NCAA Baseball Information

Current NCAA Umpiring Info NCAA 2007 Rule Book NCAA 2006 Rule Book NCAA 2005 Rule Book

2006 Rules Changes 2003 Rules Changes 2002 Rules Changes NCAA National Umpire Improvement Program News Releases

2008 NCAA Approved Rules Changes
Click here

2007 NCAA Rules Changes
Click here

Rules & Officiating Web Page

2004 NCAA Rules Changes

2003 NCAA Rules Changes

2002 NCAA Rules Changes

NCAA National Umpire Improvement Program

A: The vast majority of today’s college baseball umpires progress up through youth league and high school baseball into junior college and ultimately Division I Conferences. Some umpires have worked in professional baseball (minor leagues) and upon release or retirement move into college baseball. No matter what situation you are in you should find out who does the assigning for your local colleges and contact that person. In most cases this will be a local umpire association’s assignment secretary. This person will be able to tell you what the process is in that area. You should expect to work fall games to be evaluated before being assigned to spring regular season games.

Q: I’ve been working college games locally, how do I get into a Division I Conference?

A: Most major Division I conferences have an individual that is responsible for selection, training and assignment of umpires. Please see the chart below for the appropriate contact information.

Q: I’m on a Division I Conference umpire staff, how do I get selected for postseason assignments?

A: Near the end of the season each Division I conference submits a list of recommended umpires to the NCAA for consideration of assignment to the Division I championship. These lists are based on the in-season evaluations within that conference. You must be on a recommended list from your conference in order to be assigned to the championship.

Q: Should I attend an umpire camp?

A: Only if you want to improve your umpiring abilities. The NCAA does not certify or accredit any umpire camps and it is not a prerequisite for assignment to any level of the championship. There are numerous camps across the country, most of which are very well worth your time and energy to attend. Be sure to ask what is taught at the camp (e.g. high school rules and mechanics, Major League Baseball rules and mechanics or some other system) so as to ensure your appropriate level of instruction. It should be clear that no matter who the instructors are, your attendance in no way affects your status as a potential candidate for NCAA postseason assignment.

NCAA Baseball Rules Committee Recommends No Immediate Changes In Equipment Rules

7/25/2000
INDIANAPOLIS---There will be no immediate changes in the specifications for manufacturing baseball bats and balls based on recommendations approved today by the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.

At its annual meeting in Indianapolis, the committee considered recommendations from the NCAA Baseball Research Panel, reviewed results from laboratory testing and performance during the 2000 season, and put forward a set of recommendations that calls for no changes in specifications for the 2001 season.

"We agree with the research panel that the recommendations they made a year ago restored balance between offense and defense in the college game of baseball and made metal bats perform more like wood bats," said Don Kessinger, associate athletics director for internal affairs at the University of Mississippi and chair of the rules committee. "The panel was concerned this year that there may be some loopholes in our testing procedures that we need to address to avoid problems in the future, and we have tried to do that."

Specifically, the committee made the following changes:

A moment-of-inertia (MOI) standard will be set for each bat length and weight based on bats previously certified by the NCAA Bat Certification Program. All currently certified bats will meet the MOI standard. The MOI of future bats may not be less than the lowest MOI for bats of that length and weight recorded during the certification process for the 2000 season. The committee will continue to monitor the effect of MOI on the integrity of the game. Moment-of-inertia affects how weight is distributed along the barrel of the bat during the swing and can affect performance.

During the 2001 season, the NCAA will conduct random testing of baseballs for coefficient-of-restitution (COR) compliance. All baseballs used for regular and postseason play must have a COR value of between .525 and .555 to be eligible for play in the 2002 season. The NCAA will collect data to determine if an additional or substitute standard is necessary.

Effective January 1, 2003, a sliding scale for swing speed based on the bat length will be implemented as part of the NCAA Bat Certification Program. The scale will be based on the original exit speed standard of 97 miles-per-hour for a 34-inch bat.

The committee supported the Baseball Research Panel recommendations that further study be conducted on the possible effects of bat "workhardening" and that the NCAA collect data to determine the accuracy of the NCAA Bat Certification Program testing procedures.

The research panel had recommended a change in the COR for baseballs from .525-.555 to .515-.535. The rules committee voted to certify baseballs for all competition, instead of championship competition only, at the current COR.

"We want to assure that baseballs being used throughout the season are meeting the standard, and we think that is the first important step," Kessinger said. "We may want to make adjustments in the future, but we want to take this one step at a time."

Kessinger said the committee had the same concern about making a change to the MOI. The research panel had recommended creation of a minimum MOI standard for the 2002 season.

"Again, we may want to adjust the MOI in the future, but we want to get another season of competition under our belts with the certified bats we are using today before we do that," Kessinger said. "We agree with the panel regarding a sliding scale for swing speeds during testing, but we want to put that off another two years.

"The bottom line is that two years ago, coaches were calling members of the committee to say that something was wrong and we needed to make some changes in specifications for the bats," he said. "After this season and the changes we saw in the field as a result of the new specifications, those coaches were calling to say they liked how the game was played this year."

According to season statistics in college baseball over the last 20 years, batting averages, scoring and home runs had remained steady until the last five years. From 1981 through 1995, batting averages were steady at .296, home runs at .80 per game, and scoring at 6.49 to 6.52 per game.

From 1995 through 1999, batting averages increased to .301, home runs to .91 per game, and scoring to 6.81 per game. In the just completed 2000 season, following changes to bat specifications, batting averages returned to .297, home runs to .80, and scoring to 6.53.

The Championships Committees in Divisions II and III and the Championships/Competition Cabinet in Division I will consider the rules committee's recommendations when they meet in the fall.

Friday, June 9, 2000
INDIANAPOLIS---After a year of research and data collection related to baseball equipment, the NCAA Baseball Research Panel developed several recommendations during a meeting June 2 in Chicago that will enhance equipment standards already in place to preserve the integrity of the game.

The recommendations will be forwarded to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee this summer and could go into effect January 1, 2002, which will give the baseball community ample time to adjust to the proposed changes.

The panel voted to recommend changes to the ball standard, establishing a "moment-of-inertia (MOI)" requirement, use of a swing-speed sliding scale for nonwood bats in testing, and a uniform ball-exit speed based on a 33-inch wooden bat as the standard for certification of nonwood bats.

"Obviously, college baseball has needed some stability, and I feel we have accomplished that," said Milton Gordon, president at California State University, Fullerton, and chair of the panel. "We have achieved what we were charged to do -- create a safe, fair set of standards for baseball. Now, we must continue to make sure the standard we have is a good one and that changes are made in a timely manner as necessary."

The panel specifically reviewed the issue of safety, including two incidents of pitchers sustaining broken jaws from batted balls during the NCAA Baseball Championship regional competition a week earlier. Based on its review of available data, the panel agreed that bats are performing at an acceptable level of risk.

"No one wants to see players injured," Gordon said. "Unless we fundamentally change the game, however, playing baseball will never be risk-free. Despite the two unfortunate instances in the regionals, I am confident we have reduced risk overall.

"The panel has been pleased overall with the standards," he said. "What we are doing now is taking what we've learned from a year of testing and collecting data and trying to make better what we have in place."

The panel voted to recommend changing the standard for baseballs that will be used in NCAA play. The current standard allows baseballs that meet a coefficient-of-restitution (COR) standard of .525 to .555. The panel voted to make the range .515 to .535.

"What this means is that the baseball will be a bit less lively," said panel member Ken Johnson, professor of physics, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. "This is an important addition to reforms that have been made with the bats."

Moment-of-inertia, which affects how weight is distributed along the barrel of the bat during the swing, was a topic of discussion at the meeting. The current testing protocol does not call for an MOI standard. The panel, however, agreed to recommend a minimum standard based on the length of the bat. The result of the new standard would make metal bats feel and swing more like a wood bat in the field.

Finally, the panel examined adjusting the protocol in such a way that would make the testing procedure more closely replicate field conditions. The panel voted to raise the pitch speed to 80 miles-per-hour, set a specific standard for baseballs that are used during testing, and recommend that bats of different lengths be swung at different speeds during testing.

"With regard to different swing speeds, it only makes sense that you can swing a lighter bat faster," Johnson said. "The additional speed you can generate is offset by a lower mass, however. Changing the swing speeds should make for a more accurate test."

The panel also asked James A. Sherwood of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, who runs the NCAA's baseball testing system, to assist in creating a set exit speed limit based on the highest-quality 33-inch wooden bats available.

The original protocol, finalized in September 1999, stipulated that no changes would be made to the testing procedure or standard until August of 2000. These recommendations will be forwarded to the NCAA's Baseball Rules Committee for discussion at its annual meeting in July. If the rules committee approves the changes, the Championships/Competition Cabinet would have to give its approval before the new recommendations take effect.

Additionally, early data indicates that a phenomenon known as "workhardening" occurs in nonwood baseball bats. Bats seem to improve their performance after being used in the field. The panel instructed Sherwood to collect additional data on the subject. The NCAA will notify manufacturers of the data collected during random testing and reemphasize that bats may fail testing due to workhardening and would be ruled ineligible. The panel noted that manufacturers should be aware that bats could increase performance after use, and should allow room for this increase.

The panel also recommended that the NCAA continue to support workhardening experiments in addition to certification testing. The panel asked Sherwood to have a proposed protocol change with reference to workhardening prepared by October 1, 2000, with additional data for potential implementation by January 1, 2002.

Further, the panel recommended that the NCAA collect data to determine the accuracy of the testing procedures. Overall, the panel hopes these changes will enhance the testing procedure and also provide stability to what has been a chaotic issue.

"The panel's feeling is that the standard is a good one," Gordon said. "We have some changes we would like to see made, but these are not major alterations."

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA---The NCAA Executive Committee has approved a batted-ball exit speed standard of less than 97 miles per hour for bats used in all intercollegiate baseball competitions among NCAA member schools.

The committee's decision supports a recommendation from the NCAA Baseball Research Panel that solid northern ash wooden bat performance should become the standard for setting limits on all baseball bat performance.

In addition, the Executive Committee approved the panel's recommendation of January 1, 2000, as the implementation date for the standard and declared a three-year moratorium on changes.

The panel noted that the moratorium will allow researchers to further assess the impact of the new standard and to conduct additional tests on wood and non-wood bats, as well as collecting information related to performance standards for baseballs.

"The moratorium will give the baseball community time to adjust to the new standards and for the panel to do further research," said Charles Wethington, president at the University of Kentucky and chair of the NCAA Executive Committee. "Of course, we reserve the right to make adjustments in the standards for bats and balls at any time if necessary."

The panel, which was convened last March to review issues related to the performance of non-wood bats and baseballs, concluded that a batted-ball exit speed should be adopted for non-wood bats that equates to the highest average exit speed using Major League Baseball-quality, 34-inch, solid wood bats.

The new standard is based on testing of solid northern ash wood bats performed in an independent laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The lab will also certify that all non-wood bats used in intercollegiate competition do not exceed the standard.

The committee reaffirmed two other standards approved in August, 1998, that limit the diameter of the bat to 2 5/8 inches and reduce the difference between weight and length for bats to three units (a 34-inch bat can weigh no less than 31 ounces).

A protocol developed by the panel for testing and certification of bats also has received Executive Committee approval.
The protocol is available at NCAA Online (www.ncaa.org) under press releases

In a related matter, the Executive Committee announced that Easton Sports, Inc., has indicated that it will drop a lawsuit filed by the company against the Association in August, 1998.