Criteria

Classification Criteria Support

2026 Section, District, Region Assignments

2025 Criteria Points (As of 9-20-25)

2025 Classification

2024 Criteria points as of September 7, 2024

2023 Criteria points as of September 5, 2023

2022-2023 Criteria points as of September 6, 2022

2022 Class A, B, C Criteria Points

2021 Class B Criteria Points

2021 Class C Criteria Points

2020 Class B Criteria Points

2020 Class C Criteria Points

2019 Class B Criteria Points

2019 Class C Criteria Points

2020 Census School District Criteria Data

2020 Census City Criteria Data

Team Managers are responsible for maintaining current team and roster records for the following:

  • Population criteria (city or school district)
  • Ballpark address
  • Business & Financial Manager address and contact info

Roster

  • Address
  • Date of Birth
  • Jersey number
  • Player level of experience
  • High School attended
  • Active status
  • Drafted status and team

League Secretaries are responsible for following up and ensuring team and roster information is fully completed. League Secretaries should work with their team managers on understanding the MBA criteria requirements and steward them through the approval process.

Point system breakdown

Teams will accrue 1 point per 1,000 people in their town/township or school district

Player Level of Experience Points

  • Pro = 5 points
  • Division I = 4 points
  • Division II = 3 points
  • Division III/NAIA = 2 points
  • Junior College = 1 points

Players 35 and older will not accrue points for teams but hometown rule players will accrue points based on their college playing experience level and will not be grandfathered in. The professional level excludes any Independent League experience. Their highest level of college will be applied.

Postseason Success Points (only the past five years are considered)

Each state tournament game played by a team, include a bye game, will count as one point toward its success points. Previous success point totals shall count as one point per game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Player Exemptions

Players 35 and older should be selected as exempt when registering. Any players who turn 35 prior to April 15 will not accrue points for a team. They should be exempt when registering. Any player who turns 35 after April 15 cannot be exempt until the next season.

Hometown Rule players under age 35 who have college experience will incur points.

Teams with populations of less than 1,000 should put 1 for their population total. Those teams using a township for their population need to put in township in their ballpark address when registering.

Players who live within the school district or town/township boundaries at the time of their contract signing do not incur points and should be listed as exempt.

Hometown Rule

The Hometown Rule is established to allow players to reconnect with their hometown areas. Players interested in this option must submit a written request to the Board outlining their history with the hometown area and reasons for the exception. If the Board feels more information is needed, the player may be requested to appear before the Board for clarification. Players under age 35 using this rule will incur points if they played college baseball. There will be a maximum of two players added to each respective roster per year.

Descendant Rule

Allows a direct descendant of a team’s current or former player to play outside of the radius. Requirements: apply online, 16 years or older, all appropriate criteria points are charged, PLUS an additional point (1), Release requested if needed 

Player Contracts

All players must be put onto the team’s active roster and approved by each respective league secretary.

A team can have more than 25 active players prior to the June 30 deadline but in order to play in the playoffs they must have played in four league games. Teams should make players left off the playoff roster inactive.

Inactive players can still play following the June 30 deadline, provided they’re eligible. Teams are to notify each other that they are using a player not on the playoff roster.

Teams that use iScore must keep all players active in order for them to appear in iScore. Teams, however, need to make players who will not play in the playoffs inactive prior to the start of the playoffs.

Any player who needs a release from a defunct team must contact the MBA secretary if the manager of the defunct team cannot be reached to grant a release.

Player Points

On March 15, all teams have their rosters open. They have until April 14 to add or release players, as well as make them active or inactive. On April 15 all players on the active roster will accrue points, if they have points based on their playing experience. Players left inactive in April will not accrue points until they are made active.

CRITERIA METHODOLOGY FOR 2026 SEASON AND FUTURE SEASONS

At the conclusion of the 2026 season, the following are used to determine Team Classification for the 2027 season and future seasons:

  • Success Points: the five-year look back (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
  • Success Point methodology for each of those years is: 1 point per State Tournament game played (Byes count as a game played)
  • Population and Player Point methodology will remain the same (see Handbook for details)

These total Criteria values will determine team classification:

  • Class A: 36 points or higher
  • Class B: 20 points to 35 points
  • Class C: 19 points or lower
  • Teams can opt to play up a Class
  • All teams wanting to petition to a different class for 2027 must do so by the November 2026 MBA Board Meeting
  • Teams’ Criteria Point totals at the end of the 2026 season will be locked and will determine the team’s Classification for the 2027 season. Even if teams purge player points in March 15-April 15, 2027, your Classification will be based on your 2026 end of season value.

All teams playing in Class B or C must follow these additional rules, specifically:

  • To play Class B or Class C, teams may not use College Address players. Such players will NOT be Grandfathered in; if they wish to remain on the roster, the team must play Class A.
  • As stated, updated Criteria Points as of the end of the previous season will be used for the following year’s classification. However, if during the current season a team adds players, activates players, or active players’ highest level of play changes, such that the team’s new Criteria Total falls into a higher Class, the team will IMMEDIATELY be reclassified as such.

After the conclusion of the season, teams’ Criteria points will update using a five-year look back period. Teams may move up or down Classes based on that new number for the next season. Teams no longer have to stay in a Class for two years. But they must petition at a regular MBA meeting to be granted the move in classification.