Apr 18, 2017 Beginning with the 2017 season, high school pitchers in the United States will be restricted by a daily pitch count.
At its June 2016 meeting in Indianapolis the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee approved mandatory pitching restrictions based upon the number of pitches thrown, with the specifics to be decided at the state level by each state’s association.
The NFHS's educational arm, NFHSLearn, recommends the guidelines created by the MLB/USA Baseball Pitch Smart program. Pitch Smart recommends a maximum of 105 pitches per day for 17-18 year olds, and up to 95 pitches for 15-16 year olds, along with up to 4 days rest.
Prior to the 2017 season, California’s association, the CIF, limited a pitcher to 30 outs and 3 appearance per calendar week.
For the 2017 season, the CIF adopted pitch count limits based upon team level, with a daily limit of 110 pitches for varsity players, and 90 pitches for all others, along with up to 3 days rest. The previous rule, limiting a pitcher to 30 outs and 3 appearance per calendar week, remains in effect.
Both the CIF rules and the Pitch Smart recommendations require no rest for a pitcher who has thrown up to 30 pitches.
Key differences between the CIF rules and the Pitch Smart recommendations include the restrictions being based upon team level rather than player age, and the maximum of 3 days rest versus 4 days rest.
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