But Larry Niemeyer said Monday that he intends to coach girls’ basketball at Cedar Rapids Jefferson next season, which would be his 51st.

“As far as I know, I’m coming back,” he said. “I’m not planning to retire.”

Niemeyer holds an 854-323 career record, 520-232 in 32 years at Jefferson. The J-Hawks finished 12-10 this season after falling to Waterloo West in a Class 4A regional semifinal.

The nation’s winningest softball coach, Niemeyer needs 13 victories to reach 2,000 for his career.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has announced that the pitching rubber will be moved back 3 feet, to 43 feet, next summer.

In July, the National Federation of High Schools mandated the change, effective 2011, “to bring more offense to the high school level,” according to IGHSAU assistant director Joel Oswald.

Iowa is making the switch a year ahead of the mandate.

“I think it will be a good change. We’d might as well go to it now; we’re early enough in the fall that pitchers will be able to adjust,” said Brian Erbe, coach at Cedar Rapids Xavier.

The IGHSAU softball advisory committee voted to support the change last week, and the IGHSAU board of directors voted unanimously in favor of the change Tuesday.

That change should be an advantage to the hitters.

“I think we’ll see a lot fewer 1-0 games and lot more 6-4 and 7-5 games,” Erbe said. “It will be more exciting for fans and will put more pressure and emphasis on defense.

“It’s going to help prepare pitchers for college”

College and ASA pitchers already throw from 43 feet.

Jeff Linder reported in July, during the state softball tournament, that the new distance would be adopted by the summer of 2011. http://iowaprepsports.com/2009/07/25/softball-pitchers-moving-back-3-feet/

You can read this and other rule changes in the release from the IGHSAU.

IGHSAU Softball Rules Changes Effective Summer 2010

Effective with the summer 2010 softball season, the pitching distance for junior high and high school softball in Iowa will be increased from 40 feet to 43 feet from the tip of home plate to the pitcher’s plate. This rules change has been considered by the NFHS Softball Rules Committee for the past 10 years and has steadily gained support. Last week the IGHSAU Softball Advisory Committee, made up of coaches from around the state, voted to support the change, and the IGHSAU Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of the change at their Ocotober 6th meeting. States experimenting with the 43-feet distance found more pitched balls were batted into play creating a better balance between offense and defense as well as involving more girls in playing action. Although there will be a learning curve for pitchers and batters, we believe this is a long-term positive change for Iowa softball.

Bat safety is an ongoing concern of the IGHSAU and our Advisory Committee. NFHS rules allow for bats with the 2000 or 2004 ASA certification mark, as long as the bats are not on the ASA non-approved list. In the past, Iowa has allowed any bat to be used that bore the 2004 or newer ASA certification mark. As players continue to improve their hitting skills through weightlifting, off-season workouts, etc., how bats are also being improved is an area of concern. Beginning in the 2010 season, Iowa will only allow bats with the 2004 or newer ASA certification mark that are NOT on the ASA non-approved list. This change will keep additional “hot” bats out of the game and improve player safety.

For the past three seasons, Iowa has not required umpires to check player equipment as part of pregame protocol. Beginning next season, umpires will again be required to check the legality of bats and helmets. Coaches will still be required to verify that their players are legally equipped. We believe this equipment inspection, as required by NFHS rules, will help keep illegal and unsafe equipment out of the game and will improve player safety.

A new exception to the NFHS hair device rule was added to permit unadorned devices, such as bobby pins, barrettes or hair clips, no longer than two inches, to be worn to control a player’s hair. The IGHSAU will also have an adaptation to allow players to wear any color or multicolored headbands and hair control devices, and teammates will not have to match. This rule permits players a practical means of dealing with hair control and should make enforcement of and compliance with the rule much easier.

Previously, per IGHSAU adaptation, three defensive and three offensive conferences were allowed per regulation game, with one additional offensive and defensive conference allowed in extra innings. Beginning this summer, we will follow the NFHS rule, which allows for three defensive conferences per regulation game, one offensive conference per inning, and one offensive and defensive conference per extra inning.

The safe base rule for 2010 will be that the batter may only use the orange on her first attempt at 1st base. Once she passes first base, she may only use the white. If she does not use the orange base, and contact occurs with the 1st baseman, the runner is primarily responsible for the contact. The defense may only use the orange base on a dropped third strike.

Beginning next season, Iowa will now follow the NFHS Designated Player/Flex Rule (Rule 3-3-6). This rule change provides for more participation opportunities for our student-athletes as well as providing our coaches more coaching options. This significant change will be discussed at length through our website, clinics, and rules meetings. It will also be a topic at our first ever IGCA/IGHSAU joint umpire/coaches clinic to be held sometime in late March or early April.

Beginning this summer, Iowa will follow the NFHS rule regarding media area. Media will be allowed in designated lined areas in foul territory. These lined areas are live ball areas unless occupied. If occupied by the media, they become dead ball areas. The home team or game management shall designate a lined area for the media or may allow media in the dugout. This is virtually identical to the NFHS baseball media area rule.

Eighth graders have long been able to practice with the high school squad on the first legal practice date but were not allowed to scrimmage against other high school teams until the first legal playing date. We will now allow eighth graders to participate in scrimmages with the high school team prior to the first legal playing date.

Finally, a number of instances have arisen over the past few seasons when, at the last minute, a team drops out of a varsity tournament, leaving the athletic director and/or coach scrambling to find a replacement, redoing brackets, or canceling a tournament altogether. Beginning in 2010, the IGHSAU may grant written permission on an EMERGENCY basis for a JV team to play in a varsity tournament to fill a last-minute slot due to cancellation.

We feel all the above changes are positive changes for our athletes and good for the game of softball in Iowa. Thank you for your support!

Joel Oswald

Assistant Director

It’s when.

Cedar Valley Christian, a small private school in southeast Cedar Rapids, looks to be headed toward sanctioning by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union for interscholastic competition.

A preliminary meeting was held Monday night; a follow-up is scheduled for next week.

“We’re getting input from our families, and our school board is very interested,” said Jan Todd, the school’s athletics director. “We’re trying to determine how it will impact our families.”

Todd said that Cedar Valley may apply for IHSAA/IGHSAU membership in time for the 2010-11 school year.

“It might be next year,” she said. “It might be the year after.”

The school, with an enrollment of 82 students in grades 9-12, currently competes in the Northern Illinois Christian Conference in four sports — girls’ volleyball and basketball, boys’ basketball and soccer. So if the school goes forward with plans, travel will be greatly reduced.

“Eventually, we would like to be in a 1A conference like the Tri-Rivers, but there has been no discussion yet,” Todd said.

In other sports, Todd said, the school might try to arrange a whole-grade sharing agreement with another school.

IGHSAU executive director Mike Dick said the conversion would be fairly simple.

“They would need to petition, make an application, then pay dues every year,” Dick said. “All coaches would need licensure, and once the school becomes a member, they would participate only against member schools.”

Cedar Valley Christian School is a ministry of the Cedar Valley Bible Church, at 3636 Cottage Grove Ave. SE.

The Iowa Girls Coaches Association’s list will mirror that of those the IGHSAU had put together in recent years — an Elite team, three class teams and an honorable mention for each class.

The teams will be in Friday’s Gazette.

Class 4A here.

Class 3A here.

Class 2A here.

Class 1A here.

• 2009: Clear Creek Amana, 45-0
• 1977: Urbandale, 44-0
• 1976: Ottumwa, 32-0
• 1973: Clear Creek, 38-0
• 1969: Wapsie Valley, 22-0

The National Federation of State High School Associations has mandated that all states implement a 43-foot pitching distance for the 2010-11 school year.

Iowa is one of a few states that uses a 40-foot distance for pitchers, and three of those states are making the switch in 2010, according to Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union assistant director Joel Oswald.

All college levels use a 43-foot distance, as does ASA.

“We will make that change in 2011, and after the softball coaches’ committee meets in September, we’ll decide on whether we want to make the change next year,” Oswald said.

The NFHS, Oswald said, is making the adjustment “to bring more offense to the high school level.”

“Our fear is that for the first few years, we’ll see 12-11 games instead of 2-1 games,” he said. “We thought a reason for the change might be safety considerations, but research shows there’s really no difference.”

Top-ranked Clear Creek Amana completed Iowa’s first undefeated softball season in 32 years, capitalizing on some early defensive missteps by No. 3 Carlisle and cruising, 3-0, in the Class 3A state final Friday at the Rogers Sports Complex.

“I don’t know what to say,” said all-tournament captain Moriah Morrissey, who pitched the Clippers to their sixth straight postseason shutout. “I’m in awe.”

And the Clippers (45-0) are in exclusive company. They’re the fifth Iowa team to go unscratched throughout a season, the first since Urbandale went 44-0 in 1977.

“This had everything to do with the last two seasons,” said CCA Coach Jim White, referring to a pair of upset losses to Davenport Assumption in regional play. “All year long, the girls were so focused, so hungry.”

And now, so perfect.

Carlisle (38-2) lent some assistance, coughing up five errors. All three of the Clippers’ runs were unearned.

“(White) always says that if you get ahead of a team, they’ll fall apart,” said outfielder Ashley Akers, who was a major part of the two-run rally in the third inning that put the Clippers ahead to stay.

Maliah Fligg singled to right, then pinch-runner Cassie Downes moved to second on Tara Walls’ sacrifice bunt.

After a ground out by Katy Sexton advanced Downes to third, Akers laid down a bunt, Carlisle pitcher Jordan Gronewold threw the ball away and Downes scored.

Akers tallied on Melissa Walls’ single, and the Clippers led, 2-0.

CCA made it 3-0 in the fourth, when Kira Hennes slashed a ground ball down the first-base line and Caitlin Wnek beat the throw home.

Carlisle made one serious challenge, in the fifth, when the Wildcats had runners at second and third, one out and Gronewold — their most prolific hitter — at the plate.

Under normal circumstances, White might consider an intentional walk. But a stiff breeze was blowing in.

“I didn’t think she could hit it out through that,” White said. “I figured, worst-case scenario was a double and a 3-2 game.”

Instead, Morrissey induced Gronewold into an infield fly out.

“I had the confidence that my teammates would make outs,” said Morrissey, who then struck out Sarah Wilcox to snuff out the threat.

That was Carlisle’s last chance. When Hennes gloved Dyana Dubois’ fly ball to left field in the seventh, the Clippers were champions for the ninth time, the fifth under White.

“The failure of the past two years, that drove us,” Akers said. “We came together, we had each other’s backs and we were fearless.”

Akers and Katy Sexton joined Morrissey on the all-tournament team. Walls had two of the Clippers’ five hits.

Morrissey did not pitch CCA’s quarterfinal win over Charles City, but threw 18 scoreless innings in the final two rounds. She allowed four hits Friday, did not walk a batter and struck out six.