Blue Ridge Mountain Little League (BRMLL)
2025 POOL PLAYER GUIDELINES

Purpose

The Pool Player program is designed to assist teams that need additional players to fill in for games, helping to minimize cancellations. This ensures teams can meet game requirements and maintain eligibility for postseason play.

Importance of Completing a Full Season

Little League mandates a minimum of 12 games per season for all teams to qualify players for All-Star participation. Forfeits do not count toward this 12-game requirement and disqualify both teams involved from meeting eligibility criteria.

BRMLL’s Commitment to All-Star Eligibility

To prevent any child from missing out on All-Star opportunities, BRMLL has adopted the Pool Player program. This initiative helps ensure all teams complete the required 12 games within the short 8-week season by providing access to eligible players from within the same division or one division below, as outlined in Regulation V(c). By utilizing pool players, we aim to avoid forfeits and support every team in meeting the minimum game requirements.

Regulation V(c)

Regulation V(c) allows Little Leagues to create a player pool from age-appropriate players within the same division or one division below to fill roster shortages during regular season games. Key points:

• Player Pool: Managed by the league’s player agent, who assigns players on a rotating basis.

• Submission: All requests must be made prior to 48 hours of the game

• Eligibility: 
  • Players must be from existing BRMLL teams, willing to play extra games, and assessed as capable (during Pre-Season Evaluations and/or Recommendations provided by the team Manager)
  • No player is allowed to participate if under any disciplinary action. 
  • Players are allowed to play in (2) games and/or a double header. This covers if a player plays a regular slotted game &/or an additional games. 
    • A player is permitted to play in a double header with original and/or pool player game, even if the total number of games is (3). 
    • NO PLAYER is permitted to play in (4) games on any given day. 

• Restrictions:
  • A player MUST be age appropriate for that division or be the year UNDER the age bracket they are moving up to play in. 
  • Managers/coaches cannot pick players randomly from the pool.
  • Pool players cannot pitch &/or catch in games for teams other than their own.
  • Players cannot be borrowed from an opponent.
  • The player’s team must not currently be playing a game on another field.

• Pool Player Usage:
  • Baseball: Minors to Minors, Minors to Majors, Majors to Majors
  • Softball: Minors to Minors, Minors to Majors, Majors to Majors

• Age Division Breakdown
  • Minors
    • 8u Coach Pitch
    • 10u Player Pitch
  • Majors:
    • 12u 

****Game time options for shortage of players***

• Both managers, along with a BRMLL Player Agent/Rules Committee Member (by telephone is fine) may select an eligible player that is currently at the park. 
• The player’s team must not currently be playing a game on another field.

Pool Player Selection Process

Primary Selection: Community-Based

• All eligible players are first selected from the communities represented by the teams.

Age Division Priority

***All remarks below are based on the understanding that the player is NOT already playing a game at that specific time/day. 

1. If a community doesn’t have a multiple teams in that said age division, the next available age appropriate team is selected first (no matter the community). Age availability is selected first. 
2. If a community has multiple teams in a specific age division, players are selected from that division & community 1st.

Secondary Selection: Next Available Division

1. If no players are available from the specific age division (e.g., due to a game already in progress), players are selected from the community's next available age division where no game is currently being played.
2. If there are no available players &/or teams available, the process will move on to the next community based on traveling distance for that said game. 

Additional Considerations

1. BRMLL Player agent/Rules Committee member has the discretion to select participants to be pool players ahead of other members to ensure participants can get the required amount of games in to be considered in All-Star selection. 
2. Players may be approved by BRMLL Player Agent/Rules Committee to participate based on other matters not outlined in our guidelines for any unforeseen circumstance &/or simplicity of the process.

Disciplinary Actions for Team Managers

Any Manager &/or Team Coach who is not fully making sure parents are aware of games by phone calls, emails &/or Game Changer in order to ensure any/all current rostered players will be  able to attend a game, will immediately be expelled from coaching with BRMLL. 

***Pool players return to their original teams after games, and all guidelines must be followed***