Nebraska high school baseball coaches will be able to communicate with pitchers under NSAA experiment

If fans and parents notice a high school baseball pitcher looking at his wrist before stepping on the rubber this spring, that’s because of a new communication rule approved by the Nebraska School Activities Association.

Nebraska high school baseball coaches will now be able to communicate the pitch call with their hurlers on the mound. The NSAA approved the decision, 8-0, at its monthly board meeting held at its Lincoln office on Thursday.

The one-way communication devices are used only for the purpose of calling pitches. Approved technology includes audio devices like earpieces, as well as wristbands with a digital screen showing the call.

The National Federation of High School Associations approved electronic communication between a coach and the catcher starting in the spring 2024 season. NFHS provides guidance on high school sports rules and technology to the NSAA, the other 49 states and Washington D.C.

The new rule in Nebraska, which plugs pitchers into the pitch call, was shot down as a nationwide rule by the NFHS last year, due to a lack of data, according to NSAA staff member in charge of baseball Colton Wierzbicki.

“We essentially looked at trying to be at the forefront of this and try to experiment, to help provide data for the NFHS, as they look to make it a complete rule change in the future,” Wierzbicki said during Thursday’s meeting.

The rule included input and recommendations from the state’s coaches, Wierzbicki said.

College and professional baseball allow similar systems to be used, though pitchers can relay their preferred pitch back to coaches in Major League Baseball.

Thursday’s approval by NSAA is a part of an experiment to help the national federation collect more data on communication to pitchers. It’s the second NFHS experiment approved by the NSAA this school year, with the board giving the go-ahead to video reviews in the boy’s and girl’s wrestling championship bouts in November.

Depending on the tech used, an analysis done by Wierzbicki indicates it will cost schools anywhere from $20 per month, per user, to a $1,500 one-time purchase.

The NFHS gave the state approval for up to three years, with the NSAA board needing to vote on the measure prior to each season. North Carolina is the only other state plugging pitchers into the one-way communication line, with that state piloting the rule last year and approving it again this spring, Wierzbicki said.

Pitchers will have access to the listening piece or wristband once the season starts up in March.

Also approved at the board meeting, schools will be able play in preseason jamborees starting this spring. The goal is to help ease pitchers’ arms into the season by allowing one seven-inning scrimmage or two four-inning scrimmages against fellow NSAA teams.