BASEBALL 2020 A supplement to the NCAA Baseball Rules • Prepared by the editors of Referee Ready … And … Action! Rule Change Puts 20-Second Action Clock Into Effect n their ongoing quest to improve Ipace of play, the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) have approved the expanded use of a 20-second action clock in all NCAA divisions starting with the upcoming 2020 season. Not to be confused with a pitch clock, the action clock mandates that, once the home-plate umpire signals play, or the pitcher has possession of the ball in the circle surrounding the pitcher’s rubber, the catcher is in the catcher’s box and the batter is in the batter’s box, the pitcher shall be allowed 20 seconds to begin the activity preceding each pitch. The pitcher does not necessarily have to release the ball within 20 seconds; however, the pitcher must begin his windup motion or otherwise begin the motion to come set in order to comply with the rule. Upon a first violation, the pitcher shall be warned by the umpire. There is one warning per pitcher. Each subsequent violation shall result in the award of a ball to the batter without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch. The ball is dead and no runners may advance, unless the ball awarded by the umpire is the batter’s fourth and the batter is entitled to advance to first. Conversely, batters shall enter and remain in in the batter’s box in accordance with rule 7-1-d and BOB MESSINA not delay entry to gain an undue If there is no visible play clock on the fi eld, NCAA umpires will need to use a stopwatch to advantage. If the batter does not adjudicate the 20-second action clock during the 2020 season. Travis Reininger, Brighton, Colo. See “Action Clock” p. 3 Published by Referee Welcome to the 2020 College Baseball Season n important aspect and most impactful seasons in the recent ejection/suspension reports (858 in Aresponsibility of the NCAA history of NCAA Baseball. 2018; 708 in 2017; 692 in 2016; and 658 Baseball Umpire Program is the • You don’t have to be ridiculously in 2015). These included 361 Division training and education of officials to gifted. You just have to be ridiculously I reports (337 in 2018; 302 in 2017; 264 increase knowledge, committed. in 2016). Of this list, 178 were head consistency Rule interpretations (charged coaches, 64 were assistant coaches and standard conferences, hit by pitch, between and 119 were student-athletes. interpretations across innings timing protocols, expanded A brief categorizing of the causes the country. video review, pitching position, for the Division I ejections included The information runner’s lane interference and ball/strike: 156 of 361; safe/out: 71 in this 2020 NCAA the suspension penalties) will of 361. All ejections are technically Preseason Baseball continue to be issued by Randy unsportsmanlike, with profanity Guide is designed Bruns, NCAA secretary-rules editor, reported at 90 percent within the to provide not only as needed to clarify and educate incident/ejection/suspension reports. George Drouches information, but all to the provisions. For the first The total number of suspended clarifications leading time, centralized video review games in 2019 was 339 (368 in 2018; NCAA National into the season. was implemented within the 2019 287 in 2017; and 212 in 2016). All Coordinator of Umpires Umpires, always keep NCAA Division I Baseball Regionals. NCAA Division I incident/ejection/ this preseason guide Centralized video review officials had suspension reports were forwarded with your development materials 187 reviews in the 138 games played (with rule reference, pursuant to for use in your study and pregame during the regionals, super regionals suspension penalty) to the conference discussions. Coaches, please keep and College World Series. Throughout office baseball administrator/liaison this pregame guide with your game the 2019 NCAA Division I Baseball as well as the conference coordinator day materials as a quick reference. In Championship, there were 101 games and Baseball Umpire Program staff. addition, coaches, I strongly urge you with at least one review. The average Coaches and officials: be a contributor, to join in our collaborative efforts to reviews per game were 1.5, and the not a distraction. improve our great game by registering average length of each review was 1 Looking ahead to 2020, the goal of with www.ncaabaseball.arbitersports. minute, 15 seconds. the national coordinator of umpires com to access the NCAA’s Home Plate • If you think for too long about a has always been to continue to grow page. missed opportunity, chances are you the Baseball Umpire Program and to • Leadership is not about will miss the next one, too. manage and lead the many facets of production, it’s about reproduction. The 20-second action pitch clock, the program. An excellent, dedicated The standards of the NCAA whether visible or not, should have and passionate staff assists this effort Baseball Umpire Program is for all dramatic pace-of-play momentum in greatly. Perception and professionalism stakeholders affiliated with NCAA 2020. This momentum doesn’t require continue to be emphasized. Teaching Baseball to align to the training, something monumental — approach and mentoring the “NCAA Way” is job education and testing benchmarks, as pace-of-play’s changes with passion number one: inclusive of consistency, this will all but eliminate the possibility and we will be fine. accuracy and poise in our dealings that the integrity of our great game can • Integrity means that what you on the field – as it is very important be compromised. thought, what you said, and what you for the integrity of our game to select This past summer, I mentioned did are all the same. officials for the championship who are to the NCAA Division I conference For the seventh year, adhering to the NCAA rules, points baseball administrators, conference comprehensive incident/ejection/ of emphasis and the NCAA Baseball coordinators, the NCAA Division I suspension reports were submitted Umpire Program’s protocols. We have Baseball Committee and the NCAA online by all NCAA divisions. This high expectations of our officials. Baseball Rules Committee that I was is a tremendous benefit for all and The NCAA Division I Baseball extremely proud of how the coaching has led to some very unsettling Committee and the Baseball Umpire and umpiring communities addressed behavioral trends for several years Program are committed to improving the rules changes and game-changing now regarding the culture of baseball umpiring during the regular season, challenges presented this past season, and possible resolutions. In 2019, as well as the NCAA baseball and that this successful collaborative the national coordinator of umpires championship. The continued effort was required in one of the received 862 NCAA incident/ See “Welcome” p. 3 2 2020 NCAA Baseball Guide BASEBALL 2020 Action Clock approved the rule change in July limits are required. These are not Continued from p. 1 2018, with a second component guidelines. These are things that enter the box and become alert to the that called for a visible time clock. need to be administered. pitcher with five or more seconds However, PROP did not pass the “Is it going to be perfect in every remaining on the action clock, the two rules in conjunction, citing situation, if your attention is drawn batter will be in violation and the cost implications, particularly to some other part of a play? No. But umpire shall award a strike without for Division II and Division III it’s going to be much more consistent the pitcher having to deliver the programs. Instead, a visible time if we make sure that all the umpires pitch. Again, the ball is dead and no clock is recommended, but not are focused on it, and so are the runners may advance. mandated. In ballparks where there coaches. The coaches and players are Prior to this season, the rule – is no visible clock, a member of the going to adjust, it’s just a matter of found in Appendix F of the NCAA umpiring crew must use an on-field they’ve never had to before. rulebook – was applicable whenever stopwatch to maintain compliance. “It’s probably going to lead more the bases were unoccupied. It now “Of course the concern is, how people to use some level of a visible includes situations when there are am I going to do that with a runner clock. Again, sometimes you have to baserunners, with the idea of not on base and still watch for other walk before you run. We have to get allowing the game to bog down and important things?” Bruns said. “It’s some experience with this before we become an actionless contest once not going to be perfect. But it will be realize how that is exactly going to there are runners on base. certainly better than it was before. take place.” “That’s a continuous concern I think it will have a real positive in baseball in general, not just at impact once people get used to it.” Bat colors/testing our level. It’s not even so much the As with last season, when a rule Two additional significant time of the game, but that there is targeting the time between innings changes in NCAA baseball for the continuous action in the game,” said took center stage, NCAA baseball 2020 season involve bats. Randy Bruns, the NCAA’s secretary- officials want the action clock rule The first change involves the rules editor for baseball. “(The action enforced, visible clock or not.