little league minors (fastpitch)

Question
I am moving my son into the minors only after one year in coach pitch.  he is a decent pitcher and plan to work with him to be better.  at this time i know that 9-11 yr olds pitch at a distance of 45 feet.  can my son being younger at age 8 pitch at 35 feet.  can this be cited on the little league rule book.  i know that as an 8 yr old he only gets 50 pitches a game while the older kids get 75.  appreciate your help.

Answer
Hi Leo,

I've been there and its not easy.  

Safety first.  He is very close and playing with older boys, so there is a greater chance he'll be hit by a batted ball and I'm not sure if the risk is worth it.  If he's playing (and correct me if I'm wrong) with the 9 to 11 year old kids, he'll need to learn the coordination and moves to avoid the ball when it is hit by those kids.

There are rules that regulate the size of the ball, how close to the plate these younger players must pitch from and, in some leagues, even how many pitches and how often they can pitch.  Best to contact someone within your baseball association for advice on that.

I've had bad experience having younger players pitch to older players.   I tried to apply rules for 8 year old pitchers in a game with 9 to 11 year olds and I caught a lot of trouble from parents and coaches about this.  For one, they did not like the player being so close to the batter.  Secondly, I had one (obnoxious) coach complain that the smaller ball used by these pitchers, were a disadvantage to the older batters.  It was real ugly.  
I was only asking to give the child a change at pitching - but the opposing coach was only interested in winning.

This is not an easy question to answer and I wish I could do more for you.  With parents, coaches, rule bookss, ball size, mound differences, you will have your work cut out for you.

Best of luck,

JohnMc