The high school athletic schedule has become entirely too long.
When the final pitch is thrown at the UIL Baseball State Championships this weekend in Austin, it will have been 314 days since football, cross country, golf, tennis and volleyball teams began practicing on Aug. 2, 2021.
Oh, there were days off around the holidays, but just a few, as teams can get back to work the day after Christmas.
Not that big a deal for larger schools with just a few players playing multiple sports.
For lower-level programs, however, fatigue and burnout become a true concern as the top players on the football team transition to the basketball court, baseball and softball fields, track, golf course and tennis court.
With practices scheduled to begin Aug. 1 this year, that gives athletes just 50 days off for a summer vacation that is going to likely be filled with multiple weekends of travel to tournaments around the state.
The culprits?
Softball and baseball.
There is no good reason for playing best-of-3 series for five weeks to reach the state tournament, especially during the most important time for the students as they head into end of semester testing.
The UIL softball playoffs opened on April 27 this year and concluded on June 4.
Baseball began on May 7 and will crown its six champions this week in the capitol.
Both could have been finished before Memorial Day, like all the other spring sports, which would have given some seniors the chance to walk at graduation instead of being forced to choose.
Winning a state title is great, but the four months just spent on the field shouldn’t overshadow four years of success in the classroom.
Classmates offering congratulations face-to-face is a much better memory than a text message.
There are plenty of states around the country that prove you can earn a crown in less than a month, playing on Tuesday’s and Friday’s during the postseason.
One and done … not a three-day odyssey that sees students pulled from school on Thursday to travel to a neutral site for one game on Friday and then possibly two on Saturday.
Or a game Thursday, sitting around on Friday because the field isn’t available, then resuming the series on Saturday.
To fix the end of the season, though, changes need to be made at the start.
Eliminate the preseason tournaments that have time limits or guarantee teams five or six games over a two-day period.
Get district play started in February, not the middle of March, adding an extra game against each district opponent to the schedule.
When the postseason starts, lock down the pitchers.
If someone throws on Tuesday, he or she is not available on Friday, except as a position player or designated hitter.
Coaches will adapt, as they always do.
Players would be developed to produce in multiple roles throughout the season.
The win-or-go-home mentality would heighten the excitement of each pitch, the possibility of an upset bringing out the best in all players.
Which is what the run toward a state championship is all about.
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
