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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (July 24, 2020) – The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee clarified visual baseball bat inspection protocols since the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel delayed implementation of regular-season bat barrel compression testing in Divisions II and III due to budget constraints from the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are:
- Ensure the bat model appears on the approved bat list.
- Ensure the bat model does not appear on the NCAA noncompliant bat list.
- Ensure the bat does not have flat spots.
- Ensure the bat does not have an audible rattle.
- Ensure the bat does not have cracks, attachments, or a loose knob or end caps.
Experimental technology rule
Committee members approved extending the current experimental rule that allows for one-way communication from the dugout to the field to signal in pitches. Teams may be approved to use communication devices such as a wrist device, in-ear device or digital display board in or on top of the dugout.
Conferences must request to implement the experimental rule through the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.
Since the 2020 season was canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, committee members faced a unique task for this year’s rules meeting.
“The committee had to factor the current climate into some of the decisions that were made,” said Fritz Hamburg, rules committee chair and coach at Saint Joseph’s. “We had some very lengthy discussions on several proposals to ensure that we felt comfortable with our decisions.”