm and close at 8:30 pm on nights with one game scheduled on each field and 11:00 pm on nights with two games scheduled on each field. On Sunday it will open 1 hour before the first scheduled game and close 2 hours after the last scheduled game begins. A scheduled game is any game scheduled at least one week in advance.
No food or drink may be brought into the complex. Exception: Players are allowed to bring their own water or sports drink for consumption by them in the dugout during their game.
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25. RECRUITING OF PLAYERS
Once a player has signed a protection form to play with a designated team, been drafted by a team, or has been assigned to a team by the Division Representative, that player shall not be recruited for any future seasons (summer or fall) for the Ken Berry League until after the player’s regular and post season tournament games are complete for the current season. This rule applies to all managers, coaches, prospective managers, prospective coaches, parents, players, relatives, friends, and any other person.
The intent of this rule is to ensure a fun and stress-free experience for all children during the course of the year. Additionally, this is intended to ensure that dividing lines are not created within a team during the course of the season.
PENALTY: Upon receipt of an official complaint to the SYAA Board President and the SYAA Executive Committee, it will be determined by majority vote after meeting with all involved parties if the complaint is valid. If the complaint is ruled valid, the Executive Committee will enforce appropriate sanctions based upon the frequency and severity of the infraction.
26. SYAA PROCESS FOR RESCHEDUING LEAGUE GAMES
If you are a team manager and need to reschedule a league game, you will need to use the following procedure.
If the needed reschedule is due to a covered school function or dance recital (see General Information Rule 13), then follow the directions listed there.
If the needed reschedule is due to any other reason, please follow the procedure outlined below. Keep in mind that it is the Manger’s responsibility to figure out the change he wants to use.
1. Do NOT contact the Scheduler.
2. Notify the Division Representative that you are working to reschedule the game with and let them know the date and the time of the game you are trying to move.
3. Contact the Manager of the team you are scheduled to play to let them know you are looking for a change.
4. Be sure to keep all of the Mangers involved apprised of your progress.
5. Look for either a game that could just switch spots (4 teams involved including your own) or look for a team that is scheduled to play your opponent on another date that you can switch with (3 teams involved including your own).
6. Once you have found a game with which you can swap, then contact your Division Representative again by email (copy all Managers involved in the switch) and let them know the details of the swap. All Managers involved must agree to the change in the schedule.
7. The Division Representative will pass along the finalized information to the Scheduler.
The schedule will stand as it was originally if you are not able to find a switch. Please remember that a game may be played with as few as 7 players. If you are unable to field a team, a forfeit will be recorded for your team for that game.
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