BANNERS

Competing institutions' banners are not allowed on the playing field fence. They are allowed outside the playing field, subject to the approval of the games committee and Northwestern. Flags and banners should not obstruct the view of the fans or contain any corporate indentification, and must be tasteful.

CREDENTIALS

Northwestern will provide crendentials for access to the facility to the 28 members of each official travel party, the media, NCAA committee representatives, umpires and other game personnel. Anyone traveling with the team over the 28-person limit must purchase a ticket.

Participant Seating: Northwestern will provide a roped-off area for participants to sit in while not playing. If a team chooses to sit outside the designated area, it must purchase tickets for those seats. Parking: Northwestern will provide a parking area for participating teams and officials in the east lot of the Ryan Field Complex.

DESIGNATION OF HOME TEAM

The home team shall occupy the third-base dugout, warm-up first and wear white uniforms if it owns white uniforms. The visiting team shall wear a contrasting color. The committee or its designee will resolve any conflict in the selection of uniforms. Determination of uniform colors must be approved by the NCAA representative. The home team for the first round of regionals, super regionals and finals (four games) will be the higher-seeded team. In subsequent games, the home team shall be determined according to the following formula:

1. The games committee shall designate as home team the institution that has been home team the fewest times (each round is considered separately).
2. If two teams have been home team an equal number of times but visiting team an unequal number of times, the team that has been the visitor most often shall be designated as home team.
3. If two teams have been both home team and visiting team an equal number of times, and if the two teams previously met, the visitor in the initial game shall be the home team in the second game.
4. If two teams have been both home team and visiting team an equal number of times, the team that was the visitor in its preceding game shall be the home team, unless both teams were the visitor in their preceding games.
5. If the preceding formula does not prevail, the home team shall be determined by a coin toss.
6. When teams play back-to-back games, they must be prepared to change uniforms and dugouts, if necessary.

LENGTH AND SCHEDULE OF GAMES

All games shall be seven innings, except that a five-inning, eight-run rule will be used in all rounds of the championship except the Women's College World Series final game only (the eight-run rule will not be in effect). If play is stopped before a seven-inning game is completed and the eight-run rule is not in effect, it shall resume at the point of interruption. Every attempt should be made to complete regional and super regional competition by Sunday. Competition may go to Monday when the following occurs: (1) weather or emergency situations occur which prevent completion of competition; (2) any one team has to play more than three games in a day; or (3) in order to complete competition by Sunday, it would be necessary to begin competition after midnight Sunday.

Regional. If inclement weather limits play, every effort has been made to complete competition Sunday and competition cannot be completed by Monday, the team that will advance to the finals will be based on the following:

0 games played: Highest seed
1 game played: Highest seed
2 games played: Highest seed undefeated seed
3 games played: Highest seed undefeated seed
4 games played: Highest seed
5 games played: Highest undefeated seed
6 games played: Winner of game 6 unless each team has one loss, therefore the teams are tied, then:
1. Head-to-head competition.
2. Highest remaining seed.
3. Run differential (runs scored minus the runs allowed, with a limit of eight runs maximum per game).

LODGING

Eighteen rooms for the official traveling party (28) of the competing teams and officials (four rooms at regionals and Four rooms at super regionals) will be made by the host institution. Additional hotel accommodations may be reserved upon the request of the participating teams. If a school does not wish to stay at the designated hotel, it must contact the hotel by 2 p.m. (local time of host) on Monday preceeding competition and obtain a written release of the reserved rooms from the hotel management or utilize the rooms for persons accompanying the official party. Failure to make satisfactory arrangements will result in the room charges being deducted from the team's per diem.

Northwestern has blocked off rooms at the following hotel:

Hilton Northbrook Hotel
2855 North Milwaukee Ave.
Northbrook, IL 60062
Contact: Marilyn Hubers
Phone: (847) 480-7500
www.northbrook.hilton.com
Rate: $99+tax
Upgrade to suite for head coach

Area Restuarant Guide 

MEDIA INFORMATION

The NCAA shall control the issuance of media credentials for each of its championships. Subject to limitations of space, media credentials shall be assigned in accordance with the following priorities: (1) campus media certified by the director of athletics and/or sports information director of each participating and host institution, (2) certified media from the immediate locale of the championship or the immediate locale of the competing teams, and (3) other certified media.

Credentials will not be issued to representatives of any organization that regularly publishes, broadcasts or otherwise promotes the advertising of "tout sheets" or "tip sheets" or other advertising designed to encourage gambling on college sports events. In addition, credentials will not be issued to representatives of telephone reporting services and professional sports organizations.

Other conditions for obtaining media credentials may be implemented, based on the circumstances at the championship site. These conditions must be approved before the competition by Julie Evergerds, NCAA assistant director for media coordination, NCAA, P.O. Box 6222, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6222 (317/917- 6222).

For credential requests, please contact Northwestern's sports information director, Doug Meffley, at (847) 491-3688 or d-meffley@northwestern.edu.

Postcompetition interviews: Immediately after a 10-minute cooling-off period, the losing coach and requested players will be available to the media in the interview area open to all certified members of the news media; any coach and student-athletes requested by the media will be available for interviews. The winning coach and requested players will follow. The interview area will be in Anderson Hall, immediately adjacent to the third-base line of Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

If a team or individual is participating in an awards ceremony, the cooling-off period will begin immediately after the presentation. Regardless of regular-season radio or television contract(s), the coach is obligated to the entire covering media during the championship and must report to the interview room immediately after the 10-minute cooling-off period. The coach cannot delay a postcompetition interview with the covering media to conduct a program for a single newspaper, radio or television reporter, unless requested to remain for a short interview (not to exceed four minutes) by the television entity that has been granted television rights. Coaches cannot make themselves available to selected media representatives before the conclusion of the 10-minute cooling-off period (i.e., no one-on-one interviews before the postgame interview session). They may, however, open their dressing rooms and/or report to the interview area before the cooling-off period ends, and make themselves available to all media representatives staffing the championship. Should a coach permit one media agency to enter the cooling-off area before the 10-minute cooling-off period has ended, the area shall be opened to all other media representatives desiring access. The NCAA championships have an "open locker room policy," which is administered by the media coordinator on site.

Photo Areas: Photographers at Sharon J. Drysdale Field may be inside the fence down both foul lines in foul territory and beyond the infield dirt per NCAA guidelines. Single pods are permissible, but tripods or other stationary setups are not; the photographer must be immediately mobile to clear the area should a play enter foul territory near them. Photographers may work unrestricted on the playing field following completion of a game, but must clear the field quickly to permit for warm-up preparations for any following games.

Photographers are NEVER permitted in front of the dugouts after the start of competition. Any special requests should be directed to tournament media services director Doug Meffley at (847) 491-3688 or d-meffley@northwestern.edu.

MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS

As the event sponsor, the NCAA has valid authority to ensure that all student-athletes are physically fit to participate in its championships and that a student-athlete's team physician can determine whether an individual with an injury, an illness or other medical condition should continue to participate or is disqualified. In the absence of a team physician, the NCAA tournament physician, as designated by the host school, has the unchallengeable authority to examine the student athlete and make a decision of continued participation or medical disqualification. If, in the opinion of the tournament physician, continued participation by the injured student-athlete may expose others to a significantly enhanced risk of harm, or life threatening risk to himself or herself, the tournament physician has the final decision regarding participation by the student-athlete. Every scheduled practice or contest at Northwestern will include:

1. The presence on site of a person qualified and delegated to render emergency care to a stricken participant.
2. The presence or planned access to a physician for prompt medical evaluation of the situation, when warranted.
3. Planned access to a medical facility, including a plan for communication and transportation between the athletics site and the medical facility for prompt medical services, when warranted. Access to a working telephone or other telecommunications device, whether fixed or mobile should be assured.
4. All necessary emergency equipment will be at the site and quickly accessible. Equipment will be in good operation condition, and personnel are trained in advance to use it properly.
5. A thorough understanding by all parties, including the leadership of the visiting teams, of the personnel and procedures associated with the medical plan.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

	Batting Cages	Drysdale Field
Northwestern	2:30 - 3:30 p.m.	3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Illinois State	11 a.m. - Noon	Noon - 1 p.m.
Notre Dame	12:10 - 1:10 p.m.	1:10 - 2:10 p.m.
Wright State	1:20 - 2:20 p.m.	2:20 - 3:20 p.m.

NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.