Rhode Island high school fast-pitch coaches were asked to share their thoughts on the issue of whether the pitching distance should stay at 40 feet or be moved back an additional three feet. Here is some of what they had to say:

THOSE FOR A MOVE TO 43 FEET

•“My immediate thought is the safety factor. … Most times as we all know by the time the pitcher releases the ball she is probably 33 or 34 feet away from the plate. Pretty close, and we all know not much time to react at all. It’s a tough position to defend.” — coach Dave Petrocelli, Chariho.

•“The game is too often dominated by a good pitcher. … One run can be the difference, and often a two- or three-run deficit can leave a team feeling like it has no chance. These low-scoring games led to the implementation of the single-worst rule in sports, the extra-inning tiebreaker/runner-on-second rule. The game needs more offense.” — coach Bill Aquilante, Pilgrim.

•“It’s only a matter of time before a pitcher gets seriously injured with these new, ridiculously lively bats. Keeping it at 40 makes it even more dangerous.” — coach Dan Belisle, Woonsocket.

•“I would truly like to see the rest of the players become a very important part of the game. … Imagine how much a great shortstop could shine if the ball was hit to her a little more, or a .400 hitter could have a little more time to react at the plate.” — coach Chris Daigneault, Coventry.

•“If high school female athletes can successfully manage (as their college counterparts do) to utilize 10-foot-high basketball hoops, hockey goals that are four feet by six feet, and soccer nets that measure eight feet by 24 feet, why the need to shorten the mound in softball from 43 to 40 feet?” — coach Dennis Kennedy, Bay View.

THOSE AGAINST A MOVE TO 43 FEET

•“For our level of high school softball, I don’t see the merits of increasing the pitching distance. … From a pitching standpoint, it will be increased strain on the pitchers because of the added distance, and I would assume less accuracy (meaning more pitches). For pitchers of average speed (low 50s), there will be noticeable arc on the pitches. Keep in mind, we have 14-year-olds entering high school with (for the most part) improper training.” — Coach Tom Galib, Portsmouth.

•“For some schools and pitchers, especially the larger schools and those pitchers that have private pitching coaches and work on their skill a great part of the year, 43 feet may not be a hard transition. For the pitchers that don’t, it would be tough. The move back would help hitters with the dominant pitchers, but the non-dominant pitchers would get devastated. In the short term, who will benefit?” — coach Art Mello, Tiverton.

•“Changing the distance won’t affect the real strong pitchers, but the marginal pitchers will struggle. … I know ASA has adopted this rule for the gold division, but many of those players are college players or ready to enter college. … Let the colleges have their dimensions and let high school continue with theirs.” — coach Norm Beauchemin, Moses Brown.

To read more of the coaches’ comments — and to weigh in on the discussion — go to:

http://hsgameblog.beloblog.com/rhodeisland

cthorn@projo.com