SLVLL AA · At the field

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Pitching and rest

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Daily pitching limits · National rule

Pitching limits (Little League International rule): Regular-season daily maxima by league age: 6-8, 50; 9-10, 75; 11-12, 85. However, a league-age 12 player may not pitch in Minor League. The finish-batter exception ends at that batter reaching base, being retired, the third out, or removal before that at-bat ends. Minor pitchers may not pitch in two games in one day. Regular Season Pitching Rules

Lineup changes (Little League International rule)

Lineup changes (Little League International rule): A Minor League pitcher removed from pitching cannot return as pitcher in that game. Moving to another defensive position does not reset eligibility. Regular Season Pitching Rules

Pitching rest (Little League International rule)

Pitching rest (Little League International rule): For age 14 and under: 1-20 pitches requires zero calendar rest days; 21-35 one; 36-50 two; 51-65 three; 66 or more four. Use the first pitch to the batter for a rest threshold. No pitching on three consecutive days. Regular Season Pitching Rules

Arm and player safety (Safety guidance)

Arm and player safety (Safety guidance): Stop throwing for fatigue. Elbow or shoulder pain requires stopping pitching and sports-medicine evaluation. Coordinate workloads and recovery across teams; eligibility is not medical clearance. This learning checklist is not an actual pitch log or a prescribed exercise dose. Position Statement for Adolescent Baseball Pitchers

Catcher and pitcher role changes · National rule

Pitching limits (Little League International rule): Catching four innings in a game bars pitching that day. Pitching 41 or more bars catching, subject to the 40-pitch batter exception. Catching up to three innings then pitching 21 or more bars return to catcher, subject to the 20-pitch batter exception. One live pitch counts as an inning caught. Regular Season Pitching Rules

AA coach pitching · Adopted local rule

Pitching limits (SLVLL local rule): AA begins with player pitching from 46 feet. Four balls trigger coach pitching with the existing strikes, not a walk. The coach throws overhand from at least halfway between mound and plate. Each pitch is a strike unless both managers agree it was unhittable and redo it. Coach-pitch hit batters are not awarded a base and that pitch does not count; a ball hitting the coach is dead and re-pitched. SLVLL AA Local Rules

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Lineups and participation

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Player eligibility (SLVLL local rule)

Player eligibility (SLVLL local rule): SLVLL AA and AAA are draft-placement programs within Minor League Baseball, not national fixed age bands. The player agent must verify roster placement and any exception; division placement alone does not establish pitching eligibility. SLVLL Draft Policies

Player participation (SLVLL local rule)

Player participation (SLVLL local rule): AA uses a continuous batting order and at least six defensive outs. Players should not sit two consecutive defensive innings, subject to the published exceptions. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Lineup changes (SLVLL local rule)

Lineup changes (SLVLL local rule): SLVLL uses a continuous batting order: all available players bat in order. Defensive rotation is not the traditional substitute/starter batting-slot re-entry exercise. Keep pitching restrictions and mandatory play separate. SLVLL AA Local Rules

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Game and event rules

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Current rule changes (Little League International rule)

Current rule changes (Little League International rule): The 2026 national changes were checked separately from older local annotations. A national courtesy-runner permission does not itself prove local adoption. Do not import the Majors-only local paragraph into AAA or assume an intraleague option applies to district or tournament play. 2026 Rule Changes and Clarifications

Current rule changes (District 39 event rule)

Current rule changes (District 39 event rule): District 39 Minor interleague/TOC rules include continuous batting, six defensive outs, a five-run cap without an open inning and no courtesy runners. Interleague has a two-hour no-new-inning limit once regulation is reached; TOC has no time limit. These are distinct from SLVLL intraleague clocks and All Stars. District 39 Rules 2026

Current rule changes (SLVLL local rule)

Current rule changes (SLVLL local rule): AA innings end at three outs or five runs; there is no open inning. No new intraleague inning starts after 1 hour 30 minutes. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Illegal pitches and balks (Little League International rule)

Illegal pitches and balks (Little League International rule): Little League does not call balks in Major Division and below. Illegal-pitch rules still matter. There is no conventional pre-pitch-lead pickoff situation; do not confuse that with all later runner-retirement plays. What is a balk?

Infield fly (SLVLL local rule)

Infield fly (SLVLL local rule): The SLVLL AA instructions do not use the infield-fly rule. Continue the ordinary play rather than importing an automatic infield-fly batter out. SLVLL AA Local Rules Explanation of the Infield Fly Rule

Leaving a base (Little League International rule)

Leaving a base (Little League International rule): Under Rule 7.13, when the pitcher has the ball on the plate and the catcher is ready in the box, runners stay on base until the delivered pitch reaches the batter. Early departure is not a universal automatic out; the actual play controls the remedy. Little League Baseball Rulebook app: Rule 7.13

Bunting and slash hits (SLVLL local rule)

Bunting and slash hits (SLVLL local rule): SLVLL AA prohibits bunting and fake bunting. A fake bunt followed by a full swing calls the batter out without a warning. Do not import an AAA bunt station into AA. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Leaving a base (SLVLL local rule)

Leaving a base (SLVLL local rule): AA stealing begins only after the midseason point. Wait until the pitch crosses home plate; advance at most one base per steal and never beyond third. No extra advance on that steal overthrow. Coach-pitch stealing is allowed after the four-ball transition. A runner on third scores only on a batted ball or a bases-loaded player-pitch hit batter. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Leaving a base (SLVLL local rule)

Leaving a base (SLVLL local rule): In AA, play stops when an infielder controls the ball in the infield; runners who have not passed halfway return and those beyond halfway may continue at risk. On a batted-ball play, the separate overthrow provision limits each runner to one additional base on one overthrow in the play. It does not permit an extra base on a steal overthrow. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Uncaught third strike (Little League International rule)

Uncaught third strike (Little League International rule): In Minor League Baseball, the batter is out on strike three whether the catcher holds the pitch or not. The uncaught-third-strike advance used in Majors does not apply below the Majors division. Answers to Questions Asked by Little League Families

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Field dimensions

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Field dimensions (Little League International rule)

Field dimensions (Little League International rule): The Minor League field uses 60-foot bases and a 46-foot pitching distance. Local AA coach pitching has its separately stated delivery location. Little League Baseball Divisions

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Safety at practice

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Player eligibility (Little League International rule)

Player eligibility (Little League International rule): Minor player-pitch bats must satisfy Rule 1.10: maximum 33-inch length and 2-5/8-inch barrel, with the required USA Baseball marking for nonwood/laminated bats. Solid one-piece wood has a marking exemption. BBCOR alone is not the Minor certification option. Bat Rules

Arm and player safety (Little League International rule)

Arm and player safety (Little League International rule): Little League Appendix B prohibits on-deck batters in Minor League. A player should not handle a bat, even in an enclosure, until it is that player's turn at bat. Appendix B: Safety Code for Little League

Player eligibility (SLVLL local rule)

Player eligibility (SLVLL local rule): SLVLL AA requires the league-provided soft-core RIFF 5 ball for games and practices; do not substitute an arbitrary softer ball or infer a tee-ball bat exception. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Arm and player safety (SLVLL local rule)

Arm and player safety (SLVLL local rule): SLVLL local instructions do not require a slide on every play. Teach avoiding contact and a controlled return; the national head-first-slide rule still governs an advancing runner. SLVLL AA Local Rules

Arm and player safety (Little League International rule)

Arm and player safety (Little League International rule): In Little League Minor and Major divisions, a head-first slide while advancing makes the runner out and the ball remains live under Rule 7.08(a)(4). A head-first return to a base is permitted. Rule 7.00: The Runner FAQs

Before practice: the site and the plan

Coaching practice

Before practice: the site and the plan

Know the field address and where an ambulance would enter. Carry a charged phone.
Bring a first-aid kit and know where the nearest AED is, if the site has one.
Decide who calls 911 and who meets responders before anyone gets hurt.
Keep emergency contacts where your league keeps them. This planner has no place for names, medical details or phone numbers, and none should be typed into it.

Weather and heat

Safety guidance

Weather and heat

Thunder or lightning: stop, and move everyone into a substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle with the windows closed. A dugout is not shelter.
Wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out (National Weather Service guidance), and follow your site plan.
Heat: plan water breaks and shade. Stop a player who looks dizzy, confused or unusually tired and get help.

Head injury, fainting and emergencies

California law and CDC guidance

Head injury, fainting and emergencies

California Health and Safety Code 124235 applies to youth sports organizations in California: a player suspected of a concussion or other head injury, or who passes out or faints, is removed from the activity for the rest of the day.
That player does not return until a licensed healthcare provider gives written clearance. After a concussion or head injury, return follows a graduated protocol of at least seven days under that provider. The coach never clears a player.
For a suspected head injury the organization notifies a parent or guardian of the time, the symptoms seen and any treatment given.
Call 911 for anyone who is unresponsive, not breathing normally, or having a seizure. Start CPR and use an AED if trained and one is available.
Coaching advice: stop activity for chest pain, unusual shortness of breath or a racing heartbeat during exercise, and tell the parent or guardian.

Arms and throwing

Coaching practice

Arms and throwing

Any arm pain stops throwing for that player that day. Tell a parent or guardian.
Game pitch limits are maximums for games, not targets for practice. A practice plan never counts as pitching eligibility.
Breaks between throwing blocks are part of the plan. Do not shorten warm-up or throw more to fill time.

Lanes, bats and loose balls

Coaching practice

Lanes, bats and loose balls

Every throwing line throws the same direction; nobody walks between lines.
Only the batter holds a bat. Waiting players stand behind a marked line.
Balls are collected on an adult's call, never while someone is swinging or throwing. Players do not chase balls into another station.
Helmets for batters and runners, and any other equipment your rules require.

Adults at practice

League policy

Adults at practice

Drill adult counts are station minimums. Follow the organization's supervision, screening and reporting policies. California youth-service policy requires at least two mandated reporters to be present to the greatest extent possible when adults contact or supervise children (BPC 18975).
Only league-approved adults who have completed the required screening and training lead stations.
Keep adult-player interactions observable and interruptible: no one-on-one time out of sight.
If there are not enough approved adults for every station, run fewer stations. Never leave a station with bats or thrown balls unsupervised to make the numbers work.

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Coaching situations

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Build a player-first practice

Choose one game problem, demonstrate a short solution, let players make a decision, then use coaching points to improve the next rep.

Coaching point: Keep stations small enough for every player to act and explain a read.
Avoid: A busy schedule is not proof that players practiced the intended skill.
Also consider: Adjust station length to attention and league-approved staffing. Keep adult-player interactions observable and interruptible.

Coaching tip

Plan each player's participation

The adult prepares the SLVLL intraleague batting order and defensive rotation before the game. Under SLVLL local instructions for this program, all available players bat in order (a continuous batting order), and every player gets at least six outs on defense.

Coaching point: AA also restricts sitting two consecutive defensive innings, subject to its exceptions.
Avoid: Pitching eligibility is separate from a defensive-rotation plan.
Also consider: Check exceptions and the actual competition packet, especially when leaving intraleague play.

Related rule or safety source: Player participation Substitution Amendments

Keep the batting order continuous

A player changes defensive positions while the SLVLL continuous batting order remains in use.

Coaching point: Record participation without importing a traditional substitute/starter batting-slot exercise.
Avoid: Free defensive rotation does not permit an ineligible pitcher to return.
Also consider: Injury, late arrival and a new competition need their actual governing procedures.

Related rule or safety source: Substitution Substitution

Keep a removed pitcher off the mound

A Minor pitcher moves to another defensive position and later asks to pitch again in the same game.

Coaching point: Keep the adult's pitching record throughout the game.
Avoid: Changing position does not create a return right or remove fatigue.
Also consider: The player may need a non-throwing role even when another position is legal.

Related rule or safety source: Substitution Safety

Check the individual, not the division label

An adult checks a league-age 8 player's pitching limit and whether a league-age 12 player assigned to Minor may pitch. Regular-season daily maximums go by league age: 50 pitches for ages 6-8, 75 for ages 9-10 and 85 for ages 11-12. But a league-age 12 player may not pitch in Minor League.

Coaching point: Ages 9-10 have a 75-pitch ceiling and an eligible age 11 player has 85. Actual readiness can require less.
Avoid: A local roster exception is not a waiver of Regulation VI(j).
Also consider: The player agent verifies placement; the coach verifies pitching eligibility, rest and workload.

Related rule or safety source: Eligibility Pitching limits Rest

Choose the correct game clock

The team is preparing for an SLVLL intraleague game, not a District 39 interleague game or TOC. Under SLVLL AA local instructions, no new intraleague inning starts after 1 hour 30 minutes. District 39 interleague games instead use a two-hour no-new-inning limit once regulation is reached, and TOC has no time limit.

Coaching point: Both local programs use a five-run cap with no open inning. AAA also states a two-hour game limit.
Avoid: District interleague and TOC provisions do not erase the local intraleague clock.
Also consider: Ask the organizer for the actual event packet before changing competition.

Related rule or safety source: Amendments Amendments

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Sources and review date

Sources reviewed 2026-09-26. National rules, written SLVLL local rules and coaching tips have different authority. Check the current official rules and written local options for your game. Coaching suggestions are teaching choices.