Parents, Families, & Team Supporters:

On behalf of the volunteer District staff and all leagues in California District 45, congratulations and welcome to the 2026 Little League post-season tournaments!

Whether your child is playing in the District 45 Tournament of Champions (“TOC”), the Little League International Tournament (“All Stars”), or both, this is an exciting time of year for players and families. Some of you are tournament veterans, while others are experiencing post-season play for the first time.

For All Stars, the journey may last just a few days—or it could continue for several weeks, all the way to a World Series in July or August. No matter how long the run, we hope your players enjoy every moment.

Tournament play is a little different from the regular season, so there are a few important things for families to know:

Tournament of Champions (TOC) – This is a district run tournament, played between regular season league champions. TOC lasts a week up to a week and a half. Regular Season Rules are used and any applicable District 45 rules for the event are included.

Little League International Tournament – This is Little League’s tournament, administered locally by the District Administrator and staff under International Tournament Playing Rules. District 45 has no authority to waive a rule, authorize a side agreement, or declare a forfeit. That authority rests with Little League International. Teams are comprised of “All Stars” selected according to your league’s by-laws. The winners of the divisions advance to the Section tournament, which involves champions from District 45 and 3 other districts. Section winners advance to the Northern California state tournament and hopefully to a Western Regional Tournament and World Series. The 8-10 and 9–11-year-old tournaments end at the state level. Tournament brackets, scores and dates for all levels can be found on our website.

Mandatory Play – TOC uses regular season Mandatory Play of one at bat and six defensive outs. In the International Tournament, mandatory play is Continuous Batting Order at all levels except Seniors. There is no defensive play requirement in the International Tournament. Seniors will bat 9 players with substitutions, and there is no mandatory play.

Time Commitment – If your child is on All Stars, that means a new schedule of practices prior to the tournament, and then practices and games as often as daily, for as long as your child’s team continues. Families sometimes have vacations scheduled a year or more in advance. In that case a tough decision needs to be made. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do both in June or early July, because the pressure can make both experiences less enjoyable. If you have vacation plans, you need to be up front with your manager and league on how it may impact your child’s availability to participate and be a team member.

Managers & Coaches – In TOC, up to 3 regular season managers and coaches from the team may participate. In All Stars, up to 3 eligible adults are selected by the league to participate. No other adults are permitted on the field before, during or after the game.

In-Game Access – Regular season rule 3.09 prohibits game participants from mingling or communicating with spectators, but this rule is rarely enforced by local leagues. In TOC and All Stars, it is enforced. This can be hard for parents who are accustomed to “checking in” or giving a pep talk to their children during a game. Dugout areas, bull pens, and other participant areas are off limits to parents and other spectators during the games. Many leagues will rope them off. Communication with the game participants is not allowed. The passing of food or drink is also prohibited, so please make sure your child has a water bottle or sports drink before they enter the field. Should you need to pass drinks, medications, inhalers, etc. during the game, contact a Tournament Director and they will be happy to assist you.

Pets, Tobacco, Alcohol, Placement of Cameras, Outside Food:

• Please leave your pets at home. They are not permitted at tournament game sites.
• The use of Tobacco, Vaping, Alcohol or other controlled substances is not permitted on school grounds or at any Little League activity. We had a few incidents last year involving spectators consuming or being under the influence of alcohol. This will not be tolerated and can result in the game being suspended until the person(s) involved leave.
• Cameras and video devices may not be placed on the backstop fence directly behind home plate.
• They may be placed on side fences near home plate or elsewhere, provided they do not obstruct the view of those seated in the stands.
• Please support the host league snack bar and do not bring outside food or snacks to the game. Host leagues incur significant costs to host these games, and their snack bars are the main source of revenue to offset those costs.

Cheer For Your Team – We strongly encourage you to cheer loud and long for your team, and for a good hit or play made by either team. Artificial noisemakers and walkup music are not permitted. Cheering should be positive for your team. Negative comments directed at the opposing team or officials will not be tolerated, and if they continue can result in an individual being asked to stop, or to leave the premises.

Coaching from the Stands – Coaching from outside the field of play is not permitted, regardless of whether the individual was a coach during the regular season or just a well-meaning parent or spectator. If this is observed, a Tournament Director or league Field Director will ask the individual to stop. If they don’t stop, they may be asked to leave the premises. If they don’t cooperate, the game may be suspended until they do, which is not a good experience for the players, managers, coaches, or fans of either team. Please let the players play and let the coaches handle the coaching.

Protests – The umpires are in control of the game on the field. There are situations however, where a manager may believe a ruling conflicts with the rules. In that case, the manager has the right to protest the ruling. Protests on judgment calls are not considered. Unlike regular season, the protest must be resolved before play continues. The umpires will confer and make a ruling, but either manager may continue the protest without penalty. TOC – The protest will go to the District Administrator or District Umpire Coordinator, either in person or by phone. The ruling from either of those individuals is final, and play will resume immediately. There is no protest beyond the District and no opinion shopping within District. International Tournament – The protest may go to the District Administrator, but if either manager is not satisfied, they can continue the protest. In that case, a phone call is made to Little League Western Region, who will rule on the protest. If still not satisfied, either manager can continue the protest, in which case Region will call the Tournament Committee in Williamsport, PA, whose decision is final and binding. We will try to resolve protests as quickly as possible, but play will be suspended, and the players returned to the dugout until it is resolved. During our district All Star games, there are literally several hundred games going on at the same time in the Western Region. Protests that go to Region or Williamsport can take time. Please be patient and remember this is part of the game.

Ejections – I certainly hope there are no player, manager, or coach ejections, but sometimes participants leave the umpire no choice. If a participant is ejected, they must leave immediately. If a player is ejected, a parent or guardian must escort them from the premises. If none is at the game, then the player will either be accompanied to a place away from the field, or they will be put in the dugout under the supervision of a coach.

We hope this information helps you know what to expect during TOC and All Stars. This is such a fun and exciting time of year for players, families, and volunteers. Along with the cheers, big plays, and celebrations, there may also be moments of disappointment. Learning how to handle those moments, bounce back, and try again is one of the greatest life lessons youth sports can teach. We encourage everyone to “win with dignity and lose with class.” No matter the score, one of the best things a child can hear after the game is: “That was a great game, and I loved watching you take the field!”

Have a great tournament!

Jeannette Frederick, District Administrator

California District 45 Little League