Little League has guidelines in place to manage the amount of pitches and how often a kid can pitch. It is often a source of confusion for parents when the coach removes a pitcher from the game seemingly for no reason. It's all based on the amount of pitches thrown and the number of calendar days afterwards until a pitcher can pitch again.

Click here for the official Little League pitching rules. Below is a summarized version.

The HEAD COACH is ALWAYS responsible for knowing when the pitcher must be removed (by keeping pitch counts during the game) and when they are eligible to pitch again. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Pitch limits are based on the players league age and are as follows:

• Ages 13-16:  95 pitches per day
• Ages 11-12:   85 pitches per day
• Ages 9-10:   75 pitches per day
• Ages 7-8 :   50 pitches per day

Pitchers reaching the thresholds during an at-bat may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occur:

• The batter reaches base
• The batter is put out
• The third out is made to complete the half inning.

For a pitcher to retain catching eligibility, they are limited to 40 pitches. Pitchers reaching 40 pitches during an at-bat may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occur:

• The batter reaches base
• The batter is put out
• The third out is made to complete the half inning.

A pitcher is allowed to play the catcher position only if they have not thrown more than 40 pitches, subject to the above conditions, otherwise the player may not play the catcher position for the remainder of that calendar day.

A catcher is allowed to play the pitcher position only if they have not caught more than 3 innings and have not thrown more than 20 pitches, subject to the above conditions, otherwise the player may not play the pitcher position the remainder of that calendar day. 

A catcher is not allowed to play the pitcher position as soon as one pitch is caught during their 4th inning of catching. 

• If a player pitches 66 or more pitches in a day, four (4) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 51-65 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 36-50 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 21-35 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar days of rest is required.

• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, four (4) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 61-75 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 46-60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 31-45 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 1-30 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar days of rest is required.

These are Little League rules. No Octorara Area Little League board member or coach has the authority to alter these rules. Each coach is expected to be well-versed in the pitching and catching eligibility rules to avoid using an ineligible player and creating on-field situations.

Octorara Area Little League is about providing kids opportunities that travel or other competitive baseball leagues may not allow due to those leagues' competitive nature. We know that kids want to win, but as coaches we also must be mindful of winning at all costs and reusing the same pitchers over and over. It's the coaches job to provide opportunities for development. The best experience is game experience. Even if its only a few batters and the pitcher is unable to throw strikes and has to be removed after just a few batters, the impact of that opportunity is immeasurable. Some of the biggest smiles occur when a kid is told they are pitching and they get the opportunity to be on the mound.

Here are some strategies that coaches can use.

1. Plan ahead. Know when your next game is and who you want pitch. For example, if you have games on Thursday and Saturday, know that a pitcher on Thursday can only throw 35 pitches in order to be eligible for Saturday. If you have games Wednesday and Saturday, only 50 pitches can be thrown on Wednesday. 

2. Manager the catchers. If your catcher is also a pitcher, limit them to only 3 innings so they would be available to pitch in the game if necessary. If your pitcher is also a catcher, remember he has to stop at 40 pitches (subject to the 3 exceptions noted above).

3. Reach out to an experienced coach for guidance and they'll be happy to share some of their strategies. 

The HEAD COACH is ALWAYS responsible for knowing when the pitcher must be removed (by keeping pitch counts during the game) and when they are eligible to pitch again. There are no exceptions to this rule.