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REMARKABLE PRODUCT — Always Grind Baseball Notebooks are one of nine exciting inventions that have been awarded Best of Show certificates by Nashville ABCA Convention See BEST OF SHOW , Page 4 Collegiate Baseball. From left to right is Colby Wright and Joe Moroney. Combined 862 Coaches, Players Tossed During 2019 Season NCAA Ejections Rise For 5th Consecutive Year Over the past 3 • 2015: 658 total ejections. 124 player and 42 assistant coach The biggest one-year jump ejections took place. seasons, 92 fight was 2017-2018 with 150 more Only Division III saw a decrease ejections have taken ejections. in 2019 with 221 ejections, down place during NCAA Drouches said that over the past 16 percent from the 2018 season three seasons, 92 fight ejections (262) as 97 head coach, 102 player baseball games. have been handed out by umpires and 22 assistant coach ejections in NCAA Divisions I, II and III took place. By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. baseball games. “This trend is very disturbing to Editor/Collegiate Baseball Last year there were 27 while me,” said Drouches. 35 took place in 2018 and 30 in “The NCAA Baseball Rules ASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 2017. Committee, in conjunction with total number of ejections Coaches continue to be tossed the American Baseball Coaches in NCAA Div. I, II and III at a record pace despite receiving Association, sent out an Intermediary N a mandatory warning from umpires Penalty Survey last October in an baseball has continued to increase for the fifth straight year, according now. effort to craft a potential penalty to George Drouches, NCAA Popular causes for ejections that falls short of an ejection. National Coordinator of Umpires. include ball/strike, safe/out and “In basketball, you receive a He discussed this trend at the fair/foul — with ball/strike as the technical foul for unsportsmanlike ABCA Convention’s NCAA main cause of being tossed. conduct. In football, a coach Baseball Rules Meeting. There were 361 ejections at the or player can receive a 15-yard Ninety percent of the ejections Division I level last season, a 7 penalty. are directly related to profanity, percent increase over the 2018 total “When we compiled the survey, according to ejection reports (337) as 178 head coach, 119 player coaches indicated they weren’t Drouches has received. and 64 assistant coach ejections interested in a penalty such as this. Ejections have increased by 204 took place. So it is cultural. since 2015. At the Division I level, the “Nobody wants an ejection or Here are the combined year-by- majority of ejections involved suspension. year ejection totals in NCAA Div. arguing balls and strikes (156 “So we are working on educating I, II and III baseball for the past ejections) and safe/out rulings coaches so they aren’t put in a five seasons: (71). situation where they are ejected or • 2019: 862 total ejections. There were 281 ejections at the suspended. • 2018: 858 total ejections. Division II level last season, an 8 “We have lots of resources we • 2017: 708 total ejections. percent increase compared to the Scott Stricklin is surprised at an umpire’s call. • 2016: 692 total ejections. 2018 total (260) as 115 head coach, See PROFANITY, Page 2 Inside Collegiate Baseball Web Site: www.baseballnews.com Special High School Section ABCA Convention Notes, Photos Ruleball With Rich Marazzi Pre-Season All-Americans, 2020 Record crowd of 7,100 attends 76th Here is your 2020 pre-season state-by-state list of top players, annual event in Nashville that rules quiz which will determine top 30 teams listed/Pages 12-20 produced lots of news/Pages 6-10 how well you know rules/Page 11 Page 2 Collegiate Baseball Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 Profanity Causes 90 Percent Of Ejections In Game Continued From Page 1 “I honestly believe coaches and “When the umpire explains the “There is no doubt that the umpires can work together without situation, hopefully coaches will pressure to win is at the root of can utilize such as explaining in having so many ejections and respect that. It doesn’t have to some of the actions by coaches detail what umpires are doing in suspensions.” escalate at that point. and players. regard to rules and interpretations. Drouches said what bothers “Video review has helped certain “At the conclusion of the NCAA We also have videos which help him the most with the hundreds situations a bit. Baseball Rules Committee meetings with managing situations. of ejection and suspension reports “In all honesty, if we can eliminate last July, I asked John Casey (head “The more educated coaches he has read over the years is the the profanity when coaches and coach Tufts University) who also are, the more informed they will profanity which is initiated by players confront umpires, a lot of is a member of the NCAA Baseball be which hopefully will lower the baseball coaches or players. the ejections and suspensions will Rules Committee and member of number of ejections and suspensions “I just don’t understand why go away. the American Baseball Coaches in NCAA baseball. people are F bombing each other “I do believe that if coaches Association and ABCA Umpire- “They must know how umpires over a pitch or play. receive everything that our umpires Coach Relations Committee to craft conduct their business. Many “All parties, including coaches, do in the way of training, that will a survey as an avenue to pursue umpires are former college baseball players and umpires, should remain help. an intermediary mechanism that players and have a great passion for calm and discuss situations in a “Coaches should be role models baseball could possibly use in the the game. professional manner. GEORGE DROUCHES to their players. hopes of reducing ejections and suspensions. “If the number of ejections and suspensions in the sport do not decrease this upcoming season, the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee may consider a rules change for the future.” Are Ejections A Problem? Casey is well aware of the ejection increase for coaches and players in NCAA baseball for five consecutive years. “What really isn’t talked about much is that head coaches are only getting ejected 1 percent of the time,” said Casey. “There are a minimum of 200 calls a game by umpires. In some sports, there may not be 200 calls in a year. “Putting this in perspective, there were 16,720 baseball games played in NCAA Div. I baseball during the 2019 season. “There were 178 head coach ejections on this level which came out to an average of 1.06 percent per game. That is hardly an epidemic. “There may be 20,000 games or more during a college baseball season without any situation taking place between umpires, players and coaches. “When you factor in assistant coach and player ejections, the ejection figure is less than 2 percent. “Baseball is unique in that coaches come out to discuss calls by umpires. “At times, coaches become Big League Chew was invented by Rob Nelson, a former Cornell heated in their discussions. Coaches University lefthander who was pitching in Oregon in 1977 for the should always be careful with profanity and teach their kids to be fabled Portland Mavericks when he came up with the idea for a new respectful of umpires. “But this situation is not as out of type of bubble gum. control as it is being portrayed. “Some college coaches are making a lot of money. If they don’t win, they don’t have a job. I have Rob was literally sitting in the Portland bullpen, watching his team- sat behind basketball coaches on many occasions, and the language mates chewing other less salubrious stuff, when he thought that they use toward officials is not something you would like to hear shredded bubble gum would be a much more fun option. in church. “No matter what sport, it all comes down to having a level of civility between all parties. I Rob shared the idea with Mav teammate Jim Bouton who liked the frankly don’t know of one college baseball coach who has ever been concept so much he spent the next two years searching for a gum ejected by an umpire they respect. company to manufacture and distribute Big League Chew. He So respect by umpires and coaches is something we all should strive succeeded, and BLC quickly became the must-have bubble gum for for. “Coaches and umpires are ballplayers in the littlest leagues to the Big Leagues.