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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA on Wednesday approved a proposal to expand video review in college baseball to cover regular-season games starting in 2017.
Conferences and schools will be allowed to implement the rule, which has been used on an experimental basis at the College World Series since 2012 and in super regionals the past two years.
Video review can be used to determine if an apparent home run is fair or foul; if a batted ball left the playing field for a home run or a ground-rule double; if a batted ball is fair; if a fielder made a catch on a fair ball hit into the outfield or on any foul ball; if a player should be ejected for illegal or malicious slides; if a runner scored before the last out of an inning was recorded at another base; to decide scoring plays at the plate; and to determine whether a fan interfered on a play.
The penalty for using an illegal bat was toughened. If an umpire determines a bat is illegal before the first pitch is thrown to a batter, the batter will be called out. Previously, the bat was removed from the game and the batter was required to use a legal bat.
The Playing Rules Oversight Panel also clarified a rule regarding pitchers' windup positions. The Baseball Rules Committee had been concerned that base runners and umpires were having difficulty differentiating when a pitcher is in a windup or in the stretch position to hold runners closer to the base. The rule's language was clarified to say that a pitcher is considered to be in a windup position when his shoulders and chest are generally facing home plate.
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