League Policies and FAQs

• Post final scores and pitching stats within 24 hours of every game. Missing this is a forfeit.
• Report any ejection to the league office within 24 hours. The head coach makes the report, even when the ejected person is an assistant, a player or a parent. Not reporting adds a two game suspension.
• Take any complaint to your age group director first, and copy the coach you are complaining about.
• Protests die fast. Tell the Umpire in Charge before the game ends, email the league office within 24 hours, get the written protest and the $100.00 fee in within 72 hours.
• Alcohol is an immediate ban. No warnings, no exceptions, at any COYBL event.

Your age group director is the first point of contact for any discrepancy, complaint or inquiry. Do not start with the league office.

Age group	Director	Email	Phone
7U and 8U	Doug Hare	doughare@coybl.org	614-778-1391
9U	Pete Tarnapoll	pete.tarnapoll@gmail.com	614-563-1905
10U	Nate Whisner	natewhisner@gmail.com	740-258-0550
11U	Doug White	GBC2513@gmail.com	614-537-6623
12U	Pete Tarnapoll	pete.tarnapoll@gmail.com	614-563-1905
13U	Brad Elgin	belgin858@gmail.com	614-537-0956
14U	Mark Dountz	mdountz@gmail.com	614-989-3874
15U and 16U	Doug Hare	doughare@coybl.org	614-778-1391

League office

Doug Hare P.O. Box 1425 Pataskala, Ohio 43062-1425 Phone: 614-778-1391 Email: doughare@coybl.org

• Final scores and pitching stats for all COYBL games must be posted to the web site within 24 hours of the completion of each game. Any violation will result in a forfeit.
• Standings are determined by wins and losses, and by winning percentage, within your own division.
• Games played outside your division do not count toward division standings. Those games are recorded in the overall win and loss columns only.
• Do not post any ties. Ties are treated as a loss at the end of the season.
• Any tie in the divisional standings on the final day is decided by a one game playoff. There will be no co-champions.

• All teams are required to post their roster online at www.nations-baseball.com, for insurance purposes and in order to play in a Nations event.
• For help with any Nations Baseball question or inquiry, contact Nate Whisner at nate.whisner@nations-baseball.com.

Every coach, and anyone who interacts with youth players in COYBL, must be current and compliant on:

• HeadsUp concussion training (Ohio law)
• Lindsay's Law Sudden Cardiac Arrest training (Ohio law)
• Safe Sport Act (federal law)

Parents must also be current and compliant on Lindsay's Law Sudden Cardiac Arrest training.

Parent and coach training is completed through the COYBL site. No paper copies are accepted, for better trackability. Everything a coach or parent needs to know about these laws is on the player safety page.

COYBL also follows the USA Baseball Pure Baseball Policies and Procedures.

• COYBL has a zero tolerance, no alcohol policy.
• Alcohol is not permitted at any COYBL event, including practices, games and team functions.
• Any violation of this policy will result in an immediate ban from COYBL.

• All head coaches are responsible for the actions of all coaches, players and parents on their teams.
• All players, coaches, parents and fans are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike manner at all times.
• Any player, coach, parent or fan whose conduct is unbecoming or abusive will at minimum be warned, and may be removed from the playing field or the complex at the discretion of the umpires.
• Foul or abusive language will not be tolerated at any time.
• Cursing or throwing equipment is an automatic ejection.
• If a coach or team will not restrain and control its players, coaches, parents and fans, the players, coaches or team involved may be banned from league play for the season, and possibly for the following year if deemed severe.
• Taunting of any kind against the other team will not be tolerated. Players or coaches who take part in it will be removed from the game and the park by the umpires immediately, and will serve another game suspension. If severe, they may be banned from league play for a time determined by the league.

These rules apply to parents, umpires, coaches and other spectators at the game, not just to the people in the dugout.

Situation	Penalty
Coach ejected	Sits out that game and the next game
Player ejected	Sits out the remainder of that game only
Ejection not reported by the head coach within 24 hours	Two game suspension levied
Ejection deemed severe in nature	Further suspensions from the league could result
Ejected person does not leave the field and park area immediately and makes a bigger scene	Escalates to a 2 week suspension
Any physical contact (chest bump or push)	Suspension for the year or more
Any punches thrown	Lifetime ban from the league

Coach and player ejections must be reported to the league office by the head coach within 24 hours.

• All complaints against a coach or team must be sent to the league office, to your age group league director, and you must copy the coach of the team you are complaining about.
• If this step is not followed, your complaint will not be addressed until you comply.
• COYBL compiles a list of teams, coaches and umpires who receive complaints. If the volume is deemed excessive, or the issues are severe, you could be banned from play for the next year or longer.

What can be protested: rule interpretations, age violations and pitching violations.

What cannot be protested: judgment calls by umpires.

The sequence, and every deadline in it:

• Before the game is completed. Give the protest to the Umpire in Charge. Get the umpire's name and phone number.
• Within 24 hours. Email the protest to the league office. Submit the umpire's name and phone number along with it.
• Within 72 hours. Submit a written protest plus a $100.00 protest fee to the league office. The protest is not official until the fee is submitted.
• Refund. The $100.00 protest fee is refunded if the protest is allowed.

There is absolutely no leeway in these rules. No deviations are permitted, and violations will result in suspension from COYBL for the remainder of the year.

Recognition

Coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, administrators and contest officials shall be educated on the signs indicating thunderstorm development. The average distance between successive lightning flashes is approximately two to three miles, so anytime lightning can be seen or heard, the risk is already present.

Monitor weather by these methods:

• Monitor weather patterns. Watch local weather forecasts the day before and the morning of the competition, and scan the sky for signs of potential thunderstorm activity.
• National Weather Service. Weather can also be monitored with small, portable NWS weather radios. The NWS uses severe storm watches and warnings. A watch indicates conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop in an area. A warning indicates severe weather has been reported in an area and everyone should take proper precautions. Any thunderstorm poses a risk of injury or death even if it does not meet the criteria for severe weather. Anytime thunderstorms are in the forecast, even at only a 20 percent chance, event organizers shall be at a heightened level of awareness to the danger of lightning.

Management

• Evacuation. If lightning is imminent or a thunderstorm is approaching, all personnel, athletes and spectators shall evacuate to available safe structures or shelters. A list of the closest safe structures should be announced and displayed on placards at all athletic venues.
• Thirty minute rule. Competition or practice shall be suspended once lightning has been recognized or thunder is heard. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard before resuming. At average thunderstorm travel rates the storm should move 10 to 12 miles away, which significantly reduces the risk of local lightning flashes. Any subsequent lightning or thunder after the count begins resets the clock, and another 30 minute count starts.

Division	Metal or steel spikes
12U and below	Not allowed
13U and up	Allowed

A player's age on April 30 sets his division. A player may always play up in an older division.

Division	Age on April 30	Grade exception	Never eligible
7U	7 or under	Turns 8 before May 1: eligible only if in 1st grade	Turns 9 before May 1
8U	8 or under	Turns 9 before May 1: eligible only if in 2nd grade	Turns 10 before May 1
9U	9 or under	Turns 10 before May 1: eligible only if in 3rd grade	Turns 11 before May 1
10U	10 or under	Turns 11 before May 1: eligible only if in 4th grade	Turns 12 before May 1
11U	11 or under	Turns 12 before May 1: eligible only if in 5th grade	Turns 13 before May 1
12U	12 or under	Turns 13 before May 1: eligible only if in 6th grade	Turns 14 before May 1
13U	13 or under	Turns 14 before May 1: eligible only if in 7th grade	Turns 15 before May 1
14U	14 or under	Turns 15 before May 1: eligible only if in 8th grade	Turns 16 before May 1

Nations Baseball Ohio

Contact	Role	Phone	Email
Nate Whisner	Central Ohio Director	740-258-0550	nate.whisner@nations-baseball.com
Michelle Dowers	Ohio State Director	513-678-0747	Michelle.dowers@nations-baseball.com

Nate Whisner, 158 Maple Lane, Newark, Ohio 43055.

USSSA Ohio Baseball

Contact	Phone	Email
Dennis Dick	513-275-1211 (cell)	Dennis.dick@usssa.com

Who do I contact first when something goes wrong?

Your age group director. They are the first point of contact for any discrepancy, complaint or inquiry.

How fast do I have to post scores?

Within 24 hours of the completion of each game, and pitching stats go up in the same window.

What actually happens if I forget to post a score?

It is a forfeit. The policy says any violation of the 24 hour posting rule results in a forfeit.

Our game ended in a tie. What do I post?

Do not post ties. A tie is treated as a loss at the end of the season.

Do our games against other divisions count in the standings?

No. Division standings use only games inside your division. Games outside your division are recorded in the overall win and loss columns only.

We finished the season tied for first. Do we share the title?

No. There are no co-champions. Any tie in the divisional standings on the final day is settled by a one game playoff.

Can I protest a call I disagree with?

Not if it is a judgment call. Only rule interpretations, age violations and pitching violations can be protested.

What do I have to do to protest, and when?

Give the protest to the Umpire in Charge before the game is completed and get his name and phone number. Email the protest to the league office within 24 hours. Submit the written protest and the $100.00 fee within 72 hours. Skip any step and the protest is not official.

Do I get the $100.00 back?

Yes, if the protest is allowed. If it is not allowed, the league keeps the fee.

My assistant coach was ejected. Who reports it?

The head coach, to the league office, within 24 hours. That applies to coach and player ejections. If it is not reported, a two game suspension is levied.

How long does an ejected coach sit?

That game and the next game. An ejected player sits out the remainder of that game only.

What happens if someone refuses to leave after being ejected?

If the ejected person does not leave the field and park area as soon as they are ejected and makes a bigger scene, it escalates to a 2 week suspension.

What if it gets physical?

Any physical contact, such as a chest bump or a push, is a suspension for the year or more. Any punches thrown is a lifetime ban from the league. These rules apply to parents, umpires, coaches and spectators, not just coaches.

A parent from the other team was out of control. How do I file a complaint?

Send it to the league office and to your age group league director, and copy the coach of the team you are complaining about. If you do not copy that coach, your complaint will not be addressed until you do.

Can we have beer at a team function?

No. COYBL has a zero tolerance, no alcohol policy covering all COYBL events, including practices, games and team functions. Violating it is an immediate ban from COYBL.

We heard thunder. How long do we wait?

At least 30 minutes from the last flash of lightning seen or the last thunder heard. Any lightning or thunder during the count resets the clock to a full 30 minutes. There is no leeway and no deviation. Violations mean suspension from COYBL for the rest of the year.

Can my players wear metal spikes?

At 13U and up, yes. At 12U and below, no.

My player turns 11 on April 20. Can he still play 10U?

Only if he is in the 4th grade. A player who turns 11 before May 1 is not eligible for 10U otherwise, and a player who turns 12 before May 1 is never eligible for 10U. The same pattern applies in every division.

Can a player play up an age group?

Yes. Players may always play up in an older division.

What training do parents have to complete?

Lindsay's Law Sudden Cardiac Arrest training, done through the COYBL site. Paper copies are not accepted. Coaches carry a longer list: HeadsUp concussion training, Lindsay's Law and the Safe Sport Act.