I just asked OHSAA....here is my question and their response from Roxanne Price, Assistant Commish
1. Is there a limit to how many girls from the same school can play on the same travel ball team? If so, does it matter if the high school coach is also the travel ball coach?
2. When do high school ball players become ineligible to play on a travel ball team in the spring? Is it (a)when pitchers and catchers report, (b)when the roster is posted, (c)when the first official practice is held, or (d)when the first scrimmage/game is held?
And her response....
First recognize that the rules for school coaches and for student members of the school team are two separate things.
The only time a school coach (and this includes both paid and volunteer coaches) can coach members of his/her school team is during the school season and during the time (June 1-July 31) allocated in the summer, which is a total of 10 days from June 1-July 31 for the entire coaching staff.
“Yes” it matters how many girls are on the travel ball team. No more than four students from the same school team can participate on a non-school team, outside of the season except from June 1-July 31, when there is no restriction on the number of students from the same school team participating together. There is still the 10 day restriction on the coaching staff. Outside of June 1-July 31 (thus May 31 or Sept 1 or any other day outside this window), there can be no more than four students from the same school team on the roster of a non-interscholastic team. This means no more than four can practice together, etc. This does not mean four participating on the field at one time, but no more than FOUR can be rostered.
The answer to #2 is “d” students can participate with their non-school team until that student participates in a scrimmage/contests. This is individual. If a student does not play in the first scrimmage, they are not yet members of this year’s school team. Any student who played on a school softball team last season (2010 season) , even middle school students, count in the current 50% rule. For the summer of 2011, students who participate in the 2011 season count against the 50% rule, until the 2012 season is over.
One more wrinkle (and all of this is explained under General Regulation 4 Non interscholastic programs) on the softball page on the left hand side under “General Sports Regulations), if a school coach has a team that has four students or less from his/her school team, coaching a game (not giving instruction during practice, etc) only, does not count in the 10 day limitation, but any time any member of the coaching staff coaches even a single player in batting, hitting , fielding or any other “instruction” that counts as one of the 10 days.
