Rep Rule Book: RP2 - Special Playing Rules (18U)

Updated for the 2023 baseball season
FOR COMPLETE LIST OF 18U REP RULES CLICK HERE

Prohibition on the Use of Tobacco Products, Alcohol and Drugs

• Players, coaches and umpires in uniform must refrain from using any tobacco products during all games.
• Players, coaches and umpires in uniform must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Penalty for a) and b) will be immediate ejection for players or coaches and may result in loss of accreditation for umpires.

Uniforms/Equipment

1. In all games in all Rep series, all team personnel, including the manager and coaches, must be in complete baseball uniform.  Note: Complete baseball uniform shall consist of:
   • corresponding tops or jerseys (with proper numbers)
   • corresponding (similar) baseball caps
   • baseball pants (no shorts)
   • corresponding stirrup or baseball socks
2. Provided the teams are completely uniformed the uniformity as laid down by the Official Playing Rules of Baseball will be disregarded and no protest will be considered by the OBA after the game has been played.
3. The on-deck batter, batter, base runners, and batboy/batgirl must wear a prescribed protective helmet with flaps, covering both ears. This may not be changed except after the inning has been completed, or the player has been retired or has crossed home plate.
4. All catchers are required to wear a mask with throat protector, helmet, chest protector, shin guards, cup, and an athletic supporter (jock or jill).
5. A team member shall be deemed as "warming up a pitcher" the moment either:
   1. the pitcher stands on the rubber (on the field or bullpen)
   2. the team member assumes a squatting position to receive a thrown ball from the pitcher, regardless of position on the field or bullpen; or
   3. the team member assumes a position behind home plate
6. Any team member serving as a catcher to warm up a pitcher shall wear a mask with throat protector.
   Penalty: Coaches and players will be instructed to wear a mask and warned on first offense for failure to comply with this rule. Only one warning per team will be given throughout the game. After warning, any further violation of this rule by any team member will result in their immediate ejection.
7. The legal diameter for bats shall be 2 3/4".
8. Subject to the following, in addition to wood bats, non-wood bats shall be allowed in Rep play:
   1. For all levels of play 16U and above, only wood, wood composite, and wood-like material bats are permitted.  Wood composite bats include wood or bamboo bats with fiberglass sheathing and wood barrelled bats with composite handles.  Wood composite bats do not include any bat that has any metallic component
   2. All players must use the approved bats for the series in which they are playing regardless of age or gender.
9. Players, coaches, and managers who use electronic devices on the field will be ordered by the umpire to remove them from the field immediately. Failure to do so will result in ejection. Umpires who use electronic devices on the field during the game are subject to suspension and potential loss of accreditation. Fitbits, FuelBands, and other fitness trackers are considered electronic devices for the purposes of this rule and are not permitted except where required for medical reasons (i.e.: heart rate monitor prescribed by a physician). Exception: Dedicated watches, stopwatches and electronic pitch counters/indicators are permitted.
10. .NEW. Electronic Pitch Communication systems (ie: PitchCom) are permitted at all Rep play. They are not considered electronic devices for the purposes of RP2.5(j).
11. All players, including pitchers, are permitted to wear compression sleeves on one or both arms. If only wearing one, it may be worn on either the pitching or glove arm. A compression sleeve extending only to the elbow shall have the same restrictions as a compression sleeve extending to the wrist. Pitchers must wear compression sleeves which are solid in colour and may not be white or Pitchers may not wear compression sleeves which are distracting in nature including designs and reflective material.
12. With the exception of piping (strings), no part of the pitcher’s glove may be white or grey.  The pitcher’s glove may not, in the judgement of the umpire, be distracting in any manner. No fielder, regardless of position may use a fielding glove that, in the judgement of the umpire, mimics, or attempts to mimic the colour of a baseball.

 

Coaches & Managers:

As per the Official Rules of Baseball, in 14U and above, any team member in uniform may act as a base coach. Where a player in 14U, 15U, 16U or 18U is acting as a base coach, the player must wear a helmet.

Line Up Rules:

1. At 16U and 18U, a team may use either an EP as in RP2.8(d) or a designated hitter as in RP2.8(f), but the team may not use both an EP and a designated hitter in the same game. For clarity, a team may also choose not to use either an EP or a designated hitter.
2. A designated hitter may be used for a pitcher from 16U to Senior as per the Official Rules of Baseball.
3. For tournament play the Tournament Convener shall appoint an official scorer for each game (who may be the scorer of one of the teams playing). For all home and home style OBA Play‐off games the home team score keeper shall be the official score keeper.
4. Senior AAA teams are permitted to mutually affiliate themselves with any one 22U team within their Affiliated Association as long as their Local Association does not have a 22U team.
5. If the Baseball Canada 22U Nationals are hosted by an Ontario team – the players on the 22U host team are only permitted to be called up to a Senior team during Eliminations as long as they are a member of the same local association.
6. Senior AAA teams are permitted a maximum of 3 22U or 18U‐aged call‐ups for Eliminations.
7. .UPDATED. At 16U and above, in the event the starting pitcher will bat for themselves as the DH, the player will be considered two separate people for the purposes of OBR 5.11(a). In such cases, the Manager should list 10 players on the line-up card and this player should be listed twice – once as the starting pitcher and once as the Designated Hitter. Thus, if the starting pitcher is replaced, they can continue as the DH (but can no longer pitch in the game), and if the DH is replaced, they can continue as the pitcher (but can no longer hit for themselves). If the player is simultaneously replaced both as the starting pitcher and the DH, they cannot be replaced by another two-way player filling both roles; they must be replaced by two separate players.
8. .UPDATED. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in OBR 5.11(a), if the starting pitcher/DH is switched to a position on defense instead of DH, such move will terminate the DH role for the remainder of the game.

Substitutions

1. From 12U to 18U, any starting player may be substituted for and returned to the game one time only.  They must return to their original place in the batting order. Any further substitutions do not jeopardize the right of re‐entry for the original/starting player. Any starting player returned to the game may pitch as long as they have not previously assumed the pitching position. A pinch runner or pinch hitter may be inserted for a pitcher, who was listed in the starting batting order, and the pitcher may return to pitch under this re‐entry rule only if the player is re‐entered immediately as a pitcher when his/her team takes the field defensively.
2. At all levels, courtesy runners for the catcher or any other players are prohibited. Pinch runners may be substituted in accordance with the Official Rules of Baseball except where contravened herein.
3. From 12U to 18U, in the event that all players have entered the game and an injury(s) occurs, the opposing manager shall have the right of selecting any remaining player(s) as the replacement.  Note: This rule does not apply to ejections from a game.
4. If a player re‐enters or enters the game illegally: offensively, this shall be considered as a batter hitting out of order; defensively, the proper player shall replace them.

 

Pitching Rules

1. From 14U to Senior, a second trip by a Manager/Coach to the same pitcher in the same inning shall result in the pitcher’s automatic removal from the pitching position. The pitcher, once removed after the second trip in an inning may continue to play at another position but shall not be permitted to return to pitch in that game.
2. When a pitcher takes their position at the beginning of each inning, or when they relieve another pitcher, they shall be permitted to pitch up to eight preparatory pitches to the catcher, during which play shall be suspended. The plate umpire may reduce this number if, in their judgement, there has been unnecessary delay by the pitcher and/or catcher. If a sudden emergency causes a pitcher to be summoned into the game without sufficient opportunity to warm up, the plate umpire shall allow them as many pitches as the plate umpire deems necessary.

Arm Care Rules

1. .UPDATED. Unless otherwise stated, all Arm Care rules listed in RP2.11 shall be in force throughout the baseball season and shall apply to all league play and tournament play as sanctioned by Baseball Ontario or any Affiliated Association.  This includes games played outside Ontario and outside Canada, regardless of the tournament's pitch count rules or lack thereof.
2. Unless otherwise stated, all Arm Care rules listed in RP2.11 shall be enforced at all series 22U and below.
3. Pitchers shall be limited to the number of pitches thrown in a single day as outlined below.  Pitchers are required to rest in accordance with the chart below as determined by the total number of pitches thrown on any one calendar day.

   9U*	11U	13U	15U	18U	22U	REST REQUIRED
   1‐20	1‐25	1‐30	1‐35	1‐40	1‐45	None
   20‐35	26‐40	31‐45	36‐50	41‐55	46‐60	1 Day
   36‐50	41‐55	46‐60	51‐65	56‐70	61‐75	2 Days
   N/A	56‐65	61‐75	66‐80	71‐85	76‐90	3 Days
   N/A	66‐75	76‐85	81‐95	86‐105	91‐115	4 Days
   50	75	85	95	105	115	Daily Max

   *Please see RP2.11(m) for 9U player pitching requirements.
   Note:  Please see RP2.11(h) for multiple games in any two consecutive days.

4. For the purposes calculating days of rest required, the day after game day is considered Day 1 of the rest period. (ie: If an 11U pitcher throws 27 pitches on Friday, he will be next eligible to pitch again on Sunday).
5. If a game extends beyond midnight into the next calendar day, any pitches thrown thereafter shall be counted toward the pitch count of the day the game started. If, however, the game is suspended for any reason after midnight, when it resumes, any pitches thrown by any pitcher shall be counted toward the new day.
6. Intentional walks and balks shall count toward the pitcher’s pitch count total if a pitch has been thrown.
7. Players are permitted to pitch in 2 separate games in the same day as long as they do not exceed the maximum number of pitches that requires no rest for their age category in the first game of the day. (ie: If an 11U pitcher throws fewer than 25 pitches in the first game, the player may pitch in a second game.) No player is permitted to pitch in more than 2 games in any two-day period regardless of the number of pitches thrown.
8. No player may exceed the Daily Maximum for their age category in any two‐day period. If a player pitches in two games in a day or on two consecutive days, days rest required shall be calculated using the combined total of the number of pitches thrown.
   Ex1: 22U player throws 45 pitches on Friday in a tournament (no rest required). That pitcher is permitted to pitch again on Saturday to a maximum of 70 pitches so as not to exceed 115.
   
   Ex2: In the same scenario as Ex1, the total number of pitches thrown are added together to determine days rest. If the player threw 45 pitches on Friday and 70 pitches on Saturday, the pitcher must rest for 4 days and is next eligible to pitch on Thursday.
9. Pitchers will be permitted to complete the at‐bat of the batter they are facing when their Daily Maximum pitch limit has been reached but must be removed immediately after (i) the batter is retired, or (ii) the batter becomes a runner, or (iii) the third out of the inning is made.
10. The total number of pitches thrown by an ambidextrous pitcher shall be charged toward their pitch count regardless of which arm(s), or combination thereof, the pitcher uses to throw.
11. No player may pitch on three consecutive days unless their total pitch count for the three days does not exceed the number of pitches where no rest is required for that age category. A pitcher may not pitch on 4 consecutive days regardless of pitch count.
12. .UPDATED. Once a player assumes the pitching position, they are no longer eligible to catch for the remainder of the day. Once a player assumes the catching position, they are no longer eligible to pitch for the remainder of the day.
13. Any player who is playing in a series higher than their age-appropriate series shall be restricted to the pitch count limitations and required rest periods applicable to the age of the player, provided the following:
    1. Players aged 8 and under and not permitted to pitch in any circumstance.
    2. 9-year-old players who are called‐up to play on a 10U or 11U team are not permitted to pitch.
    3. 9-year-old players who are rostered to a 10U or 11U team shall be permitted to pitch with the following limitations:
       • 0 Days Rest: 1‐20 Pitches
       • 1 Day Rest: 20‐35 Pitches
       • 2 Days Rest: 36‐50 Pitches
       • Daily Maximum: 50 Pitches
14. Penalty: For violation of any Arm Care rules as prescribed in RP2.11(c) to (m),
    1. the Manager the Manager is ejected, and the game is immediately forfeited. The Manager shall receive a one game automatic suspension. If however, the Official Pitch Counter does not make the Manager & umpire aware of the violation, the game shall not be forfeited but the Manager will still be ejected and suspended.
    2. If a pitcher throws during their mandatory days rest period in violation of RP2.11(c), the pitcher’s maximum days rest period will reset to the maximum rest period of 4 days from the date of the appearance constituting the violation.
    3. In the event that a player pitches on a required rest day and the violation is not caught until after the game, the player shall be required to rest 4 complete days from the day they last pitched, and the Manager will receive an automatic two-game suspension to be served at the next scheduled game of consequence.
    4. In any case, if the arm care violation is not caught until after the game, the game will not be retroactively forfeited.
15. Any player who is playing in a series higher than their age must be identified on the lineup card. Any underage player not identified on the lineup card is ineligible to pitch. Should any such unidentified underage player pitch, the pitcher shall be removed from the pitching position and the Manager ejected.
16. When a player reaches their Daily Maximum pitch count, the manager or coach may remove the pitcher from the pitching position immediately without penalty, regardless of the number of trips already charged to the pitcher during the inning or at‐bat.
17. For all games except tournament play, the home team shall designate an official pitch counter for their team who shall be responsible for tracking the pitches of both teams.
18. .UPDATED. For all Rep sanctioned tournament play, (including Provincial Championships, and Elimination Tournaments), the Home team is responsible for capturing the pitch count in the pitch count app in real-time (either pitch by pitch or at the end of each inning) during the game. Failure to complete this in real-time will result in the game being forfeited to the Away team. Should the game not be captured in real-time as a result of negligence and it is not realized until after the game, the game will not be forfeited but will result in a one-game suspension for the Head Coach. Exception: where cell service is weak or down and the tournament convener gives permission, games may be entered post-game within 20 minutes following the end of the game.
19. .UPDATED. Notwithstanding RP2.11(r), in all Rep Tournament play, the tournament host may choose to appoint an official pitch counter for the game at their discretion.  If a host chooses this option, and the pitch count is not entered in real-time during the game, the home team will not be penalized.  A $1000 fine will apply to the host.
20. The official pitch counter must provide the current pitch count upon request by either manager or the umpire.
21. The official pitch counter shall inform the plate umpire when a pitcher has delivered their Daily Maximum pitch count. The plate umpire shall inform the manager that the pitcher must be removed, (i) immediately if the Daily Maximum threshold has been reached at the end of an at‐bat, or (ii) following the completion of the at‐bat or inning, subject to RP2.11(h).
    Note: Failure by the Official Pitch Counter to inform the plate umpire of a pitcher reaching their Daily Maximum pitch count does not relieve the Manager of their responsibility to know the pitch count and remove the pitcher.
    Penalty: Failure to remove the pitcher with no notification by the Official Pitch Counter will result in the manager’s immediate ejection and the pitcher shall be removed from the pitching position immediately and will not be permitted to complete the at‐bat. This will be treated as an emergency situation and the incoming pitcher shall receive as many warm‐up pitches as the plate umpire deems necessary.
22. For all games except tournament play, the Manager (or designate) of the home team shall record the number of pitches thrown for all of both teams' players within 24 hours (or before the start of the next game, whichever is earlier) of the game’s start time using the OBA Pitch Count Tracker.
23. The Manager of the opposing team will receive notification of the pitch count entry into the system and will have 24 hours from that time to verify or challenge the pitch count from that game.
    1. Any challenge of an official pitch count will be forwarded to the Series Chair for resolution.
    2. The decision of the Series Chair with regard to Pitch Counts shall be final.
24. Penalty: 
    1. Failure to enter pitch count results within the specified timelines, as set forth in RP2.11(u), will result in the following penalties:
       1. On a team’s first offense of the season, immediate suspension of the Manager until the pitch count is entered.
       2. On a team’s second (or any subsequent offense), the Manager will receive an automatic 5 game suspension.
    2. Failure by team to adopt these pitch count rules will result in the team forfeiting their right to classify for an OBA Championship and participate in OBA sanctioned tournaments.
25. Any coach or manager whose actions cause a player’s pitch counts to be exceeded or not counted as required by these rules, and that action is not identified until after the game is completed, shall be subject to a suspension of not less than 2 games which may be extended at the discretion of the Series Chair.
26. .UPDATED. If a team has no pitchers eligible to pitch in that game, the game is over and the team forfeits.  A final score of 7-0 and 7 defensive innings will be recorded for the winning team.