Prep baseball coaches support IHSA pitch limits
Several area prep baseball coaches say they have no problem with plans to restrict the number of pitches Illinois high school players can throw.
But they say they have questions about how the Illinois High School Association will implement and enforce the new rules when they take effect next spring.
"Obviously, because of injuries, we have to do something," Lisle High School baseball coach Pete Meyer said Wednesday. "I just think it's going to be very difficult to police it. I'm interested to see what they come up with as far as how it's going to be monitored."
The IHSA must adopt pitch limits because of a mandate from the National Federation of State High School Associations, which wants to protect young pitchers from throwing-related injuries caused by overuse.
The IHSA's baseball advisory committee this week agreed to recommend a limit of 115 pitches per game for varsity pitchers and 95 pitches per game for players on freshman, sophomore and junior varsity teams. The panel also is recommending a weekly cap on the number of pitches.
In addition, the group is recommending mandatory rest for pitchers based on their pitch counts.
"I think these recommendations are going to make the game safer and more enjoyable," said Dr. Preston Wolin, an orthopedic surgeon who serves on the IHSA's sports medicine advisory committee. That group long has raised concerns about young baseball players needing elbow and shoulder surgeries.
Elgin High School baseball coach David Foerster said the proposed rules, including the 115-pitch limit for varsity players, make sense.
"If a kid is approaching that number, he's not going to stay in a game much longer," Foerster said. "That's a lot of pitches."
It also wouldn't be a dramatic change for coaches to rest pitchers for up to four days between games.
"Most coaches adhere to something like that anyway," said Joel Pelland, head baseball coach at Glenbard East High School in Lombard. "Ninety-nine percent of the coaches in Illinois do a great job at managing their staffs and making sure their guys have enough rest."
Teams will be required to track how many pitches each of their players throw and provide that information after each game.
But Pelland says the system won't account for players throwing for travel teams and leagues during the summer and fall. Injuries among young pitchers are partly blamed on players throwing year-round and not giving their arms sufficient time to rest.
"If you're going to track a kid, I think you need to track him year-round in order to get a real picture of what he's doing with his arm," Pelland said.
Foerster said it's going to be up to players and their summer and fall coaches to count pitches and decide when someone has thrown enough.
"Maybe having this go into effect might open their eyes and allow them to realize this is an issue and they need to correct it," he said.
The baseball advisory committee's recommendations will be reviewed by another committee and the IHSA staff before going to the IHSA's board of directors, which gets the final say on what regulations will be implemented for the spring baseball season.