Coach's Guide to Baseball Australia Little League Pitching Ages 9-16 2026

In Little League, Intermediate League and Junior League tournaments, pitchers of League Age 14 and under must observe this rest after the pitch count for the day:

• 1-20 pitches: 0 calendar days
• 21-35 pitches: 1 calendar day
• 36-50 pitches: 2 calendar days
• 51-65 pitches: 3 calendar days
• 66 or more pitches: 4 calendar days

Under no circumstances can a player pitch on three consecutive days.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.e).

For Senior League pitchers of League Age 13-16, rest is by calendar days after the pitch count for the day:

• 1-30 pitches: 0 days
• 31-45 pitches: 1 day
• 46-60 pitches: 2 days
• 61-75 pitches: 3 days
• 76 or more pitches: 4 days

Under no circumstances can a player pitch on three consecutive days.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.e).

The manager must remove the pitcher when they reach the limit for their age group, but if the pitcher reaches the limit while facing a batter, they may continue to pitch until one of these happens:

1. The batter reaches base.
2. The batter is put out.
3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning or the game.
4. The pitcher is removed from the mound before the batter completes their at-bat.

The same exception applies in Senior League. The removed pitcher may stay in the game at another position.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.d).

• Little League: no. Once removed from the mound, a pitcher may not return as a pitcher.
• Intermediate League and Junior League: a pitcher removed from the mound but who stays in the game at another position may return to pitch later in the same game, but only once per game.

The manual gives no equivalent return-to-pitch rule for Senior League in this section.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.c).

It depends on the division:

• Little League and Intermediate League: a player cannot pitch in two games in a day.
• Junior League: a player who pitches 30 pitches or fewer in a game may pitch in a second game on the same day. The exception is League Age 12 players in Junior League, who cannot pitch in two games in a day.
• Senior League: a player who pitches 30 pitches or fewer in a game may pitch in a second game on the same day.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.f).

Any player on the team may pitch, with these limits on movement between pitching and catching:

• A player who has played catcher for four or more innings in a game cannot pitch on that calendar day.
• A player who caught for three innings or less, moves to pitcher and delivers 21 or more pitches (31 or more for 15- and 16-year-olds) cannot return to catcher on that calendar day.
• If the pitcher reaches the 20-pitch limit (30 for 15- and 16-year-olds) while facing a batter, they may continue and keep their eligibility to return to catcher until that batter reaches base, that batter is retired, or the third out ends the half-inning or game.
• A pitcher can play catcher provided they are moved, removed or the game ends before they deliver a pitch to another batter.
• A player who delivers 41 or more pitches, and is not covered by the threshold exception, cannot play catcher for the rest of that day.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.a and 4.d).

A pitcher's pitch count for the rest-day thresholds is determined from the first pitch thrown to the final batter faced. Rest periods start at the conclusion of the player's final pitching assignment on a given day, and the full-day rest requirement commences at midnight.

Under no circumstances can a player pitch on three consecutive days.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 4.e).

A manager or coach needs the umpire's permission to leave the dugout. A manager or coach who is granted a time out to talk to any defensive player is charged with a visit to the pitcher.

• You may visit once in an inning, but on the second visit in that inning the pitcher must be removed as a pitcher.
• You may visit twice in a game, but on the third visit the pitcher must be removed as a pitcher.
• The rule applies to each pitcher who enters a game.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 7).

In Little League, Intermediate League and Junior League tournament games, a team may use a courtesy runner for the catcher and/or the pitcher of record when there are two outs. With continuous batting, the courtesy runner must be the player in the batting order who made the last out.

Senior League instead has a special pinch-runner rule: twice a game, but not more than once per inning, a team may use a player who is not in the batting order as a special pinch-runner for any offensive player.

Source: Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 (Tournament Rule 3.d).

No. The Baseball Australia Little League Tournaments Manual 2026 states that pitching records do not need to be provided. You still have to follow the pitch limits and rest requirements, so keep your own accurate count.