Shot clock, baseball, OK'd by MHSA

Changes are coming to the high school sports landscape.

Two big ones were finalized on Monday during the Montana High School Association’s annual meeting in Butte — a shot clock for high school basketball and the addition of high school baseball as an MHSA sanctioned sport.

Neither of the proposals was an MHSA by-law, so they required only a simple majority and each passed easily.

Starting in the 2022-23 season, both boys and girls varsity and sub-varsity games will have a 35-second shot clock.

Installation of the clocks — which would cost an estimated $5,000-$10,000 per school — would be at the conclusion of the current high school basketball season and would be in time for summer camps and tournaments. This would give teams time to get familiar with the concept.

The schools will also have to hire someone to run the clocks. Cost for that is estimated at $40 per game. That money would come from each district’s athletic department as part of game operations.

The other big development at Monday’s meeting was the addition of high school baseball.

A year ago, there was a vote to form a committee to study baseball as a high school sport in Montana and with overwhelming support, it was officially adopted.

The next step will be up to individual school boards to determine whether or not they wish to field a high school baseball program.

Expenses are estimated to be similar to girls softball programs.