IHSA (Illinois) Softball Pitching Distance To Move To 43 Fee

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August 10, 2009
Softball Pitching Distance To Move To 43 Feet In 2009-10

The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors approved a recommendation to move the pitching distance in the sport of softball to 43 feet effective with the upcoming 2009-10 softball season. The pitching distance was 40 feet in 2008-09.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), whose rules the IHSA follows for all sports including softball, voted to increase the pitching distance effective with the 2010-11 season. Each state was given the option to move its pitching distance to 43 feet for the upcoming 2009-10 season or wait until it became mandatory in 2010-11. The rule revision was made by the NFHS Softball Rules Committee at its annual meeting in Indianapolis on June 8-10.

“I believe this is the best move for the student-athletes and high school softball in Illinois,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “This change came as no surprise, as the NFHS has talked about it for nearly a decade and we knew it was only a matter of time. It will increase offense and get the defense more involved in the game, but more importantly it has the potential to improve safety for the pitchers. When you consider the safety factor, there really wasn’t a logical reason to wait a year to move the pitching distance.”