DNR recently completed its annual stocking of striped bass and hybrid striped bass across several lakes in Indiana.

DNR staff stocked more than 125,000 2-inch striped bass fingerlings in four southern Indiana public lakes and more than 134,000 2-inch hybrid striped bass fingerlings in nine lakes throughout the state. The stockings met or exceeded DNR’s 2021 stocking goals for the two species. 

Striped and hybrid striped bass were stocked in a number of lakes including Nyona Lake (Fulton County) – 1,040 hybrids

Indiana does not have the native sources to spawn striped and hybrid striped bass. DNR relies on commercial sources and state partners to supply fry for its hatchery system.

The fish stocked in 2021 should reach a fishable size of 14 inches in 2023 and begin to exceed 20 inches in 2024.

Rochester athletic director Ryan Johnson has stepped down from his position.

Johnson accepted a teaching and coaching position at Ben Davis in Indianapolis.

Superintendent Jana Vance told GIANT fm Sports that the position has been posted and they are now accepting applications.   Vance says they are looking at approximately a 15-20 day timeline.   

Former athletic director Greg Martz is filling in for the moment and will help launch fall sports while they conduct a search for the new AD. 

Vance says Johnson left the department in a good spot with everything ready to run this fall.  She says they have a great administrative team which understands the importance of athletics for the students.

Rochester Athletic Director Ryan Johnson has resigned.

Johnson wrote of his decision in a thank you message sent to Rochester coahes and staff.  He informed GIANT fm Sports that he will be moving to a teaching and coaching position at Ben Davis in Indianapolis.

The 2005 Rochester graduate has been athletic director since August 2019.

High school baseball pitchers who do not receive signals from the catcher must now simulate taking a sign with one foot on the pitcher’s plate before proceeding with a pitch.

This addendum to Rule 6-1-1 was the lone rule change forwarded by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee and was subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. The baseball committee’s annual rules meeting was held June 6-8 in a virtual format.

A pitcher leaning forward to receive a sign from the catcher is fundamental to the pre-pitch phase of the game as it indicates to both the batter and the players in the field that the ball is about to be put in play and is the typical signal for any runners on base to begin taking their leadoffs.

Further, most high school baseball coaches deliver their defensive play calls – including pitch selections – from the dugout, which allows a pitcher to throw toward the plate abruptly (“quick pitch”) and catch opposing batters by surprise. This new mandate within Rule 6-1-1 forces the pitcher to pause, providing ample time for all participants to prepare for the pitch.

“While this rule change might appear to be a small change, the significance of what it represents is huge!” said Elliott Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee. “We have been extremely fortunate that our Baseball Rules Committee recognizes that the high school game is in wonderful shape and that is because our coaches and umpires around the country teach the necessary skills and arbitrate the appropriate rules to make the game fun, exciting and educational.”

The NFHS Baseball Rules Committee also spent part of its rules meeting compiling its Points of Emphasis (POEs) for next season. The five POEs, which prioritized healthy and safety and sportsmanship during the 2022 season, are as follows:

• Monitoring Excessive Celebration
• Wearing Equipment as Intended by Manufacturers
• Safety of Coaches Sitting on Buckets Outside Bench/Dugout Area
• Umpiring Procedure for Lodged Ball
• Sportsmanship

“Points of Emphasis are used in an educational setting and fashion,” Hopkins said. “The rules committee is telling the baseball community that these topics – elaborately choreographed celebrations, wearing of equipment inappropriately, sitting on buckets, understanding the lodged ball and a call for increased positive sportsmanship – are paramount in education-based athletics. This is a wonderful game that allows an abundant number of participants to find a role on the team, and we want students to want to play for their school and be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

A complete listing of the baseball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Baseball.”

According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, baseball is the fourth-most popular sport for boys with 482,740 student-athletes in 16,170 high schools nationwide. The survey also indicated that 1,284 girls across the country play high school baseball.

Two rules revisions involving the competitor’s uniform, along with procedural changes in several field events designed to reduce the risk of injury, highlight rules changes in high school track and field and cross country for the 2022 season.

These changes were among the rules revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committees and subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Similar to a number of other NFHS rules committees, the Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee altered its rules regarding head coverings worn for religious reasons.

Rule 4-3-1b(8) now states that “head coverings worn for religious reasons are not considered hair devices; must not be made of abrasive, hard or unyielding materials; and must be secured to the body and/or uniform.”

The change clarifies that there is no need for prior authorization from the state association for religious headwear.

The Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee is the eighth NFHS sports rules committee that has modified rules this year related to religious and cultural backgrounds. In addition to track and field, participants in volleyball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, spirit and softball will be permitted to wear religious headwear without prior approval from their respective state association. In swimming and diving, for religious reasons, competitors will be able to wear suits that provide full body coverage without obtaining prior state association authorization.

The other change in the track and field uniform concerns the uniform bottoms. Beginning next year, the manufacturer’s logo/trademark/reference on the uniform bottom may be larger than 2.25 square inches around the waistband.

“In track and field, uniform bottoms are increasingly being purchased by the athlete and not school-issued,” said Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee. “It is becoming more difficult to purchase some garments without the logo completely around the waistband. Since allowing larger logos around the waistband has no bearing or impact on the race or event, the committee determined the change would minimize issues related to logo/trademark/reference on uniform bottoms.”

Rule 6 concerning rules for field events has been completely re-organized to assist coaches, officials and participants in following the rules.

As part of these revisions, the rules clarify that running in the direction other than how the event is conducted in prohibited during warmups, with the exception of high jump. The articles more clearly organize warmups, competitions and conclusion of all field events with a focus on risk minimization.

“The NFHS Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee accomplished two years of work in one via Zoom this year,” said Cody Inglis, chair of the NFHS Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee and assistant director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. “The committee was focused on enhancing the two great sports of track and field and cross country with the unique experiences that education-based athletics provides more than a million student-athletes around the country each year. This year, the focus of the committee was on building upon the foundation set by previous rules committees in continuing to enhance fair, safe competition that can be easily officiated. We are pleased that with the rewrite of Rule 6 that it will allow a rules book that can be more easily used by coaches, officials and others to make these great sports even better.”

One change was approved in Rule 8 related to cross country and another in Rule 9 regarding records. A note was added to Rule 8-1-1a stating that “a single wide line, if used on turns, should utilize other methods of markings (natural or artificial boundary markers, or signposts with large directional arrows) to assist the runner in identifying the course route.

“Since a single wide line may not be the shortest route, this change clarifies that other methods of marking a course should be used with a single wide line to help identify the turns and route of the course,” Cochran said.

A change in Rule 9-3-2 and other related rules clarifies when measurements for record attempts in the vertical jumps should be taken.

The final revision was approved in Rule 5-10-6 NOTE, which clarifies when each exchange zone is to be used.

A complete listing of the track and field and cross country rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Track & Field/Cross Country.”

According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, outdoor track and field is the second-most popular sport for boys and the No. 1 sport for girls with 605,354 and 488,267 participants, respectively.

Cross country ranks No. 6 for boys and girls with 269,295 and 219,345 participants, respectively.

In addition, there are an additional 150,253 combined participants in indoor track and field.

Beginning July 6, hunters can apply for a variety of reserved hunts online by visiting on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.

The online method is the only way to apply for the hunts listed below. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a hunting license that is valid for the hunt for which they are applying.

Hunters will be selected through a random computerized drawing. Applicants will be able to view draw results online within two weeks after the application period has closed. An email will be sent to all applicants when draws have been completed.

Applications for the following hunting opportunities open July 6. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 9:

• Dove Hunts: Applicants may select the desired date and property. Due to inclement spring weather, other crops may have been planted in place of or along with sunflowers. Participating properties include Atterbury, Goose Pond, Jasper-Pulaski, Kankakee, Kingsbury, Pigeon River, Glendale, J.E. Roush Lake, Willow Slough, Blue Grass, and Winamac Fish & Wildlife areas (FWAs).
• FWA Waterfowl Hunts: Participating FWAs include Goose Pond, Hovey Lake, Kankakee, Kingsbury, LaSalle, and Willow Slough. Province Pond Wetland Conservation Area, managed by J.E. Roush Lake FWA, will also participate.
• FWA Deer Hunts: Participating FWAs include Deer Creek and Fairbanks Landing. 
• State Park Deer Hunts: State Parks participating include Chain O’Lakes, Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Versailles, and Whitewater Memorial. Trine State Recreation Area and Cave River Valley Natural Area will also participate.  
• Military and National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Deer Hunts: Properties participating include Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Big Oaks NWR, and Muscatatuck NWR. Muscatatuck NWR will host one reserved firearms deer hunt for youth.
• Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Hunts: IPLA will offer deer, waterfowl, and game bird hunts. Applications for the deer and waterfowl hunts will be accepted July 6 through Aug. 9. Applications for the game bird hunts will be accepted Aug. 16 through Sept. 30.  Applicants may select the date(s) and location when applying. 
• Pheasant Hunts: The application period for pheasant hunts will open Aug. 16 and close Sept. 30. Additional information about these hunts will become available at a later date.

Please note that only one application per hunt is allowed. No changes can be made once an application is submitted.

The application process is now consolidated into the license system website along with CheckIN Game and HIP registration. An online account is not required to apply, but a Customer ID number is needed.

In this system, hunts without a registration fee will follow the same process as those with a fee. To register for hunts with no fee required, applicants will be asked to “Add to Cart,” “Proceed to Checkout,” and “Place Order.” If the transaction total is $0, the applicant will not be asked to enter credit card information. Applicants must “Place Order” to finish their application.

To view draw results, applicants can log in to their license system account or click “View hunt draw results” at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt. From there, applicants should select “Click here” under Reserved Hunts to see the status of registered hunts. The link will show only upcoming hunts that an individual has registered for. Logging into their online account is required to see the full history of past hunt registrations.

More information is available at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.