Congratulations on qualifying for the TMSAA Softball State Championships! Below is pertinent information for preparing for the tournament. Should you have any questions leading up to the event, please contact Richard McWhirter at Rmcwhirter@tssaa.org.
The 2026 TSSAA Middle School Softball State Championships will take place at Frost Stadium and Warner Park in Chattanooga on May 12-13, 2026. For brackets, click here: https://tssaasports.com/tmsaa/.
Venues
Warner Park (consolations)
Frost Stadium (Semis & Championships)
301 N Holtzclaw Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404
Admission Prices
Advance Tickets are $10 per person on GoFan.
Cash Tickets at the gate are $12 per person.
Everyone age 5 and older must purchase a ticket.
TACA Cards will be honored when presented with a matching photo ID.
TSSAA/TMSAA ID Cards will NOT be accepted for admission.
School administrators who are registered on the TSSAA Portal can sign in for free admission at the gate.
Parking - No Parking Fee
Arrival - Each team will be allowed free admittance for no more than 20 players, 2 managers, a scorekeeper, and all coaches that are registered with TSSAA. The team party should enter together as one group. Please note that your school will be invoiced for any additional persons entering with the team party. Players should arrive dressed and ready to play.
The top team in the bracket will sit in the first base dugout; the bottom team will sit in the third base dugout. Water will be provided in the team dugouts.
Line-Up Cards - Coaches should have their line-up written out and ready to give to the scorekeeper (press box), opposing coach, and umpire prior to the game. Only 20 players are eligible to participate for each game. Those 20 will be listed on your line-up card. They will be listed as your starters and then your substitutes. Also, those 20 eligible players will be the only players who can participate during your infield practice prior to the start of the game. Additional players in uniform will be allowed to sit in the team dugout but will be ineligible to play. You can interchange your list of 20 eligible players from game to game if you choose to do so.
Submitting Rosters - GameChanger will be used for live scoring during the state tournament games. Schools need to submit their team roster details with player number, player name, position, and grade through the TSSAA Portal by Monday, May 11th at 12pm CDT so that information can be uploaded to GameChanger. Coaches, SIDs, and Athletic Directors are permitted to enter roster details. Follow the instructions below to submit your roster:
- Sign into your TSSAA Portal Account.
- Click on Sports.
- Click on Rosters & Schedules.
- Click on the Roster Details button across from Baseball and then follow the instructions given on the screen. As you submit the requested information, we recommend you periodically hit the Save Changes button so you are not timed out of the system.
Starting Times & Warm-Ups - Please refer to the tournament bracket, which gives you the starting times for each game. In the event a semifinal game goes long, the teams for the next game will be guaranteed 10 minutes of infield warmup for each team (visiting team first, followed by the home team). A pregame conference will be held between the umpire and both head coaches following infield warm-up. For championship and consolation games, no infield warmup will be allowed.
There will be no practice in advance of the tournament at the game sites.
Coin Toss, National Anthem, Player Introductions - Upon arrival at the tournament site, there will be a coin toss conducted by TSSAA personnel to determine the home and visiting team for each game.
Prior to the first game of the day at each site, the National Anthem will be played. Teams should go to the dugout for the playing of the National Anthem. Following the National Anthem, teams will be introduced. The visiting team will be introduced first, followed by the home team. Players should go the foul line in front of their dugout as their name is called.
Tournament Rules - By mutual agreement of the opposing coaches and the umpire-in-chief, any remaining play may be shortened at any time or the game terminated.
A suspended game shall be continued from the point of suspension unless 4 ½ innings have been completed with the home team ahead (NFHS Softball Rule 4-2-2).
The international tie-breaker will be used in tournament play beginning in the 10th inning.
No tobacco or sunflower seeds will be allowed on the field or in the dugouts.
Game Ball - Wilson is the official ball sponsor of TSSAA. The state championship games will be played with the A9011 (WTA9011BSST) ball.
Awards - The following awards will be distributed to participating teams:
1st Place: Champion team trophy, champion coach’s plaque, 20 champion team medals, game ball
2nd Place: Runner-up team trophy, runner-up coach’s plaque
3rd Place: 3rd place team trophy
TSSAA Championship Merchandise -Northwest Designs is the official merchandise provider for the TSSAA. Northwest Designs will be on-site selling TSSAA Championship t-shirts and other championship paraphernalia.
Media - All media should contact Matthew Gillespie at the TSSAA office phone number (615-889-6740) or by email at mgillespie@tssaa.org to request press credentials.
Hotel Information - TBD