IHSA

IHSA Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - 2005-06

Boys baseball Advisory Committee

September 1, 2006

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Baseball Advisory Committee met at the IHSA office in Bloomington, IL. on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Committee members in attendance were: Jeff Collis, McHenry – Official; Kenny Fullman, Chicago (Harlan); Eric Chrzanowski, Springfield (SHG); Andy Julian, Olney (East Richland); Todd Hopkins, Ottawa (Marquette); Marilyn Book (Fairfield); Mike Riley, Glenbard South; Jeff Bonebreak and Jim Hall from the Baseball Coaches Association. Anthony Holman served as staff liaison.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Item VIII. – D. 1. Tournament Rules

Current Language:    If the postponed or called game(s) is an opening round game(s), the game(s) must be rescheduled for the next day, (excluding Sunday). If a champion cannot be determined on the scheduled date, the local manager should call the IHSA Office.

               Recommendation:   The postponed or suspended game(s) must be rescheduled for the next day (which may include Sunday, but only with the expressed permission of the IHSA). If a champion cannot be determined on the scheduled date, the local manager should call the IHSA Office.

Rationale: This will allow for more flexibility in getting games completed prior to the start of the next level of competition. Furthermore, by deleting “excluding Sunday”, the terms and conditions are consistent with the elimination of that deletion from the IHSA Handbook.

No Action Taken

2. Item VIII. – D. 4. Tournament Rules

Current Language: If postponements due to inclement weather should continue throughout the week of the tournament, every effort should nevertheless be made to complete the tournament. In the event a winner cannot be determined prior to the opening date of the succeeding tournament, the highest seeded team remaining shall advance to the next level of play excluding super-sectional contests. Nonetheless the IHSA Office should be contacted in any case.

Recommendation: In the event a winner cannot be determined prior to competition beginning at the next level, the highest seeded team remaining shall advance to the next level of play excluding super-sectional contests.

Rationale: The change in language seeks to assure that games are decided on the field and not by seeds by allowing for more flexibility in the schedule to complete games.

No Action Taken (Approved to adopt language similar to softball that allows super-sectional games to be rescheduled if sectional play has not been completed.)

3. Hitting Derby – II – B. Dates and Sites

Recommendation: Eliminate the sectional hitting derby competition. Coaches will nominate one hitter per sectional, during the sectional seed meeting that will represent their sectional at the State Final Tournament. The nominee would have to submit his photo, waiver, and biographical information to the IHSA office by 10:00 a.m. following the Sectional Seeding Meeting.

Rationale: Participation at the Sectional Hitting Derby has continued to decrease with fewer players showing up to participate. Thus Sectional Host Managers have grown increasingly irritated by having to go through the time and effort of coordinating a Hitting Derby for a small number of participants. However the Hitting Derby at the State Final has continued to be a positive experience with little problems and high a level of participation.

Approved eliminating the Boys Baseball and Girls Softball hitting derby.

NOTE: During a group discussion that included the Baseball and Softball Advisory Committees the majority recommended that the Hitting Derby by eliminated all However back in the Baseball Advisory Committee there was a feeling derby came from the softball community. The Baseball Advisory Committee majority voted to keep the hitting derby in baseball as is or with a modification if necessary.

ITEMS OF GENERAL DISCUSSION

1. The IHSA will be conducting a Wood Bat Study in the spring. There was some concerns by coaches that volunteers to participate may be hard to find as many will not want to risk stats and possible college and professional opportunities for players that do not perform as well with wood bats. There was also a feeling that enough studies had been done to validate continued use of non-wood bats. All agreed that gathering the information would be helpful.

2. Possible By-Law Amendment to eliminate fall and/or Summer Baseball Seasons. There is some concern by our Southern School representatives that this would affect some small southern schools that play a large conference fall schedule. Representatives from the Baseball Coaches Association are concerned that this would adversely affect the Baseball Coaches Summer League.

3. Both the Class A and Class AA Baseball State Final Tournaments will be held at Silver Cross Field in Joliet starting with the 2007.

4. Baseball Administrator Anthony Holman reported on the New Grouping and Seeding Policy.