Baseball: KHSAA moving state tournament to two-week format | Lexington Herald-Leader

 

 

By Josh Moore

 

[email protected]

 

The KHSAA Board of Control approved a proposal to revise the schedule for the Rawlings/KHSAA State Baseball Tournament during its meeting Wednesday. The measure moves the 16-team tournament from a one-week event to a two-week event in an effort to alleviate concerns about pitching limitations and roster depth.

 

In the revised schedule, first-round games will be played on Thursday, June 9 and on Friday, June 10. The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, June 11.

 

Nearly a week will pass before the semifinals are held on Friday, June 17. The championship takes place a week after the quarterfinals on Saturday, June 18.

 

“Pitching limitations are in place for the health and safety of our student-athletes,” KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said. “In keeping with the overall desire of the membership to maintain a 16-team format, and yet alleviate identified problems with pitching restrictions, a change in schedule was necessitated.”

 

Read more here: Baseball: KHSAA moving state tournament to two-week format | Lexington Herald-Leader

 

According to the story it sounds like this was done partly to placate those wanting Baseball to go to 3 Classes.

Talking about a lot of money and travel for a team out west if the make it To the final four.

Talking about a lot of money and travel for a team out west if the make it To the final four.

KHSAA does offset all or part of the travel to the finals like they do for some other sports.

 

From their Finals Packet...

 

EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

GENERAL POLICY

• An expense allowance will be calculated for lodging and meals and shall be paid for a traveling squad of 24 persons in the following manner.

LODGING

• Schools failing to stay within assigned lodging arrangements will forfeit the lodging allowance.

The lodging allowance shall be $13.00 per night due to the reduced rate as part of the Lexington package, and will be paid for a maximum of 24 persons, and will be paid for only the nights that lodging is utilized. No school within a forty-mile one-way distance from Lexington will be reimbursed lodging. Your school is responsible for all bills for lodging, and you will be reimbursed the lodging allowance. Please have your school or Board of Education's Sales Tax Exempt number with you at check in to allow the hotel to deduct the sales tax from the room bill.

MEALS

• A meal allowance of $5.00 per meal will be reimbursed for a maximum of 24 persons with the amount of meals corresponding to the use of housing and for a maximum of three meals per tournament day and additional meals for the travel day(s). Your school is responsible for all meal arrangements for your team,

MILEAGE

• Each school is reimbursed $1.00 per mile, round trip for one vehicle, from the school location to Lexington, in accordance with mileage numbers provided by the American Automobile Association.

RECEIVING YOUR REIMBURSEMENT

• Your expense check will be mailed from the KHSAA offices not later than 30 days following the finals.

It doesn't cover all costs. It still costs the school a lot of money on state tournament trips.

This is a complete joke.

It doesn't cover all costs. It still costs the school a lot of money on state tournament trips.

 

And the fans. I do think, however, more western fans would be inclined to come to a first round game on Friday than on a Tuesday at lunch as it currently is.

Looks like baseball needs to go back to the semi state format of old and send 8 teams to Lexington. This is just adding costs to schools, parents and fans.

To be fair it's only adding expense to the ones that make it to the second week...half will be going home and won't be out anymore...those that advance won't care about added expense as they are one step closer to winning it all.

Why would you stay Saturday night either time?

 

I'm guessing a lot of folks leave Saturday after the game is over (even if you get home at 3 in the morning).

 

Looks this way that a team in the finals spends TWO (2) nights in a hotel total (first Friday, second Friday).

 

There is NO need to spend both Saturdays as well.

 

I'm guessing here, but I'm assuming state tourney teams were already spending two nights in a hotel in the former/old format.

Sounds like its all about the mighty dollar. If they split it out based on levels they loose money.. The only thing worse would be someone trying to do this in basketball.

The bigger picture is that it allows teams with a lot less pitching to have a chance at a State Championship.... I don't like it at all!!

I like it. Gives smaller schools that may not have 100 kids to choose from a level playing field. Most teams will have 2 or 3 good pitchers. Old format taxed the staffs too much, and allowed coaches to abuse some arms. Great call.

crazy!! just another way to try to keep everyone happy instead of going to a class system. Also KHSAA just trying to generate bigger crowds and make more $ with the majority of games scheduled for Friday and Saturdays.

crazy!! just another way to try to keep everyone happy instead of going to a class system. Also KHSAA just trying to generate bigger crowds and make more $ with the majority of games scheduled for Friday and Saturdays.

 

Don't know about that.

 

Having to rent the ballpark for back-to-back weekends and having the Legends have to be away back-to-back weekends can't be cheap.

 

Especially in the summer. I'm sure the Legends would have liked to have one of those weekends -- and the prime time crowds that go with them -- back.

 

Minor-league baseball teams need weekend games just as much, if not moreso, than the KHSAA (or else soccer first-round wouldn't be at 8 sites, soccer semis on a weeknight, volleyball first round on a Friday morning, golf opening round on a weekday morning, wrestling all day starting on a Friday morning, etc.).

Don't know about that.

 

Having to rent the ballpark for back-to-back weekends and having the Legends have to be away back-to-back weekends can't be cheap.

 

Especially in the summer. I'm sure the Legends would have liked to have one of those weekends -- and the prime time crowds that go with them -- back.

 

Minor-league baseball teams need weekend games just as much, if not moreso, than the KHSAA (or else soccer first-round wouldn't be at 8 sites, soccer semis on a weeknight, volleyball first round on a Friday morning, golf opening round on a weekday morning, wrestling all day starting on a Friday morning, etc.).

 

Don't let common sense and logic stand in the way of a good conspiracy rant.