2026 NSA BATTLE OF THE BELT SERIES - UNIQUE FORMAT - VAL.DAY RED BELT - PLAYERS WIN AWARDS SAT & SUN

**10U will play at Bartow on Saturday and Christina on Sunday.

12U and 14U will play at Christina both days.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR COACHES/PLAYERS - PASS THE BELT RULES

Thank you to all the teams that are participating in the first ever Pass the Belt Series format. We strive to try and keep travel ball fresh and are always looking for new and exciting ways to do so. We felt this format would make every game matter because of the desire to keep/win the belt, plus it will give 4 teams the opportunity to win prizes during the tournament. Please read the instructions below so that you understand completely how this unique format will work this weekend. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your site director whose number is listed on the schedule or to Pat Affrunti.

1.  On Saturday, every team will play 2 seed games and then go into a single elimination format that will be played on Saturday as well.

2.  Also on Saturday, 1 random team per age group will start with a Valentine Red heavyweight championship belt. They will have to defend this belt every game they play starting with seeding. If they win, they keep the belt, if they don't, they must pass it to the winning team and then they must defend it in the next game. This will continue through all the seeding rounds and then the elimination bracket as well until the last team is standing and wins the championship. The random teams that will start with the belt on Saturday morning are:

       10U - Journey Fastpitch

       12U - Team Tampa Frank

       14U - Pinellas Blaze

3.    On Saturday, once we finish seeding games, you will be placed accordingly for the elimination rounds. The 1st and 2nd place teams will win awards. All the other teams that lose during elimination must see the site director before leaving the park so that you may pick a number out of the hat for Sunday's elimination bracket that will be randomly drawn. For example, if you lose the 1st game of elimination, you will see the site director and pull a number. If you pull the number 3 than that means you will start Sunday's elimination round as the #3 seed, this will continue with every team that loses in elimination and whomever wins on Saturday will get the last number/seed available for Sunday's bracket. If you fail to see the site director before you leave, then we will be forced to let someone else pick that number for you so please do not forget this important part that directly relates to when you play on Sunday.

4.    On Sunday your team will go immediately into another elimination bracket that was determined by the random pull-on Saturday, the same rules apply for the passing of the belt. The only difference is that whoever won the belt on Saturday night with a first-place finish will now get to defend it until they lose or win it all again. There will also be 1st and 2nd place awards for this elimination bracket on Sunday.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

·      ALL TEAMS MUST BE SANCTIONED FOR THE NEW SEASON (2026) TO PLAY THIS WEEKEND!  IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT CHRISTY RANDOLPH AT (727) 348-7301.  ALSO MAKE SURE YOUR INSURANCE IS CURRENT.

·      EVERY TEAM IS REQUIRED TO HAVE AN ONLINE ROSTER. YOU MAY ALSO CONTACT CHRISTY IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH YOUR ROSTER.

·      PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU OR A REPRESENTATIVE FROM YOUR TEAM CHECKS IN WITH THE SITE DIRECTOR BEFORE YOUR FIRST GAME, EVEN IF YOU HAVE PRE-PAID. CASH & CHECK PAYMENTS ONLY!

·      ANY PLAYERS NOT ON ONLINE ROSTER THAT ARE PLAYING WITH YOU THIS WEEKEND WILL NEED TO BE ON A GUEST PLAYER FORM (SEE BELOW BY SEEDING SCHEDULE). 

ADDITIONAL INFO:

*PLEASE CHECK THIS SITE OFTEN FOR WEATHER UPDATES & SCHEDULE CHANGES.

*ALL BATS MUST HAVE NSA STAMP. (NO EXCEPTIONS!)

*PITCHERS IN ALL DIVISIONS MUST WEAR FACEMASKS.

*PAPER SCOREBOOKS ARE REQUIRED.

*ALL CHANGES ON DEFENSE ARE SUBSTITUTIONS AND MUST BE REPORTED TO THE UMPIRE.

*ONLY ONE SET OF TWINS IN THE LINE UP IS PERMITTED.

INFO FOR THIS WEEKEND:

FEE:  $595

SITE DIRECTORS:    BARTOW 555 - CHRISTY (727) 348-7301

                                CHRISTINA PARK – MIKE (863) 274-0081