Men’s Homerun Derby Rules

Payments:

• The entire fee is due at the time of registration. Participants will not be allowed to participate if the entire fee is not paid.
• Participants are required to pay the contest fee by credit or debit card.

Rosters:

• A roster may contain up to 3 participants (hitter, pitcher, and catcher).
• All players must be 18+ years old to be eligible to participate.
• A complete roster is required. Participants are considered ineligible until the roster invite (via email) has been accepted and signed.
• Apex Park and Recreation District staff reserves the right to remove players from the contest immediately if they are not on the hitter’s roster.

Equipment:

• The following softball will be used:

  • D. STARR TATTOO
  • ASA/USA Softball Approved (USA Softball stamp on the ball)
  • 12"
  • A COR of .520
  • A compression of 300.0 lbs.

• Bats:

  • The official bat made up of the knob, handle, grip, taper, barrel, and end cap shall be free of burs, dents, cracks, sharp edges, and rattles and show no signs of excessive wear.
  • Bats must bear one or more of the following Certification Marks and must not be listed on the USA Softball and/or USSSA Non-Approved Bat List with Certification Marks.
    • USA Softball
    • USSSA (2020)
    • USSSA (2014)
  • Bats must be included on a list of approved bat models published by USA Softball and/or USSSA.
  • Wood bats made on the approved USA Softball and/or USSSA bat manufacturer list shall be legal.
  • Site supervisors have the right to inspect all bats. If a site supervisor believes that a bat is illegal and/or unsafe for any reason and/or is being altered, they have the right to ban it from the contest.

Contest Rules:

• The contest will be held at Youth Memorial Sports Complex.
• The fields will have 300-foot fences.
• Each hitter must supply his own pitcher. If a hitter is unable to provide his own pitcher, he will be immediately disqualified.
• Hitters can also supply a catcher, but it is not required.
• Before each round, hitters are permitted to have up to 3 practice hits if desired.
• For all rounds, each participant may have a 30-second timeout if desired.
• Hitters are permitted to change bats during rounds if desired.
• The pitching distance will be set at 35 feet.
  • Pitching screens will be used to help with pitcher safety.
  • Pitchers are permitted to pitch beyond the designated pitching distance if desired.
  • All pitches must be underhand.
  • Batted balls must land before the next pitch can be thrown.
• For round 1, participants will be given 5 minutes to hit as many balls as possible.
• For round 2, participants will be given 4 minutes to hit as many balls as possible.
• For round 3 and round 4, participants will be given 3 minutes to hit as many balls as possible.
• After each round, the hitter that had the most homeruns will choose his preferred batting order for the next round. The hitter that had the second most homeruns will then choose his preferred batting order for the next round, and so on.
• After each round, homerun totals for each participant will go back to 0.
• After the first round, the top 6 will advance to the second round.
• After the second round, the top 4 will advance to the third round.
• After the third round, the top 2 will advance to the championship round.
• In case of ties, 1-minute tiebreaker rounds will occur until the ties are broken.
• All participants (hitters, pitchers, catchers) are required to shag balls. Failure to do so may result in immediate disqualification.
  • All participants need to be present and help shag balls for the entire contest.
• Times between hitters will be approximately 10 minutes. This allows for enough time to shag balls and get ready for the next hitter.
  • If everything is ready for the next hitter before the 10 minutes have elapsed, the hitter will be required to start early.

Music:

• Playing music on the premises is permitted.
• Music must be played at a reasonable level.
• If music is offensive to anyone, it will be required to be turned off.
• Any type of decision regarding music will be at the discretion of the field supervisors.

Jewelry:

• All exposed jewelry or other items that are deemed to be hazardous or potentially dangerous by the site supervisors may not be worn during the contest.
• Players are ineligible to play until the jewelry is removed.
• Apex strongly recommends that no type of jewelry is worn in any league.

Blood Rule:

• Any participant who is bleeding has an open wound or has an excessive amount of blood on their uniform must leave the contest.
• The participant may not return until either the bleeding has stopped, the wound has been covered and bandaged, and/or the uniform has been changed.

Inclement Weather Policy:

• Check TeamSideline for weather updates.
• In the event of a cancellation, participants will be notified via email/text from TeamSideline.com (individuals must register for text messages to receive them).
• In the event of rain or wet grounds, field supervisors will make the call if conditions are playable based on the city of Arvada designated criteria.
• Rainout/Makeup Policy: It is Apex’s policy to make up contests as fields are available. The contest may be required to be played on weekends and/or weeknights that differ from the initial scheduled day. If participants are not available for the scheduled makeup, they will be disqualified.

Ejections:

• If a participant gets ejected, a $25 fine will be issued in addition to a suspension. All fines must be paid before a player can return to play for any activity.
• Ejected participants must leave the facility immediately. If site supervisors deem an ejected participant is intentionally taking too long to leave and delaying the resumption of the contest, site supervisors have the right to assess a penalty up to including disqualification. This is a judgment call by the site supervisors and is not subject to dispute.

Smoking and Alcohol:

• No smoking or vaping of any kind will be permitted.
• No consumption of alcohol will be allowed before, during, and/or after the contest anywhere on the premises. This includes koozies, water bottles, or anything similar.
• Glass bottles of any kind are prohibited.
• Any player, manager, coach, and/or spectator caught smoking/vaping and/or consuming alcohol anywhere on the premises by the field supervisors will be ejected and must leave the facility.

Insurance:

• Apex does not provide insurance coverage for players, coaches, or spectators. You are strongly advised to check your coverage with your personal carrier to ensure you are covered for accidents/injuries, including ambulance transportation.

Awards:

• The winner of the contest will be given an award or prize.

*Revised 6/25/2024