(Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — A panel of high school baseball coaches and administrators, doctors and club baseball coaches met on Wednesday at CHSAA to further a discussion on how to reduce arm injuries in the sport. Their hope is to change the state’s pitching rule by the start of the spring 2015 season.
It was the second time the group had met. In August, they met to lay the groundwork to change the current pitching rule. At that time, it was clear the conversation needed to have voices from club coaches.
And so, on Wednesday, those coaches joined the group, as well.
In attendance were the following: Bert Borgmann, Darryl Miller (DPS trainer), Rick Harig (Fairview), Ryan Christensen (Cotopaxi), Robert Framel (Palmer/CHSAA baseball committee chair), George Demetriou (CHSBUA), Mark Finley (Fossil Ridge), Dr. David Schneider (Panorama Orthopedics/LA Dodgers Consultant/Surgeon), Al Bleser (Game Day), Mark Knudson (former MLB pitcher/Mile High Sports Magazine), Tom Dedin, Jr. (Thunder Academy), Chris Clark (Bardo’s), Joe White (ThunderRidge) and John Cacowski (Prep Baseball Report).
Wednesday, they established three goals:
- Open the dialogue on this topic in the sport, specifically between in-season (high school) and out-of-season (club) coaches.
- Begin to develop an informational approach on the overuse of arms to be used by high school coaches, doctors, trainers and outside coaches. The focus here being “prehab” to prevent injuries instead of rehab to heal them. This would be distributed to parents and players, as well.
- Provide CHSAA’s baseball committee with a recommendation on changes to the pitching rule, which currently limits players to no more than 12 innings in three consecutive days. (Note: This currently is one of the most lenient pitching rules in the country.)
The final point is what could eventually become a new bylaw, forwarded by CHSAA’s Board of Directors, at the January Legislative Council meeting. It would need to be approved by the Legislative Council in order to be implemented for the spring 2015 season.
The current aim is to model the new rule after what is being done in South Dakota. The state association doesn’t sanction baseball, but the South Dakota High School Baseball Association does the following:
- A pitcher may throw no more than 106 pitches in one day, or more than 212 in seven days.
- Additionally, no new inning may begin after 89 pitches.
- Each outing needs to be followed by required rest, according to the number of pitches thrown. Specifically, 27-44 pitches requires one day, 45-61 requires two days, 68-88 requires three days, and 89 or more requires four days.
- If a pitcher throws 26 or fewer pitches in one day, he can pitch again the following day so long as he does not throw more than 44 in two days. After that, he is required to take one day of rest.
- Pitchers who throw more than 27 pitches in the first game of a double-header cannot pitch in the second game.
Finally, CHSAA’s pitching panel wanted to explore the process on developing a video which would address proper throwing techniques, innings/pitch counts and post-throwing activities, among other issues.