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NJSIAA adds pitch count rules to protect young arms

During a preseason baseball scrimmage on Thursday in South Carolina, Williamstown coach Joe Smith asked three different people in his dugout to count pitches.

During a preseason baseball scrimmage on Thursday in South Carolina, Williamstown coach Joe Smith asked three different people in his dugout to count pitches.

"One had 18," Smith said of the total at the end of an inning. "One had 14. And one had 17."

Welcome to the Pitch Count Era in New Jersey baseball.

Following a directive from the National Federation of State High School Associations, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has instituted a pilot program for this season that will limit the number of pitches an athlete can throw in competition.

Previously, NJSIAA pitching rules limited the number of innings an athlete could complete.

"Nobody ever hurt their arm from innings," said Millville coach Roy Hallenbeck, who is in favor of the new rules. "You get hurt from pitches.

"Five innings for one pitcher can be a lot different than five innings for another pitcher. This removes that and makes it equal."

NJSIAA associate director Larry White, who oversees baseball, said the pitch-count rule was designed to limit the strain on pitchers and reduce the rising number of arm surgeries that teen-age athletes have undergone in recent years.

The national federation directive sprung in part from a suggestion for pitch-count limits from Dr. James Andrews, the renown Birmingham, Ala.-based surgeon who has specialized in treating high-profile athletes.

Bishop Eustace coach Sam Tropiano, who was a member of the NJSIAA committee that developed the new rules, said that surgeries on teen-age pitchers across the country have been increasing at an "astounding" rate.

"Rotator cuff surgeries, Tommy John surgeries - all on teenagers," Tropiano said. "The rate has been sky-rocketing. We all felt like something needed to be done."

Not all South Jersey coaches believe the pitch-count rules in high school baseball will serve to protect the arms of young athletes.

"It's lipstick on a pig," Camden Catholic coach Bob Bergholtz said. "The crux of the issue is what these kids are doing the months when they are not playing for their high school team - travel team, showcases, bullpens in the winter when somebody is trying to impress somebody with a radar gun.

"The state [NJSIAA] is throwing up its arms and saying, 'We're trying to address this.'"

Bergholtz also worried about the impact the new rules will have on the sport.

"I'd hate to see a scenario where you're in the state tournament and you have your No. 1 pitcher on the mound and there's two outs in the seventh inning and he just threw his 110th pitch," Bergholtz said of the one-day limit. "Now he has to leave the game and watch the end from the dugout instead of getting the last out?"

Eastern coach Rob Christ also has some misgivings about the new rules.

"I know the NJSIAA is trying to do the right thing," Christ said. "I know their heart is in the right place.

"But I worry about the law of unintended consequences. I think there's a chance we're going to see the opposite effect, because there's going to be a chance pitchers might be used up to the pitch-count limit every time.

"I also think there's the potential for malfeasance in terms of who is counting the pitches, what the number is coming into each game. It's all very nebulous."

Under the new rules, a pitcher who throws 91-110 pitches in a game will be required to take four days of rest. A pitcher who throws 71-90 pitches will need three days of rest.

A pitcher who throws 51-70 pitches will need two days of rest and a pitcher who throws 31-50 pitches will need one day of rest.

A pitcher who throws fewer than 31 pitches can throw the next day, although an athlete can't throw more than 50 pitches on consecutive days.

The rule states that 110 pitches is the most an athlete can throw in one day. Also, no pitcher can throw three calendar days in a row and no pitcher can throw more than 140 pitches over a "rolling" five-day period.

Most teams are planning on having an assistant coach or adult volunteer serve as the squad's official pitch counter. In cases of disputes, the home team's count will be official, according to the NJSIAA's White.

White also said the NJSIAA is working to develop a computer program that will allow teams to enter pitch counts for every athlete after every game. He said the hope is to have the data available to download and print out, to be presented to the opposing team before the start of every game.

"It's going to be a little bit of a work in progress," White said.

One thing is clear: The pitch-count rule is going to dramatically impact the sport, challenging teams to develop more depth and creating strategic challenges for coaches, especially during the state tournament.

"It's going to force you to focus on developing your pitching staff," Cherry Hill West coach Dan McMaster said. "You're going to need depth, top to bottom. You're going to see young players pitching at the varsity level that you otherwise would not have seen."

Highland coach D.J. Gore said said it will require "creativity" in the use of pitchers.

"You're going to need 7-8 quality arms," Gore said. "Everybody likes to have that No. 1. But you're going to need to use a lot of guys."

Hallenback said the change will put the onus on developing stronger overall teams rather than riding one or two top pitchers.

"At the end of the year, you'll see the best overall teams still standing," Hallenbeck said.

The emphasis on number of pitches also is likely to increase the importance of throwing strikes, coaches say.

"You're going to see a lot fewer waste pitches," Tropiano said. "Pitchers are going to have to go right at batters.

"I think it's going to change the game for the better."

panastasia@phillynews.com

@PhilAnastasia

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