Coaches Checklist

Required training

All three are law, not league preference. Head coaches and assistants both have to be current.

Training	Who	Good for	Where
Concussion in Sports (Ohio law)	Head coaches and all assistants	3 years	NFHS Learn, nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-in-sports-2
Lindsay's Law, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (Ohio law)	All coaches and all parents	1 year	The link on the Player Safety page
Abuse Awareness for Adults (federal law)	All coaches	One time only	usabdevelops.com

• Take Concussion in Sports at nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-in-sports-2. Create an NFHS account, select Ohio at "Please Select your State", click Order Course and follow the prompts. There is no charge. NFHS tracks the courses you complete.
• Write down the date you finished it. COYBL does not collect proof, but registration asks every year when you last certified. If you cannot recall, take it again now.
• Complete Lindsay's Law through the link on the Player Safety page. Even if you took it for another sport, go to that link and sign the forms. Paper copies and emailed forms are not accepted.
• Get every parent on your team through the same Lindsay's Law link. Parents are covered by this law, not just coaches.
• Complete Abuse Awareness for Adults using the steps below. You are issued a certificate.

Abuse Awareness for Adults, step by step (all coaches)

• Go to www.usabdevelops.com and click the red "Sign In" button in the top right corner.
• Create an account, or sign in if you already have one.
• Under "Organization", type Central Ohio and click the name that pops up, "Central Ohio Youth Baseball League". Do not type over it. COYBL only gets credit if you pick the populated name.
• Find "Education" in the second toolbar and hover over "Course Catalog".
• Find the Abuse Awareness for Adults course, add it to your cart and check out. Choose a delivery address. No promo code is needed, the course is free.
• Click the course link at the top of the confirmation page and take the course.
• Return to "My Profile" when you finish, then click the big red "View Certifications" button to check your Pure Baseball Compliant status.

Roster and team page

• Post your full roster on your COYBL team page before your first game. Games played before the roster is posted are forfeits.
• Mark every player who might pitch as a pitcher on the roster. That is what populates the pitch tracker.
• Keep the roster to 22 players or fewer.
• Add your home field to your team page, the field or park name and address, or a Google Maps link.
• Check every player's age and grade before you add him. See the table below and the Age Eligibility page.
• Confirm any player who is also on a second COYBL roster is listed on both rosters. He can only pitch for his primary team, and a player borrowed to fill a roster spot may not pitch for the team borrowing him.
• Put a printed roster and a copy of every player's birth certificate in your bag. You forfeit the game if you cannot produce them when asked.

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

Division	Ineligible if he turns this age before May 1	Unless he is in this grade	Never eligible if he turns
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

Using an illegal player, or a player who is not on your roster, forfeits every game he played in. A league director can apply that forfeit at any point in the season, including retroactively.

Sanctioning bodies and outside events

• Post your roster on your USSSA team page if you play any USSSA sanctioned tournament. COYBL has already paid your USSSA registration fee.
• Post your roster on your Five Tool Youth team page. You cannot enter a Five Tool sanctioned event unless your roster is on that page.

Insurance

• Have a liability insurance policy in place before you play any game under COYBL.
• Option 1 at registration: you are covered by the league policy. If you elected team insurance, the policy is on your Five Tool team page.
• Option 2: name COYBL as additional insured on your own policy and send a copy to the league office at 152 Glen Crossing Drive, Etna, Ohio 43062.
• Add additional insureds on your Five Tool team page for your home field, your practice sites and any tournament that requires it.

Equipment

• Inspect every helmet. All helmets must be NOCSAE approved and free of cracks or damage. Set up a rotation so helmets get spot checked daily during the season.
• Inspect the catcher's gear. Masks must have a throat protector.
• Check player gloves, point out hazards to the player, and to the parent if it is serious.
• Buy bats that are legal under the Five Tool Youth, USSSA or USA Baseball bat rules. At 7U and 8U the barrel cannot be larger than 2 3/4 inches.
• Buy the right game balls for your age group. Anything not listed needs league approval before you use it in league play. Full list on the Approved Baseballs page.
• Sort out spikes before the first practice, using the table below.
• Pack a well stocked first aid kit, a water cooler and ice for every game and practice.
• Pack rubber gloves for treating open wounds.

Ages	Approved baseballs
8U to 12U	Diamond DOL-1, Pro Nine OL1, DBat PRO L, Rawlings RLLB, Wilson A1074, Baden 1BBG, AD Starr AD 200
13U and 14U	Diamond DOL-A, Pro Nine OLA, DBat PRO T, Rawlings ROLB, Wilson A1075, Wilson A1078, Wilson A1072, Baden 2BBG, AD Starr AD300
15U and up	Diamond D1-NFHS, Pro Nine NFHS, Rawlings R100, Wilson A1010, Baden 3B NFHS

Ages	Metal spikes
7U to 12U	Prohibited. Rubber spikes recommended.
13U and up	Permitted.

Field and safety prep

• Walk your home field before the season. Look for holes in the infield and outfield, gaps or damage in the backstop and fencing, unprotected overthrow areas, and broken glass or metal in the dugouts.
• Ask the facility owner to post signs warning spectators of the risks of attending.
• Move your team to a safe spot for the whole game if the benches sit too close to the field.
• Check that the on deck circle is far enough from the batter to give reaction time, and far enough from the dugout that the on deck hitter is not a danger to anyone.
• Write an emergency plan. Assign who calls for help, who meets the squad and directs it in, and who treats the injury. Make sure every coach and player knows his assignment.
• Write a severe weather plan for tornadoes, heavy downpours and lightning, and identify the closest safe structure at every field you use.
• Teach players to check around them before they swing a bat and to watch where they walk near anyone swinging.
• Teach players to keep all equipment out of play.
• Require full gear on catchers in the bullpen as well as on the field. A coach catching a pitcher who is warming up wears a facemask at minimum.
• Require a helmet on the batter and on any player throwing batting practice. Helmets stay on inside a cage or anywhere balls are being pitched.
• Talk to players and parents about cups and protective gear. Base coaches are encouraged to wear a cup. A coach who does not wear one stays no closer to the plate than the coach's box and points toward the infielders.
• Put a batting helmet on any player who has to coach a base. Players should not routinely coach a base.
• Believe a player who tells you he is hurt.

Season dates

• Watch for the 2027 league end dates and league tournament dates. They are to be announced and will be posted on the Season Info page.
• Register for the COYBL League Tournament if you plan to play in it. The deadline will be posted with those dates.
• 13U and older: a player has to be dropped by 6/15 to be picked up by another team for the current season. A player dropped after that date cannot play in any COYBL game for the rest of the season.

• Confirm the temperature is at least 40 degrees at first pitch. It has to stay at or above 40 for the whole game.
• Check the heat index, not just the air temperature. 103 degrees and above brings heat cramps or exhaustion with prolonged activity, and direct sun can add up to 15 degrees to the number on the chart.
• Scan the forecast the day before and the morning of, and scan the sky when you arrive.
• Confirm both umpires are OHSAA licensed and in good standing. Using an umpire who is not OHSAA licensed can forfeit every game you play and get you banned from COYBL for the year.
• Confirm no umpire is a relative of any player in the game. That is an automatic forfeit for the offending team.
• Record the umpires' names and OHSAA numbers before the game starts. Both teams have to do this. If it is not done, the game is invalid and has to be replayed.
• Pay the umpires at the plate before the game starts. This is how the league avoids arguments at the end.
• Check pitcher rest days in the pitch tracker before you write the lineup.
• Write the lineup card, including any player who might show up late. A late player can be added to the bottom of the order only if his name was on the card before the start.
• Exchange lineup cards with the opposing coach.
• Tell the opposing manager and the plate umpire before the start if you are using an extra hitter or batting the roster. You cannot use a DH and an EH in the same game, and you have to keep the same number of batting spots all game.
• Count your players. You can start with 8 and take an out in the ninth spot. Drop to 7 or fewer at any point and the game is a forfeit.
• Cover park ground rules at the plate meeting, agree the time limit, and decide who holds the official start time and warns both dugouts as the limit approaches. Once agreed, no exceptions.
• 7U and 8U only: tell the umpire at the plate meeting that COYBL calls time after every play, and that once a fielder in the infield has the ball all play stops. The player does not have to call time.
• Spot check helmets and catcher's gear before warmups.
• Confirm the roster copy and birth certificates are in the bag.

Ages	Regulation game	Time limit	Game ends early when
7U and 8U	6 innings	2 hours	Home team leads after 5 1/2 innings
9U to 12U	6 innings	2 hours	Home team leads after 5 1/2 innings
13U and up	7 innings	2 hours 15 minutes	Home team leads after the visitors bat in the 6th

Mercy rules are the same at every age in league play: 15 runs after 4 innings, or 3 1/2 if the home team is ahead, and 10 runs after 5 innings. If the game is tied at the time limit, keep playing until there is a winner. Division games cannot end in a tie.

Ages	Umpires required for division games	Fee guideline
7U and 8U	At least one certified COYBL approved umpire	$65 to $70 each for a 6 inning game
9U to 12U	Not stated in the rulebook	$65 to $70 each for a 6 inning game
13U and up	Two certified COYBL approved umpires	$65 to $70 each for a 6 inning game. A single umpire working alone gets paid more.

• 13U and up: if you are going to play with one umpire, agree to it with the other coach before the game. With that agreement, no complaints or inquiries can be made to a league director afterward. Without it, the result of the game is not recorded in the standings.
• Split umpire fees with the other team for a division doubleheader. For doubleheaders outside your division, the two teams work it out.

Ages	Daily max	66 or more	51 to 65	36 to 50	21 to 35	1 to 20
9U and 10U	75 pitches	4 days rest	3 days rest	2 days rest	1 day rest	No rest
11U and 12U	85 pitches	4 days rest	3 days rest	2 days rest	1 day rest	No rest
13U and 14U	95 pitches	4 days rest	3 days rest	2 days rest	1 day rest	No rest

Rest is counted in calendar days. If a pitcher hits one of those thresholds in the middle of an at bat, he can finish that batter without being charged the extra pitches, and you enter the threshold number. For example, a pitcher who reaches 35 pitches mid at bat finishes the batter and you enter 35.

• Track every pitcher's count in real time. Do not rely on memory after the game.
• Keep a pitcher off the mound once he has been removed from it. He cannot return to pitch in that game.
• Stop play the second you see lightning or hear thunder. Wait a full 30 minutes after the last flash or the last thunder before resuming. Any new lightning or thunder restarts the 30 minutes. Move everyone to a safe structure. There is no leeway here, and a violation means suspension from COYBL for the rest of the year.
• Pull any player who faints or nearly faints before, during or after play. He cannot return without written clearance from a health care provider, and that clearance goes to the coach or sports official before he plays again.
• Keep tobacco and vapes out of the dugout area and off the field at all times.
• Control your parents and fans. The head coach is responsible for the conduct of his coaches, players and parents. Cursing or throwing equipment is an automatic ejection. Taunting gets the offender removed from the game and the park.
• Talk to the other coach and the umpires as the time limit gets close so nobody is surprised.
• Give any protest to the umpire in charge before the game is over, and get his name and phone number. Only rule interpretations, age violations and pitching violations can be protested. Judgment calls cannot.
• Note the score at the end of each completed inning. If weather ends the game after 4 full innings (5 at 13U and up), the final score reverts to the last completed full inning.

• Post the final score and pitching stats to the site within 24 hours of the end of the game. Missing that window results in a forfeit.
• Do not post ties. A division game that is tied has to be finished. An unresolved tie is treated as a loss at the end of the season.
• Report any ejection, coach or player, to the league office within 24 hours. Failing to report adds a two game suspension. An ejected coach sits that game and the next one. An ejected player sits the rest of that game only.
• Finish a protest you started. Email the league office within 24 hours with the umpire's name and phone number, then get the written protest and the $100 fee to the league office within 72 hours. The $100 comes back if the protest is allowed.
• Reschedule a rainout right away. Division games get made up first, on the first open date either team has, or on the date of a game outside your division. Check when the other team's season ends before you pick a date.
• Send any complaint about a coach or team to the league office and your age group director, and copy the head coach you are complaining about. Complaints that skip that step are not addressed until you comply.
• Restock ice, water and the first aid kit.
• Recheck helmets and catcher's gear for damage from the game.

Tournament rules differ from league rules. Full details on the Tournament Rules page.

• Register before May 31.
• Be at your assigned field ready to play 30 minutes before the scheduled start, in case the game ahead of you finishes early. Not being ready can be a forfeit.
• Fill out the game card completely: pitcher names with no nicknames, pitch count for each pitcher, home and away team names, age group, game time and field number.
• Record the official start time at the bottom of the score card, agreed by both head coaches and the plate umpire. The home team is the official scorer and timekeeper.
• Track outs, not just pitches. 9U to 12U pitchers are limited to 18 outs in a day and 27 outs for the tournament. 13U and up are limited to 21 outs in a day and 30 outs for the tournament.
• Stop the game for a rules interpretation and get the umpire in charge and the tournament director. The game clock stops. Do not wait until the game is over to complain.
• Have $200 in cash if you intend to protest. The protest is not heard until it is paid. It comes back if the protest is upheld, and goes to Nationwide Children's Hospital if it is not.
• Save Doug Hare's number, 614-778-1391. Umpires have the umpire in charge number.

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

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	Mark Dountz	mdountz@gmail.com	614-989-3874
12U	Pete Tarnapoll	pete.tarnapoll@gmail.com	614-563-1905
13U	Nate Whisner	natewhisner@gmail.com	740-258-0550
14U	Mark Dountz	mdountz@gmail.com	614-989-3874

League office: Doug Hare, 152 Glen Crossing Drive, Etna, Ohio 43062, 614-778-1391, doughare@coybl.org.

COYBL has a zero tolerance alcohol policy. Alcohol is not permitted at any COYBL event, including practices, games and team functions. A violation results in an immediate ban from COYBL.

If something on the site is broken, confusing, or just missing, tell the league. It goes straight to the admin panel and gets read.

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