REPORT OF THE NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL COMMITTEE JULY 29, 2014, TELECONFERENCE. a. Baseball Umpire Improvement Program Budget Increase.

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1 SUPPLEMENT NO. REPORT OF THE NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL COMMITTEE JULY 29, 2014, TELECONFERENCE ACTION ITEMS. 1. Legislative Items. None. 2. Nonlegislative Items. a. Baseball Umpire Improvement Program Budget Increase. (1) Recommendation. That the NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet approve a $20,000 increase to the budget for the Division I Baseball Umpire Improvement Program. (2) Effective Date. September 1, (3) Rationale. The current budget for the Division I Baseball Umpire Improvement Program has not been increased since at least In that time, many of the costs associated with the program have continued to increase, including umpire evaluation travel, cost of administering clinics and the addition of regional advisor personnel. The proposed increase would allow the program to continue to identify, evaluate and assign officials at the same high-quality level that the championship is accustomed to experiencing. A portion of the proposed additional budget will be earmarked as a 10 percent increase in the stipend for the Director of Umpire Training and the four Regional Advisors. The stipend for these individuals has been flat for six years. (4) Estimated Budget Impact. $20,000. (5) Student-Athlete Impact. The additional dollars will allow the program to continue to properly train and assign the best officials to work the championship, which will enhance the student-athlete experience. b. Automatic Qualification. (1) Recommendation. That the Championships/Sports Management Cabinet approve the following 31 conferences to receive automatic bids for their conference champion into the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship:

2 Page No. 2 America East Conference, American Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, The Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Patriot League, Southeastern Conference, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Summit League, Sun Belt Conference, West Coast Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. (2) Effective Date championship. (3) Rationale. All eligible conferences are being recommended for automatic qualification similar to past years. The Summit League applied for automatic qualification (AQ) for the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship but does not meet the membership requirements necessary to receive an AQ. However, the NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) staff has determined that the Summit League will be eligible to use the second year of the two-year grace period allowed under NCAA Division I Bylaw The Summit League failed to have the required six eligible institutions that sponsor baseball in but was granted an AQ using the first year of the two-year grace period. For the season, the Summit League dropped down to four eligible baseball institutions, but the Division I Championships/Sport Management Cabinet granted them a waiver allowing them AQ for that season. The conference will again have only five eligible members in (4) Estimated Budget Impact. None. (5) Student-Athlete Impact. None. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS. 1. Committee Chair. The committee voted to elect Dave Heeke, director of athletics at Central Michigan University, as chair of the committee effective September 1, Mr. Heeke is entering his final year of his second stint on the committee. He has proven to be a valuable member of the committee and will make an excellent chair. Mr. Heeke will replace current chair Dennis Farrell when Mr. Farrell s term as chair expires August 31.

3 Page No ESPN. Representatives from ESPN joined the committee on the conference call to review the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship/College World Series (CWS) and begin planning for Baseball Umpire Improvement Program. Gene McArtor, National Coordinator of Umpires, joined the conference call to report on the baseball umpire improvement program from the previous year. The committee recognized Gene McArtor for his outstanding service the last six years to the baseball umpire improvement program and the baseball championship and wished him all the best as he prepares to retire as the national coordinator. a. NCAA National Coordinator of Umpires Search Committee Update. Mr. Heeke provided an update on behalf of the search committee regarding the process for selecting Mr. McArtor s replacement. b. Video Instant Replay. The committee discussed the possibility and logistics of using video instant replay during the super regional round in NCAA staff will continue to explore options for implementation and will report back to the committee for their consideration at the November 2014 annual meeting. 4. NCAA Baseball Rules Committee Report. The committee received an update on the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee s July 2014 meeting, including the addition of catch/no-catch plays to the list of plays that can now be reviewed under the Getting the Call Right section of the rules book. The committee also discussed increasing interest from conferences about using video instant replay at their conference tournaments. 5. Review of 2014 Regionals and Super Regionals. a. Survey Review. The committee reviewed the survey results from student-athletes, coaches, athletic administrators, NCAA site representatives, host tournament managers and NCAA staff from both the regional and super regional rounds. Staff and the committee identified a number of key issues to address further at its November in-person meeting. (1) Bat Handler Helmet. Review policy requiring bat handlers to wear a helmet when entering the playing field. (2) Suspended Game Resumption. Establish a guideline for resuming a suspended game the following day when multiple games are already scheduled on that day. The committee is concerned about teams potentially playing more than two games in any given day.

4 Page No. 4 The committee discussed the following suggestions from the surveys but ultimately decided not to take any action. (3) Dugout Designation. Allowing the host institution to remain in the same dugout throughout the round, regardless of whether they were the designated home or visiting team in a game. The current policy designates a home and a visiting team dugout for each game, and all teams, including the host institution, must use the designated dugout. (4) Super Regional Game 3 Home Team Designation. If a super regional features two teams with different seeds, allow the better-seeded team to automatically be the home team in Game 3. The current policy calls for a coin flip in Game 3, regardless of the two teams seeds. (5) Increased Dugout Limit. To increase the dugout limit at all regional and super regional rounds to 40 individuals. The current policy allows for 35 individuals in each dugout. Finally, the committee discussed and took action on the following item regarding the regional and super regional rounds. (6) Head Coach Non-Participation on Administrative Conference Call. The committee discussed a situation in which a head coach did not participate on an administrative conference call for the regional round because he was conducting a previously scheduled practice. The committee determined that while the policy regarding the head coach s attendance on this call may not have been clear, NCAA staff should send the coach a letter informing him that in the future, head coaches are expected to attend the call. Additionally, the committee charged NCAA staff with clarifying the head coach attendance requirement in all manuals, agendas and other materials for the 2015 Division I Baseball Championship. 6. Review of 2014 College World Series. Due to the limited amount of time remaining on the conference call, NCAA staff discussed only a handful of items from the 2014 Men s College World Series (CWS). All other items will be placed on the committee s November in-person meeting agenda. a. Mock Selection. In an attempt to better educate the baseball membership and media, the committee discussed possibly conducting a mock selection. The committee feels that the

5 Page No. 5 idea may have some merit and has asked NCAA staff to explore the most effective and efficient way to conduct such an event. b. Selection Meeting. The committee discussed the current itinerary and location of the annual championship selection meeting and whether any adjustments need to be made. Ultimately the committee was comfortable with the existing itinerary and location and took no action. c. Unique On-Field Rule Situation Communication. The committee wants to identify the best way to communicate with the ESPN talent and public address announcer when a unique on-field rule situation occurs during a game. Many times these situations leave the fans both in the stands and watching on television unsure of what happened on the field. Providing quick clarification to ESPN and the public address announcer will better inform those watching. NCAA staff will draft a plan for the 2015 College World Series and present it to the committee for approval at the November annual meeting. d. Providing Initial Lineups to ESPN. ESPN has asked that head coaches provide an initial lineup to ESPN when they meet the morning of the game. NCAA staff will draft a policy for committee review at the November annual meeting United States Olympic Swim Trials. Damani Leech informed the committee that the United States Olympic Swim Trials will be hosted at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha in The start of the swim trials has been moved up and will now overlap with the CWS Finals. NCAA staff will work with the CWS of Omaha, Inc. and Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) staff on further details and logistics to ensure the least amount of impact on the College World Series. Staff will update the committee at the November meeting. 8. Additional Items. Due to time constraints, the following agenda items were not discussed but will be placed on the agenda for the November annual meeting: a. Review of Rating Percentage Index (RPI). b. Men s College World Series. (1) NCAA survey results. (2) CWS data (pace of play, attendance, etc.) (3) Recommendations from TD Ameritrade Park head groundskeeper.

6 Page No. 6 (4) CWS branding slogan. (5) Additional inclement weather situation discussion. c. CWS Financial data from past participating institutions. d. Review of 2014 season final baseball statistical trends. Committee Chair: Dennis Farrell, Big West Conference Staff Liaisons: Randy L. Buhr, Championships and Alliances Chad Tolliver, Championships and Alliances

7 Page No. 7 July 29, 2014, Teleconference Attendees Absentees Patrick Chun, Florida Atlantic University Ron Prettyman, Indiana State University Joel Erdmann, University of South Alabama Dennis Farrell, Big West Conference Larry Gallo, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Robert Goodman, Colonial Athletic Association Dan Guerrero, University of California, Los Angeles Dave Heeke, Central Michigan University Eric Hyman, Texas A&M University, College Station Ed Scott, Binghamton University Other Attendees: Brent Colborne, ESPN Matt Evans, ESPN Gene McArtor, National Coordinator of Baseball Umpires Tom McNeeley, ESPN Mike Moore, ESPN Randy L. Buhr, NCAA; Chris Dion, NCAA; Nate Flannery, NCAA; J.D. Hamilton, NCAA; Damani Leech, NCAA; Emily Parsons, NCAA; Natalie Steger, NCAA; Chad Tolliver, NCAA; Jeff Williams, NCAA; and Brad Woodward, NCAA.