At the conclusion of the League’s regular season, the teams will be ranked 1 through 32 based on their League win-loss records. Tie-breakers for teams with identical League records will be results of head-to-head competition followed by aggregate League opponent win percentage. After the teams are ranked, each team will be assigned to one of four eight-team state tournaments in the following manner:

Class A State Tournament: Top 8 teams
Class B State Tournament: Next 8 teams
Class C1 State Tournament: Next 8 teams
Class C2 State Tournament: Next 8 teams

The four state tournaments will be played July 22nd through July 26th.

2008 NRBL STATE TOURNAMENT RULES

HOME TEAM:  THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR OR A PERSON APPOINTED BY THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR WILL FLIP A COIN BEFORE EACH GAME TO DECIDE THE HOME TEAM.   THE ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN WHICH THE HIGHER SEEDED TEAM WILL BE THE HOME TEAM.  SHOULD ANOTHER GAME BE NEEDED TO DECIDE A CHAMPION, THE VISTING TEAM IN THE FIRST GAME WILL BE THE HOME TEAM IN THE SECOND GAME.

BATS:  BATS MUST BE -5 OR BELOW

GAME LENGTH:  ALL TOURNAMENT GAMES WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR 7 INNINGS OR 2 HOURS, WHATEVER OCCURS FIRST.  NO NEW INNING WILL START AFTER TWO HOURS UNLESS THERE IS A TIE.  THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN WHICH THE TIME LIMIT WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT.  IN THE CASE OF A TIE THE GAME WILL BE PLAY OUT UNTIL A WINNER IS DECIDED.  NO OTHER TIE BREAKER RULE MAY BE USED.

RUN RULE:   A GAME IS COMPLETE IF ONE TEAM IS LEADING BY 10 RUNS AFTER 5 INNINGS OR 4 ½ IF HE HOME TEAM IS AHEAD.  THIS ALSO APPLIES TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

LINEUPS:  NO TEAM MAY START A GAME WITH LESS THEN 9 PLAYERS.  THE LINEUP MAY INCLUDE A DH BUT NOT A EH.  A TEAM MAY DH FOR ANY PLAYER IN THE LINEUP BUT THIS MUST BE DECIDED BEFORE THE LINEUP CARDS ARE EXCHANGED.  A TEAM MAY LIST A PLAYER AS A POSITION PLAYER AND A DH.  THE COACH MAY REMOVE THAT PLAYER DEFENSIVELY AND KEEP HIM AS A DH FOR THE PLAYER WHO REPLACED HIM ON DEFENSE.  EXAMPLE IS A STARTING PITCHER MAY BE LISTED AS THE PITCHER AND THE DH AND THEN STAY IN THE LINEUP AS THE DH IF HE IS REPLACED BY ANOTHER PITCHER, HOWEVER HE CAN ONLY DH FOR THE PLAYER WHO REPLACED HIM ON DEFENCE.  THIS MUST BE DONE BEFORE THE START OF THE GAME.  A TEAM MAY REENTER A STARTER ONE TIME.

RUNNERS:  A TEAM CAN USE A PINCH RUNNER FOR PITCHERS AND CATCHERS ONLY.  THE RUNNER MAY NOT BE IN THE LINEUP AT THAT TIME.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:  TEAMS MAY CARY UP TO FOUR 16 YEAR OLD PLAYERS PER TEAM.  NO PLAYER MAY TURN 17 YEAR OLD AT ANY TIME DURING THE STATE TOURNAMENT.    THE ONLY PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR PLAY IN THE STATE TOURNAMENT ARE PLAYERS ON THE TEAMS ROSTER AS OF JULY 1, 2008.

GAME PROTEST:  THE UMPIRES DECISION ON THE FIELD IS FINAL.  ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING VOLOLATIONS OF TOURNAMENT RULES WILL BE DECIDED BY THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR COMMITTEE. 

ROSTERS:  ALL TEAMS MUST TURN IN A ROSTER TO THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR BEFORE THE START OF THE FIRST GAME WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.  PLAYER FIRST AND LAST NAME AND UNIFORM NUMBER.

NRBL STATE TOURNAMENT PITCHING RULES:

A PLAYER MAY NOT PITCH IN MORE THAN 10 INNINGS IN 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS.

ONE OUT CONSTITUTES A 1/3 OF AN INNING

OPPOSING COACH MUST INITIAL PITCHING RECORDS AFTER EACH GAME