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MP diamond logoOktoberfest
Merrionette Park Girls Softball wall at the fields
October 17–18, 2026 Girls Fastpitch Softball Featuring the Skills Competition

Merrionette Park Express presents

Oktoberfest
2026

Eight girls fastpitch teams, two days at Merrionette Park. Two four-team pools on Saturday, a seeded 1–8 bracket on Sunday, a six-inning championship, and a three-event Skills Competition that puts twelve players from every team in the spotlight.

Live scores & schedule Skills Competition
Skills Competition: Speed · Fielding · HittingBat nine or continuous75-minute time limitFive-run max per inningDropped third strike in effectInfield fly in effectStealing on all basesCourtesy runners: P & C onlyMinimum nine playersUSSSA FastpitchSkills Competition: Speed · Fielding · HittingBat nine or continuous75-minute time limitFive-run max per inningDropped third strike in effectInfield fly in effectStealing on all basesCourtesy runners: P & C onlyMinimum nine playersUSSSA Fastpitch

Live tournament center

Scores, standings, bracket & skills.

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Game times post here as soon as the Tournament Director publishes them. This page updates live; no refresh needed.

The 2026 Skills Competition

Three events.
Twelve per team.

Oktoberfest is built to include as many players as possible, not just the bracket. During three tournament breaks, all eight teams rotate through a speed relay, a fielding star drill and a home-run derby, putting four runners, five fielders and three hitters from every team in the spotlight.

4

runners

5

fielders

3

hitters

12

per team

Field 3

Speed

Relay Race

4 runners per team

  • Four runners from each team.
  • The first runner circles the bases, touching 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
  • The next runner starts once the runner before her touches home plate.

Scoring

Lowest time earns 8 points, next lowest 7, and so on.

Field 2

Fielding

Star Drill

5 fielders per team

  • Five fielders take catcher, 1st, 2nd, shortstop and 3rd.
  • Catcher → 2nd → 3rd → 1st → shortstop → back to the catcher.
  • Time stops when the ball is back in the catcher’s possession, standing on home plate.

Scoring

Lowest time earns 8 points, next lowest 7, and so on.

Field 1

Hitting

Home Run Derby

3 batters per team

  • Three batters from each team.
  • Ten pitches each from a pitching machine.
  • Every swing is scored on where the ball lands.

6

Over the cones

4

Reaches outfield grass on a fly

2

Fair ball, just short of the outfield on a fly

0

Swing and miss

Find your rotation

  1. A

    Speed · Relay Race

    Break A (after the 9:00 AM games) · Field 3 · with Gompers Park Strikers & Shorewood Rhino

  2. B

    Fielding · Star Drill

    Break B (after the 11:00 AM games) · Field 2 · with Gompers Park Strikers & Shorewood Rhino

  3. C

    Hitting · Home Run Derby

    Break C (after the 1:00 PM games) · Field 1 · with Gompers Park Strikers & Shorewood Rhino

Official rotation

Break × field

Numbers are team numbers. Your team is highlighted.

BreakField 3SpeedField 2FieldingField 1Hitting
A
B
C

On Saturday, Break A follows the 9:00 AM games, Break B the 11:00 AM games and Break C the 1:00 PM games. Exact start times depend on when games finish. Text the Tournament Director for timing.

The field

Eight teams. One weekend.

Team numbers set each team’s Skills Competition rotation.

  1. 1

    MP Express

    Host team

  2. 2

    BRW Blast

    Team 2

  3. 3

    Bourbonnais Blast

    Team 3

  4. 4

    Gompers Park Strikers

    Team 4

  5. 5

    New Lenox Power

    Team 5

  6. 6

    Tinley Park Rockers

    Team 6

  7. 7

    Shorewood Rhino

    Team 7

  8. 8

    Sycamore Sycos

    Team 8

See every team’s skills rotation

Welcome, coaches

Thank you for playing Oktoberfest.

We look forward to a great weekend of competitive softball. Please review the tournament information and rules before the weekend so games run smoothly and every team gets a fair, enjoyable experience.

Dates
October 17–18, 2026
Location
11707 S. Homan Avenue, Merrionette Park, IL 60803
Governing rules
USSSA Fastpitch, with the tournament modifications listed on this page.

Know before the first pitch

Arrive early

Be ready to play up to 15 minutes before your scheduled game time.

Your lineup, your call

Bat nine or a continuous order. Declare it at the plate meeting; it can’t change once the game starts.

75-minute games

Finish the inning in progress. No new inning after time expires. The umpire starts the clock.

5-run max

Per team, per inning, in pool and bracket play. Unlimited in the declared final inning and the championship.

Minimum 9

Nine to start. Finish with eight for injury or illness, per USSSA vacant-spot rules.

Insurance due

Certificate of Insurance due before the first pitch Saturday, October 17.

Tournament format

Pool play. Bracket play. One champion.

Every game except the championship runs on a 75-minute clock, finish the inning. Here is how each stage differs.

1

Pool play

  • Saturday round robin: Pool A (teams 1–4) and Pool B (teams 5–8), three games each at 9:00, 11:00 and 1:00.
  • Five-run maximum per team, per inning.
  • Games may end in a tie; limited to six innings.
  • Mercy rules: 12 after 3, 10 after 4, 8 after 5.
  • Coin toss at the plate meeting decides home and away.
2

Bracket play

  • Sunday: seeds 1–8 after pool play. Quarterfinals 9:00 AM, semifinals 11:00 AM.
  • Seeded after pool play using the tiebreakers below.
  • Five-run max per inning; unlimited runs in the declared final inning.
  • Both head coaches must agree the next inning is final and tell the umpire before it begins.
  • Higher seed picks home or away. No mercy rules. Ties go to the Extra Inning Rule.
3

Championship

  • Sunday 1:00 PM on Field 2.
  • Six innings, no time limit.
  • Unlimited runs every inning.
  • No mercy rules.
  • Tied after six: Extra Inning Rule until a winner is determined.

Mercy rules · pool play only

Do not apply in bracket play or the championship.

12

after 3 innings

10

after 4 innings

8

after 5 innings

Tournament rules

Twenty-two rules, grouped so you can find them fast.

USSSA Fastpitch governs everything not covered here. Rule numbers match the official 2026 rules sheet.

  1. 1

    Game Scheduling

    • Game times are weather-dependent and may be adjusted by the Tournament Director.
    • Teams should be prepared to play up to 15 minutes before their scheduled game time.
  2. 3

    Game Time Limit

    • All games except the championship game have a 75-minute time limit.
    • Games will finish the inning in progress.
    • No new inning may begin after the time limit expires.
    • The umpire will start the official game clock.
  3. 4

    Championship Game

    • The championship game will be six innings with no time limit.
    • Unlimited runs are permitted in every inning.
    • If the game is tied after six innings, the Extra Inning Rule will apply until a winner is determined.
  4. 7

    Pool-Play Ties

    • Pool-play games may end in a tie.
    • Pool-play games are limited to six innings.

Pool-play seeding

How the bracket gets set.

Teams are seeded by pool-play winning percentage. A pool-play tie counts as one-half win and one-half loss. If two or more teams have identical records, the tiebreakers apply in order.

Seeding is finalized after the last pool-play game. In bracket play the higher seed chooses home or away.

  1. 1

    Runs against

    Fewest total runs allowed.

  2. 2

    Run differential

    Highest runs scored minus runs allowed.

  3. 3

    Runs scored

    Most total runs scored.

  4. 4

    Coin toss

    Used if teams remain tied.

Coaches' checklist

Five things to handle before Saturday.

  1. 1

    Email your Certificate of Insurance

    Send it to rubenmorua@gmail.com before the first pitch on Saturday, October 17.

    Email certificate
  2. 2

    Finalize your roster

    Rosters must be final before your first game, and every player must meet age-eligibility requirements.

  3. 3

    Pick your Skills Competition squad

    4 relay runners, 5 star-drill fielders and 3 derby hitters. Check your team’s Break A, B and C stations below.

    See your rotation
  4. 4

    Decide your lineup format

    Bat nine or continuous, game by game. Declare it at the plate meeting; it can’t switch once the game begins.

  5. 5

    Arrive early and watch the weather

    Games can start up to 15 minutes early. Weather decisions come from the Tournament Director.

Certificate of Insurance

Required before the first pitch.

All participating teams must submit a current Certificate of Insurance before the first pitch of the tournament on Saturday, October 17.

rubenmorua@gmail.com

Minimum roster

Nine players to start. A team may finish with eight due to injury or illness, per USSSA vacant batting-position rules. Rosters are final before your first game.

Location

Merrionette Park fields.

Games (Fields 1, 2, 3 and 6) and the Skills Competition (Fields 1–3) are at the Merrionette Park Baseball & Softball complex on South Homan Avenue, just south of 115th Street.

11707 S. Homan Avenue

Merrionette Park, IL 60803

Open in Maps Apple Maps

Game times are weather-dependent. Teams should be ready up to 15 minutes early. Weather, delay and cancellation decisions come from the Tournament Director.

Tournament Director

Kevin Giltmier

For any tournament-related questions, text Kevin. The Director reserves the right to make adjustments for weather, field conditions, safety or unforeseen circumstances; all scheduling and administrative decisions are final.

Text 773-317-0892

Text only, please. Include your team name so Kevin can respond quickly.