Player Safety

CHLL Player Safety Guidelines

CHLL Safety Summary 

Below are safety tips all CHLL managers and coaches should follow during practices and games. These tips are taken from the Capitol Hill Little League Safety Plan. All managers receive a copy of the plan at the start of the spring season; the plan is posted in the Coaches’ Reference section of the CHLL website (www.capitolhilllittleleague.org). 

Volunteer Applications – all adults who volunteer for CHLL positions (managers, coaches, bench coaches, etc.) must fill out a Little League volunteer application and submit that to the league’s Safety Officer. Background checks will be conducted on all volunteers. A copy of the application can be found in the Coaches’ Reference section of the CHLL website and the safety plan. 

Accidents/Injuries – if a player has an accident or suffers an injury during a game or practice, coaches should determine whether medical attention beyond basic first aid is required. If so, the manager should allow the player to leave with his/her parents to seek medical attention or, in serious cases, call 911 for EMS services. Managers/coaches must alert the league president and safety officer as soon as possible, and fill out the injury/accident tracking form (found at the website and in the safety plan) within 24-48 hours of the incident. 

First Aid supplies – each CHLL shed will be supplied with a first aid kit and ice packs. Managers should alert the safety officer when supplies run low.

Inclement weather – play during a practice or game will be suspended and the field clear if lightning is spotted or thunder heard. Players and coaches should take shelter. Play can resume 30 minutes after the last lightning is seen or thunder heard. 

Frequent water breaks should be taken when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees during a practice or game. The league’s full inclement weather policy is available here. 

Safety-Related Playing Rules: 

  1. Catchers must wear protective cups; male players should consider wearing cups and athletic supporters. 

  2. There will be no “on-deck” locations; the on-deck batter must remain in his/her team’s dugout and may not take on-deck swings. 

  3. No batters may take swings in the dugouts. Bats must remain against the fence in a dugout. 

  4. Players may not wear any watches, bracelets or necklaces. Medical bracelets are allowed. 

  5. No headfirst sliding is allowed, unless returning to a base. Sliding into first base is prohibited. 

  6. Throwing a bat is grounds for an automatic out. 8. Hitters and base runners must wear helmets.

  7. Players with hard casts are not allowed to play. 

Equipment – CHLL follows Little League rules on acceptable equipment:  

  • Bats must be labeled 1.15 BPF and can be no greater than 2 ¼ inches in diameter or 33 inches long.  

  • Helmets must be labeled as NOCSAE compliant; no stickers are allowed (other than the manufacturer’s label).  

  • Catchers must wear a helmet, dangling throat guard and the long-form chest protector.

Arm Care – CHLL encourages players to have fun playing other sports in addition to baseball.  Participation and enjoyment not only increases an interest in sports, but will increase a players overall athleticism. The following recommendations are intended to help coaches watch for and respond to fatigue, especially as it relates to pitching, to ensure proper arm care for players: 

  1. Coaches should focus on good pitching mechanics as soon as possible. The first steps should be to learn in order: 

    1. basic throwing

    2. fastball pitching

    3. change-up pitching.

  2. Managers and coaches should scrupulously document all pitch counts as required by commissioners, who will be responsible for sharing the documentation with the safety officer. Both managers and coaches are expected to rigorously follow pitch count limits and days of rest requirements.

  3. Coaches should watch for and respond to signs of fatigue (such as decreased ball velocity, decreased accuracy, upright trunk during pitching, dropped elbow during pitching, or increased time between pitches). If a youth pitcher complains of fatigue or looks fatigued, the coach should let him or her rest from pitching and other throwing. If a pitcher complains of pain in his or her elbow or shoulder, he or she should discontinue pitching until evaluated by a physician. 

  4. Parents are encouraged to limit players to pitch no more than 100 innings total in any calendar year. Parents are also encouraged to have their player refrain from performing any overhead throwing for at least 2-3 months per year (4 months is preferred). Players are also encouraged to take 4 months off each year from competitive baseball pitching.

  5. Coaches should keep in mind that catchers also make many throws and are also at risk of injury. The pitcher-catcher combination can be especially strenuous, and coaches should consider when it’s appropriate for a player to do both in a single game, and carefully adhere to the rules limiting that practice. 

  6. Managers and coaches should scrupulously document all pitch counts as required by Commissioners, who are responsible for sharing documentation with the safety officer.

  7. The risk of arm injury is highest early in the season because the body has yet to adapt to the stress of in-season throwing. It is important to build strength and promote recovery of the shoulder and elbow during this early period in the season. Very rarely do pitchers throw more than 2-3 simulated innings in the offseason at any level let alone in Little League. Accordingly, beginning in the 2024 season, during the Spring Training period: 

    1. an individual player will be limited to a 30 pitch count per inning; and

    2. any individual player may not pitch more than 2 innings.

Separate and apart from pitch count rules, this chart below from pitching coach Tom House, is a good reference for coaches when determining if a player should remain on the mound. 


Return to Play Procedures for Ill or Injured Players

In the event that a player is ill or injured in any way, strict adherence to the following existing Little League regulations will govern if, when, and how they may safely return to play. 

Little League Baseball Regulation III, Part D, Note 2: 

When a player misses more than seven (7) continuous days (EX: Monday through Sunday) of participation for an illness or injury, a physician or other accredited medical provider must give written permission for a return to full baseball activity. 

Little League Baseball Regulation III, Part D, Note 3:

If a medical professional, Umpire in Chief, the player’s coach, the player’s manager, or the player’s parent has determined a player sustains a possible concussion, the player must be, at a minimum, removed from the game and/or practice for the remainder of that day. The league must also be aware of its respective state/provincial/municipal laws with regards to concussions and impose any additional requirements as necessary. His/her return to full participation is subject to 1) the league’s adherence to its respective state/provincial/municipal laws, 2) an evaluation and a written clearance from a physician or other accredited medical provider, and 3) written acknowledgment of the parents.

Little League Baseball Regulation IV, Part i:
Mandatory Play: Every rostered player present at the start of a game will participate in each game for a minimum of six (6) defensive outs and bat at least one (1) time. For the purposes of this rule, “six (6) defensive outs” is defined as: A player enters the field in one of the nine defensive positions when his/her team is on defense and occupies such position while six outs are made; “bat at least one (1) time” is defined as: A player enters the batter’s box with no count and completes that time at bat by being retired, retired as a batter-runner or runner, scores, reaches base safely, or, after reaching base safely, the inning or game ends. For the purposes of meeting the requirements of Mandatory Play, is when a player assumes the position of a batter with no count and one of the following occurs:

He/she is retired as a batter; or

He/she is retired as a batter-runner; or

He /she reaches base and scores; or

After he/she reaches base, the inning or game ends.

While some baseball and softball divisions within CHLL may utilize a house rule governing mandatory play that differs from the rule above, any player must be able to safely take part in all aspects of the game (batting, running, throwing, and fielding) before they return to practice or play in any capacity. Any player who misses more than seven (7) days of activity because of an injury or illness must provide written documentation from a physician or other accredited medical provider in order to return. Injured players are encouraged to attend practice to watch, learn, and engage with their teammates. During games, injured players may sit in the dugout with their team.

Regardless of where an injury or illness occurs, it is the duty of both parents and coaches to report any and all instances that may limit a player’s availability based on the above rules to CHLL’s Safety Coordinator through the Capitol Hill Little League Incident & Injury Tracking Report within 24 hours. This includes injuries sustained outside of CHLL’s scheduled activities. 

If a player is unable to participate due to injury or illness such that the family believes a full or partial refund of registration fees is warranted, the Treasurer shall have authority to provide such a refund.