The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met at its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Monday, December 12, 2016, where the Board voted to implement a pitching regulation Policy in the sport of baseball. The pitch limitations are effective immediately and will be used by IHSA member schools during the 2017 baseball season this spring.
The limitations approved by the Board closely mirror the pitching limitations jointly developed by the IHSA’s
Baseball Advisory Committee and
Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. The most significant change from the original recommendation is dropping the maximum number of pitches in a game from 115 pitches to 105 pitches.
Click here to see the Pitch Count Guidelines Policy.
“This was a collaborative effort that goes a long way toward making high school baseball in Illinois safer,” said IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee member Dr. Preston Wolin. “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.”
Dr. Wolin was a guest of the Baseball Advisory Committee at their
August meeting, where he presented the recommendations of the Sports Medicine Advisory to the group.
The Board of Directors reviewed the pitching limitation recommendation in the fall and chose to present it to the IHSA membership for feedback during the Association’s annual Town Hall Meetings in November.
“Kudos to the Baseball Advisory and Sports Medicine Advisory committees for working together on behalf of student safety,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “We believe that the NFHS and its state association membership have been leaders in this area in all sports, but ultimately, the high school season encompasses a short window. We hope that youth and travel baseball organizations will follow our lead to help protect these pitchers and their arms.”
The IHSA is developing a process for schools to submit their game-by-game pitching counts via the IHSA website, which will be presented to coaches and school personnel prior to the season. The Board confirmed that a violation of the Policy could result in forfeiture and that all violations of the Policy will be reviewed by the Executive Director on a case-by-case basis.
ACTION ITEMS
1. The Board approved a change to the Journalism Terms & Conditions and an administrative recommendation.
The Terms & Conditions change will alter the time schedule for the Journalism Sectionals and State Finals. The new schedule is as follows:
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM to 9:30 AM Opening Session
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Block A
11:30 AM to 1:00 PM Block B
3:00 PM Awards
The administrative recommendation will be to conduct a pilot judging program developed by the advisory committee following the 2017 IHSA State Finals.
2. The Board approved a new handbook illustration in Section 2.060 of the IHSA Handbook related to Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).
The new illustration reads as follows:
Q. What other statewide organizations are covered under 2.060 (d)?
A. (BPA) Business Professionals of America; (FBLA) Future Business Leaders of America; (FCCLA) Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America; (FFA) Future Farmers of America; (DECA) formerly known as Delta Epsilon Professionals; (HOSA) Future Health Professionals; SkillsUSA, and (TSA) Technology Student Association.
3. The Board approved an Overnight Accommodation policy that makes board members, staff members, officials, workers and any other individuals who the IHSA books hotel rooms for responsible for the cost of hotel rooms they do not use and fail to cancel.
APPEALS & HEARINGS
1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Monmouth (M.-Roseville). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.051.
2. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Chatham (Glenwood). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.051.
3. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from LaGrange Park (Nazareth). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.040.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action is taken. The following is a report of those items from the December 12, 2016, agenda:
1. The Board heard an update from the Executive Director on conducting background checks on officials. The IHSA is continuing to work with the Illinois State Police Department and state legislature on ways to improve its process.
2. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the annual Town Hall/Principals Rules Meetings that were held at 28 high schools during November.
3. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the action taken by the Legislative Commission at its second meeting on November 28. The Commission voted to move eight proposals forward to the all-school ballot. Each member school can cast its vote online between November 30 and December 30.
Click here for a list of the eight proposals that were moved forward to the all-school ballot.
4. The Board discussed holding an annual statewide IHSA membership meeting or annual video update to provide a consistent message on new rules and key topics for that school year.
5. The Board heard an update on the classification ad hoc committee from the Board President, who also serves on the ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee is scheduled to meet again in April.
6. The Board discussed a request from the Northern Illinois Conference, Fox Valley Conference and Upstate Eight Conference to use a Sectional Complex in Boys Basketball, as opposed to a Sub-Sectional, but did not take action.
7. Associate Executive Director Kurt Gibson and Assistant Executive Director Sam Knox represented the IHSA at the NFHS/NIAA Athletic Director Conference in Nashville in December.
8. The Executive Director represented the IHSA at the Eight States Meeting in Chicago in December.