DFW FastpitchSouthern Nationalsby DFW Fastpitch

Oklahoma 14U–18U · Rules & Format

USSSA Southern Nationals · July 23–25, 2027 · Shawnee, OK

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Format

Five games guaranteed: 2 pool + Saturday bracket + Sunday bracket.

FridayTwo seeded 80-minute pool games. Pool games may end in a tie.
SaturdayDouble-elimination brackets, seeded from Friday pool play. Larger divisions split into multiple brackets.
SundayTop 8 teams play the Elite 8 single-elimination bracket. Remaining teams play Gold and/or Silver brackets depending on division size. Awards follow the finals.

Pool schedules post no later than Monday of event week on the USSSA event page and the USSSA app. Bracket schedules are not sent in advance; they post as pool play finishes.

Championship hats

Championship hats are awarded in the GOLD bracket only. How deep the hats go depends on how many teams are in the division. A division gets one of these, never both.

20 or more teams in the divisionElite 8 hats - the last 8 teams standing in the Gold bracket. No Final 4 hats are given in these divisions.
12 to 19 teams in the divisionFinal 4 hats - the last 4 teams standing in the Gold bracket.
Fewer than 12 teams in the divisionNo hats. Trophies and rings are awarded as normal.

Silver and Bronze brackets do not receive hats. Team count is the number of teams entered in that division at the close of registration.

Time limits

14U, 16U, 18U80-minute time limit.
  • Pool play: 6 runs per half inning.
  • Bracket play: unlimited runs.

Playing rules

Rosters and check-inRosters must be finalized at check-in. No additions after that point. Roster protests go through the USSSA system.
ProtestsProtests are filed with the Tournament Director. A $100 protest fee is required and is refunded if the protest is upheld.
Run rules (all games)A game ends early when a team is ahead by:
  • 10 runs after 3 innings
  • 8 runs after 4 innings
  • 6 runs after 5 innings
Time limit and official game
  • No new inning starts once time expires. You finish the inning you are in.
  • A game is official when time expires and there is a winner - including when the trailing team can no longer catch up to at least tie.
  • Pool games may end in a tie. Bracket games go to ITB.
  • Teams must be ready to play 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
  • First game of the day: the plate meeting is 5 minutes before game time.
  • Forfeits are recorded 7-0.
Home / visitorPool play: the team with the most USSSA points chooses. Bracket play: the higher seed chooses home or visitor. If the seeds are tied, the teams flip.
International tiebreaker (ITB)Every bracket game tied after regulation uses PROGRESSIVE ITB - each extra inning starts with more help than the last:
  1. 1st ITB inning - runner on 2nd base, batter starts with a 2-1 count.
  2. 2nd ITB inning - runners on 2nd and 3rd, batter starts with a 2-1 count.
  3. 3rd ITB inning and beyond - bases loaded, batter starts with a full count.

Championship games are the exception. They use normal ITB - runner on 2nd base, batter starts 0-0 - unless both coaches agree to use progressive ITB.

Seeding procedure (pool to bracket)Worked in order, top to bottom. Once you move past a tiebreaker, you do not go back to a previous one.
  1. Winning percentage - highest first.
  2. Number of wins - most first.
  3. Number of losses - fewest first.
  4. Head-to-head winning percentage among the tied teams - only if all tied teams have played each other.
  5. Average runs allowed - fewest first.
  6. Average run differential - highest first, capped at 8 runs per game.
  7. USSSA ranking points - most first.
  8. Date the team entered the USSSA database - earliest first.
Bats and equipmentUSSSA Fastpitch rules apply. Bats must carry the USSSA fastpitch mark. Only official USSSA licensed softballs are used.

Weather & shortened events

Shortened gamesA bracket game is official after 1½ innings if the home team is ahead, or after 2 complete innings.
Championship “if” gameIf the “if” game of a championship is rained out before a clear winner after 1½ innings, both teams are declared Co-Champions and flip for 1st and 2nd place awards.
Tournament Director authorityTournament Directors reserve the right to play winners bracket games ahead of losers bracket games (possibly eliminating the losers bracket entirely) if necessary, or to reduce game times if the tournament can be completed with those revisions. If the tournament cannot be completed by any other method, the placement procedures below are used.
Note on calculationsAll games in the tournament, pool play and bracket play, are used when average runs scored or allowed are computed.
Single-elimination brackets that cannot be completedTeams still in the bracket are ordered first, in this order: (1) winning percentage including pool and bracket play - a bye in the first round counts as a win if bracket play has begun and only the first round is complete; (2) least average runs allowed per game played; (3) highest average run differential per game played, 8-run limit; (4) coin toss. If only two teams remain in the tournament, those teams are declared co-champions.
Double-elimination brackets that cannot be completedFirst, teams still in the winners bracket are ordered by: (1) winning percentage including pool and bracket play - a bye in the first round counts as a win if bracket play has begun and only the first round is complete; (2) least average runs allowed per game played; (3) highest average run differential per game played, 8-run limit; (4) coin toss.
Next, teams in the same spot in the losers bracket are ordered by: (1) head-to-head, used first when only two teams are in the same spot; (2) the team that advanced farthest in the winners bracket before losing; (3) least average runs allowed per game played; (4) highest average run differential per game played, 8-run limit; (5) coin toss.
If only two teams remain in the tournament, those teams are declared co-champions.

Looking for the other event? Texas 8U–14U rules & format.