Last updated July 24, 2026
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Roster posted | On your team page at COYBL.ORG before your 1st game |
| Birth certificates | Coaches must always carry copies. Cannot produce them on request, you forfeit |
| Umpire info | Both teams must record umpire names and OHSAA numbers before the game starts |
| Temperature | At least 40 degrees Fahrenheit at first pitch and for the whole game |
| Lineup | Roster bat, every game |
| Minimum players | 8 to start and finish, and you take an out for the 9th spot |
| Rule | 7U and 8U |
|---|---|
| Regulation game | 6 full innings, or 5 1/2 if the home team is winning |
| Time limit | 2 hours on all games |
| Run limit, innings 1 through 5 | 7 runs |
| Run limit, 6th inning | Unlimited |
| Mercy | 15 runs after 4 innings (3 1/2 if home is ahead), 10 runs after 5 innings |
| Defense | 9 or 10 players, including a pitcher and a catcher |
| Coach pitch distance | 40 feet from the tip of home plate |
| At bat | 6 pitches or 3 strikes |
| Safety arc | 30 feet from the back tip of home plate |
| Pitcher's circle | 10 foot diameter around the pitching rubber |
| Bat barrel | No larger than 2 3/4 inches |
| Metal spikes | Prohibited |
| Stealing, bunting, infield fly, intentional walks | None of them |
| Overthrow | One base only |
| Divisional umpires | At least one certified COYBL approved umpire |
| Protest fee | $100.00 |
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| 15 runs after 4 innings (3 1/2 innings if the home team is ahead) | Game over |
| 10 runs after 5 innings | Game over |
Defense and the pitching position
Batting
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pitches per batter | Six pitches or three strikes |
| Foul ball on the sixth pitch | The batter continues batting until he or she either does not make contact with the ball or puts the ball in play |
| Bunt or half swing | Foul ball |
| Batter hit by the pitch | No base awarded |
| Batting order | All teams must roster bat for all games |
| Runs, innings 1 through 5 | 7 run limit |
| Runs, 6th inning | Unlimited |
Substitution
Dead ball, base running and pace of play
Not in play at 7U and 8U
Equipment and schedule
| Marking | Dimension | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Safety arc | 30 feet from the back tip of home plate, first base line to third base line | Fielders must stay beyond the arc until the ball is hit |
| Pitching plate | 40 feet from the tip of home plate | The spot from which the coach must pitch |
| Pitcher's circle | 10 foot diameter with the pitching rubber in the middle | Safety area for the player in the pitching position |
Penalties when the defensive player listed as pitcher leaves the circle before the ball is hit:
| Offense by the same pitcher | Result |
|---|---|
| First | The play continues. After the play has ended, the offensive team has the option of taking the result of the play or accepting a no pitch and ruling the play as over |
| Second | That player is removed from the pitching position for the remainder of that inning |
| Any time after that | That player is removed from the pitching mound for the remainder of the game |
If weather or darkness interferes with play so that the umpire calls the game, it is a regulation game if:
Note: If the game is tied when the umpire decides to end the game after 4 full innings, or if the visiting team has recorded 3 offensive outs in the 4th inning, then the game is to be resumed as it stands with all offensive and defensive stats kept and recorded. This is specifically mandatory for division games. This is not mandatory for non division games. (An agreement between head coaches can be made in a safe place after the game has ended as to whether and how the game will be finished for non division games.)
| When play stopped | What happens |
|---|---|
| Beyond 4 full innings | The final score of the game reverts to the score after the last completed full inning of play after the 4th full inning for the games |
| Before 4 full innings | An agreement must be made by the two head coaches, in witness of the umpire in charge, to resume the game with offensive and defensive stats kept and recorded, or to start the game over from the beginning. If an agreement cannot be reached, then the game is to be resumed from where it was stopped |
Note: Please refer to Pitching Rules for pitcher eligibility for a resumed game.
| Doubleheader type | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Divisional | Umpire fees are split by both teams |
| Non division | Umpire fees are determined by the participating teams |
All ages
Playing for more than one team
Leaving teams
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| What can be protested | Only rule interpretations, age violations and pitching violations. Judgment calls of umpires are not eligible for protest |
| At the game | The protest must be given to the umpire before the game is completed. The protesting team must get the umpire's name and phone number and submit it along with the protest to the league office |
| Within 24 hours | Protest must be made to the league office by email |
| Within 72 hours | A $100.00 protest fee must be submitted with a written protest to the league office to make the protest official |
| Refund | The $100.00 protest fee is refunded if the protest is allowed |
| Situation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Coach ejected | Sits out that game and the next game as well |
| Player ejected | Sits out the remainder of that game only |
| Reporting | Coach and player ejections must be reported to the league office by the head coach within 24 hours |
| Ejection not reported | A two game suspension is levied |
| Ejection deemed severe in nature | Further suspensions from the league could result |
| Ejected person does not leave the field and park area as soon as they are ejected and makes a bigger scene | Escalated to a 2 week suspension |
| Any physical contact, for example a chest bump or a push | Suspension for the year or more |
| Any punches thrown | Lifetime ban from the league |
These rules pertain to parents, umpires, coaches and other spectators at the game.
Recognition. Coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, administrators and contest officials shall be educated regarding the signs indicating thunderstorm development. Since the average distance between successive lightning flashes is approximately two to three miles, ANYTIME that lightning can be seen or heard, the risk is already present. Weather can be monitored using the following methods.
Management
Safety of the players, coaches, parents and spectators is of the utmost importance and there is absolutely no leeway in these rules. No deviations from this rule are permitted, and violations will result in suspension from COYBL for the remainder of the year.
A player's age on April 30 sets the division. Find your division in the table.
| Division | Ineligible if the player turns this age before May 1 | Exception: eligible if in this grade | Never eligible if the player turns this age before May 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7U | 8 | 1st | 9 |
| 8U | 9 | 2nd | 10 |
| 9U | 10 | 3rd | 11 |
| 10U | 11 | 4th | 12 |
| 11U | 12 | 5th | 13 |
| 12U | 13 | 6th | 14 |
| 13U | 14 | 7th | 15 |
| 14U | 15 | 8th | 16 |
Any player can play "UP" in an older age group for COYBL play.
This information is provided to help reduce the risk of injuries. These are not official rules.
By far, the biggest risk factor for pitchers is overuse and fatigue. Compared to healthy teammates, adolescent pitchers who undergo elbow or shoulder surgery were 36 times more likely to have routinely pitched with arm fatigue. Pitching mechanics, such as hip to shoulder separation and forward trunk tilt, change as players become fatigued.
Numerous studies have shown that pitching too many months, pitching too many innings, pitching too deep into games, violating pitch count recommendations and acute spikes in workload significantly increase the risk of injury. Pitchers should avoid pitching on consecutive days. Follow Pitch Smart guidelines to succeed and stay on the field.
A showcase can be a terrific opportunity for young players to demonstrate their skills for college coaches and professional scouts. However, pitching in a showcase during the offseason can be particularly hazardous, especially if a pitcher does not have his arm in proper pitching shape. Pitchers should treat these appearances as they would any other game for purposes of daily, weekly and annual pitch count limits. Furthermore, they should avoid the temptation to overthrow in an attempt to light up the radar gun to make a favorable impression.
Young pitchers who throw curveballs and sliders may experience more elbow or shoulder pain. However, field studies have not shown increased risk of elbow or shoulder injury with throwing curveballs. Furthermore, the curveball produces similar or even less force, torque and muscle activity about the elbow and shoulder than the fastball does. Hence, pitchers should learn good fastball mechanics and proper arm slot first before introducing breaking balls.
At any level, a pitcher should not also be a catcher for his team, as the combination of these two positions results in far more throwing than is required at other positions. Pitchers who also played catcher were three times more likely to suffer a major arm injury than pitchers who did not also play catcher.
Injuries are more likely when there is more stress placed on the body. Higher velocity throws place more stress on the shoulder and elbow, and pitchers who throw with greater velocity than other players their age should be particularly careful to follow Pitch Smart guidelines. It is important that all players establish proper mechanics and throwing techniques before trying to increase their velocity.
Youth baseball pitching mounds vary from flat ground to 10 inch high adult mounds. One study found less stress on the throwing arm when pitching from flat ground, but two other studies found no such difference. Both variations are thus likely acceptable.
Pitching distance is another important consideration. In some communities young players transition directly from 46 feet pitching distance to adult 60.5 feet pitching distance, whereas other communities include leagues with an intermediate distance (such as 50 or 54 feet). Shoulder force increases with pitching distance, so inclusion of intermediate pitching distance leagues while adolescent pitchers work up to the adult distance is preferred.
Many youth and adolescent players choose not to play any other sports and focus solely on baseball to improve their skills and to make themselves more competitive. However, focusing just on baseball year round may increase the risk of injury. Several retrospective studies of professional baseball players have demonstrated that those players who specialized in solely baseball prior to high school have higher rates of injury. It is thus recommended that single sport specialization be delayed at least until high school and preferably until college, although all athletes should maintain baseball specific strength and conditioning in the offseason, such as maintaining shoulder range of motion as well as the strength and endurance of the muscles within the core and around the shoulder blade.
"It's not the heat, it's the humidity." That's a partly valid phrase you may have heard in the summer, but it's actually both. The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. This has important considerations for the human body's comfort.
When the body gets too hot, it begins to perspire or sweat to cool itself off. If the perspiration is not able to evaporate, the body cannot regulate its temperature. Evaporation is a cooling process. When perspiration is evaporated off the body, it effectively reduces the body's temperature. When the atmospheric moisture content (relative humidity) is high, the rate of evaporation from the body decreases. In other words, the human body feels warmer in humid conditions. The opposite is true when the relative humidity decreases, because the rate of perspiration increases. The body actually feels cooler in arid conditions. There is a direct relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity and the heat index, meaning as the air temperature and relative humidity increase (decrease), the heat index increases (decreases).
To determine the heat index you need to know the air temperature and the relative humidity. For example, if the air temperature is 100°F and the relative humidity is 55%, the heat index will be 124°F. When the relative humidity is low, the apparent temperature can actually be lower than the air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is 100°F and the relative humidity is 15%, the heat index is 96°F.
Heat index values are for shady locations. If you are exposed to direct sunlight, the heat index value can be increased by up to 15°F. Heat indices meeting or exceeding 103°F can lead to dangerous heat disorders with prolonged exposure and physical activity in the heat.
| Classification | Heat index | Effect on the body |
|---|---|---|
| Caution | 80°F to 90°F | Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity |
| Extreme Caution | 90°F to 103°F | Heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity |
| Danger | 103°F to 124°F | Heat cramps or heat exhaustion likely, and heat stroke possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity |
| Extreme Danger | 125°F or higher | Heat stroke highly likely |