Wichita West Pitcher Suspended

[washedup]

Interesting story (I think) Wichita West pitcher Colby Pechen threw 157 pitches in ten innings in the regional final Friday night. West won the game in 16 innings. Pechen and his coach Jeff Hoover have both been suspended for the opening game of the state tournament next week. Apparently there's a rule a high school pitcher in Kansas can't throw more than 9 innings in a game. Understand the coach being suspended because he broke the rule. Not sure though about the kid unless the KSHAA wants to make sure he gets some rest. On a side note, of his 157 pitches, 99 were for strikes.

[Ricardo del Rio]

I have a hard time with the notion that the kid threw 157 pitches. Just too damn many.

[1972Shocker]

Coach should have been suspended for more than 1 game. The player should be forced to layout 4 days but not be suspended although the impact could be the same or worse.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Coach should have been suspended for more than 1 game. The player should be forced to layout 4 days but not be suspended although the impact could be the same or worse.

They dont play until Thursday so he would have had 4 days of rest minimum anyways

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Knowing Jeff Hoover personally he's never shown to me to be anything other than for the kids and their safety. Nothing ever.
Whats being brushed to the side (regardless of the rule and I am perfectly okay with them suspending Hoover) is Northwest and Garden City each had a pitcher throw 10 innings the game immediately before GC played Wichita West. Its being talked about in hindsight but Pechins is a big deal?
Also not being told is the main people bitching about this happen to be parents from Derby who are pissed off because Pechin decided to transfer from Derby to West High this year. Also on the West High Baseball team is a another kid who transferred from Derby to West and they blocked him from playing football for West.

157 is a huge number do not get me wrong. I cringe just thinking about it. But in no way shape or form is Colby's arm being abused. Id be throwing a fit if he turned around and pitched today or tomorrow compared to a 1 off game like this.

[shocktheheart]

Knowing Jeff Hoover personally he's never shown to me to be anything other than for the kids and their safety. Nothing ever.
Whats being brushed to the side (regardless of the rule and I am perfectly okay with them suspending Hoover) is Northwest and Garden City each had a pitcher throw 10 innings the game immediately before GC played Wichita West. Its being talked about in hindsight but Pechins is a big deal?
Also not being told is the main people bitching about this happen to be parents from Derby who are pissed off because Pechin decided to transfer from Derby to West High this year. Also on the West High Baseball team is a another kid who transferred from Derby to West and they blocked him from playing football for West.

157 is a huge number do not get me wrong. I cringe just thinking about it. But in no way shape or form is Colby's arm being abused. Id be throwing a fit if he turned around and pitched today or tomorrow compared to a 1 off game like this.

Was he blocked or the KSHAA blocked him? If he enrolled for this year at Derby, by rule he has to sit out a semester. My sons teammate on his cross country team went through this as was pre-enrolled at Kapaun and decided to transfer and had to only run JV for cross country even though he was the second or third best runner on the team. Track he could run varsity

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Was he blocked or the KSHAA blocked him? If he enrolled for this year at Derby, by rule he has to sit out a semester. My sons teammate on his cross country team went through this as was pre-enrolled at Kapaun and decided to transfer and had to only run JV for cross country even though he was the second or third best runner on the team. Track he could run varsity

Outside of the pick your classes in the middle of 2nd semester I dont believe he had enrolled. I understand the semester rule as a deterrent to stack teams. From my understand (talking with the kids parents) was Derby gave him a full release to where he could play football but the week before school after they couldnt convince him to come back they brought it to the KSHAA. So he ended up playing JV football this year.Full disclosure though Im not sure how all of it works outside of the sit out a semester rule.

[wyatt]

My son played for Jeff Hoover one spring and summer for the Wichita Grays, and he was all about making the kids better, and not putting them at risk. He turned my son into a man. which has led to a college football scholarship. Jeff Hoover is a quality man and coach, and he took responsibility for the mistake, and asked kshsaa to not punish the player. Hoover is all about the kids.

[washedup]

This story also getting some national play on social media. ESPN's Keith Law highly critical of Jeff Hoover and West High on twitter

[SB Shock]

I have a hard time with the notion that the kid threw 157 pitches. Just too damn many.

Kind of crazy that in this day and age, with the information we know, that something like this would ever happen.

[DUShock]

Wow, just wow.

[Shoxdad1969]

Knowing Jeff and his coaching ethics, it is bewildering to me that he let a young pitcher stay out there that long. I understand that a young man, trying to give his team a win, is going to tell you that his arm is still good. Even though, as Jeff said in an interview, that his velocity was the same in the 10th inning as it was in the 3rd inning, that doesn't tell you anything. As a parent, if it was my son out there throwing 157 pitches, I would be upset and in the coaches face during the game, even though that is not the protocol. Jeff should have been the coach, and the adult, in the situation and pulled the pitcher for his own good. I have seen coaches over the years let the players make decisions like this and it never ends well.

[WuShock16]

Even Charley Boyce thinks that is way too much pitching for a youngster.

[shockfan89_]

I don't know Jeff Hoover and don't follow either West or Derby baseball. With that being said, I think Mr. Hoover should step down for the remainder of the season or be relieved of his duties as coach. This is just inexcusable in my opinion! It sounds like Northwest and Garden City had very similar situations so this is obviously a much bigger issue than I knew existed. It needs to stop now, and I feel the best way to stop it is to show the kids (and the parents) that there are things more important than winning (at this level).

[shockfan89_]

After some additional research, I feel all the teams that had a pitcher pitch 10 innings should be removed from post-season play for violating KSHSAA pitching regulations.

Pitching Regulations
Pitchers in baseball may pitch only nine innings in any one day. A pitcher is allowed a maximum accumulation of 12 innings during any 48 hour period. Please refer to the KSHSAA Baseball/Softball Manual for details, Section 2.C.