Organizers of next month’s ‘Last Dance’ Baseball Tournament are awaiting clarification from the NJSIAA on Phase 1 re-start guidelines that would allow high school baseball coaches to coach tournament teams starting July 13.
The 220-plus team tournament is scheduled to begin with pool play across the state July 14-16.
Tournament Director Mike Murray, the athletic director and baseball coach at St. Joseph of Metuchen, expects to hear from either NJSIAA Chief Operating Officer Colleen Maguire or Assistant Director Tony Maselli “in the next day or two.”
“We’ve been led to believe that because our tournament has no affiliation with member schools and is a youth tournament sanctioned by USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association) that high school coaches will be able to coach after the summer recess period begins on July 13,” Murray said. “I have not received official word from Colleen (Maguire) or Tony (MIcelli), but we expect to hear from them shortly.”
When the NJSIAA released its Phase 1 guidelines last week, one guideline in particular caused concern from high school baseball coaches hoping to be with their seniors one last time.
In the conditions applicable to all sports, Section 2, item E says: “There shall not be any physical contact, of any kind, between student-athletes and coaches during Phase 1.”
Phase 1 ends on July 26. The tournament is scheduled to end July 30.
“We believe that pertains more to (school-sponsored) sports like soccer or football and scrimmages and 7-on-7 competitions,” Murray said. “We think we are in the clear, but we are awaiting clarification. We’ve had positive conversations with people in the know.”
Murray reiterated to coaches in a Zoom meeting Monday night that practices leading up to the tournament will need to be conducted by individuals not on high school coaching staffs.
“We are operating outside of the school districts,” Murray added. “We’ve told the teams in the tournament to be prepared either way.”
The tournament has no affiliation with the NJSIAA except for following its summertime coaching regulations. Teams are not permitted to wear school-issued uniforms or travel by district-provided buses. While a few games will be played at non-public school sites, most will be played at public parks.
While there have been some withdrawals of entries, Murray said the tournament still has over 220 teams scheduled to participate.
“I’d say we have entry fees from 170 of the teams and we’ve had confirmation from 90 to 95 percent saying they’re entered,” Murray said.
The entry fee deadline is Friday.
“Only teams that have paid the entry fee by the Friday deadline will be seeded,” said JT Kroeger, one of the tournament organizers.
Murray said regional sites and team assignments could be completed as soon as Friday. Organizers have said each team will be scheduled for at least three pool-play games.
“Brian Chapman (the Millburn head coach and tournament schedule maker) and JT have done a great job of making the pool-play round as competitive and geographically friendly as possible,” Murray said.
Murray said most teams will travel no more than 35 minutes to pool-play games. Travel must be provided by parents or the players themselves.
Chapman said there will be four teams at most regional sites. There may be six or eight at others.
“We are still looking for some help with sites in the Shore Conference area and in the vicinity of Englewood,” Murray said. “We would like to break up those six- and eight-team regionals.”
New Jersey’s four minor league ballparks, Skylands Stadium in Sussex County, Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton, FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood and TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, could also be used for pool play.
“There is a financial component for using those parks, so we would like to avoid using them in the pool-play games if possible,” Murray said.
Chapman said a 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 format will be used at as many sites as possible. The two winners and two losers would meet on the second night of pool play.
“The brackets are set up so there will be two, 2-0 teams and they would meet at the higher seed,” Chapman said. “At the sites with six or eight teams, we will have a tie-breaker if there are multiple teams 1-1.”
Chapman said that tiebreaker will likely be fewest runs allowed.
- ADMISSION FEES: Murray said there will be no admission to attend pool-play games at schools or park, but fans will be charged $5 for entry to game minor league stadiums.
- NOTE TO PARENTS, FANS: Parents are being asked not to show up at any pool-play fields more than 10-15 minutes before the scheduled start of any game.
Parents and fans will also be prohibited from gathering in areas near dugouts and backstops. They will be asked to spread out along fences down the left and right field lines while also maintaining social distancing. Masks are recommended for spectators.
Spectators will not be subject to temperature checks at the gate.
To minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus, sunflower seeds, tobacco products of any kind and spitting are prohibited at all games. That includes players, coaches and fans.
- NOTE TO PLAYERS: Murray said players and parents will be asked to complete a COVID-19 symptom form and bring it to the game. Trainers will use infrared thermometers to take the temperatures of all players and coaches.
Any player or coach with a temperature of 101.1 or higher will be sent home. Documentation of all temperature screenings will be catalogued, Murray said.
There is a 25-player roster limit. Players and coaches are required to wear masks in the dugout and maintain social distancing as much as allowable.
- RAIN DATES: While Murray said the tournament is hoping for a run of “dry weather,” there are re-schedule dates in place.
While pool play is scheduled for a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the other two weekdays are available for make-up games.
“We stayed off Monday and Friday to avoid conflict with club teams as much as possible. Depending on the availability of the sites, games could be rescheduled on the preceding Monday, a Friday or the following Monday before the next round would begin.”
- TIME LIMITS: Murray said time limits on pool-play games will be determined by the availability of regional sites.
“There are some sites that will have recreation games coming in after our games so there may need to be a two hour, 45-minute time limit to get our two games in,” Murray said. “If there is a site where we have no time limits, we will play as long as it takes.”
Murray noted that Price Rodgers Park in Bridgewater has required Last Dance games to be played at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“We said from the beginning there was a need to be flexible with game times,” Murray said.
- UMPIRES: Murray said he will wait until the weekend before the tournament to decide placement of umpires in pool-play games.
There will be two umpires assigned to each pool-play game. The only question is whether balls and strikes be called from behind the plate or behind the mound.
“The umpires would like it to be normal, with one man on the plate and the other on the bases,” Murray said. “I’ll wait until the weekend before the tournament to make that decision.
“We will see how other sites around the state and other states that have opened up already handle umpires.”
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Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.
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