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STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved coaches advisory committee rule change recommendations in baseball, lacrosse, softball and track and field at its October meeting today.

In baseball, sectional hosts will be required to provide a designated third-party pitch counter starting in the spring of 2027. It will also be mandatory for players to be part of the pre-game meeting with coaches and umpires as an effort to improve sportsmanship.

In lacrosse, the field must be made available to teams at least 30 minutes prior to game time for warmups. Proposals from the coaches advisory committee for an expanded state tournament and a shot clock were rejected.

Softball teams may now scrimmage after three days of practice instead of five. Additionally, head coaches from the four Division 2 and four Division 3 teams will collectively seed both brackets. The same process will be followed by the four Division 4 and four Division 5 coaches for their brackets.

Three track and field proposals were approved, including a change in determining sectional qualifiers. The top three qualifiers from each regional will automatically advance to sectional competition. The remaining qualifiers will be determined by performances in the corresponding regionals to fill eight sectional spots in Division 1 and 16 spots in Divisions 2 and 3. Track and field will also allow extra state qualifiers to be considered in the event in which a sectional is postponed. Additionally, the number of state meet officials has been increased from five to 10.

Two fast-track conference realignment requests were approved as The Prairie School will move from the Southern Lakes Conference to the Southeast Conference in girls swimming and diving and Lourdes Academy will join the Bay Conference in girls golf after previously competing as an independent program. Fast-track realignments may be approved if 100 percent of the members in both conferences agree to the proposal.

In other action items, the Board approved all 172 fall sports co-ops as submitted for the next two seasons.

Executive Staff reports to the Board included updates on electronic seeding for volleyball and football, officials registration numbers, the calendar and contact ad hoc committee and a recent presentation to the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.

The Board also authorized the Executive Staff to conduct a membership survey to gauge interest and opinions regarding girls flag football.

The Board received a compilation of feedback provided by member schools at Area Meetings regarding the status of their athletic training services. Potential amendments for membership vote at the 2027 Annual Meeting were also presented and include a change to the Coaches Not Licensed to Teach requirements and full implementation of a 35-second shot clock for boys and girls varsity basketball for 2028-29.

Liaison reports were shared by Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction and Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. Dr. Tim McGuine from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health provided an update on the National Federation of High Schools Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. The Board also received an update on WIAA Student Athlete Leadership Team activities from Jackson Brazer from Elkhorn and Isabella Ganoung from Evansville.