Top 10 Stories Of 2016: No. 10 IHSA Implements Pitch Count

December 19, 2016

By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

Over the next few weeks, in addition to highlighting the Top 10 Player Profiles of 2016, we will also highlight the Top 10 Stories in Illinois High School Baseball during the 2016 calendar year.

Today, we’ll take a look at No. 10 IHSA Implements Pitch Count

Arm related injuries at the high school and professional level are happening at a higher rate than ever before and this July The National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations took action. Before the start of the 2017 spring season, every state will be required to have pitch count limits in place.

Last week, on December 12th, the IHSA Board of Directors approved a baseball pitch count policy for the state of Illinois. The policy is effective immediately and will be used by the IHSA member schools starting next spring.

The IHSA’s Baseball Advisory Committee and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee worked jointly to develop the pitch count limits, guidelines and implementation.

The following is a statement from the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee member Dr. Preston Wolin: “This was a collaborative effort that goes a long way toward making high school baseball in Illinois safer. I want to thank the IHSA Board, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, the Baseball Advisory Committee, and all the people who were indispensable in this process for their efforts.”

The original recommendation for the maximum number of pitches allowing in a game was 115. That number has been lowered to 105 pitches. No pitcher will be allowed to throw more than that in one single game.

There is also a strict policy on days of rest required, depending on how many pitches are thrown in a day. One worth noting is, if a pitcher throws 76-105 pitches in a game they are required to have four days of rest until they can pitch again. If they come back on four days rest they will be limited to a maximum of 90 pitches, if they come back on five days rest they can throw the maximum of 105 pitches.

Regular Season Varsity Game Guidelines

CLICK HERE to view the Pitch Count Guidelines Policy in its entirety.

The IHSA is working on developing a process for schools to submit their game-by-game pitch counts using the IHSA website. This process will be presented to coaches and IHSA member schools before the spring season. The IHSA Board has stated that violation of the pitch count policy could result in forfeits and all violations will be reviewed be the Executive Director on a case-by-case basis.

The new pitch count policy could potentially play a huge rule in high school baseball. Coaches will have to be well aware of the rules and the number of days off required, depending on how many pitches are thrown. Depth of pitching is always a chief concern in high school baseball but it appears like it will be now more than ever. Also, how a coach uses their pitching staff come playoff time could make or break who makes a deep run.

With the early season weather being unpredictable in Illinois it will be interesting to see how it plays out later in the year with teams playing a lot of games in a short amount of time.