Rules Changes
• Article 0:31 Section DB Any player whose thirteenth birthday falls before May 1st of the current year and any boy whose fifteenth birthday falls on or after May 1st of the current year is eligible to compete and complete the current Dixie Boys baseball season. No player under league age 13 may participate in a Dixie Boys league.• Article 0:31 Section DM Any boy whose fifteenth birthday falls before May 1st of the current year and any boys whose nineteenth birthday falls on or after August 1 of the previous calendar year is eligible to compete in and complete the current Dixie Majors Baseball season. Also any boy who plays baseball for his school and whose fourteenth birthday falls before May 1st of the current year is eligible to compete in and complete the current Dixie Majors Baseball season. Any eligible boy whose fourteenth birthday falls before May 1st of the current year and any boy whose seventeenth birthday falls on or after May 1st of the current year shall be eligible to compete in and complete the current Dixie Pre-Majors baseball season. No player under league age 14 may participate in Dixie Pre-Majors/Majors leagues.
• Article 0:34 Players must reside within the boundaries of the league. “Reside means bona fide continuous habitation and not merely establishment of a legal address of voting residence except in those cases as specified in 0:35. DM: A Dixie Pre Majors and Majors franchise can be granted and a school based team formed as long as all players on a submitted league roster attended a specific school system during a current year. Eligibility status of player & coach shall be in accordance with prevailing rules of the State High School Athletic Association of the state in which the player lives. The franchise must have the approval of the District & State Director.
• Article 0:51 Dixie Majors leagues must play a minimum of 10 games to be eligible for tournament play. A minimum of five (5) of these games must be played against other Dixie Majors franchised leagues. An accepted franchise form; with all fees paid; must be on file in the National Office prior to any games counting toward the minimum number of games required for tournament play.
• Tournament Rules: Rules and regulations for tournament play are governed by the official playing rules of Major League Baseball and the Rules and Regulations contained in a tournament guideline manual. Copies of the tournament manual are available through the Commissioner’s Office. Tournament play can be conducted using double elimination play, round robin or pool play. Pitching rules for each level of play are to be enforced as found in the tournament rules, with no exceptions.
• Article 1:09b The “Official Dixie Tournament Baseball” must be used for all levels of tournament competition. Baseballs used in tournament competition shall meet all specifications listed in the “Official Baseball Rules” and bear the signature of the Commissioner. Tournament play is defined as a sub-district, zone, region, district, state or World Series competition.
• Article 8:96 NOTE: For the purpose of determining violation of Dixie Boys and Majors pitching rules, an ineligible pitcher violates one of the rules only when he throws a pitch to a batter in an inning or performs any defensive act as a pitcher and not when he takes his warm-up pitches from the pitching rubber.
• Article 1:11 Local League It is mandatory that all players and managers be attired in matching uniforms composed of shirt , pants, caps, socks and baseball shoes. All teams participating in local league play are required to wear the “Dixie Boys/Majors shoulder emblem on their left uniform sleeve. Note: For local league play only: a “screened or heat press” emblem is permissible.
• Article 3:03 Any player that is not in the line-up can be used as a courtesy runner for the pitcher or catcher at any time. Note: Rule applies for all levels of play Boys & Majors.
• Article 8:96 NOTE: For the purpose of determining violation of Dixie Boys and Majors pitching rules, an ineligible pitcher violates one of the rules only when he throws a pitch to a batter in an inning or performs any defensive act as a pitcher and not when he takes his warm-up pitches from the pitching rubber.
