Saving the spring season
High school coaches in Arizona get creative on how to potentially salvage what’s left of their spring sports seasons.
It’s another day, and another dire forecast with the coronavirus having its way, keeping just about everybody in check.
Hope is lessening among Arizona high school spring coaches over having their seasons returned, even after the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Executive Board said Friday it will finish the seasons if schools return April 13.
But let’s say schools do come back. How can the AIA salvage what’s left of the spring sports seasons?
With input from coaches, here are some ideas:
Doubleheaders for softball, baseball
Phoenix Desert Vista baseball coach Cody Brassfield feels to leave a couple of weeks left for the regular season, doubleheaders would be an option to get games in faster. “But we need to be careful of arms coming back too fast,” he said.
It also can be tough to do at high schools that don’t have lights.
In Yuma, there are three 6A schools. If teams are ready to play games by April 20, one coach suggested using the final two weeks of the regular season to have series among Cibola, San Luis and Kofa. “Maybe the winner of that series gets a bid into either the state tournament or a play-in,” Kofa coach Milton Leon said. “That would be something I would like to see happen if we are able to return to play.”
Kingman Lee Williams baseball coach Patrick O’Boyle likes the idea of having double-header region games but “allowing for four days in between days to save on pitching.”
“Then maybe we have a single-elimination region tournament, where the top two teams from the region tournament move on to play in the state tournament double elimination style tournament,” O’Boyle added.
Softball teams might have a better time pulling this off. At the big club tournaments, there are sometimes 40-team tournaments where teams are playing four games a day until a champion is decided.
“Then maybe we have a single-elimination region tournament, where the top two teams from the region tournament move on to play in the state tournament double elimination style tournament,”
Patrick O’Boyle
Kingman Lee Williams baseball coach
Modifying the length of games
Mohave Valley River Valley baseball coach Bill Fregoso suggested shortening the games to five innings when everybody comes back to complete the regular season, before going back to seven for the playoffs.
“This would help with some pitch counts and allow for pitchers to go deeper in games and may help in a double-header situation,” he said. “Or maybe even go to every other day. Play at home on a Tuesday and then away on a Thursday or even go Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That gets three games a week in, but again pitch counts will play a huge factor. Especially for smaller schools like us, who have five freshmen starting, it makes that 20-pitch limit for no day of rest very tough.”
Get rid of power ratings
There won’t be enough games for the AIA to have an accurate or justifiable ratings system. So go back to the oldschool ways with the top three teams from each region qualifying.
Or simply open up it up for every team in each conference qualifying for state with either a double- or singleelimination tournament.
“I think that would be a lot of fun and could make for an interesting tournament,” Phoenix Christian baseball coach Mark Band said. “With that format, it would require a lot of games during the week, which would balance the competition in that successful teams would need to use more than a couple of pitchers.
“The best team would have a chance to rise to the top rather than the team with the best pitcher. I think that would be fun.”
Expand the state fields
Have every team in the conference qualify for state, either making them single- or double-elimination tournaments. Or do double- or single-elimination region tourneys in each conference with the top two qualifying for state.
Surprise Paradise Honors baseball coach Charles Summers suggested having a two-conference 16-team doubleelimination tournament with the two winners advancing for a winner-takeall single game showdown.
“Could easily be done by playing four games on each of the four fields at the Royals complex on Friday May 8th,” Summers said. “Then play another 16 games on Saturday May 9th. That gets you to 12 teams for Friday May 15th and down to two teams after Saturday May 16.
“Play the championship on Monday May 18 like scheduled. The two divisions of eight-team double-elimination could be adopted for future state tournaments after this year as well.”
Back up the season beyond graduation
If the AIA can sign off on allowing seniors to play past graduations, that would help greatly get the seasons in. Teams won’t be so rushed to get players, especially pitchers, back into shape and tournament ready, reducing the potential for injuries.
One coach suggest having each round played at the highest seed until the state championships and play them at Chase Field.
Gilbert Perry baseball coach Damien Tippett said club season begins Memorial Day weekend, so there could be an affect on an extended state tournament. But he said the schools and the AIA could come up with a plan, sooner than later, he said, so families can plan accordingly, “before they spend a lot of money on club ball.”
“It could be similar to the College World Series,” Tippett said. “Once your team is out, you go right to your summer program.”
Pushing track back without team scoring
There could be more pulled hamstrings than personal records if track continues. But Dave Shapiro, who runs the Chandler Rotary and the state meets, believes it can work if state is pushed back into late May.
“A recommendation from a committee member is not to score the state championships but make it a one-day individual meet,” Shapiro said. “Four divisions. Two sites. Thus, the pressure is off an athlete to run four events but to concentrate on one or two events.
“The field would be 24 deep and relays would be 16 deep.”
Final word
“There are no bad options for creative steps that the AIA can take to complete the spring seasons,” -- Scottsdale Desert Mountain baseball coach Ryan Dyer