Why move pitching distance?

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

Ok, I have to ask.....it seemed like the majority of people out there we in support of moving the pitching distance to 43'. So I ask what is the reasoning for wanting to move this back???

Last year, ISF moved international competition to 43'. College coaches have been requesting that they be able to scout at 43', because it would be easier for them to see players playing at the collegiate distance. In kneejerk reaction, ASA made 18 Gold (only) 43', without realizing the secondary results. Those results include 1) college coaches now treating 18A as B, since it is easier for them to look at players playing at 43', 2) teams that can't compete at Gold trying to move up, just so that more college coaches will look at their players, 3) players on 18A teams that try to play some 43' exposure tournaments struggling at 40', too, as a result of changing back and forth, 4) open tournaments having trouble filling brackets with teams that play from the same distances, 5) field owners having issues with placing pitching plates, 6) pitchers pitching from 43' having issues with a 40' pitching plate on that field interfering with their natural drag, etc., etc.

It is impossible to think that 18 Gold will go backwards, now. To fix these issues requires others to move to that same distance. At a minimum, all 18U teams need to play from the same distance. Many 16U teams want to play up with the big dogs at exposure tournaments; to make that happen without the same issues, they need to play from the same distance. Some people think that 14U should also change to the same distance, which would almost guarantee that NFHS (high school) would change, too, since all their ages would be playing 43' in travel ball.

Hope this helps you understand the real issues. The result would be more offense; not more safety. Pitchers that have dominated at 40' are much less dominant at 43'. Batters gaining .02 seconds reaction time to hit the ball is much more valuable than pitchers gaining .02 reaction time to defend their bodies. NCAA statistics showed substantial increase in offense (earned runs) the year the rule changed.