Be the Referee: Baseball Pitch Count

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

May 7, 2024

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Baseball Pitch Count - Listen

Do you know the pitch count limits for high school baseball in Michigan?

  • If a pitcher throws 25 pitches or less, he can throw again the next day with no rest.
  • If 26 to 50 pitches are thrown, one day of rest is required.
  • 51 to 75 pitches require two days of rest.
  • And throwing 76 or more pitches requires three days of rest.

The maximum pitch count for one day is 105 pitches. But if pitch number 105 occurs during the middle of an at-bat, the pitcher can finish that at-bat, but then must be taken out.

Teams are required to track all pitch counts and indicate before a game who is ineligible to pitch that day.

In the postseason, a neutral person tracks the pitch count. If a violation occurs, the pitcher becomes ineligible, and his team forfeits the game he pitched in.

Previous Editions

April 30: Boys Lacrosse Helmets - Listen
April 23: Softball Interference - Listen
April 16: Soccer Red Card - Listen
April 9: Batted Baseball Hits Runner - Listen
March 12: Basketball Replay - Listen
March 5: Hockey Officials - Listen
Feb. 27: Less Than 5 - Listen
Feb. 20: Air Ball - Listen
Feb. 13: Hockey Penalties - Listen
Jan. 30: Wrestling Tiebreakers - Listen
Jan. 23: Wrestling Technology - Listen
Jan. 9: 3 Seconds - Listen
Dec. 19: Unsuspecting Hockey Hits - Listen
Dec. 12: No More One-And-Ones - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 14: Volleyball Unplayable Areas - Listen
Nov. 7: Pass/Kick Off Crossbar - Listen
Oct. 31: Cross Country Interference - Listen
Oct. 24: Soccer Overtime - Listen
Oct. 17: Tennis Spin - Listen
Oct. 10: Blocked Kick - Listen
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen

Be the Referee: Tennis Nets

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

September 24, 2024

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Tennis Nets - Listen

Let’s talk tennis… specifically, the rules around the net.

First – tennis nets are 42 inches high at the posts and 36 inches high in the center. And nets measure 42 feet wide.

Players and their equipment CANNOT touch the net during a point. However, a player’s follow-through can cross over the net if the ball was hit to the correct side of the court. But no part of the follow-through can touch the net.

Also, the ball must completely cross the net before it can be hit. If your opponent hits a high lob and you are standing at the net ready to smash a return – you must wait until the ball is completely over the net before hitting it. 

Making contact with the net during play or hitting the ball before it’s over the net results in a loss of point.

Previous 2024-25 Editions

Sept. 18: Libero - Listen
Sept. 10:
 Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen

(Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)