Mass. and Fla. @ 43' in High School

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council voted 14-2 on May 10 in favor of moving the softball pitching rubber back to 43 feet.
The move is designed to give batters additional reaction time. Previously, the rubber was 40 feet from home plate. Massachusetts becomes only the second state along with Florida,in the nation to move the high school distance back to match the collegiate standard.



A pitch to make softball a hit again
Young hurlers wind up farther back
By Craig Larson, Globe Staff | May 10, 2007


Standing on a pitching rubber 40 feet from home plate, a horizontal stripe of eye black painted on each cheek, Hudson High School junior Kaitlin Andrews unleashed pitches that befuddled batter after batter during a game against Central Massachusetts foe Lunenburg High School on Monday

Her pitch of 60-plus miles per hour reaches the plate in about the same amount of time -- less than half a second -- as a 90-mile-per-hour fastball does in the major leagues. With her repertoire of six pitches, she can take control of a high school softball game. Andrews struck out 12 and allowed three singles in the unbeaten Hawks' 10-0 victory.
But pitching dominance and low scoring games, common in girls' softball across Massachusetts, have the state's governing body for high school sports considering a proposal to move the pitching rubber back 3 feet to give batters more of a chance.
This morning, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council passed a proposal that would make Massachusetts just the second state to move the pitching rubber to 43 feet.
"It's nice to see pitchers dominate the game, but the game is hitting," said coach Russ Davis, who guided Hudson High to the Division 2 state final last spring. "Elite pitchers are still going to get their strikeouts [with the added distance], but this will be good for both sides of the game.
Officially, the association is citing safety issues for the proposed change, reflecting concerns that pitchers and corner infielders do not have enough time to react to balls flying off composite bats, increasing the risk of injuries on the field. But in interviews this week, coaches and administrators repeatedly pointed to dominating pitchers, who frustrate batters and cause low-scoring games that bore some fans and dampen player enthusiasm.
The MIAA's Softball Committee and its board of directors have both approved the change. The 18-member panel of principals and athletic directors gave final approval today, the pitcher's rubber will move to 43 feet for the 2008 season.
Forty-three feet is the standard in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, as well as the Amateur Softball Association's 18-and-under summer league elite level.
Last spring, Florida adopted the new distance for a two-year trial shortly after Sarasota high school pitcher Kellie Sirus , now a freshman star at Lipscomb University in Nashville , suffered facial injuries, requiring plastic surgery, from a line drive .
Thom Holdgate , athletic director at Duxbury High and chairman of the MIAA Softball Committee, said coaches and athletic directors find that many of their players pitch from 43 feet in their summer leagues, and the change would bring consistency to the game. In addition, he said, "safetywise, the pitcher will have an extra 3 feet to react to the ball coming right at her.A year ago, the MIAA introduced face guards, attached to batting helmets, to protect hitters from errant high-speed pitches.
With improved coaching, better athletes, and dedicated year-round training, softball pitchers appear to be dominating games more than ever. A review by the Globe found at least 32 pitchers in Eastern Massachusetts were averaging less than one run per game against them.
Andrews, the Hudson ace, works out with a number of top pitchers at a fast-pitch facility in Uxbridge. She is ready to make the transition to 43 feet next spring.
"I like 43 feet. My pitches definitely break that much more," said Andrews, who shut out Shrewsbury and its ace, Amanda Aditays, in a 1-0, 65-minute classic Saturday. Earlier this spring, she set down 24 Narragansett hitters on strikes in a 12-inning Hudson victory.
Andrews is enthusiastic about the effect the new distance might have on her rising fastball. "It's devastating," she said of her pitch. "My rise will just shoot up right up out of the strike zone, plus [the new distance] it gets us all ready for college the next year."

 

High School pitching distance needs to be 43' everywhere.

Parents need to insist that their daughters wear face masks if they are going to be pitchers. Good pitchers masks are available and they should be used.

 

Do you think the number of home runs will increase with a 43' pitching distance? If so will there be a call then to move the fences back?

 

Agree

I also am concerned with the third base postion. 43'gives these ladies more time to read pitches, this will leave the 3rd baseman (woman) vulnerable. I think parents and coaches should consider putting facemasks on them as well. Batters are working harder,getting stronger and quicker. Safety has to put at maximum.

 

catchers, umps and those pitchers who feel the need.....please!

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...change this game for the better by moving it back to at least 43' (even 45' would be better, especially in the college game) and the bases back to 70'. Put more emphasis on defense and not-so-much on the pitcher. Then maybe we'd talk more about the other 8 players on the field, and maybe only a handful of pitchers would dominate (sounds alot like baseball, doesn't it?). The girls game needs a couple tweaks to make it better for the players and the fans.

 

If ump behind plate calls proper strike zone, will not have much effect on stronger pitchers. Do it in the summer, balls break even more. Will be harder on freshman that are not used to it. It would make for more offense.

 

70' bases??? I'm afraid that would throw the game out of balance, way in favor of the defense. 60' bases are about right.

 

43' Yeah

and leave the rest alone. jmo

 

Interesting....

Is this more about taking the ball out of the best pitchers hands than anything else? and bringing the level of competition back toward the pack?

Most travel pitchers at the highest level work every single day (occasional day off) to better their skills. The ones that are not taking their game to the next level may not be as committed as the others.

What happens when you move it back and the less committed pitchers struggle at that distance? The good ones are going to simply adjust and continue to excel.