NVTBL Fall World Series 2026 · Nov 6-8 · Patriot Park North, Fairfax VA

11U Rules Brief

Everything you need in the dugout for pool play, bracket, and championship. Source: Fall WS 2026 Tournament Rules PDF. 11U bracket page →

⚠️ The one rule that changes how you manage every outing

60 pitches in a single game = that pitcher cannot pitch OR catch the rest of the tournament. Not "that day" — the rest of the weekend.

The single-game maximum is 85 pitches, but the lock triggers at 60. Practical reading: 59 is the real per-game cap if you want the arm back. 60+ = you're spending that arm for a one-game appearance. The rules PDF has this internal conflict unresolved; confirm with TD if ambiguity bites in-game.

Pitching

Tournament LOCK. 60+ in any game = no pitching or catching rest of weekend.

Pitching

Single-game maximum. Also the tournament maximum. Pull mid-count if next pitch crosses it.

Catching

> 40

A player who catches more than 40 pitches cannot catch again that day.

Pool / Consolation

95 min

DROP-DEAD. Score reverts to last completed inning if time hits mid-inning (unless home has tied/led in bottom half). Ties allowed.

Bracket

95 min

No new inning after. Finish the inning in progress.

Championship

105 min

No new inning after. Must produce a winner (extra innings if tied).

Run Rule

12 / 10 / 8

After 3 / 4 / 5 innings. Home team doesn't bat if already ahead by the margin.

Umpire fee

$30

Cash to plate umpire BEFORE the game. Championship fees come from the TD.

Cleats

NO METAL

NVTBL local rule for ALL 8U-12U fields. PPN is turf — enforce early.

Pitching — the full rule set

The 60-pitch tournament lock (biggest rule to internalize)

"A player who pitches 60 pitches may not pitch or catch again during the tournament."

Trigger: cumulative pitches in a single appearance crossing 60. The exact moment is not spelled out — most natural reading is "upon the pitch that takes him to 60 or above."
Scope: no pitching AND no catching for the rest of the tournament (all remaining games).
Practical cap: if you want an arm available for a later game, pull at 59. If you cross 60, you're spending that arm for the weekend.

Single-game and tournament maximums

Single-game max: 85 pitches.
Tournament max: 85 pitches (cumulative across all games the weekend).
Pitcher at the limit: "A pitcher who reaches the applicable pitch limit may NOT finish the batter." Pull mid-count if the next pitch would cross.
Daily cap: a pitcher may not pitch in two games on the same calendar day.

Rest table (same as our season Pitch Smart rule)

Pitches thrown	Rest required	Who can throw which day
1–20	0 days	Fri + Sat + Sun all possible
21–35	1 day	Fri → next outing Sun earliest
36–50	2 days	Fri → cannot throw again this weekend
51–65	3 days	Any Fri outing in this range = done for the weekend
66–85	4 days	Only arms thrown on Fri; also you've crossed the 60-pitch LOCK

Rest table + 60-pitch lock interaction: the rest table only matters for appearances under 60. Any outing of 60+ pitches ends that arm for the weekend regardless of rest math.

Catching rule

"If more than 40 pitches are thrown, the player cannot catch that day."

Different from the pitching lock — this is a same-day catching restriction, not a tournament lock.
A catcher who takes 41+ pitches behind the plate in game 1 of a day cannot catch game 2 that same day.
A catcher who also pitches is governed by BOTH rules: 60 cumulative pitching = tournament lock on both roles.

Pitching violations — forfeit risk

An ineligible pitcher must be removed immediately once identified.
"If an ineligible pitcher throws an illegal pitch, the team forfeits 6-0."
Deliberate or repeated violations: one-game suspension for the head coach (TD review).
Opponents must report violations promptly — they can't knowingly sit on it.

Game length — pool, bracket, championship

Game Type	Time Limit	Mechanic	Ties
Pool / Consolation	95 min	DROP-DEAD — game ends immediately; score reverts to last completed inning if time hits mid-inning (unless home has tied or taken the lead in the bottom half)	Allowed
Bracket	95 min	No new inning after 95 min · finish the inning in progress	Must produce a winner (extra innings)
Championship	105 min	No new inning after 105 min	Must produce a winner

Extra innings (bracket / championship)

"Each extra inning begins with runners on first and second base and no outs."
The scheduled batter leads off.
The immediately preceding batter goes to first.
The batter before that goes to second.

Lineups, subs, courtesy runners

Batting order: "Teams may bat 9 players or more, including the entire roster." Continuous order (bat the roster) OR 9-slot — your call.
Can start with 8: "no automatic out is taken in a nonexistent ninth batting position."
Defensive subs: free unless an age-specific NVTBL rule says otherwise. 11U has no stated restriction.
Courtesy runners: allowed for pitcher or catcher of record. Use an eligible substitute if one exists. If batting the whole roster, use the LAST BATTED OUT who is not the pitcher/catcher being run for.
Late arrivals: may be added to the END of the batting order.

Injury / illness / ejection

Injury or illness: use an eligible substitute if one exists.
No eligible substitute: skip that batting-order position with NO automatic out. Player can't return to that game but may play in later games.
Non-injury departure (no sub) OR ejection: AUTOMATIC OUT every time that position comes up.
Ejected players/coaches/spectators: must leave the playing area immediately and are "suspended for the remainder of the tournament."

Intentional walks

Intentional walks may NOT be declared. "Four pitches must be thrown."

No automatic IBB — if you want to put a hitter on, you throw 4 wide. Every pitch counts toward the pitcher's count.

Run rule

Innings complete	Lead needed
After 3 innings	12 runs
After 4 innings	10 runs
After 5 innings	8 runs

"The home team does not need to bat if already ahead by the required margin." Same rule for pool, bracket, and championship.

Equipment

Bats: USA Baseball, USSSA, and BBCOR all permitted (8U-12U). Notify the plate umpire of a suspected illegal bat.
Cleats: NO METAL CLEATS at ANY 8U-12U field under NVTBL local rules. All PPN, Nottoway, Lake Fairfax fields. Molded plastics or baseball turf shoes only.
Baseballs: NVTBL provides 4 per game. Teams should recover usable balls.
Uniforms: jerseys with visible back numbers. On-field coaches follow NVTBL team-color dress code.
Dugout: no more than THREE coaches outside the dugout during play.

Home / away · tiebreakers · seeding

Home / away

Pool play: coin flip (unless staff say otherwise).
Bracket + championship: higher seed chooses.

Tiebreakers — WITHIN POOL (what sets our Sunday bracket seed)

Record
Winning percentage
Head-to-head (two teams only)
Head-to-head (all tied teams)
Runs allowed
Run differential (capped at 7 per game)
Runs scored

Run differential capped at 7/game means a blowout win doesn't give you extra seeding capital over a close win. Encourages pulling off the gas when up big, which is also what the run rule enforces.

Tiebreakers — ACROSS POOLS (for bracket crossovers)

Pool place
Record
Runs allowed
Runs scored

Note: Across pools uses a shorter tiebreaker list (no head-to-head, no run differential). TourneyMachine calculations are official.

Umpires · payment · protests

Non-championship games: ONE umpire · $30 cash from EACH team to the plate umpire BEFORE the game.
Championship: two-umpire crew · fees come from the TD before the game.
Payment ready: coaches must have cash ready before scheduled start time.
Missing umpire: notify Site Director immediately. Teams may NOT independently substitute an umpire.
Umpire authority: enforces playing rules + all on-field judgment calls. Tournament/eligibility/pitch-count/schedule questions go to Site Director or TD.

Protests

Judgment calls CANNOT be protested. Not an opinion — a stated rule.
Rules-interpretation disputes: must be raised IMMEDIATELY, before the next pitch or play when practical.
Escalation: Site Director may escalate to TD. TD rulings are final.
Eligibility challenges: must be raised BEFORE or DURING the game — not after it ends.

Weather · suspended games · forfeits

When does a game become "official"?

A suspended game becomes official once the trailing team has completed 4 innings at bat.
Alternatively: official after 3.5 innings if the home team leads.
Incomplete games that are not official: resolved by TD (resume, replay, relocate, or other).
TD may shorten time limits, relocate, modify brackets, or declare games official.
Lightning and safety delays follow current NVTBL policy.

Forfeits

10-minute grace period applies for late arrivals (unless tournament caused the delay).
Only the TD or designated Site Director may declare a forfeit.
Forfeit score: 6-0.
A missing score reported to TourneyMachine is automatically recorded as a 6-6 tie — report scores promptly.

Internal conflicts in the rules PDF — know these in case they bite

The rules document has several gaps and ambiguities. If any of these come up in a game, raise it immediately and defer to the TD.

85-pitch max vs. 60-pitch tournament lock. These cannot both be enforced as written: the lock would trigger before the 85 max is reached. Practical reading: 59 is the real per-game cap if you want the arm back; crossing 60 = one-game appearance.
Drop-dead mechanics in pool. "Drop dead after 95 minutes" doesn't explicitly say whether a batter mid-at-bat gets to finish. Default to umpire's call.
Championship time limit. "No new inning after 105 minutes" doesn't specify end-of-game procedure if the limit is reached mid-inning. Likely: finish the inning, then extra innings if still tied.
Mercy rule vs. run rule. The doc references a "tournament-wide mercy rule" but only spells out the run rule (12/10/8 after 3/4/5). Treat them as the same thing.
Catching innings limit. 8U uses an innings-based catching cap. 11U only states the 40-pitch catching threshold — no innings limit stated.
Balks, leads, dropped third strike, infield fly, slide rule, interference, mound visits: NOT addressed for 11U. These default to NVTBL rules under the hierarchy. The PDF doesn't quote them.
Elimination game 6-6 tie reporting. Must-produce-a-winner conflicts with the "missing score = 6-6 tie" default rule. Report scores promptly to prevent this collision.

Quick-reference dugout card

Print this. Clip to the clipboard. Reference between innings.

Lock trigger

60+ pitches in a game = done for the weekend (pitching OR catching)

Per-game cap

Pull at 59 if you want the arm back · hard max 85

Pitcher at the limit

CANNOT finish the batter · pull mid-count

Catching ceiling

>40 pitches = no catching that day

Pool game clock

95 min DROP-DEAD · ties OK · home may tie/lead in bottom half

Bracket clock

95 min no new inning · extras from 1st+2nd + 0 outs

Championship clock

105 min no new inning · must produce a winner

Run rule

12 / 10 / 8 after 3 / 4 / 5

IBB rule

Must throw 4 pitches · no automatic walk

Courtesy runner

P or C of record · last batted out (if batting entire roster) who isn't the P/C being run for

$30 cash

To plate ump BEFORE each non-championship game

Protest window

Rules disputes BEFORE the next pitch · judgment calls are not protestable