User Guide

Setup screen

The Setup screen is where each day's games begin. Here you can configure up to three games before starting your pre-game sequences.

Game configuration

Enter the relevant details for each game you are officiating that day. Home and away team names, the scheduled first pitch time etc. Pre-game milestone times are calculated and set automatically in the background according to WBSC standard timing — there's no need to configure these manually.

“BP in cage” toggle

In some cases, batting practice needs to take place in a batting cage rather than on the field itself. Toggling BP in Cage on for a given game adjusts that game's field preparation and maintenance countdown to reflect this, ensuring the milestone timing accurately matches what is happening on the ground. This can be set independently for each of your three games.

“Anthems” toggle

If a pre-game ceremony with anthems will take place, toggle Anthems on for that game. This adds 2 minutes to the Pre-Game Ceremony milestone, with the extra time taken from the Final Field Prep milestone so the overall schedule to first pitch remains accurate.

Play Ball! button

Once all games have been configured and toggles set, tap the Play Ball button to confirm your setup and launch the pre-game sequence. This action locks in your game details and moves TC Timer into the active timing mode, displaying the Game 1 pre-game milestone screen with the Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 slider at the top.

Reset button

The red Reset button clears all game data and returns the game details to default settings. Use this at the start of each new day before configuring your games. All timers, notes, and changeover data will be permanently cleared.

Pre-Game Timer Screens 

Once setup is complete and you've pressed Play Ball, TC Timer guides you through each pre-game milestone in sequence, for whichever game is currently active.

The standard pre-game sequence

TC Timer calculates milestones automatically in the background, following the standard WBSC pre-game schedule:

1.     Home team batting practice — 40 minutes

2.     Away team batting practice — 40 minutes

3.     Home team infield/outfield — 10 minutes

4.     Away team infield/outfield — 10 minutes

5.     Final field prep — 10 minutes

6.     Pre-game ceremony — 10 minutes

If the Anthems toggle is on for a game, 2 minutes are moved from Final Field Prep to Pre-Game Ceremony, extending the ceremony to 12 minutes.

Two key milestones to watch for

Two points in the sequence carry particular importance for a TC and are worth knowing in advance:

• Lineup collection — due 90 minutes before scheduled first pitch

• Umpires on the field — due 2 minutes before the pre-game ceremony begins 

Understanding milestone cards

Each milestone is displayed as a clear card showing the milestone/activity name and time remaining (or elapsed). As one milestone completes, the next becomes active.

Parallel milestones

Some milestones happen simultaneously — for example, field maintenance may continue while batting practice is underway in the batting cage(s). TC Timer displays these together in a single card so you can track both at once without switching screens.

Countdown to first pitch

A countdown to first pitch is always visible during the pre-game sequence, giving you a constant reference point regardless of which milestone is currently active.

Game On screen

Once all pre-game milestones are complete for a given game, TC Timer switches to the “Game On” screen for that game. This is your main working screen for the duration of that game, giving you access to the Disruption timer, Changeover timer, and Notes — all scoped to the game currently in progress.

Change Game Screen 

The Edit Game screen is accessible via the Change Game button from the Game On screen once your games are set up. It is particularly important during live tournament conditions, where delays and schedule changes frequently require on-the-fly adjustments. Any changes made here cause TC Timer to automatically recalculate and update all affected milestone/activity timers.

Changing the start time

If a game's scheduled start time changes — for example due to a rain delay — you can update it here. TC Timer will recalculate the entire pre-game sequence based on the new start time, updating all milestone countdowns accordingly.

When changing a start time, you will also need to consider the impact on warm-up activities. A delayed start often means less time is available for pre-game practice, and the Change Game screen gives you the tools to handle this:

Toggling warm-up activities on or off

Individual warm-up elements such as infield/outfield practice can be switched off entirely using a toggle. For example, if a rain delay means there is no longer time for infield/outfield warm-ups, you can toggle these off and TC Timer will remove them from the sequence and redistribute the time accordingly. 

Adjusting warm-up durations

If a warm-up activity is still going ahead but with reduced time — for example, a shorter infield/outfield session — you can adjust the duration directly. TC Timer will recalculate the sequence with the updated time allocation. Batting practice and Infield/Outfield duration set here will apply to both teams and milestone timers are adjusted accordingly.

Adjusting pre-game ceremony length

If the pre-game ceremony needs to be longer than the standard allocation — for example, to accommodate an Opening Ceremony — you can extend the time allocated to it here. TC Timer will recalculate all preceding milestones accordingly, so the overall schedule to first pitch remains accurate.