Kankakee Times

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) pushed back a vote on proposed baseball pitch-count limit recommendations at its October meeting.

In August, the IHSA baseball advisory committee made a series of pitch-count recommendations to the board.

To become a rule, the board has to pass the recommendations by a simple majority. If passed, the recommendations will become rules and be applicable for the 2017 season.

The vote will take place Dec. 12 after the board holds a series of annual meetings that are not open to the public.

The IHSA conducts the meetings to keep principals up to date on rules and proposed changes. Principals at IHSA member schools are required to attend the meetings each year. 

Dr. Preston Wolin, director and founder of the Center for Athletic Medicine in Chicago,  helped draft some of the proposed rule changes, along with area coaches.

Wolin said Illinois has gone above and beyond any other state in the nation when it comes to pitch counts.

‘’The proposed rules also provide a weekly cap on the number of pitches thrown,'' Wolin said. ''The reason this is important is that while many of the models used by other states protect the pitcher, there is a potential for overuse by throwing the pitcher on multiple consecutive days even at the allowable number of pitches.''

At least one high school coach does not have a problem with the recommendations and just wishes the committee would go a little further.

"The biggest issue is not guys being abused during the high school season,’’ Glenbard North coach Rich Smelko said. "One of the biggest issues are guys being abused pitching on summer travel ball teams. Pitchers are going to one-day showcases where they have not thrown for a lengthy period of time."

For that reason, young pitchers may try too hard.

''They are throwing their hardest to light up the radar gun and pop some eyes of some college coaches and scouts," Smelko said. "You combine (that with) guys throwing in the summer, and that could lead to some potential for problems in the future.’’

Kankakee High School baseball coach Brian Manering said he was not surprised that the vote was postponed.

‘’I do hope that a decision is made soon so we can get guidelines and systems in place to effectively implement the pitch-count system.’’ Manering told the Kankakee Times.

Manering said the pitch-count proposals would be beneficial to the safety of pitchers.

 "While there are going to be many challenges at the beginning of this process, the student athletes will benefit significantly,’’ Manering said.

‘’I think these recommendations are going to make the game safer and more enjoyable,’’ Wolin said. ‘’The cooperation of the baseball coaches in coming up with these limits was outstanding. Everyone in that room was committed to the safety of our young pitchers. That dedication is being translated into our pitch-count limits in the State of Illinois.’’

Here is a schedule of the town-hall meetings. http://ihsa.org/documents/forms/2016-17/16-17TMPRM%20Final.pdf.

Here is the pitch-count proposal: www.ihsa.org/documents/ba/2016-17/Pitch%20Count%20Proposal.pdf.