Baseball bats are a-changin’, AOP and Assets might lose their exception and neighbor island teams just might get a shot to play Division II hosts.

Maybe.

Recommendations were voted on in record time Friday at the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference at the Ala Moana Hotel. Two days of debate and committee voting led to Friday’s general assembly vote, which was completed in just 52 minutes.

"There was nothing to discuss. The committees did what they had to do," Hawaii Preparatory Academy athletic director Stephen Perry said.

All proposals that were recommended by ADs will be up for vote by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive board today.

When committees met for the first time on Wednesday night, three of the four were done with their tasks for the day within an hour. Only the group with a number of Division II-related topics worked for nearly two hours.

It was true that this year’s slate of proposals, 87 in all, were less meaty and divisive than issues of past years. There was no proposal regarding definitions of classification. There wasn’t even a suggestion to expand the number of berths at the state football championships.

It was that kind of a quiet week. It might be that kind of a quiet season next spring when baseball resumes.

A proposal to bring Hawaii high schools in line with the rest of the nation could restrict batters to BBCOR-certified bats that will replace current composites, which have been deemed a safety risk. The series of changes to baseball bats will make hitting more difficult, Pearl City coach Mitch Yamato said.

"You’ll see outfielders start to come in 20, 30, even 40 feet. Guys who used to hit the ball out regularly with the composite won’t get it out at all," said Yamato, whose Chargers won the state championship last month.

BBCOR-certified bats are currently used at the college level, Yamato said.

"It’s going to be all about small ball. Games are going to have way less runs," he said.

Yamato expects run outputs to shrink by at least one-third. The proposal passed by an 87-1 vote.

A proposal to adjust the statewide transfer rule installed by the HHSAA a year ago faces change.

The adjustment would require Academy of the Pacific and Assets School, which are permitted to play transfers immediately instead of the usual one-year sit-out, to abide by the rule at the state tournament, effective with the 2012-13 school year.

The schools cite special needs of certain students; AOP received several transfers last year who played right away for its boys basketball team.

AOP’s team, which had been in Division II, reached the semifinals of the D-I state championships last winter. The school has an enrollment of fewer than 80 students.

"We’re looking at having the same effect on everyone," Waiakea athletic director Tom Correa said of the existing rule. "The concept of one or two schools having an advantage, my opinion is we should all be following one policy. It’s to reduce recruiting. Does an exemption of a few schools create some sense of impropriety?"

Kamehameha-Hawaii athletic director Bob Wagner had a more tolerant view.

"It’s a fairness issue. You can (transfer) to a public school and play right away if you leave a private school," he said, noting that the opposite scenario is against the rule.

Wagner was among the administrators who listened intently when AOP athletic director Ryan Hogue lobbied their committee on Thursday night.

"We understood where he’s coming from. It’s about keeping kids involved. There’s so much value in practicing and competing every day," Wagner said.

Three other proposals were passed by ADs, surprisingly without debate.

A measure to permit D-II boys state tournaments in baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball to expand from eight to 12 teams if there are a minimum of 30 teams participating statewide passed 47-38.

Some concerns from Interscholastic League of Honolulu and Oahu Interscholastic Association administrators centered on possible imbalance in gender-equity numbers.

"We don’t know where we are from the gender-equity standpoint. My thought is if we favor it, we vote for it," Wagner said during the voting process.

Later, he expressed confidence that more concrete evidence could surface before the HHSAA makes a decision.

A proposal to allow all D-II team state tournaments to rotate to islands off Oahu also passed, 52-35.

Another measure that could require at least three games for all teams at state tournaments got through, 47-35.

Seabury Hall athletic director Steve Colflesh pointed out the repeated uncertainty for parents who travel to the state events without knowing when their children will be done competing and what kind of travel plans to make.

"Last year we passed this same proposal on the floor, but it went to the executive board, it was defeated. Any time we travel, any of us, we want (the HHSAA) to allow us to play three matches so teams know when their season will end, when their hotel stay will end. Parents can watch their children," he said, turning to HHSAA executive director Christopher Chun.

"Chris, the HHSAA can make money on this. Sell three- or four-day passes. Those parents will buy those passes. This is a real plus. But the real point is to bring real closure to your season."

The three proposals regarding D-II or neighbor islands are another attempt by non-Oahu administrators to balance the scales, so to speak.

"With the exception of football, state funding never goes to state travel," Correa said. "Neighbor island parents fund all state travel. When someone (from an Oahu school) says, ‘We’re saving resources by making neighbor-island schools travel,’ my question is, ‘Whose resources?’"

In probably the niftiest recommendation, ADs voted 69-20 in favor of allowing distance-measuring devices at the state golf tournaments. Currently, only the ILH permits use of electronic aids.