Double Elimination Tournament Procedures
The Pioneer Valley Youth Baseball League uses the double elimination tournament rules and protocols of the American Amateur Baseball Congress, with some modifications due to league custom and preference. The League’s double-elimination tournaments shall be conducted primarily with the use of AABC tournament brackets and procedures. The variations from current AABC procedures have been used historically by the PVYBL and represent the logical effect of seasonal play and incentives for tournament success.
League custom and preference underlie the primary bracketing rules. First, the teams in a tournament shall be seeded based upon seasonal standings. Seasonal standings are based upon, first, the points earned by the teams and, secondly, the results of direct competition between or among teams. Thirdly, the fewest defensive runs determines the relative seeding. If those measures fail to distinguish two or more teams, a draw shall be conducted to assign places in the bracket.
Secondly, if the A Division tournament includes teams from the B Division, all A Division teams shall be seeded in the order of their seasonal standings above all participating B Division teams. The B Division teams shall be seeded in the following order: The B Division tournament winner shall be given the first B Division berth in the event and highest B Division seed and the B division seasonal winner shall be given the second such berth. If one B Division team wins both such places, the second B Division participant shall be the runner-up in the B Division tournament.
Thirdly, the higher seeded team shall be the home team for a game. The home team shall occupy the customary bench of the home team.
Fourth, if a lower seeded team defeats a higher seeded team, the teams shall exchange positions in the bracket. That is, the lower seeded team shall assume the place and benefits of the defeated, previously higher seeded team and, vice versa, in the tournament.
Fifth, in loser's bracket games, the winner of a game in the most recent round shall be the home team. If both opponents won in the most recent round, the home team shall be determined by a coin toss.
Sixth, according to the customary PVYBL and AABC format, if there are Byes in the schedule, they shall be placed initially in the order of the places in the bracket in the first round. The #1 seed shall receive a Bye in the first round; the second round Bye shall be awarded to the team who would have played the #8 seed in a loser’s bracket game. Similarly, if there are two first round Byes in the schedule, the #1 and #2 seeded teams shall receive the benefit of first round Byes. The winner of the loser’s bracket game in the 2nd round shall enjoy a Bye in the third round.
Seventh, according to AABC form, if there five teams in a tournament, the most highly seeded team shall enjoy a first round Bye and the 2nd seed, or the team in that position, shall enjoy a second round Bye.
Eighth, according the AABC Rule 211(e), winners shall play winners and losers shall meet losers, unless such games violate AABC Rules 211(b), (c), or (d), which are cited below.
Ninth, according to AABC Rule 211(b), if there are Byes in the schedule, “all of the remaining teams shall draw for the Bye.... No team may receive a second bye until every other team ‘alive’ shall have received a first bye.
Tenth, AABC Rule 211(c) asserts that “no team will meet another team for the second time, if there is a possible opponent that team has not played, unless 1) such a game would violate rule 211(b), 2) all possible combinations of games pair some teams against one another for the second time…,” or 3), there are only three teams left in the event and each has received an equal number of Byes and played each other.
Furthermore, according to AABC Rule 211(c), “if there is only possible group of pairings with the fewest number of teams meeting for the second time, then that group of pairings shall be used. If there is more than one equal possibility, the entire group of games will be selected by lot from those pairings with the fewest number of teams which must meet for the second time.”
According to AABC Rule 211(d), “when there are only three teams left and each has received an equal number of Byes and 1) one team has played the other two teams and the other two have not met, the teams that have not played shall do so and the other team shall receive a bye or 2) one team has not met either of the other two teams and the other teams have played, then the opponent of team who has not met either team shall be chosen by lot.”
Finally, a forfeit is regarded as a win, not as a Bye.
OFFICAL AABC EIGHT TEAM DOUBLE ELIMINATION BRACKET
1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round* 5th Round*@
Team #1
vs. (1)
Team #8 Winner of (1)
vs. (5)
Team #4 Winner of (2)
vs. (2)
Team #5 Winner of (5)
vs. (9)
Team #2 Winner of (6)
vs. (3)
Team #7 Winner of (3) Winner of (9)
vs. (6) vs. (12)
Team #3 Winner of (4) Winner of (10)
vs. (4) Winner of (7)
Team #6 vs. (10) Winner of (12)
Loser of (6) vs. (14)
Loser of (2) Winner of (13)
vs. (7)
Loser of (1) Winner of (11)
vs. (13)
Loser of (4) Winner of (8) Loser of (9)
vs. (8) vs. (11)
Loser of (3) Loser of (5)
The team #’s refer to their seeded position in the bracket. Those positions shall be based upon the final seasonal standings. The team listed at the top of each pairing shall be the home team.
* Opponents will be determined in the fourth and fifth rounds to enable conformity with AABC Rule 211.
@ A fifteenth game may be needed to determine a tournament champion.
