New format and rule means new strategies in Region 4-5A baseball

A new pitch-count rule and schedule format has increased strategic thinking among Region 4-5A high school baseball coaches.

The pitch-count rule is effective statewide, instituted by the National Federation of High Schools last summer. And after the South Carolina High School League realigned its member schools last year, Region 4-5A was left with just five schools and in need of a new scheduling format.

The region’s coaches and athletic directors decided to play three-game series, with schools facing off Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the same week. That replaced a format in which teams played just twice, often over a month apart.

“To me, it levels the playing field across the board,” said Fort Mill coach Travis Collier. “You don’t see a No. 1 (starter) twice a year like we have in the past.”

“Another reason I like it,” said Nation Ford coach Stas Swerdzewski, “is because when it comes down to a tiebreaker scenario, the first thing they look at is head-to-head and now there is a clear winner in head-to-head.”

Three-game series, combined with the pitch-count rules, have ramped up strategic planning.

Collier’s team played Northwestern last week and weather postponed the first game from Monday to Tuesday. That had a ripple impact on both teams’ pitching rotations for the next week and prompted Collier and Northwestern coach Mitch Walters to pull their starters earlier than normal in the series opener last Tuesday. That way they would be available for this week’s series openers on Monday.

“You’ve got to think about the series after it and who’s available and gives you the best chance to win,” said Collier.

The Trojans led 11-1 at the time, another reason Walters probably pulled his starter in that first game against Fort Mill. Coaches are relieving starting pitchers in games that appear over to keep their pitch counts down, ensuring they’ll be able to get them back out on the mound sooner. Collier’s team tacked a couple of runs on the Northwestern relief pitcher.

“It didn’t change the outcome of the game, they still beat us 14-4, but that’s a situation in the past where you let that guy finish the game,” he said. “For us, once we knew we got down we had to get our starter out of there.”

Clover coach Hank Wofford has already had those conversations mid-game on the pitching mound. He lifted one Clover pitcher during a preseason tournament, even as he was mowing down the opposition.

“Kid felt great and was in position to finish the game and we’ve got to go get him because we wanted him to pitch the following Wednesday,” said Wofford. “He was okay with it, he knew it. We’ve had the conversations with our players that it might be a strategic move when we come to get you. Not because we want to take you out but it’s because we’re thinking two, three, four, five days ahead.”

Rock Hill High coach Dell Corley said Tuesday that the new format and rules haven’t altered his coaching. He always tried to foster depth but running out younger players, but now the other four teams in the league are doing the same whether they would prefer to, or not.

“We’ve got seven, eight guys that we feel can go out on the mound and give us a chance,” said Wofford. “But last year we wouldn’t have used most of them.”

Necessity also played a role in the format change. With only five teams in the region, Rock Hill, Northwestern, Clover, Nation Ford and Fort Mill were left with eight or nine non-region game slots to fill, a difficult obligation.

In a five-team region, there will always be one school not playing region baseball in a given week. That influences coaching decisions too, knowing that the next week’s games against non-region opponents aren’t as important in the playoff race.

It’s a lot for the coaches to keep up with, maybe more than ever.

The pitch-count rules require coaches accurately track the pitches their players throw and then get the opposing coach to sign off on the figure after the game. The pitch-counts then have to be entered into a database before noon the following day or the school can be fined.

“I’ve hired a guy just to do that, that’s all he does,” said Collier. “He gives me a sheet after every game, who’s available? who’s not available? and where pitchers are, because if you don’t, with so many rules, it could pass you by and you could get in trouble.”

Corley mentioned that at least once this season he’s waited by an opposing coach’s dugout while his opposite number chewed out his team 100 feet away. It’s a little awkward.

“That is by far the most, I’m trying to think of the right word to describe it, it’s definitely odd,” said Swerdzewski. “Our first game of the year we lost on a walk-off error and five minutes later I’m having to go over there and discuss the pitch count situation with the opposing coach when I don’t want to talk to anyone. It’s not the first thing on your list to want to go do.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 6:16 PM with the headline "New format and rule means new strategies in Region 4-5A baseball."