Midlands baseball coaches weigh in on pitch-count limit

High school baseball coaches in South Carolina will be monitoring pitch counts this season.

Earlier this week, 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.

In previous years, pitchers in South Carolina weren’t allowed to throw more than 10 innings in a 72-hour span.

The change is being made because of the increase of arm injuries to high school age pitchers. According to a 2015 study by American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, 56.7 percent of Tommy John surgeries were performed on 15-to-19-year-olds between 2007 and 2011.

“It needs to be done,” Lexington coach Brian Hucks said. “Sometimes, we want to win and we don’t make the best decision, sometimes, for our kids.”

“I’m all for what the newest research says for the kids. No game is ever worth sacrificing their future,” Blythewood coach Banks Faulkner said.

If the rule had been in effect this year, it might have changed a few decisions for Faulkner, who won a Class 4A title at Summerville. He caught some grief by letting one of his pitchers, Bo Gobin, throw 143 pitches in a 10-inning game against J.L. Mann in the state title series.

Faulkner said Gobin’s side-arm pitching style allowed him to throw longer in games.

“It is all about recovery time more than pitch count. Every kid is different,” Faulkner said. “This will change the way we manage games and make things more interesting.”

It’s unclear what the pitch limit will be for pitchers in South Carolina. Texas’ pitch-count limit is at 125, while Minnesota will use a 105-pitch limit in the regular season and 115 or 120 in the playoffs.

“We need to come up with something that protects our kids and isn’t unrealistic,” Hucks said.

SCHSL associate commissioner Charlie Wentzky said Thursday there is no timetable for making a decision on pitch-count limit but the league will work with the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association in coming up with a reasonable number. Wentkzy said the same number will be used for the regular and postseason.

Once the number is decided, Wentkzy will bring it before the league’s medical staff, and then it will go before the SCHSL Executive Committee for a vote.

Both Hucks and Faulkner feel the toughest thing will be mandating and enforcing the rule. Hucks said one way to help simplify things will be if teams use the Gamechanger app, which keeps track of the number of pitches during game.

White Knoll names new coaches

White Knoll recently filled a pair of its coaching vacancies.

Former Blythewood standout Ashleigh Edwards was hired as girls’ basketball coach, and Irmo’s Sandra Dickert was named volleyball coach.

Edwards replaces Keturah Jackson, who left to take the job at Lower Richland. She coached at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler in 2014-15 and spent last year at Iconic Sports Performance, a business she co-owns and is dedicated to basketball training.

Edwards helped Blythewood to a 4A lower state title appearance and played collegiately at Fayetteville State and North Greenville.

Dickert coached at Irmo the past 21 years and won two state championships.

SCHSL commissioner named to NFHS Board

South Carolina High School League commissioner Jerome Singletonwas elected to the president elect position by the NFHS Board of Directors.

The move was made at last week’s NFHS summer meetings.

Singleton has been a member of several NFHS committees, including the Equity Committee, Citizenship Committee, Coaches Education Committee, Track and Field Rules Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Dickey named Lexington tennis coach

Derek Dickey has been hired as Lexington’s tennis coach.

Dickey replaces Eric Jackson, who stepped down after winning more than 300 matches in his career.

Dickey is a 2008 graduate of Lexington and was a member of three Wildcat state title teams from 2004-06. After high school, he went on to play college tennis at The Citadel.