Volunteer's Guide to Little League Minor League Baseball League Age 5-12 2026

Under the Little League Child Protection Program, suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse involving a minor, must be reported to the proper authorities within 24 hours.

• Leagues must have a policy that prohibits retaliation against anyone who makes a good-faith report.
• League officials must remove any individual showing mental, physical, emotional or sexual misconduct and report them to the authorities immediately.

Not out of sight of other adults. Every Little League must adopt a policy that limits one-on-one contact with minors unless it's within an observable and interruptible distance of another adult.

Little League doesn't tolerate any form of abuse (sexual, physical, mental or emotional), bullying, hazing or harassment. Leagues must remove anyone showing misconduct and report them to the authorities immediately, and a league that fails to enforce this risks losing its charter.

Only if you're an appointed manager, coach or umpire.

• On the field: only players, managers, coaches and umpires are allowed on the field during play and practice sessions.
• In the dugout: only eligible players in uniform, the manager and no more than two coaches (three coaches in the Tee Ball and Minor League Instructional Division). Batboys and batgirls aren't permitted (Rule 3.17).
• Appointment: managers, coaches and umpires must be appointed by the league president and approved by the board of directors, so a parent can't step in on game day without that approval.

Other volunteers help from outside the playing area, for example keeping score, running the pitch count, or acting as lightning monitor.

Little League's safety code asks leagues to:

• inspect the playing area often for holes, damage, glass and other foreign objects;
• make sure dugouts and bat racks are behind screens;
• inspect equipment regularly and make sure it fits. Helmets shouldn't be painted unless the manufacturer approves;
• set up a procedure for retrieving foul balls hit out of the playing area;
• arrange emergency medical services in advance and have a first-aid kit at the field.

If you spot damaged league equipment or a hazard, tell the team manager or a board member so it can be dealt with right away.

From Little League's safety code:

• Batters wear NOCSAE helmets at practice, not just in games.
• Catchers wear a catcher's helmet with face mask and throat guard, chest protector and shin guards; male catchers wear a cup. Catchers warming up pitchers, including in the bullpen, wear the helmet, mask and throat guard.
• No on-deck batters in Minors and below: no player handles a bat until it's their turn, even inside an enclosure.
• Space players out in warm-up drills so no one is hit by an errant ball, and have everyone watch the batter on every pitch.
• Pitching machines must be in good working order and may only be run by adult managers and coaches.
• No head-first slides except when returning to a base, and don't strap bases down for sliding practice.
• Keep bats and loose equipment off the field, and don't allow horseplay.
• Don't hold practice when weather, field conditions or lighting are poor.

Little League's safety code sets these expectations:

• Emergency medical services should be arranged in advance of every game and practice.
• A first-aid kit should be available at the field, and managers, coaches and umpires should have some first-aid training.
• A player who is ejected, ill or injured must stay under supervision until released to a parent or guardian.
• An adult member of the league should be responsible for safety procedures.

Know where the first-aid kit is and how emergency services reach the field before the game starts.

Little League's lightning safety guidelines recommend that someone be designated as the lightning monitor, and that it not be a coach or umpire, since they can't give the weather their full attention. A volunteer is a good fit. The monitor must know the plan and be empowered to make sure it's followed.

Stop activities and move everyone to safety when:

• lightning is seen,
• thunder is heard,
• the time from flash to thunder is 30 seconds or less, or
• the sky looks threatening.

Dugouts, rain shelters and sheds are not safe. Use a substantial building with wiring and plumbing, or a hard-topped vehicle with windows closed. Wait at least 30 minutes after the storm passes before resuming.

If someone is struck, call for medical help at once. Victims carry no electrical charge and can be helped immediately, including CPR if needed.

• Ages: the Minor League is for league ages 5-12 and prepares players for selection to a Major Division team.
• Five-run limit: Minor League games can use a limit of five runs per half-inning. A fielder who plays the whole of a half-inning ended by the limit is credited with three defensive outs for mandatory play.
• Mandatory play: normally six defensive outs and one at-bat, like Majors. Leagues using 15-20 player rosters may reduce it to three defensive outs and one at-bat.
• No uncaught third strike: it doesn't apply below Majors, so the batter is out on strike three either way.
• Pitch limits by league age: 50 a day for ages 6-8, 75 for 9-10, 85 for 11-12, with the same rest days as Majors.
• Same as Majors: no head-first slides while advancing, no on-deck batters, and molded (not metal) cleats.