Early Bird Showdown – Tournament Information

Hosted by JP Sports

📅 March 27–29, 2026

🐦 Event Overview 🐦

Spring is here and the Early Bird Showdown is the perfect chance to kick off your season! Get your reps in early, face off against top competition, and set the tone for the year ahead.

Finalists of each age division will earn custom Early Bird–themed championship rings, proving your team was ready before anyone else.

This event is USSSA-sanctioned, giving your team the opportunity to earn USSSA points.

ALL TEAMS MUST BE USSSA SANCTIONED BEFORE THE START OF THE EVENT

🏟 Facility Information

• 315 Sports Complex is a premier, state-of-the-art youth sports destination in Illinois. Conveniently located just off I-57 in Bradley, the facility features 12-16 full synthetic turf fields, electronic jumbo-trons on championship fields (Fields 5 and 6), the delicious Plate'D Social Restaurant and Bar and many other top-of-the-line amenities including a playground and a gorgeous fully stocked pond, the park is a perfect destination for players and families alike.

        Facility Rules:

• NO Metal Spikes
• NO Sunflower Seeds
• NO Gum
• NO outside Food or Beverage (1 Team cooler per team, must be checked at gate and tagged)

📋 Tournament Details

• Sanctioning: Teams MUST Sanction and Roster at usssa.com 
• Waivers: Teams must complete waivers via JP Sports login
• Roster Compliance: Teams must be sanctioned and have a completed USSSA roster uploaded before the event starts
• Refund Policy: Please reference the JP Sports Rules. See Item 45 for Refund Policy.
• Rules: https://irp.cdn-website.com/6a9b086b/files/uploaded/2025-baseball-rules-3f5b0c10.pdf

📅 Schedule

• Dates: March 27–29, 2026
• Start Times: Games begin Friday no earlier than 5:00 p.m.
• Game Guarantee: 3 Games Minimum
• Format: 2 Pool Play Games followed by Bracket Play

⚾ Age Divisions & Field Dimensions

• 8u KP: 40’ mound / 60’ bases
• 9u: 46’ mound / 65’ bases
• 10u: 46’ mound / 65’ bases
• 11u: 50’ mound / 70’ bases
• 12u: 50’ mound / 70’ bases
• 13u: 54’ mound / 80’ bases
• 14u: 60’ mound / 90’ bases

⚠️ JP Sports reserves the right to modify and/or combine divisions as needed.

⚾ Bat Restrictions 

• All Bats 8u-14u AAA must be stamped 1.15 BPF per USSSA rule. All  bats for 14u Major and all high school divisions must use BBCOR per NFHS.
  
  Weight Drop Restrictions:
•  8u - 12u: No weight restrictions
• 13u: -3, -5 or -8 ONLY
• 14u A, 14u AA, 14u AAA: -3 or -5
• 14u MAJOR, High School Divisions: -3 BBCOR

💰 Entry Fees

• Gate Admission:
  • Weekend Pass: $25 per person
  • Single Day: $15 per person
  • Children 12 & under: FREE
  • Each team gets 3 coaches passes for the weekend

🏨 Hotels – Stay to Play

Stay and Play

Our tournaments are Stay to Play events - meaning teams outside of 90 miles from the complex are required to book their hotel rooms through our hotel partner, TRAVELING TEAMS®. With questions on this policy, requirements or restrictions, please email [email protected].

We have partnered with TRAVELING TEAMS® to secure discounted room blocks at a variety of tournament approved hotels close to our venues. This is a Stay to Play event. It is required that all teams traveling to this event from 90 miles or more reserve their lodging accommodations through TRAVELING TEAMS®. Thank you in advance for your cooperation;

• Please note booking through a third party, such as Priceline, Hotels.com or Expedia is NOT allowed.
• We don't currently offer an opt out, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out at [email protected]
• Teams failing to comply with the stay to play policy are subject to removal from the event, without refund.  

📲 Event Contacts

For questions about the event, USSSA, Discounts and Promos, please see the corresponding contacts at the bottom of the page.

The early bird gets the win — don’t miss your shot to soar ahead of the competition! Start strong, play hard, and go home with rings that prove your team was ready to rise before the rest.

✅ Register today