Texas Collegiate League

Texas Collegiate League Rules

Leage Eligibility:
Players competing in the Texas Collegiate League must have completed their freshman years in college and must have a minimum of one (1) season of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Team Roster Size:
A Texas Collegiate League team shall have a maximum of thirty-five (35) players on its active roster for any regular-season game and thirty (30) players for the post-season.

Schedule:

*2020 COVID-19 UPDATE: 

The TCL will play a 30-game regular season schedule with 10 teams split into two (2) division. The regular season will be followed by the playoffs which is composed of a three (3) game divisional series followed by a one (1) game championship. 

The Texas Collegiate League uses a 48-game format, divided into two halves.  After the first 24 games of the season, all win-loss records are reset to 0-0 for the second-half of the season.

TCL Playoffs:

*2020 COVID-19 UPDATE: 

The top two teams from each division (North/South) will face-off in a three (3) game series. The lower seeded team will host game 1 and the higher seeded team will host games 2 & 3* (if necessary)

The winners of each division will the play in a one (1) game, winner-take-all for the TCL Championship. The team with the best regular season record will host the championship game.

The first-place and second-place teams of the first-half will clinch playoff berths and receive the #1 and #2 seeds, respecively, in the TCL postseason.  The first-place and second-place teams in the second-half will receive the other two playoff sports in the four-team postseason.  If there is a repeat winner, or second-place finisher, in the first- and second-half, the team with the next best overall season record will receive the postseason bid.

The post season features two rounds, with the divisional round being a one-game, winner-take-all matchup.  Winners of the divisional round will meet in the three-game TCL Championship Series.

Tiebreakers:
In the event of a tie in the standings of determining playoff teams or a tie in regular season records to determine home field advantage, the first tiebreaker will be based upon the record of head-to-head competition between the teams in question. The second tiebreaker will be run differential (runs scored minus runs against) during the time period in question.

Length of Games:
All games are scheduled for nine innings. There are no double headers in the TCL. There will be no tie games in the Texas Collegiate League. Extra innings will begin with a runner on second base. The last batter of the previous inning will be the player to occupy second base to start the extra inning. Normal substitution rules still apply. 

Official Playing Rules:
The Official Playing Rules of the Texas Collegiate League are the Baseball Rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, except in a few cases where rules have been modified for TCL play.