A pair of new state tournaments in the men's slow pitch division - including one utilizing a increasingly popular format nationwide - will provide teams a "last chance" to claim a state title late in the season. Both will be one-day tournaments taking place on the first weekend in October.

FALL STATE (Saturday, October 6, 2018 | Fargo)

There will be two divisions of play in the Fall State Tournament with a maximum of 12 teams per division:

• Tier 1 will be limited to Class D and above players, though no more than 3 B players will be permitted on any roster. There will be a 4 HR limit with the 1-up rule in effect. Teams will supply & hit their own softballs, which will be sold on site to ensure that the same type/brand of ball is used at all times.
• Tier 2 is strictly E/Rec 1 and below players - no D or above players will be permitted on any roster. There will be a 2 HR limit with the 1-up rule also being in effect. The tournament will supply the softballs.

The format in both divisions will be pool play with a 3 game guarantee. This will be followed by semifinal and championship games.

Regular run rules apply. 7 inning games. The entry fee will be $175, which includes a $20 sanction fee for each roster.

FALL 5-ON-5-ON-5 STATE TOURNAMENT (Sunday, October 7, 2018 | Fargo)

5-on-5-on-5 is a new format that is taking root in leagues across USA Softball. This tournament pits 3 teams against each other at the same time with the teams effectively alternating between outfield defense, infield defense, and batting.

Each roster will have a maximum of 8 players. Teams may bat as many as they like, but all players who are in the batting order must also participate in either the outfield or infield defensive rotation (or both). One team will begin with players in the 4 outfield positions and the pitcher (though the team may choose, instead, to use only 3 outfielders and move the 4th to the middle infield position). Another team will man the 4 infield positions plus catcher. The third team will bat. The three teams rotate through each of these positions every inning.

With teams being allowed to bat as few as 5 players, there will inevitably be a scenario where a baserunner may have his turn at bat come up while he is on base. In this case, the batter who made the last out moves to the occupied base furthest from home plate and all other runner move up accordingly. For example, if there are runners on 1st & 3rd and the runner at 3rd comes up to bat, The batter who made the last out goes to 1st base and the runner on 1st moves to 3rd.

The 5-on-5-on-5 state tournament will also have 2 divisions of play with a maximum of 16 teams per division:

• Tier 1 will be limited to Class D and above players, though no more than 3 B players will be permitted on any roster. There will be a 4 HR limit. Teams will supply & hit their own softballs, which will be sold on site to ensure that the same type/brand of ball is used at all times.
• Tier 2 is strictly E/Rec 1 and below players - no D or above players will be permitted on any roster. There will be a 2 HR limit The tournament will supply the softballs.

Both divisions will have a 3 game guarantee. The top 3 teams will move to a championship game.

There will be no run rule in effect. 5 inning games. Like the Fall State Tournament, he entry fee will be $175, which includes a $20 sanction fee for each roster.

For more information, contact Mike Peterson or Sam Martin.