COLUMBIA, S.C. - State Rep. Mike Pitts coached baseball for 25 years, all the way from Little League to Lander University, and has seen his share of fan abuse and harassment. But he thinks things have gotten out of hand these days and wants lawmakers to do something about it next year.

Pitts and Rep. Jeff Duncan, both Republicans from Laurens, filed the South Carolina Officials and Coaches Protection Act on Wednesday. The proposed legislation lays out criminal penalties for assault and battery when the target is a coach or sports official.

Pitts, a retired police officer, said the extra protection is needed because society has elevated sports to a different level - and fans have taken more and more liberties with heckling, harassing and, in the worst cases, assaulting coaches and officials.

"This says we're tired of it and we're not going to take it anymore," Pitts said.

Pitts knows first hand what he's talking about. He played football for defunct Hickory Tavern High 30 years ago when a drunken spectator sneaked into the locker room at halftime and a coach threw him out.

When the team came out for the second half, the man "hit the coach, really blindsided him, and knocked out several teeth," Pitts remembered.

If the bill is passed, those committing first or second offenses would face misdemeanor charges, possibly prison terms of up to 5 years and fines up to $7,500. Anyone who assaults officials or coaches with a weapon will be charged with a felony, bringing a sentence of up to 15 years and $10,000 in fines.

Both Pitts and Duncan hope the bill heads off problems of fan violence in South Carolina that have been seen in other states, like the Massachusetts dad convicted of beating a man to death at their sons' hockey practice or the broken jaw sustained by a Florida baseball umpire by a coach.

"Everyone has seen the escalation over the past few years," Pitts said.

Pitts said the bill is not a reaction to recent incidents, such as the NBA's Indiana-Detroit brawl or the fight between Clemson and South Carolina. He and Duncan discussed the measure nearly a year ago and have talked to several local sports officials since then. One of those was Truman Owens, a high school official in Clinton for 42 years, who says fans get out of hand.

"We had a fan a couple of weeks ago who threw a bottle at a referee after the Clinton-Greer game," he said. "It doesn't happen much, but we'd like the protection when it does."

South Carolina High School League executive director Ronnie Matthews said the proposal could give coaches an extra layer of security. While schools have done well at preventing such incidents in South Carolina, "sometimes when something's going to happen, it's going to happen. But this might make people think."

The two lawmakers said state youth organizations have difficulty recruiting coaches or on-field officials because of potential fan problems.

"One of the main goals of youth sports is to teach children teamwork and sportsmanship," Duncan said. "Having children witness fan harassment and violence runs counter to those values and must be stopped."

Pitts said Jackie Hayes, D-Hamer and Dillon High football coach, supports the measure as does Mike Anthony, D-Union, the former Union High football coach. Several House leaders also think it's a good idea.

"This is a reflection of society as a whole," Pitts said. "Self-discipline is not nearly the way it used to be, the amount of respect is not nearly to the same level. That's why we're doing this."