KHSAA announces rules changes for coming school year

On Monday, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) announced some rules changes via its social media accounts and on the khsaa.org website.

One rule change dealt with high school baseball, and read: Players using non-wood bats will have greater flexibility in using substances to enhance their grip on the bat with a change that brings consistency to Rule 1-3-2.

This rule revision was one of two proposed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee after its annual rules meeting held June 2-4 at The Alexander hotel in Indianapolis. The rules changes were accepted by the NFHS Board of Directors and are effective with the 2025 season.

Rule 1-3-2c1 addresses allowable grips on non-wood bats and now includes clarification that resin, pine tar or another drying agent can be applied to the bat, not to exceed beyond 18 inches from the base of the knob. In addition to allowing players more grip control on their bats, it makes the standards the same as wood bats.

Another rule change dealt with track and field, and read: Effective with the 2025 season, races in high school track and field will be recalled in the first 50 meters when a competitor falls due to contact with another competitor. This change, which was one of eight revisions recommended by the NFHS Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee at its June 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis, relates to races not run in lanes, or when two or more competitors are assigned to a single lane.

Finally, in a major development pertaining to high school softball, the KHSAA announced: High school softball coaches will be able to use electronic devices in the dugout for one-way communication to the catcher while the team is on defense beginning in 2025.

This landmark change was the highlight of the NFHS Softball Rules Committee’s two rules recommendations, which were forwarded as a result of the committee’s annual rules meeting held June 9-11 at The Alexander hotel in Indianapolis. The NFHS Board of Directors approved both rules changes to take effect next year.

More information on additional rules changes and clarifications can be found online at www.khsaa.org.