ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Pitchers like Caitlyn Wood of Saugus throws the vast majority of her team’s innings.
By KATIE MORRISON
In recent years, there’s been all kinds of emphasis put on pitch counts and limits in baseball. From the pros on down, coaches are trying to manage their rotations and set limits for their pitchers to try and preserve their arms and hopefully reduce the chances of injury in the near future or far down the road.
I’ve wondered why I haven’t heard the same focus on pitch counts placed on softball pitchers in high school and youth leagues. While the velocities of softball pitchers are generally slower than the vast majority of baseball pitchers, most high school-level teams carry just one starter to shoulder the pitching load, two if you’re lucky. So the burden on the arms of softball pitchers are as great as baseball pitchers, or so it would seem.
Everywhere you look, you’ll see the same pitcher in the circle every game for a high school softball team. Classical has Tori Adams, Saugus has Kaitlyn Wood, Swampscott has Hannah Leahy and St. Mary’s has Mia Nowicki. Every one of those teams has a back-up pitcher, someone who can take over in blowouts or in case of injury. But I would guess that the starters are in the circle at least 80 percent of the time.
So is there a risk of overuse injury? Of course, there are always those risks in sports. And baseball players suffer injuries at a rate 70 percent higher than their softball counterparts. Baseball pitchers suffer twice as many injuries as softball pitchers, according to a 2010 Reuters report. The underhanded pitching motion is more natural than overhand, so there’s less strain put on the body. But when pitch counts get high or the schedule gets too busy, there is a chance that a softball pitcher gets burned out.
Injuries like shoulder tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon), back or neck pain, and elbow, forearm, and wrist tendinitis are common amongst softball pitchers, and often are a result of overuse. If players pitch year-round in other leagues, the risks are greater. Pitchers should avoid pitching three days in a row or more if possible, according to some injury prevention experts.
This is where the New England weather comes into play and makes matters even worse for pitchers. This season has seen more than its fair share of rain-outs and postponements, and that forces pitchers to rearrange their schedules and routines. While most baseball teams have at least three starters and can distribute the load in a busy week, some softball pitchers end up pitching a massive amount in a small window. That means anything from doubleheaders to back-to-back-to-back games. There’s so little time for recovery if there’s any soreness or fatigue due to the scheduling difficulties brought on by the weather.
All of that being said, you can’t blame any coach for wanting to use their top pitcher as much as possible. In order to be competitive in leagues like the Northeastern Conference or Catholic Central League, a strong pitcher is a must. And especially when you’re not only fighting for a postseason berth, but a conference title or, in Classical’s case, the pursuit of an undefeated season, there’s too much on the line to try and fix what’s not broken.
It just places more importance on proper care for pitchers (and all athletes) and a good training regiment. Most importantly, it’s up to the athletes themselves to voice a concern when something doesn’t feel right.
But at least for the time being, I don’t think pitch count restrictions will become as hot a topic in the softball world as it has been in baseball. And unfortunately for opposing lineups, with proper care and training, those aces will be able to stay in the circle deep into the tournament.