IHSAA creates pitch limits for 2017 prep baseball season

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa High School Athletic Association released pitch-limitation rules Wednesday that will go into effect for the 2017 prep baseball season.

Pitchers will be required to rest one day after throwing 26 to 40 pitches in a game. The rest requirement goes to two days after throwing 41 to 65 pitches, three days for 66 to 90 pitches and four days for 91 to 110 pitches.

When a pitcher reaches 110 pitches, he must be removed from the game. If that comes in the middle of an at-bat, the pitcher will be allowed to complete that at-bat.

Eighth-graders and freshmen will not be allowed to throw more than 90 pitches in a game.

Sophomore, junior and senior pitchers are to be limited to 180 pitches in a week, eighth and ninth-graders to 150. A week is defined as Sunday through Saturday.

If a pitcher throws 25 or fewer pitches in the first game of a double-header, he can pitch in the second game, but no more than 110 pitches total. If he throws more than 25 pitches in Game 1, he would be ineligible for Game 2.

Additionally, pitchers cannont exceed 110 pitches in consecutive days.

The IHSAA said 'an adult designee' from each team, which will be approved by the school, will confirm pitch counts after each inning. If there is discrepancy, the home team's count will be considered official.

All pitch counts are to be entered into QuikStats within 24 hours after a game. Coaches from each school are to sign a 'pitch count chart' at the end of games that will be sent to the IHSAA.

Previously, prep pitchers were on innings limits, but the National Federation of State High School Associations announced in July that each state would be required to construct its own pitch-limit rules for the upcoming season. The IHSAA conferred with its Baseball Advisory Board and Sports Injury Advisory Committee to come up its version.

'We've done research and our homework on it,' IHSAA Assistant Director Jared Chizek said in July. 'We had a pretty good feeling last year that this was going to happen, so it's not a surprise.'

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