By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
Earlier this month the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council approved a recommendation to move the pitching rubber in softball back from 40 feet to 43 feet.
The MIAC said the change, which will take effect next season, was made to increase safety and add offense. Although there's been no push to move the rubber back in New Hampshire, several coaches have said they are in favor of the change.
"I've had the misfortune of seeing a pitcher get hit in the face with a line drive," St. Thomas coach Linda Lachance said. "It's a scary, scary thing. Whether three more feet could have made a difference, who knows? But in some cases that split second could mean getting a glove up on the ball.
"I don't think it would be any trouble getting used to it."
Florida is the only state that currently uses the 43-foot rule. Florida approved the move for a two-year trial period last spring.
The 43-foot distance is the standard in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
"Football fields are 100 yards, basketball rims are 10 feet, baseball throws from the same distance. Why not softball?" Newmarket coach Jack Brown said. "It would help the players get ready for the college game and it would help the hitters adjust. They'll be able to hit from the same distance they'll be facing in college."
Exeter's Kristin Hodsdon-Morisette is another coach who favors the move.
"Obviously in Class L there are a lot of pitchers who can dominate," Hodsdon-Morisette said. "At 43 feet you'd see a little more offense and it really would help pitchers go to the next level."
Girls Lacrosse: Baby Talk
Even if her team doesn't win this year's Division III title, it'll be a season to remember for Portsmouth coach Cindy Fitzgerald.
Not only is Portsmouth one of two unbeaten girls lacrosse teams in the state, Fitzgerald has been coaching even though her first child is due any day.
"This could be the perfect team to have to go through this with," Fitzgerald said. "This team is just so self-motivated and driven, it's great to have them be a part of this."
Portsmouth entered the week with a 12-0 record and has one league game to play. Pinkerton Academy, a Division I school, is the only other unbeaten team in New Hampshire. The Astros are 11-0.
Fitzgerald has been Portsmouth's only coach since the program gained varsity status in 2002. If she's unable to coach in the Division III tournament, assistant coach John Strater is expected to take over until she can return.
Boys Lacrosse: Kearsarge Tastes Defeat
No team has dominated Division III boys lacrosse like Kearsarge, which was 81-9 in league games entering last week's contest against Merrimack Valley. Kearsarge, which won last year's Division III title, hadn't lost by more than a goal during that span.
That's why Merrimack Valley's 11-2 triumph may have raised some eyebrows. The Pride led 2-0 after one quarter, 6-2 at halftime and 9-2 at the end of three.
"Our kids have had enough of Kearsarge's rule," Merrimack Valley coach Sean O'Brien told the Concord Monitor. "We'd never beaten Kearsarge, so they wanted this one bad. More than any other one, this is the one we circled and knew we really wanted to come out and play well."
Despite the loss, Kearsarge still has a chance to earn the No. 1 seed for the Division III tournament. Kearsarge and Hollis-Brookline are both 9-1 and tied for first in the Division III standings. Merrimack Valley (9-3) is alone in fifth.
Baseball: Seeking Perfection
Two baseball teams will enter the final week of the regular season unbeaten, and will have to win away from home to remain that way.
Hopkinton is 12-0 in Class M with four games to play: at Winnisquam (5-6), at Newport (3-10), at Mascenic (9-3), and at Hillsboro-Deering (2-8).
Lisbon is 15-0 in Class S and has three road games left: at Stratford (0-11), at Profile (8-6) and at Woodsville (11-5).
