heavy duty

As it stands, it will begin at top of the 10th inning. I believe that this is reasonable, and all well and good for regular season games...HOWEVER...it was presented as an "all or nothing" choice, so to speak, to the ADs and Principals that KHSAA surveyed on the matter; either "Utilize the international tie breaker in all games" OR "Eliminate the tiebreaker in all games". There was no provision by KHSAA for playing out all post-season games to their competitive conclusion, only an area for add'l comments. ADs and Principals have a lot on their plates, and many when faced with that choice probably defaulted to the "Utilize the ITB..." option, without much if any deeper thought, and moved on with their day. A petition has been started for coaches/parents/fans of fastpitch softball around the State, who have a more in-depth understanding of the sport, and how this could negatively impact post-season games, to give voice to their view to the KHSAA. The link is found here, and if it is against protocol to post this here, please remove the link. I have attempted to remain as down the middle as I possibly can with this post without coloring it with my opinion. My opinion of the KHSAA in regards to fastpitch softball is extremely low, by the way.

This is a reasonable take. And not to argue, because it is a fair response...however, my qualm with the technology angle is this.....If improvements in the equipment has moved the sport to a level of being overtly unsafe for the participants, then why not address the offending equipment rather than mandating heretofore unnecessary protective equipment?

Not sure if this was in part including myself in "all the people", but just to reiterate, one thing I am not is against my daughter or any player wearing a mask. My point is and always will be, that it should be the player/parent/family decision. Personal freedom. Personal responsibility. I've seen other online venues with people posting pictures/videos of their kids after being hit in the face as a means to show support by somehow trying to shame or belittle those who disagree with the new rule.....my question to them is simply, if you are such a supporter, why wasn't your kid wearing a mask to begin with? Does someone have to TELL you it's OK to protect your child in a manner you wish?

I am not in favor of mandating masks for high school players. What's done is done, though. As a pitcher, my daughter has been hit occasionally with no serious incidents, and has been on the field back in youth ball days when a pitcher on her team was hit in the mouth. It's scary thing for sure. I have never been "anti-mask", in fact my daughter wore a mask for a few years off and on, and then once she got to about 14U and HS level, I let her choose. We discussed it, she accepted the risk, and chose not to wear one going forward. She'll be a college senior this coming season, playing D1 with nearly 600 innings in the circle, so far....do I cringe when one is hit up the middle? Absolutely, but it is her choice, and I respect that. To that end, I believe in personal freedom, and assuming risk and responsibility for one's own actions in ALL things. Those aren't very popular positions any longer it seems, though....not just in HS sports.

I could get behind that, and I know that the teams would appreciate it

I thought that angle through, and believe that with out a Semi-State round to narrow the field down to 4 teams, then just one field would be taxed, even with an added day on the front end there would be 3 straight days of 4 games, and 3 on the final day....Don't know if any colleges would go for that. Ideally, I would advocated adding a Semi-State round in, on Monday and Tuesday, at 4 college/partner locations around the State to get to a Final 4, take W & Th off, then Semis on Fri night at a top shelf destination and Championship on Sat. But that is a big overhaul that I don't see KHSAA partaking in...remember, I'm cynical And to touch on the pitch count thing....yes, they threw an abhorrent amount of pitches, but they aren't the first. I can recall Thomas from Mercy in 2014 most recently having to throw her arm off on Friday....I would argue, "why change the sport, when it is so much easier to just change the format?"....the reason the situation exists is 100% due to the Dbl Elimination format....Accept it as a bad decision, learn, and move on with a better way......To say that teams and schools would have to "develop" pitching staffs, IMO, is not realistic because the amount of quality pitchers just aren't there, and not just at small schools.....Playing a maximum of 2 games in a day is doable, by almost every pitcher out there, and levels the field for teams that only have one viable pitcher.

Unfortunately the new Ray Jones Complex in Greenville, KY is not suited due to the press box situation, as well....shame, cause it looks fantastic...Region 3 was played there....but hey, like the Parks and Rec Director of Owensboro says, "...it's all about the players..." Whatever....they don't even come out and drag the already substandard fields between games in Owensboro, so they are beat to death, with bad hops galore, TERRIBLE dug out pitching lanes, and batters boxes that end up having hitters standing either uphill, downhill, or in a trench..."You're choice, ladies. Choose wisely." I guess since Men's Slowpitch has died off around here enough, they have "skirted" the infields to a fastpitch distance, and by "skirted" I mean it looks like they drug a yard plow around enough to break up the soil, and put down some seed, so now the first 20' of the OF is like a plowed field with a bad hair plug job, and the ramp that used to be the back of the slowpitch infield still remains!! It is God-Awful. I've said many times before that Bilberry, Bridenbaugh, Tackett, and any other KHSAA staff members that have a say in ANY aspect of this grand debacle each June should be ashamed at themselves for the short shrift that is given to the female softball players of this Commonwealth. I just don't complain, I offer up a solution. First of all change it to a 16 Team, Single Elimination format...cramming 16 teams, 31 games into basically a day and a half is assanine, and it is MISERABLE for the players, the umpires, the fans, no matter how exciting the outcomes. Not only is it borderline abusive to have teams play 4 games back to back, it is stupid!! High School teams are not built for that...Hell, College teams aren't built for that!! Bottom line is, you do not get the best performances from the best teams. Make it Sgl Elim, so EVERY GAME counts, and is as exciting, anticipated and as valuable as Game 31 was this past Saturday between Male and MNH. Some people I have talked with this about then say, "teams need to be seeded" ....my response "by whom?"...I'm cynical, and don't trust anyone associated with KSCA or KHSAA to be fair, so I advocate sticking with the blind pill-pull as it currently is....Sure you may get a crappy matchup, but you still have to win the game...in the current setup, it's no different, losing your first game is a death sentence, so let it stand. IF the tournament must to be played at a "complex" (which I think it does without a Semi-State format), then have the 8 Rd 1 games on Thur evening, as it currently is, the 4 Rd 2 games on Fri morning, the 2 Rd 3 games on Fri night, under the lights, and Championship Game on Sat. .... this limits teams to maximum 2 games in a day, AND it keeps the teams off the field in the hottest part of the day.......This is doable without much change from current set up.....but for God's sake get it out of Owensboro, and to a nice facility "...for the players..." of course!!

South Warren steals home in bottom of 8th to beat East Carter 1-0. MNH, Male, Cath rolled their opponents. McCrack rolling Leslie in lower bracket. Pikeville up 2-1 on Woodford in bottom 4th, but Woodford getting ready to bust it open.

sounds like a dady-ball coaching decision

Yeah, I realize that, and I fully and completely understand the geography of the KY Softball map. I don't think it's a terrible idea. It may not be as good as your idea, though...oh, wait...you didn't post one. Nevermind. At the end of the day, I just love great softball, and would LOVE to see the Top 8 teams in the State, with zero regard for "geographical balance", in a sgl elim tournament over three days at Ulmer Stadium for all the marbles. If all 8 teams are from the same Region, so be it. Nothing irks me more than seeing teams at State from Regions that are perpetually 0-2 or 1-2, while other far more competitive teams sit home. Guarantee Apollo, Ballard, Butler, Bullit East and Fern Creek could have replaced 4 or 5 teams this year, and it would have been much more entertaining. No way that scenario EVER happens, but hey, were just kicking around terrible ideas, right?

I agree with maysvilleky....not enough quality teams in KY for splitting it up. Under the current "1 team per Region" format, not even all the teams at State are on the same level, while other viable teams sit home. All fun to speculate, but we all know there's about a 0.01% chance of any of it transpiring.

The format I envision, would no longer necessitate a multi field complex, since the maximum number of games played in a day is 4....good grounds crew can turn a single field to accommodate 4 games in a day, and have it in tip top shape for each game. Jack Fisher grounds crew are city parks workers, and do just enough to get by.

Classed or not, KY is one of just a few states that uses a dbl elim tournament. Of those, only KY uses 16 teams crammed into a less than 48 hour time frame. It's asinine. Probably easiest fix to preserve the current format of 1 team per Region, is simply add a day at the front of the tournament. That way the max amount of games on any single day for a team would be 3. Still requires a multi field setting, though. I personally prefer unclassed. One Champion. In MY perfect world, there would be 4 "areas" of 4 regions...(1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16) Each Region would have 2 seeded teams in an 8 team Area Tournament. Then each Area would send top two seeded teams to State Tournament. All single elimination, 8 team brackets. Regions and Areas over 2 days. State over 3 days. Regional Colleges could host the Area Tournaments, and State could either be a fixed destination, or perhaps rotate to each Area College host. Region and Area tournaments could be same week. M,T & F,S. Then State on Th,F,S following week, so the calendar wouldn't be lengthened. Ah, to dream.

I love the idea of a single elimination tournament. 1 Thursday game, 2 Friday, Championship Saturday. All night games.

I watched the IN HS State Championships today on TV, and it is light years ahead of KY...2 teams, 1 game....now, they have 4 classes, so there are differences, of course, but KY could do something with the format that would make it more enjoyable, and probably fairer, across the board. The teams are gassed by Saturday, and the quality suffers dramatically. A quick check of today's stats...the four best remaining teams in the state...5 games, 23 errors, 96 hits, 17 unearned runs. That is NOT representative of the best our state has to offer. JMHO

I was impartially watching this game. Emotions were full tilt, on both sides because the score was back and forth, it was an elim game, it was hot, and the flow of the game was being interrupted by the constant "heat index breaks"(those are a whole different story I won't get into here). The umpire was positioned behind 2nd base on the first base side (whichever slot that is). The pitcher, who I was told by an AC dad earlier in the inning, was a freshman, and not very big at all. I would have guessed her to be middle school age. He said she had been used during the season, as a safety valve for a senior pitcher that was/is injured, but had done good work in her role. She was leaping. Bottom line. I noticed it earlier in the inning, and on some pitches it was very bad. The pitch in question that was called illegal, was done so without delay, at release. I clearly heard him yell out "illegal", and hold out his fist. The ball was struck, and hard lined to SS, who made the grab for what would have been the 3rd, and decisive out. After play resumed, The pitcher adjusted for about 5 or 6 pitches, but eventually started leaping badly again. EJ lined up a few hits that scored the needed runs to win. Game over. Season over. The timing was terrible. I agree. However, the call was correct, and could have called multiple times prior to and after the one illegal pitch call. IPs are always controversial. My DD pitches, and her first PC stressed footwork. Those lessons carry through even today with her in college. Coaches and parents must stress the mechanical fundamentals, as long as it's part of the rules, IMO. I really felt for the girl, though. She was slight of frame, young, and maybe 43' combined with the enormity of the moment was too much for her, I don't know. But it seemed like she was put in an impossible spot. I hope she sticks this one in her "lesson learned" pocket, and comes back stronger for the experience. It was pretty bad to see how the adults acted afterwards, though. As parents and grandparents we have to behave better. It was very, very ugly in the minutes following the ending of that game. There is never, ever, ever a situation that warrants chasing after, threatening, cussing, etc. an umpire after a game.....IT'S A GAME, PEOPLE......OUR KIDS ARE WATCHING AND LEARNING FROM US!!!!!! Peace out.

StatCast listed it as FC, runner forced at 3rd, then 2 pop ups to short to end it.

Opening round last three years for Male: 2014 -Defending State Champion Greenwood, 16-1 W, GW goes 0-2 2015 - Presumptive favorite #2 Mad-NoHop, 6-0 W, MNH goes 0-2 2016 - Defending State Champs, #1 McCracken, 3-1 W, McCracken goes ??? Estill County certainly hoping this pattern holds.

Teenage driver involved in deadly crash charged with murder - Tri-State News, Weather & Sports Here's a link to the story. If it's a violation to post, please remove. Terrible, terrible thing.

The question marks were laughing faces, and I was being serious. My daughter played HS ball for 6 years, 4 of those were against Josh while he was at Mercy, 2 for him when he came to Male. As a parent I have been on both sides of the field, so I have a pretty good insight, so no need to speak to other parents. Josh has never, in my memory, been the darling of the area umpires, thereby possibly earning favor on close calls. I would say the opposite would be an easier case if you were in the arguing mood. He is, however, a master of the rules and strategies of fastpitch softball. In most cases more so than the umpires of the game, and in ALL cases, more so than the parents in either stands. That's a fact. As an opponent, it was at times infuriating, to watch my DD play against his teams, and when he came to Male, I saw the other side. The telling thing is, though, from the time my DD was in 5th grade, and went to a Mercy youth camp, she "got" him, respected and admired him, and wanted to play for him, and during those 4 years of HS while she was in the opposite dugout, that opinion never changed. That's the difference between the players and the parents. What we think, either way, really doesn't matter.....but it does make for good internet entertainment.

I've been around KY high school softball, primarily in Louisville, for 9 seasons, and that may be the first time I've heard of josh earning close calls from the umps.

I wasn't there, but only play that was in question by the 3 people I was texting with was a safe call at 1st in Eastern's benefit. I also wondered not changing pitchers, but Leet had 2 outs, had kept the Male big bats in check all night, and the two big pinch hits came from unlikely heroes, Senior Megan Cunningham drops in a mis-hit bleeder behind 1st, and Sophomore Jenna Howell rips a first pitch shot that my daughter texted me was "the perfect gap shot". I guess my point is Coach Taylor probably had faith Leet could through pinch hitters in the 7 & 8 hole to get out of the inning. Tough thing, though. 2 extra pitches + 4 runs = End of your season.

Quite a heroic comeback for the Dawgs. 4th Region Title in a row. Heck of a feat for any team in a city the size of Louisville, with the talent that is here. Congrats!!

It's a sad day for many student athletes, including 3 close friends of ours on the softball roster. SCC, like most NAIA schools, offer a place where many KY softball players that may have been overlooked by NCAA programs, never got into the "recruiting" rat race, or even those kids that don't want to stray too far from home, an opportunity to continue playing the game we all love for a few more years while continuing their education. I hope they all are able to find homes at another school and team without too much heartburn. This had to be devastating to wake up to.

Good grief, man, you don't need me to twist your words...you've taken Pretzel Logic to staggering new levels!! The "entitlement" comment was CLEARLY in regards to you, not any player....just you. You've dragged this thread so far down the rabbit hole, I had to go back to page 1 just to see if maybe I missed something....nope, I didn't. It's an important year for you because you feel, maybe rightfully so, that you have 3 seniors worthy of consideration and possibly accolade. But you jacked up your membership into the KSCA, and those players may not be nominated. Whoknows? You have no control? You're mad, so you disparage the group and the process you want to be a part of. I would guess you haven't complained about any of this in the past while you were a KSCA member, and had you not jacked up this year's application, this thread would be about 1 page long. Good luck to you and your team in the post season. You can have the last word, 'cause I'm bored.