Pitch-count limit approved for S.C. high school baseball teams

South Carolina high school pitchers will be subject to a 110-pitch count limit for the upcoming season.

South Carolina High School Baseball Coaches proposed the limit, and it was approved this week by the South Carolina High School League Executive committee.

"I feel like it is a good proposal; it allows teams to be competitive and protects our kids," Lexington coach Brian Hucks said. "We talked between a 90-120 pitch limit and feel this is a good compromise and fair to everyone."

This summer, the National Federation of State High School Associations announced that each state would be required to regulate how many pitches a player can throw in a game this season.

Previously, each state was responsible for its own pitch-limit rule. In South Carolina, pitchers weren’t allowed to throw more than 10 innings in a 72-hour span.

Pitchers that reach 90-110 pitches for a game must be given five calendar days of rest before pitching again. If a pitcher hits the 110-pitch limit during an at-bat, he will be allowed to finish that batter before being taken out.

Other limits and mandatory rest periods include 31-45 pitches (one day), 46-60 pitches (two days) 61-75 pitches (three days) and 76-90 (four days).

If a pitcher throws in consecutive days, his cumulative total of pitches for those two days will determine the number of days rest required. For example, if he throws 20 pitches on Tuesday and throws 30 on Wednesday he has thrown a total of 50. He will need two days rest.

There also is a 75-pitch limit for seventh-and-eighth graders who pitch on the varsity or sub-varsity level. If a pitcher reaches that limit, they must get five calendar days of rest before pitching again.

Each individual team will be responsible for tracking their pitcher’s total and Hucks said opposing coaches to communicate with each other throughout the game so their isn’t a problem with the pitch limits. The two coaches will fill out a card following the game with the pitch counts for that game.

If the pitch-count rule is violated, the pitcher is considered ineligible and the game will be forfeited. In addition to the forfeit, the school will be fined according to the SCHSL handbook and coach might face a possible one-game suspension.

Because of the new rules a couple extra days have been added in between the later rounds of the postseason. District playoff dates are April, 25, 27, 29 and May 1. Upper and lower state playoffs will be May 4, 6, 8 and 10. State championship dates will be May 13, 16 and 20.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Pitch-count limit approved for S.C. high school baseball teams."