Tournaments

Welcome to the Championship Play.  You’ll notice by the name change, classifications are changing.  Classifications A, B and C are for travel ball.  Our group will now be called Rec and Rec All-Stars going forward.  That’s consistent with the way other associations around the country classify their teams.  This year, we have a strong 36 teams competing in Rec All-Stars South State.  Tee Ball and Coach Pitch both have 10 teams each.  That bodes well for the years ahead. The South State Tournament will be held at the Bayou View Sports Complex.  The address is 4300 Hewes Av, Gulfport, MS.  The Tournament Entry Fee for each age division is $250 for 6u/8u and $350 for 10u12u/16u.  Teams can pay by cash, check, CashApp or Venmo.  User name for online payment is tstanley2128 for each.  Checks should be made out to USA Softball of South MS. Attached is the Tournament Information Packet.  It should have most everything you might need.  It has a checklist of items you’ll need including brackets, rules, and other stuff.  You must have proof of age (birth certificates) and recent photo for each player on the roster.  The roster form must be completed with each players’ name, address and birthday.  Parents must sign the consent form.  The President for your league must also sign off on it to certify all players are eligible for the respective All-Star team. Teams must check-in before you play.  I’ll start check-in at 4:00pm on Friday and 6:30am on Saturday.  It will be in the press box behind Field 2 (Two story building).  There will not be a coaches meeting, but we’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have.  Players will not sign-in this weekend.  You will turn in your rosters and I’ll do a 100% check on birth certificates.  Please allow enough time to check in.. Organizing your packet will make this go so much easier. ACE Training is required under the USA Softball Code.  Federal law also mandates Safe Sport training.  Dedicated to ending sexual, physical and emotional abuse of athletes.  Governing bodies for all the Olympic sports are required to provide this training.  Only one coach needs the training and it does not have to be the head coach.  The training can be found at registerusasoftball.com.  I will say the background checks have been extremely slow coming back.  I’ve never seen it so slow.  Do the best you can.  It’s all pretty good training. Each team needs to leave the dugout as soon as possible. Teams meetings must occur off the field. The next team needs to be ready immediately following the prior game. That means lineups ready when you hit the dugout. There is no warmup on the field. Be conscious of the games being played… you could start earlier than the schedule states. It’s your responsibility to keep up with the brackets. Please keep an eye out on the bracket in case any changes are needed. The forecast is mixed this weekend.  Typically South MS weather pattern of very hot with a 50% chance of showers.  We’re hoping to get the tournament in on Friday and Saturday.  But we’ll hold Sunday in reserve for weather.  State Championships only come once a year and we really want to get this in.  Please have your players start hydrating early. Also please watch grandparents during the day. One final reminder… I’m asking everyone to be especially nice to each other this weekend.  We’re all there to have fun and see the kids play.  We have a very imperfect game played by very imperfect people.  Players, coaches and umpires will all make mistakes this weekend.  You never know what people have going on in their lives and pressure they are under.  It’s our job as adults to be examples for these young adults. Thanks for Playing USA Softball! … [Read more...] about 2024 USA Softball of MS Rec All-Stars South State Tournament

Below are brackets for this weekend’s 2024 Memorial Day Classic. We have 27 teams this weekend. Really happy to see teams from all over coming to play. It will be a Friday and Saturday event. We really wanted to keep Sunday free so families can enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. The address to the fields is 4300 Hewes Av, Gulfport, MS. For newbies, it’s by the Air National Guard base.. This will be the first All-Star tournament of the year as last week was rained out. It will be played by All-Star rules. So be aware… here’s some important points: TB - Coach can only adjust the tee for the batter. No positioning the player in the box. - Any player can make any play anywhere on the field - Overtime will be modified ITB will start with a runner on second and 2 outs CP - Coach must start with a foot touching rubber when pitching - Any player can make any play - No overthrow at first rule 10u - Straight softball rules no coach coming in to pitch (no three walks) - 5 runs per inning 12u/16u - Straight softball rules - No run limit per inning Entry fees can be paid by cash or check. The concession only accepts cash. Entry fees for teams are TB/CP $175 and FP $200. Proceeds from this weekend’s tournament will go to support the Gulfport Youth Sports Association. Please be sure to have your players hydrate a day before they play. It’s not supposed to be ridiculously hot, but they still might be prepared for it. Also watch grandparents as they might not be able to handle the heat either. Looking forward to great couple of days of softball. I’ll see you at the ballpark. Thanks for Playing USA Softball! … [Read more...] about 2024 Gulfport Memorial Day Classic Tournament Brackets

Below are brackets for this weekend’s 2024 Vancleave League Team Tournament.  We have a very strong 27 teams playing this weekend.  I’m excited for their first tournament in Vancleave in a while.  Proceeds will help their girls come play in the other tournaments.  The address to the field is 5500 Ballpark Road, Vancleave, MS. It’s a one day tournament.  I squeezed the tee ball schedule to get the young players out earlier.  It’s important to teams to exit the field quickly after their game and the next team to be ready to play.  Times are just a guide… your actual game time will be as soon as possible after the previous game.  Tee Ball normally runs ahead of schedule; so I’m hoping to stay on schedule. A few items to remember: 1.  Please remember we are all out there to be examples for these young people.  There has been an epidemic of coach ejections.  We hope everyone relaxes and enjoys the day.  Our umpires are more than willing to answer questions when the request is made rationally and in a normal tone of voice.  The rules say “No arguing.”  Questioning ball and strikes, safe or or is considered arguing… If it’s a case where another umpire might have a better view of the play, we encourage them to get together to get the call right.  They should get together, make the proper call, then go back to playing ball. 2.  There are absolutely no pickups… I have rosters submitted by the league for every team in this tournaments.  I had to disqualify a team last week for picking up a girl from another team in their league.  It’s something I absolutely hate doing… SO NO PICKUPS… not from within the league, not late signups, none.  If you have a question about who’s on your roster, please contact your league president.  I can tell you rumors are rampant; so it’s highly unlikely you’ll get away with it.  I never wanted to be the roster police and don’t enjoy it. Looking forward to a nice relaxing day in Vancleave.  It’s supposed to be warm and dry.  It’s the time of year to be sure players start hydrating on Friday.  Please also be mindful of grandparents and older folks that aren’t accustomed to the heat. Thanks for Playing USA Softball! … [Read more...] about 2024 Vancleave League Team Invitational Brackets

We’re coming down the backstretch headed for home. Only a few more weeks left in the summer season. The competition is tough, temperature is warming up and a lot of teams are wanting to come play. This weekend, we have 34 teams playing and it could have been a lot more. Long Beach didn’t want to play on Sunday due to family obligations, so we put a limit on the number of teams. I can certainly respect them for that. Especially in light of the next two weekends will be very long and very hot. Attached are brackets for this weekend’s tournament. The address will be held at the Long Beach Softball Complex, 780 Klondyke Road, Long Beach, MS 39560. Gate fees will be Adults $7 per day or $10 for a weekend pass. Kids ages 6 to 11 will be $5 per day or $8 for a weekend pass. Kids 5 and Under are free. This is a fundraiser for the Long Beach Girls Softball League and 100% of the proceeds will go to help Long Beach girls play softball. Tee Ball and Coach Pitch will play no new after 55 mins. Fast Pitch will be no new after 65 mins. It’s been working well.  There will be some notable changes this weekend. The 10U game lengths have been horrid with one game lasting 3 hours.. So they will play 3 outs for 7 runs along with Tee Ball and Coach Pitch. We will be more formal as we approach Championship Play. During Fastpitch games when on defense, only 1 coach will be allowed on the field. You’ll only be allowed to have a First Base and Third Base coach on Offense. I am still receiving numerous complaints about certain teams. Those allegations are really hard to prove.. plus I don’t want to be the roster police. It’s a bureaucratic nightmare. I’m asking everyone to play fairly and ethically. It’s going to cause a lot of changes as we go into next week and next year. It’s sad when a few cause a whole bunch of work on everyone else. Also, please don’t misconstrue anything I said last week as tacit approval. Here’s some basics: This is All-Stars. If they player did not play in at least 7 (50%) of league games for a team in your league, they are not eligible for All-Stars. If a player played on middle school or high school, then wanted to pickup on All-Star team so they can play. They cannot be on an All-Star team unless they meet the minimum game criteria. This mostly effects 12U and 16U. A player can only play on one team per weekend. They can play 12u one weekend, then 16u the next weekend, and then go back to 12u if they are age eligible. But they are locked into the team they first played with on a weekend. No pickups even from your own league are allowed once the first game has started. Starting next weekend, league presidents will have to sign the team roster certifying all players were registered in their respective league and played the minimum number of games to be eligible for All-Stars. It’s a shame that it comes to this… One final word… let’s be nicer to each other. There is way too much arguing and way too much trash talking. I had one umpire was driven to tears last weekend due to abuse. Subsequent situations will be handled via the Zero Tolerance Policy. Remember it’s supposed to be about the kids.. We should be the role models for how we relate to one another. Let’s make it a great weekend of softball. Thanks for Playing USA Softball,,, Brackets … [Read more...] about 2023 Long Beach Invitational Brackets

The Biloxi Girls Softball League wishes to thank everyone for registering for this year’s invitational tournament.  This is the primary fundraiser for our league.  Last year’s event was rained out which really limited what we could do for our girls this year.  We are very grateful for a large turnout this weekend and it's an important part of the success of our league.   Below are brackets for this weekend’s tournament.  Our goal is to complete pool play on Friday night.  That gives us the time we need to complete bracket play on Saturday.  The City of Biloxi also has a curfew where a new inning cannot be started after 11:00PM.  So we need to give ourselves time in case of long running games so we can complete the entire tournament.   The tournament entry fee is $100 for Tee Ball, $175 for Coach Pitch, and $200.00 for Fast Pitch.  Checks should be made out to Biloxi Girls Softball League or BGSL.  There is a gate fee of $7 for Adults, $5 for kids ages 7 to 12.  Kids 6 and under are free.  Players and three coaches are free to enter also.  Teams must check-in prior to playing their first game.   There is no overnight RV parking.  If you do bring an RV, please keep it out at the furtherest perimeter and take up as few parking places as possible.  We have good parking.. but we will fill up with an event of this size.   Please have your players start hydrating today.. It’s been very hot and I’ve seen players go down due to the heat.  Please also watch your grandparents.. they are probably not acclimated to the heat.  So let’s take care of everyone.   Thanks everyone for Playing USA Softball! … [Read more...] about 2022 Biloxi Girls Invitational Brackets