Iowa

[scorekeeper]

Is there anyone out there from Iowa who can explain a couple things from their Bylaws?

In the following, does the week mean from the start of school?

REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO BASEBALL GAMES AND PRACTICE
Year First Practice: Week/Date First Contest: Week/Date
2008-09 Week 44/May 4 Week 47/May 25
2009-10 Week 44/May 3 Week 47/May 24
2010-11 Week 44/May 2 Week 47/May 23
2011-12 Week 44/April 30 Week 47/May 21

Holy cow! How do you guys cram 40 games, plus the tournament into a season that doesn’t start until May 25th?

4. Game limitation: Member schools are permitted a 40 game limitation, exclusive of the tournament series. The limitation rule applies to individual teams representing the school and individual player participation on those teams. No individual player may play in more that 40 games during the season, exclusive of tournaments.
Exceptions: Courtesy runners only & pitching exception (see note below).
NOTE: The Board of Control has approved a policy that any 8th, 9th or 10th grade varsity player may pitch/bat on the freshman, sophomore or junior varsity level of competition and not have to count that game participation against his individual game limitation rule. If this player plays another position besides pitcher during the contest, you must count this contest against his 40 game participation limit.

[azmatsfan]

I live in Arizona now, but grew up in Iowa. In Iowa, baseball is a summer sport. The state tournament doesn't end until late July/early August.

[scorekeeper]

I live in Arizona now, but grew up in Iowa. In Iowa, baseball is a summer sport. The state tournament doesn't end until late July/early August.

That’s the gist I get, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because I cant’ find where the “Seasons” for the different sports are defined.

[BallCoach06]

I coach HS baseball in Iowa. Our first official practice date is the first Monday of May. Our first game dates are usually around May 22-26.

The limit is 40 regular season games during the season. However, a lot of the smaller schools in the state will only play 20-25. I coach at a school in the largest classification (4A). We will end up playing 36 regular season games this year as we lost 4 games due to rainouts that we could not get made up. We also play a 30-35 freshman team schedule, 35-40 sophomore team schedule, and 10-15 game JV schedule. So, our field really usually has a doubleheader or two being played on it almost everyday during the summer.

Our tournament starts this Friday with the state tournament beginning in two weeks.

We usually begin off-season pitcher/catcher workouts in February and our kids will also play a 10-15 game spring league/legion schedule in the spring.

[BallCoach06]

That’s the gist I get, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because I cant’ find where the “Seasons” for the different sports are defined.


When we start practices in early May, we share kids with a couple other spring sports (track mainly). So, we work the best we can with other coaches to allow the student/athlete to be at both practices for each sport. The only sport we can't do this with is soccer. There season runs with ours. So, when a kids gets to HS, he has a choice to make.

[scorekeeper]

I coach HS baseball in Iowa. Our first official practice date is the first Monday of May. Our first game dates are usually around May 22-26.

That pretty much goes along with ya’lls constitution.


The limit is 40 regular season games during the season. However, a lot of the smaller schools in the state will only play 20-25. I coach at a school in the largest classification (4A). We will end up playing 36 regular season games this year as we lost 4 games due to rainouts that we could not get made up. We also play a 30-35 freshman team schedule, 35-40 sophomore team schedule, and 10-15 game JV schedule. So, our field really usually has a doubleheader or two being played on it almost everyday during the summer.

Our tournament starts this Friday with the state tournament beginning in two weeks.

We usually begin off-season pitcher/catcher workouts in February and our kids will also play a 10-15 game spring league/legion schedule in the spring.

I guess I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around HS’s being willing to extend their protective arms around out of school activities. Heck, mebbe I’m wrong, but my understanding here is, once school’s out, if you want to play on a HD field, you have to schedule it through the school district, and one of the requirements is to have separate liability insurance.

But even more than that, there’s no way I can see people choosing to play HS ball over all the tournament ball available like East Cobb, the JO’s, and quite a few others, as well as showcases and camps.

Its just difficult to adjust sunbelt thinking to snowbell activities. ;)

[BallCoach06]

I guess I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around HS’s being willing to extend their protective arms around out of school activities. Heck, mebbe I’m wrong, but my understanding here is, once school’s out, if you want to play on a HD field, you have to schedule it through the school district, and one of the requirements is to have separate liability insurance.

But even more than that, there’s no way I can see people choosing to play HS ball over all the tournament ball available like East Cobb, the JO’s, and quite a few others, as well as showcases and camps.

Its just difficult to adjust sunbelt thinking to snowbell activities. ;)

I think you might have lost me with the use of the HS fields. Who else besides the HS team would be using the HS fields? All of our LL's have their own facilities, so there would be no need to use the HS fields. On top of that there would be no time to schedule anything else. Our field has games on it daily (2-4 games) and if not, we have three teams (FR, SOPH, and Varsity) practicing from 10am to around 7:30pm. So, there would be no time for anyone else to use the field.

Summer HS baseball in Iowa is it. It is not like other states that play spring baseball where the emphasis is sometimes put on the summer AAU, Legion teams over the HS teams. In Iowa, HS ball is the main thing for baseball in the state.

Our players do have several playing options in the spring and fall. Perfect Game has it's headquarters in Iowa (for now) and our kids will play in spring and fall leagues with them. Our kids also play in their local spring leagues and also State legion leagues. They will have pitching/catching workouts during the week with their HS and then play games on the weekends with their spring team.

Once our season ends, kids will also play in some of the late summer/fall tournaments and showcases. We typically send a junior select team to the Harvey Foster Tournament in Illinois each August. Kids also get exposure through Area Code Games tryouts, pro tryouts, etc. So, our kids do get quite a bit of exposure through different avenues.

Summer HS baseball works fairly well, but the real downside is for the players who may not play much until their senior season. Players really have to have solid sophomore and/or junior seasons to be recognized by college recruiters. If a player is a late bloomer or does not start until his senior season, it can really make it tough on the recruiting process because most colleges will have given out most of their money by the time our summer season starts.

[scorekeeper]

I think you might have lost me with the use of the HS fields. Who else besides the HS team would be using the HS fields? All of our LL's have their own facilities, so there would be no need to use the HS fields. On top of that there would be no time to schedule anything else. Our field has games on it daily (2-4 games) and if not, we have three teams (FR, SOPH, and Varsity) practicing from 10am to around 7:30pm. So, there would be no time for anyone else to use the field.

Well, you prolly got lost for the same reason I can’t wrap my head around your situation. They’re each foreign to us. ;)

Out here, and in most states, the HS baseball season doesn’t extend past the school year. And while many HS programs do continue to use the fields, those programs are not sanctioned by the school, nor do they fall under the state assn. FI, our school has a team made up mostly of varsity players that practices and plays in several tournaments once the HS season is over. This year they started the day after school was officially over.

They also have a Jr Legion team made up of incoming Fr and last year’s Fr and JV players. Since there’s no sanctioned tournament for them under the state rules, that team started as soon as the JV and Fr team’s schedules were completed. While that team used the HS field, they had to get a permit from the school district to use it, just like any other team would, and many of them do.

And it’s the same for the older boys when they started play. Even though that team is coached by the HC of the V, he had to get a permit to use the field, and purchase insurance.


Summer HS baseball in Iowa is it. It is not like other states that play spring baseball where the emphasis is sometimes put on the summer AAU, Legion teams over the HS teams. In Iowa, HS ball is the main thing for baseball in the state.

Our players do have several playing options in the spring and fall. Perfect Game has it's headquarters in Iowa (for now) and our kids will play in spring and fall leagues with them. Our kids also play in their local spring leagues and also State legion leagues. They will have pitching/catching workouts during the week with their HS and then play games on the weekends with their spring team.

Once our season ends, kids will also play in some of the late summer/fall tournaments and showcases. We typically send a junior select team to the Harvey Foster Tournament in Illinois each August. Kids also get exposure through Area Code Games tryouts, pro tryouts, etc. So, our kids do get quite a bit of exposure through different avenues.

Summer HS baseball works fairly well, but the real downside is for the players who may not play much until their senior season. Players really have to have solid sophomore and/or junior seasons to be recognized by college recruiters. If a player is a late bloomer or does not start until his senior season, it can really make it tough on the recruiting process because most colleges will have given out most of their money by the time our summer season starts.

I understand that your system works for you. What I’m saying is, its unlike any other state that I know of. Perhaps its just that I’m used to the sunbelt where there are literally hundreds of options for players other than HS. Our kids have the same area code games and local big tournaments to go to, but the choices are enormous.

I’m not knocking your system at all! I’m just surprised anyone is still counting on HS ball to that extent.

[cubsphill]

ballcoach, where do you coach?