The following changes have been enacted:

1. The playing rules for 10 & Under will be the same as all other age groups. Exceptions:
   A. If a batter strikes out and the ball is dropped, the batter is out and cannot advance to first base. The ball remains alive for the purpose of throwing advancing base runners out

2. 8, 9, & 10 under will pitch from 35 feet.

3. 18 under A will pitch from 43 feet, and we will also have 18 A at 40 feet, there will be a World Series for both.

4. Run Rule is 12 runs after 3 innings; 10 runs after 4 innings and 8 runs after 5 innings.

5. The Additional Players (AP) remains optional but up to Two (2) AP’s will be allowed.

6. Protest fee will not exceed $150.

 In the 9 & under and 8 & under programs

1. If a batter strikes out and the ball is dropped, the batter is out and cannot advance to first base. The ball remains alive for the purpose of throwing advancing base runners out.

2. There will not be a infield fly rule.

Fast Pitch By-Laws, Article IV, Section 10.

All players participating in USSSA Fast Pitch youth tournament play shall have proof of age in possession of their team manager at all times.  Proof of age must be verified by a government issued document that identifies the player by name, gender and birth date.  Failure to produce a copy of such document upon demand by and deemed non-fraudulent by a tournament official will result in the offending team losing the game, being eliminated from the tournament, being placed last in the standings and forfeiting all awards, sponsor’s travel money and tournament berths that would have been awarded at the tournament.

If any errors such as base or pitching distances are found, they need to be changed immediately.

43’ pitching distance for 18/u A World Series play.  35’ pitching distance for 8/u, 9/u and 10/u.
    

18 & Under Major Division: Any 18 & under team with one or more player(s) who are considered collegiate athletes in the sport of softball must participate in the 18 & under Major Division.  A college student will be considered a collegiate athlete if the softball team on which she participates is sanctioned by the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA or similar organizations. College students who participate on “club” softball teams or other non-sanctioned softball teams are not considered collegiate athletes for these purposes and may compete at the Major Division or any lower division. 18 & under Major teams will be allowed to play in 18 & under open tournaments at the discretion of tournament director, if they win a berth it would be to the 18 Major World Series only. All National and World Series Tournaments will offer an 18 & under Major division. If an 18 & under major team drops the college players from their roster, that team can register as an 18 & under “A”, “B”. They will be classified by the State Director. The pitching distance for the 18 & Under Major, shall be 43 feet. 
  

Sec.1. THE YOUTH FAST PITCH PROGRAM WILL BE DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING CLASSIFICATIONS. A player’s age on December 31, of the previous calendar year determines the age classification in which the player is eligible to participate. Any player 18, or who reaches their 18th birthday, or who graduates from High School in the calendar year of the current World Series, shall be eligible to participate in the 18 & over World Series Tournament.

Roster Information Changes
Player cut-off date.  In the past it has been January 1.  It has been changed to December 31. A player’s age on December 31 of the previous calendar year determines the age classification in which the player is eligible to participate. This keeps the date consistent with the other organizations and should make it much easier to form your team for participation in all softball organizations. Any player 18, or who reaches her 18^th birthday, or who graduates from High School in the calendar year of the current World Series shall be eligible to participate in the 18 & Over World Series.

Team rosters can have a maximum of 20 players. If you qualify for the World Series your roster becomes frozen. If you have 17 players or less listed on your roster you can add up to 3 players.  (If you listed 18 players you can pickup only 2, etc.) The team manager can add the players up to 72 hours prior to the start of a tournament. A team manager may release up to 3 players from his qualified frozen roster; all such releases must be made on or before 7 days prior to the start of the World Series. A team manager cannot replace a released player with an add-on.

When your roster is added to the ISTS web site, Tournament Directors can add your All Tournament Team, Best Offensive Player, MVP awards, etc. from this site for each tournament. This cannot be done unless your team roster is on ISTS.

NEW - A player shall not compete in any tournament with more than one team during the same tournament.  This includes different age groups.