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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (July 16, 2026) – Technology rules and the use of larger bases and safety bases in baseball were addressed for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year by the NCAA Division I Baseball Rules Subcommittee and the Division II and Division III Baseball Rules Committee.
Both groups met and recommended proposals for the 2026-27 academic year. All rules changes must be approved before becoming official. The Division II and Division III Playing Rules Oversight Panel is scheduled to discuss baseball rules proposals August 11, and the Division I Baseball Oversight Committee is scheduled to do the same August 24.
Both committees approved the use of 18-inch square bases for next season at all facilities. The 15-inch base remains the standard for use. A double first base would be required for all games.
The technology proposals include giving Division I teams the option, when available, of implementing a system to challenge called balls and strikes that could be used in regular-season and postseason games next year. This would be an experimental rule in Divisions II and III. The Southeastern Conference experimented with a challenge system during its conference tournament in May.
Both rules committees also proposed allowing bat sensor technology for in-game data collection to become a permissive rule. Division I teams experimented with this rule the past two seasons.
One area where the Division I rules subcommittee wanted to take a step back is the use of technology used to communicate offensive signals. Division I teams no longer would be allowed to use electronic devices to communicate with their offensive players during a game.
Rules subcommittee members wanted to avoid any situations where a batter could have an advantage due to an electronic communication device before a pitch is thrown.
“As more technology becomes accessible, it is a balance of wanting to advance the game to be as modern as possible,” said Billy O’Conner, chair of the Division I Baseball Rules Subcommittee and coach at Xavier. “But we also want to keep the game as fair as possible and do our best to limit any opportunities where technology can be used for someone to gain an unfair advantage.”
In Division I only, a 30-second timer would be used between batters, as well as during mound visits and offensive timeouts.
