Ark Complex – General Rules 2026

The Ark Complex is a privately-owned complex and reserves the right to remove

or ban anyone or any team that violates the rules below. VIOLATION OF RULES

ARE SUBJECT TO A FINE AND REMOVAL FROM THE ARK COMPLEX.

● No negative sportsmanship, behavior, vulgar language, or physical abuse

towards players, coaches, fans, umpires, or park officials will be tolerated.

● No vandalism/trespassing on property. Any player/team involved in such

will be subject to that team forfeiting the remainder of the tournament

without a refund.

● NO animals – except under the ADA rules that state a service animal that

has been trained to perform disability-related tasks for the benefit of a

person with a disability. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding

people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair,

alerting, and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a

person with a mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a

person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety

attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals,

not pets. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional

support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. Violators will be

asked to leave The Ark Complex.

● No alcohol, no smoking, no dip/chew, or any form of

tobacco/vapor/electronic – subject to a fine of $100.

● No gum/seeds/shelled snacks allowed inside the park – subject to a fine of

$100.

● No steel spikes (turf cleats or tennis shoes only.) Molded cleats permitted

on Field 3 Only. Molded cleats are permitted on other astro turf fields

during rainy and wet conditions ONLY. The Ark Complex reserves the right

to amend this rule at any time. NO molded cleats permitted on all grass

fields (2, 5, 6) at any time.

● Items/service intended for business and or sale/trade may not be brought

onto Ark Complex property including parking lots without the approval and

lease agreement for The Ark Complex.

● Dugouts- each team is responsible for their own hydration & cleaning up –

only team members and coaching staff allowed in dugouts.

● Coolers/Bags/Carts– SUBJECT TO INSPECTION- visitors are allowed

small personal size coolers – No alcohol permitted.

● Tents – Only permitted around outfield fences and foul lines beyond the

dugouts. The Ark Complex reserves the right to ask anyone to move who

sets up a tent in any other area of the park.

● No cowbells/noisemakers, concrete chalk, Play-Doh, or markers.4

● No hanging of video recorders or any device on the protective nets around

the fields.

● No skateboards, scooters, hoverboards or bicycles.

● No climbing on dugouts/chairs, retaining walls, sitting on padding, jumping

over guardrails, or throwing/moving rocks.

● No speeding or unsafe driving in the parking lot or cooking in the parking

lot.

● Music – The Ark Complex will control all music from the press box. No

outside music or other devices are permitted.

● No hitting, throwing, or kicking any balls into the fences, padding, or in

walkways.

● No grills or open flame heaters permitted, including propane tanks.

● Press Box – OFF Limits. Only Ark Complex Personnel allowed in the press

box.

● Bus/RV Parking – MUST park in designated parking area as directed.

Ark Complex Tournament Rules

Coaches: Be sure you are aware of all rules and rule changes. The Ark

Complex reserves the right to amend these rules at any time for specific

tournament play. National High School Federation Baseball Rules will be

enforced with the following exceptions.

Important Rules and Information:

- Please acquire the needed team insurance.

- Teams MUST be ready to play 30 minutes prior to scheduled game time.

- Teams need to provide two quality baseballs per game (Ark Complex is a

homerun friendly park.)

Teams shall pay umpires the following at home plate prior to the start of

each game (prices are subject to change):

8U: $40

9U-12U: $65

13U-15U: $75

Tournament Formats:

- 1 Day Events: 2 game guarantee; 2 pool play games, and top seeded

teams advance to a championship game.

- 2 Day Events: 3 game guarantee; 2 pool play games on Saturday, teams

are then seeded for Sunday single elimination.

- Official Game Status: If rain occurs after official game status has been

reached (4 complete innings of a game or 3.5 innings if the home team is

winning), and the game cannot continue due to rain and field conditions,

the game will be called and become a complete official game. The

tournament director will make that decision only.

Pitching Mound / Bases:

8U: 40(Coach)/60

9U-10U: 46/65

11U-12U: 50/70

13U & Up: 60/906

Pool Play:

- All pool play games will be played with a strict 1 hour and 15-minute time

limit or 6 innings of play for 8u, 1 hour and 30-minute time limit or 6 innings

of play for 9U, 10u, 11u, and 12u, 1 hour 45-minute time limit or 7 innings

of play for 13u and 14u, and 2-hour time limit or 7 innings of play for 15u +.

- Time will be kept by the umpires. For each team’s pool games, the home

team will be determined by coin flip at home plate with umpires.

- There will be NO extra innings in pool play. All pool games that are tied

after 6 innings (8u-12u) or 7 innings (13u+) or are past the time limit will

end in a tie.

- There is no drop-dead time limit, as long as there is time on the clock and

teams have not played the above innings of play, the game continues.

- It is mandatory for teams to record the start time as announced by the

umpire at the beginning of the game. It’s very important that both teams

record the start time.

No games will begin at The Ark Complex on Sundays prior to 11:30am. The

park will open at 10:30am.

Playoffs/Championships/Seeded Play:

- Any non-championship seeded game will have the same time limit as a

pool play game.

- There is a 2-hour time limit for 13u + Championship games. Time limit for

8u-12u championship games will be the same as pool play. This rule is

subject to change.

- The home team in Championship Play will be the higher seed except when

there is no seeding. When there is no seeding, the home team will be

determined by a coin flip. This is the case even if the schedule says

otherwise.

- All playoff and championship games (quarterfinals, semifinals, etc.) must

have a winner. If after 6 innings (8u-12u) or 7 innings (13u+) or time limit,

the two teams are still tied, “Ark Complex Extra Innings” will begin. The last

three hitters from the previous inning will load the bases. NO courtesy

runner is allowed in “Ark Complex Extra Innings.” *See Ark Complex

Extra Innings details below.*

- The base runners will be placed as follows:

● The last hitter from the previous inning placed on 1st base.

● The hitter before him in the lineup placed on 2nd base.

● The hitter before that in the lineup placed on 3rd base.

- Extra innings starts with 1 out. If there is a winner in extra innings, (no

matter the score) the winning team will only be credited for one run in the

final score. Example: After regulation, the score is 3-3. No matter how

many runs the winning team scores, the final score will be 4-3. Play

continues until one team is ahead at the end of an inning.8

Forfeits:

- All games must start with at least 8 players, however any team starting

with 8 players will receive an out for the 9th spot in the batting order. A

9th player can be added during the game but must bat in the 9th spot in the

batting order. A game can be finished with 8 players.

- Any intentional forfeit could result in the forfeiting team being eliminated

from the tournament.

- The tournament director will rule on all forfeits.

- No team should benefit from the result of a forfeit in an unfair manner. This

rule could result in a dispute and the tournament director reserves the right

to look at and rule in the fairest possible way.

- Forfeits will be scored 7-0. A team that has forfeited a game for any reason

shall not be able to play in bracket or championship games.

- The tournament committee will decide when a forfeit is declared.

Taking INF/OF/BP on fields:

- At the discretion of The Ark Complex Tournament Director.

Trips to the mound:

- The members of the coaching staff (including the manager) can make one

mound visit per pitcher per inning without removing the pitcher from the

game. If the same pitcher is visited twice in one inning, the pitcher must be

removed from the contest.

Mercy Rules:

- 15 after 3, 10 after 4, and 8 after 5.9

Hitting lineup:

- Can consist of 9, 10, or 11 players; or teams are permitted to bat their

entire lineup.

- The lineup must stay with the same number of batters for the entire game.

- Once the first pitch has been thrown the lineup is locked, and the number

of batters may not be changed.

- The 10th and 11th hitter, if used, will be designated as EH and XH on the

lineup card. The EH and XH may bat at any spot in the order. The EH and

XH is the same as any position on the field as far as substitutions are

concerned.

- If a player is injured and the team still has 9 players in the batting order, no

outs will be accessed if that spot in the batting order comes up later in the

game.

- A team can utilize the DH for any player in the defensive line up. Teams

can utilize a DH and an EH in the same game as long as they are not

batting their lineup.

- 14u and up will play by a modified College DH rule where the pitcher can

be P/DH. (This means that once you pull the pitcher out of the game he

can remain in the batting order as the DH.) (Can DH for anyone, not limited

to the pitcher.)

- Teams are not required to utilize the DH or the EH, it is an option to allow

coaches more flexibility within their line ups.

When batting the entire lineup:

- In the event of injury or sickness of a player in the batting lineup, the batter

will be skipped over to the next batter in the lineup without it being

considered an out. For any other reason not mentioned above, the batter

will be considered an out before proceeding to the next batter.

- A batter injured by a foul ball and cannot continue to bat can leave the

game and the next batter will assume his count.10

Courtesy Runner:

- You may use the last recorded out made to be your courtesy runner IF you

are batting the entire lineup. If you are not using the entire lineup, a sub

that is NOT in the current lineup may be used.

- If more than one sub is available, the same sub cannot run for the pitcher

and the catcher. If there are no outs and runs have scored, the last runner

to score will be the courtesy runner (With a continuous batter order).

- NO Courtesy Runner is allowed in “Ark Complex Extra Innings”.

Protests:

- The Tournament Director will make the final call on all protests.

Scoring:

- We recommend that all teams (home and visitor) keep a scorebook. The

official scorebook will be the home team and a score card for the game will

be kept by the home team.

- The score card will have all pitchers and their pitch counts for the game

and need to be signed by both teams’ head coaches after the game.

- Teams are asked to visit the Tournament Table after each game and

report the official score. Accurate reporting of scores is critical in order to

record correct seeding.11

Sportsmanship:

In the interest of maintaining a quality event, the tournament committee

reserves the right to eject any person from the site for unruly or

unsportsmanlike behavior and not following the General Rules of The Ark

Complex.

● Head coaches are responsible for the conduct of their players, assistant

coaches, and parents.

● Physical attack on an umpire, tournament official, associate director,

associate officer, and/or any player or fan prior, during, or immediately

following a game played under the authority of The Ark Complex will result

in an arrest.

● Players, coaches, managers, fans, spectators, or sponsors threatening an

umpire, tournament official, associate director, or associate officer with

physical harm.

● Using unsportsmanlike conduct or abusive language, symbol tactics, or

derogatory or unbecoming acts.

● Destruction of property or abuse or failure to pay.

● Competing under an assumed, false, and/or altered name.

*Tournament hosts have the authority to eject a player, fans, or team

anytime during a tournament if they commit any of the above listed

offenses for the remainder of a game, day, or event. Any event that results

in physical altercation (before, during, or after a game) could result in a

forfeit for both teams. The tournament committee reserves the right to

remove teams from playoff contention.*12

Bat specifications:

- There are no bat size restrictions in age’s 8u-12u, but all must be stamped

with a Bat Performance Factor (BPF) of 1.15 or have a USA Baseball Logo

to be legal in any Ark Complex Tournament.

- In a 13u or 14u event, bat size must be -5 or -3 (drop 5 or drop 3). In 15u +

BBCOR approved bats are now required and High School Federation

Rules apply.

- Wood Bats are always approved. Wood Composite Bats must be stamped

BBCOR.

- The penalty for using an illegal bat will result in terminating the ½ inning

and the teams switching sides. The use of an illegally tampered bat will

result in player and coach ejection from the game.

Batting:

- For 8u-12u, slashing is illegal. The first penalty for slashing is the batter is

out and the head coach and team are warned. The penalty for a second

offense is that the batter is out and the head coach is ejected. The penalty

for a third offense is a forfeit.13

Pitching: All Ark Complex Tournaments will follow the Pitch Smart

Guidelines with a few exceptions. A portion of these guidelines is included

below.

*If a player pitches in two games in the same day, the player’s required rest

will be determined by the total number of pitches of both games. No one

may pitch three consecutive games or three consecutive days.

*If a pitcher reaches the limit for his/her league age while facing a batter,

the pitcher may continue to pitch until one of the following occurs: 1.

Batter reaches base 2. Batter is put out 3. Third out is recorded. The

pitcher’s pitch count will revert to the lower threshold with respect to day’s

rest.

*If a pitcher pitches consecutive days, the cumulative number of pitches

will be his pitch count. For example, if a pitcher pitches 15 pitches on

Friday and 19 pitches during the first game on Saturday, and will pitch the

second game on Saturday or any games on Sunday, the pitch count is now

34 pitches. Therefore, that pitcher cannot pitch the second game on

Saturday or any games on Sunday.

*A day of rest is a calendar day off.

AGE

DAILY MAX (pitches

in game) /

TOURNAMENT MAX

REQUIRED REST (pitches)

0 Days 1 Day 2 Days 3 Days 4 Days

7-8 50 / 60 1-20 21-35 36-50 N/A N/A

9-10 75 / 85 1-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76+

11-12 85 / 95 1-35 36-50 51-65 66-80 81+

13-14 95 / 105 1-40 41-55 56-70 71-85 86+

15-16 95 / 105 1-40 41-55 56-70 71-85 86+

17-18 105 / 115 1-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 91+

*Violation of the pitching limitations will be reviewed by the tournament

director and handled on the case-to-case basis.*14

Balks:

- For 8u and 9u there will be NO balks, however a “balk” can NOT result in

an out.

- For 10u and 11u, balks will be played dead with 1 warning per pitcher.

- For 12u+, balks will be played dead with NO warnings.

*The third-to-first pickoff move is illegal at all age levels and will be

considered a balk.

Seeding and Tie Breaker Rules:

1. Pool play overall record (winning percentage; tie counts as half win).

2. If two teams are tied- Head-to-Head winner.

3. If three teams are tied- If one team has defeated both the other teams, that

team advances. If not, go to #4.

4. Least total runs allowed in pool play.

5. If still tied- Total runs scored in pool play.

6. If still tied- Total runs allowed subtracting game with least runs allowed in

pool play.

7. If still tied- Total runs allowed minus two games with least runs allowed in

pool play.

8. If still tied- Runs scored inning by inning start with first game until one team

has more runs after complete inning starting with pool games.

Refunds:

● If zero Games are played, 75% of entry fee will be returned as a credit for

a future event run by The Ark Complex.

● If 33% of your guaranteed tournament games are played, 50% of entry fee

will be returned as a credit for a future event run by The Ark Complex.

● If you play 2 or more of your scheduled games, that is considered a full

tournament.

● Credits are valid for 12 months from the time of the cancelled event.

*Teams that pull out after an event is sold out will not receive any refund or

credit. Teams that pull out within 45 days of an event will not receive any

refund or credit.*15

Friday Night Lights Rules

Game Time Limits

7U/8U: 1 hour 30 minutes drop-dead or 6 complete innings.

9U-12U: 1 hour 45 minutes drop-dead or 6 complete innings.

13U & Up: 1 hour 45 minutes drop-dead or 7 complete innings.

**No Mercy Rules**

Trips to the mound:

- There will be no penalization for mound visits in Friday Night Lights games.

Ark Directors reserve the right to amend this rule at any time.

Scoring:

- For 8U and under, the inning will flip after 5 runs are scored or 3 outs are

made. For all ages, coaches have the right to swap sides at any time as

long as both coaches are in agreement.

*There are also free substitutions for all Friday Night Lights games*

Pitching Rules

- 85 pitches on the Day Max.

Cleats

- Turf or tennis shoes only. Molded cleats are always permitted on Field 3,

and on fields 1 and 4 during rainy and wet conditions ONLY.16

Ark Complex All Star Tournament Rules 2026

Important Rules and Information:

- Please acquire the needed team insurance.

- Teams MUST be ready to play 30 minutes prior to scheduled game time.

- Teams need to provide two quality baseballs per game (Ark Complex is a

homerun friendly park.)

Batting

A. All 6U batters will hit the ball from a batting tee. The tee should be adjusted to

such a height that the batter will be able to swing level. 7U Coach Pitch will have

6 pitches or 3 strikes. If a player fouls the 6th pitch, he can continue batting.

B. All rostered players present for the game shall bat in order, whether playing

defensively or not. If a batter becomes ill or injured during the game, the spot in

the batting order will be skipped without penalty.

C. There is no bunting.

D. No infield fly is in effect.

E. All rostered players in attendance will bat in the offensive half of the inning. An

inning is over when three outs have been made, or seven (7) runs have been

scored, whichever occurs first, except in the last inning which will be unlimited

runs (open).

F. Protective headgear (batting helmets) must be worn on deck, at bat, while

being a base runner, and by players in the coach’s box, during practice and at all

games.

G. Once the batter has entered the batter’s box, the batter will not be allowed to

take practice swings or to line up the ball. The penalty for either action will be a

called strike.

H. When the ball is hit, it must go at least 25 feet, which is shown by an arc of 25-

foot radius from the apex of home plate drawn from foul line to foul line. A batted

ball must travel past this arc to be a fair ball; if it does not, it will be considered a

foul ball.

I. Three complete misses of the ball while batting constitutes a strikeout. A foul

ball or practice swing will be counted as a strike. If the batter hits a foul ball on17

the third strike, he/she will continue to bat. Only a complete miss of the ball and

the tee or a practice swing or “line up” on the third strike will be a strikeout.

J. If a batter hits part of the ball and part of the rubber tee, it is a fair ball if it goes

past the 25-foot arc. If a batter hits all rubber (the tee) or the ball does not go

past the 25-foot arc, it is a foul ball.

K. No stealing or leading off is permitted.

L. Containment on the lead runner will stop play. When the runner stops and

gives up effort to advance, the play is completed and stopped.

M. All overthrown balls will be considered live and the runner(s) can advance

until they are contained or give up the effort to advance to the next base. Balls

entering dead ball areas will be dead and runner(s) will be awarded bases.

Fielding

A. Ten players are on the field at any one time, including a catcher. There will be

four outfielders. ALL outfielders must remain in the grass area of the outfield and

cannot be positioned in the infield at any time. Outfielders must be positioned on

the outfield grass and in fair territory when the ball is put into play. An outfielder

may not make an infield play. The outfielder must throw the ball to the infielder.

B. One player is placed with one foot inside the pitching circle until the batter

makes contact with the ball. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the pitcher is not in

the correct position, the offensive team can take the results of the play or bat

again. The catcher takes a position to the first or third base side behind home

plate.

C. Each player present must play a minimum of two innings defensively.

D. In addition to the base coaches, two defensive coaches may be positioned in

foul territory to provide instruction to all defensive players - one coach positioned

at least 12 feet beyond first base and one coach positioned at least 12 feet

beyond third base.

E. Free substitution is allowed on defense.18

Game

A. A regulation game is six innings.

- 6U T-Ball: 60 bases

- 7U = CP: 35 / 60 bases

B. Mercy Rule- 15 after 3, 10 after 4, and 8 after 5.

C. A regulation tournament baseball will be used. USA or Wood bats only.

D. The base path distance is 60 feet.

E. Credentials– Approved birth documents and Certificates of Accidental &

Liability Insurance are required.19

Ark Complex 8U Specific Baseball Rules/Clarifications

Coaches: Be sure you are aware of all rules and rules changes. All other

Ark Complex Tournament Rules will be enforced in 8U tournament play

with the following exceptions.

Batting:

- Each batter will receive 5 pitches or 3 strikes (whichever is reached first.)

- If 5th pitch of the at-bat is fouled off, the batter can continue batting until

one of the following occurs;

• The batter puts the ball in play.

• The batter swings and misses.

• The batter does not swing at all.

- Bunting is not allowed and will result in the batter being out.

- If the coach that is pitching gets hit with a live batted ball, the play will

result in a dead-ball and no-pitch. The batter will continue their at-bat

without that pitch counting towards their at-bat. All runners will go back to

the base they started at.

- Infield-fly-rule will not be enforced.

Scoring:

- Each inning will flip after 5 runs are scored or 3 outs are made.

- A maximum of 10 runs can be scored per team in the last inning of

regulation play.

Base Running:

- Stealing is not allowed. The penalty for stealing will result in the runner

being out.

- Leading-off is not allowed. The runner may take a “secondary” lead after

the ball crosses the plate but is not allowed to steal or advance to the next

base unless the ball is put in play or the batter is walked. Leading off or

stealing will result in the runner being out.20