[Panda Bear]

Coaches are allowed to go berserk. If it becomes excessive or abusive, that is why we umpires are allowed to redirect them to the parking lot if necessary.

Intentional walks are perfectly legal, some codes as noted have dispensed with throwing 4 pitches to speed up the game.

I too have seen intentional walks in 14U & even 12U, though it is somewhat unusual. More often, just very careful pitching. As to whether there is a problem with this strategy, as is often the case, it depends, but more on the level of play/experience than the age.

I gather that some that post here have many players that are very early in their careers at age 12 or 14. At early levels of play, the inability to throw a strike often overrides any such need. On the other hand, around here, many girls are starting fastpitch at 7 (!), so by the time they are 12 or 14, you may be talking about 6-8 years experience. And we have some 12 year olds that can and have reached fences. On the other hand, the church league may be played at the lowest level with 10 year veteran players in their 30s & 40s.

So, consider the prevailing level of play and experience more than the age of the player.

While I also agree that a coach should not try to incite an incident, a coach should not have to avoid any legal strategy that just might upset the other coach. Take it as the clean single it is the equal of, and have the next hitter be able to get a quality at bat!