Game Management Manual BASEBALL. (Revised 2/19)

Transcription

1 Game Management Manual BASEBALL (Revised 2/19)

2 Sections Baseball Game Management Manual TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages 1. Automatic Qualifier to NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Awards and Honors System Ball Bat Bat Testing Batting Practice Format Coaches Chair Conference Champion Conference Schedule Departure Time from Conference Games Designation of the Home Team Field Financial Settlements Jewelry Prohibition/Safety Regulation Lightning Policy NCAA Clock Protocols Protest of Officials Decisions Responsibilities of the Host Institution Roster for Series Rules Site of Games Sports Information Department Representative Sportsmanship Policy Suspended Game Policy Ticket Policies Tobacco Ban Umpires Unspecified Policies Weather Policies...10 Attachments Standard Roster for Big Ten Series... Attachment A Standard Player/Coach Pass List for Big Ten Series... Attachment B Bat Testing Protocol... Attachment C Bat Testing Reporting Form... Attachment D 2

3 1. Automatic Qualifier to NCAA Division I Baseball Championship The team designated as the Conference representative to automatically qualify for the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship shall be the winner of the Conference postseason tournament. Also see Section 29 of the Tournament Manual - Tie Breaker for NCAA Automatic Qualifier. 2. Awards and Honors System All of the awards and honors sponsored by the Conference that are available to student-athletes in the sport of baseball are designated in Section III (Awards and Honors System) of the Big Ten Championship Manual. 3. Ball The Conference shall use the Rawlings R1-NCAA baseball for the regular season and Conference tournaments. The host shall provide balls for each game played, but is not required to provide bullpen balls. The games should start with approximately four dozen baseballs, pre-rubbed and examined by umpires. (Revised 2/22/00, 2/04, 2/06; Effective 2/06; Editorial Revision 9/10) 4. Bat In regular season games (including Big Ten Tournament), only bats that meet the specifications allowed for use in the NCAA Division I baseball championship will be used. (Revised 1/9/99, 2/04; Effective 2/04) 5. Bat Testing The Big Ten Bat Testing Protocol and Reporting Form are outlined in Attachment C and D. 6. Batting Practice Format (Revised 2/04, 2/14; Effective 3/14) A. The following is the batting format for all Conference contests with lights: Home batting practice - 40 minutes Visitor batting practice - 40 minutes Home infield practice - 10 minutes Visitor infield practice 10 minutes B. The following is the batting format for Saturday and Sunday contests with no lights: Home batting practice - 40 minutes Visitor batting practice - 40 minutes Home infield practice - 10 minutes Visitor infield practice 10 minutes C. The following is the batting format for Friday and Monday contests with no lights: Visitor batting practice - 40 minutes Home batting practice - 40 minutes Visitor infield practice - 10 minutes Home infield practice - 10 minutes. 3

4 Note: The opposing team members may not be on the field or on the infield cut in front of the dugouts during batting practice. 7. Coaches Chair A baseball coach will serve a two-year term as the coaches' chair, beginning with the start of the chair's first annual business meeting and concluding on the date of the annual business meeting two years later. Coaches will rotate through the position based on alphabetical order of the institutions. New coaches must attend at least one annual business meeting before being eligible for the position. 8. Conference Champion (Revised 2/96, 2/00, 2/04, 2/09; Effective 2/09) The Conference shall determine its baseball champion(s) by the best winning percentage of games played during the regular season Conference schedule. Ties shall not be broken. A. Non-conference games shall not be scheduled if such scheduling could in any way lead to conflicts with playing dates of the Conference schedule. B. The Conference baseball schedule shall be developed by the Conference office, reviewed by coaches, and approved by the Sports Management Committee. C. Each team shall play eight (8) out of twelve (12) Conference opponents each season. D. Ties shall be counted in the Conference standings as one-half win and one-half loss. E. If a team is on suspension it may compete in the Conference schedule, but it will not be considered for the Conference championship or participation in the Conference tournament irrespective of its final Conference standing. F. All games, except for the third game, are to be considered suspended games if for any reason a winner is not determined. G. Every attempt shall be made to play at an alternate site if circumstances prohibit use of a home field. The site shall be determined by the host team prior to the scheduled weekend series by mutual agreement of both universities. H. Teams will play one nine-inning game per day over a three-day period. No rain dates after visiting team has left its campus to travel. 9. Conference Schedule The Conference baseball schedule shall be developed according to the following parameters and criteria. (Revised 2/04, 2/07. 7/07, 2/08, 2/09, 2/19; Effective 2/19) A. The Conference schedule shall be played over the nine weekends prior to the Conference tournament. The Conference tournament shall take place on the weekend prior to the NCAA Championship Regionals and shall begin on a Wednesday. B. Each team plays 8 of 12 Conference opponents each year. C. Teams will see each institution home and away equitably over a three-year rotation. D. Teams shall play in a format. E. No team has more than two consecutive series at home or on the road. 4

5 F. Each team will experience a Bye week. BYE weeks will rotate annually for those occurring in weeks 1 and 2. One team will be rotated out of the first two BYE weeks, every two years. G. Based on a rotation of grouped teams, plays and no-plays will change annually. H. The final weekend of the regular season shall be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I. Conference teams may mutually agree to play on days other than those scheduled if weather prevents play on the scheduled days, if travel problems exist or academic commitments take precedence. The altered series must be played over two or three consecutive days in the format. J. Once the visiting team leaves its campus to travel to the host campus (game site), the scheduled day of the first contest is in force. K. In the event of foreseen inclement weather, one of the days may be used for a doubleheader with the agreement of both coaches. (Revised and Effective 2/10) L. The first game in a doubleheader on a get away day (i.e. final day of the series) may be stopped after seven innings if one team is ahead by at least ten (10) runs. M. Final exams schedules of each institution will be considered when developing schedules. N. If modest time changes are requested in order to accommodate live television, the host institution may adjust the game time accordingly. If significant game changes (i.e. date change or move from afternoon to prime time or vice versa) are requested in order to accommodate television, mutual consent by the participating institutions is required. O. Television may move up to two (2) series per institution with no more than one on the road, to a Saturday/Sunday/Monday series. P. If any games in the series have been selected to be televised, the conference office must be notified before any schedule changes are made. 10. Departure Time from Conference Games The visiting team may depart from a Conference city no earlier than 8 p.m. or the last possible flight time available on the final day of the three-day series. If the last possible flight time is earlier than 8 p.m., the visiting coach will inform the host coach prior to finalizing travel plans. (Revised 2/17/98, 2/04; Effective 2/04) 11. Designation of the Home Team During Conference play, the host school shall be designated as the home team, unless mutually agreed upon by both universities when moving the location. (Revised and Effective 2/04) 12. Field (Revised and Effective 2/04) In order to avoid cancellations due to wet grounds, each university shall provide a reliable rain cover for its entire infield. This cover shall be placed on the field the day before a scheduled Conference game or games, unless the condition of the field does not warrant this action. 13. Financial Settlements A. A settlement or a financial report for a scheduled game or event is not necessary unless mutually agreed. 5

6 B. Each university shall pay its own game and other expenses for a scheduled game or event unless otherwise mutually agreed. 14. Jewelry Prohibition/Safety Regulation Student-athletes are prohibited from wearing on their bodies any type of jewelry in all Big Ten regular season or championship competition. (Revised and effective 5/99) 15. Lightning Policy (Revised and effective 2/01) A. The host institution s lightning policy shall be followed provided it is at least as stringent as NCAA guidelines. B. If a host institution will use a lightning policy that differs from NCAA guidelines, the policy to be used shall be included in the game contract with both the opponent and the officials. C. When an institution does not have a lightning policy, NCAA guidelines shall be followed. See Appendix F of the Championship Manual. 16. NCAA Clock Protocols (Effective 2/11) NCAA clock protocols monitoring the time allowed between pitches and innings shall be managed by umpires on the field. 17. Protest of Officials' Decisions Protests will not be considered. 18. Responsibilities of the Host Institution For all Conference competition event management must enforce the following Conference policies: A. Nonpermissible Items - The arena management is responsible for enforcing the Big Ten policies in this regard. The following items may not be brought into the arena by patrons: Alcoholic beverages, bottles, cans, cups or containers, irritants (e.g., noisemakers) or strobe lights. In addition, the facility may have additional restrictions on items that can be brought into the arena. B. Irritants - Irritants include such items as oversized flags, banners, or signs that may block the view of other patrons. The management administrators are responsible for determining whether a specific item in this category represents an irritant to other patrons and whether it should be prohibited. C. Distribution of Materials No person or group may distribute the following materials in the facility or adjacent areas that fall under the control of the arena management without the advance written permission of the Big Ten including, but not limited to, handbills, flyers, newspapers, memorabilia or promotional materials for other events or activities. 6

7 D. The host institution shall provide an athletic trainer, ice, water and drinking cups for all games. 19. Roster for Series (Revised 2/17/97, 2/04, 2/07, 2/09; 2/12 Effective 2/12) A 27-player roster shall be submitted to the umpire crew chief and the opposing coaches using a standard form approved by the conference office as roster (name, number) prior to the opening game of every series (See Attachment A of this manual). These are the only players who will be eligible to play in games in that series. If a player is used who is not listed on the roster, he shall be removed from the game immediately and replaced with a player on the roster and the institution shall self-report the violation. 20. Rules A. NCAA rules shall be followed except where noted in this manual and where local ground rules require modification. B. The local ground rules shall be given to the visiting coach and to the umpires before the start of the game. 21. Site of Games The site of the scheduled weekend series may be adjusted by mutual agreement of both universities if circumstances prohibit use of a home field. An alternate site is defined as any facility within reasonable distance where regular season games are scheduled. (Revised and effective 2/04) 22. Sports Information Department Representative Institutions are encouraged to have a representative of their sports information department travel with their team to away Conference games. 23. Sportsmanship Policy It shall be the responsibility of each member university to ensure that all of its students and all individuals employed by or directly associated with it conduct themselves in a sportslike manner when representing their university, especially at intercollegiate athletic contests. See the Agreement 10. Sportsmanship Policy in the Conference Handbook for a description of disciplinary action and penalties. 24. Suspended Game Policy (Revised 2/17/97, 2/04, 4/04, 2/05, 2/08, 2/09; Effective 2/09) All Conference series are normally scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with no rain date. The game format will be one nine-inning game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A. All games must be completed unless the final game of the series is stopped because of rain or darkness. In that case, the last game (which could be game one, two, or three) will count 7

8 if it has become regulation (four and one-half or five innings). If the game has become regulation and is tied, it shall be treated as a complete game and be treated as a tie in the Conference standings (one-half win for both teams). B. If a game is stopped before completion, it will become a suspended game and completed the following day. The suspended game may start as early as 10:00 a.m. the second or third day of the series, by mutual agreement of both coaches. At least 15 minutes must be provided between any two games and no game may start after 9:00 p.m. In addition, teams shall not play more than two games in one day, not counting suspended games. C. Host management and the visiting team must agree that weather and field conditions will or will not permit the start of a game. If there is not agreement between the host and the visitor, the visiting team must stay and be ready to play until the scheduled game time of day three of the series. If there is agreement between the host and the visitor, the game(s) scheduled for the third day may be canceled. D. If game one is not played on the first day, two nine-inning games shall be played on the second day. If game two has not started on the second day, two nine-inning games shall be played on the third and final day. E. Prior to the first pitch of the series, the host and the visitor must mutually agree upon the time when no inning may be started if the final game has not been completed by the agreed upon time. This is to assure that the visitors can accommodate their schedule and both teams have a fair opportunity to win the game. 25. Ticket Policies A. Price of Admissions 1. Each university shall establish the price of admission for all sports or athletic events held under its supervision. 2. A member of the student body, faculty, staff or employee of a university may purchase a ticket or tickets at a reduced price, which shall be established by the university. 3. The university may establish a general admission price, and a reduced ticket price for high school and grade school students, and coaches. 4. A news media representative must pay the full popular price for any ticket in the stands. B. Player/Coach Pass List (Revised 2/04, 2/05; Effective 2/05) A player/coach pass list shall be made available for all scheduled games using a form similar to the one shown in Attachment B of this manual. C. Complimentary Admissions A complimentary admission is defined as a free or service charge admission issued by a university for a particular event. 1. All eligible student-athletes in all sports may receive a complimentary admission to all regular-season home athletic events as long as tickets are available, except in football, men's basketball and ice hockey. 2. Members of the working press may receive a press pass only. 3. Complimentary admissions shall not be issued on behalf of a squad member who is ineligible for competition. 8

9 26. Tobacco Ban 4. A varsity squad member who is eligible for competition may be admitted free to any home varsity game in the athlete's sport, regardless of whether he is in a game uniform. The use of all tobacco products by all individuals at the site of Conference regular season, championships and postseason Conference competition as well as during other activities associated with competition such as banquets, autograph sessions, press conferences and post-game interviews shall be prohibited. (Adopted 8/8/94) 27. Umpires (Revised 2/97, 1/00, 2/00, 8/00, 2/04, 2/05, 2/06, 2/07, 8/07, 10/08, 2/09, 7/13, 02/16, 7/17; Effective 7/17) A. Umpires shall be assigned by the approved Conference assignor. B. Fees for umpires working a weekend series during regular season play will be $1300 (in 2017) and $1500 (in 2018) per series for each umpire along with per diem for each umpire based on the conference per diem policies. C. If a game(s) is cancelled due to inclement weather, each assigned official will still receive a game fee for each cancelled game. If the game(s) is rescheduled and the same umpire is able to work the game(s), only one game fee will be processed. Per Diem is subject to approval by the conference office. D. A four-person crew rotation shall be used for umpiring Conference games. E. The umpires are responsible for reservation and payment of their hotel rooms for conference games. F. Officiating Conflict of Interest Policy - A person shall not be appointed or retained as an official if the person s other employment or conditions might affect the efficiency or quality of the person s officiating. The following individuals are prohibited from serving as officials for conference events during the regular season and championship/tournament (Revised 8/1/07, 2/16; Effective 2/16): i. Immediate family members; ii. Current coach or individual affiliated with a current program; iii. Individual involved in a personal relationship with a coach/student-athlete; iv. Student at a Conference university. Any person employed by a Conference university shall only be appointed as an official if it is deemed by the Conference office that no conflict of interest exists 28. Unspecified Policies If there is no stated Conference policy relative to a specific item or question covered in this Manual, a practice shall not be permissible unless the practice or policy has been approved by the appropriate Conference governing body. 9

10 29. Weather Policy (Revised and effective 3/16) Games shall not be played if the RealFeel temperature for the facility on AccuWeather.com is less than 28 degrees. If the temperature at 30 minutes prior to the start time is 28 degrees, pitching warm-ups shall begin and the game shall start as scheduled. If the temperature at 30 minutes prior to the game is 27 or below, then pitchers shall not start warmups. Once the temperature reaches 28 degrees, pitching warmups may start and the game shall start 30 minutes later. If the RealFeel temperature is 29 degrees or above, the home and away team administrators shall mutually agree on whether to play the game. Coaches, administrators and host event management staff shall communicate regarding logistics and other factors influencing the decision to play or delay the game. If a mutual agreement cannot be reached, the home team administrator shall make the final decision on whether to play the game based on field conditions and the health and safety of all participants. 10

11 BIG TEN SERIES ROSTER FORM Attachment A School: Coach: Roster Name No Signature of Coach:

12 UNIVERSITY BASEBALL PASS LIST Attachment B DATE: OPPONENT: Please fill in guests names after your name. Picture ID's will be required by guests for admittance. PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

13 Attachment B PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

14 Attachment B PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

15 Attachment B PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

16 Attachment B PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

17 Attachment B PLAYER NAME GUEST NAME RELATIONSHIP GUEST SIGNATURE

18 Attachment B UNIVERSITY COACHES, MANAGERS & SUPPORT STAFF PASS LIST NAME STAFF NAME GUEST NAMES GUEST NAMES GUEST NAMES Head Coach NAME Assistant Coach NAME Assistant Coach NAME Assistant Coach NAME Trainer NAME SID NAME OTHER NAME OTHER

19 Attachment C Big Ten Conference 2019 Baseball Bat Testing Protocol GENERAL PRINCIPLES Big Ten Conference institutions will test bats prior to each conference series during the 2019 baseball season for the purpose of ensuring that legal equipment is used in competition. Coaches and administrators of Conference institutions are reminded that they are obligated by the NCAA Baseball Rules to play with legal equipment and to remove any illegal equipment from play. Barrel compression testing (BCT) will be conducted prior to each of the nine (9) Big Ten weekends during the 2019 conference regular season. Testing will occur prior to the first game of each series. Each institution is required to use the G4 SSL baseball bat testing machine for the 2019 Big Ten baseball season. A G4 SSL tester was provided to each school by the Big Ten prior to the 2018 season. More information on the tester is available at EQUIPMENT TO BE USED The home team s machine is used for testing. If the home team does NOT have a working BCT machine but the visiting team does have a working BCT machine, the visiting team will travel with machine to the series and the visiting team s machine shall be used for testing. If neither the home team nor visiting team has a working BCT machine, the home team will make every attempt to borrow a machine. If neither team has a working BCT machine AND the home team cannot borrow a machine the home team will notify Gil Grimes at the Big Ten office and the visiting team s head coach and baseball sport administrator no later than 48 hours prior to the first game of the series. In this instance, bat testing will not take place. However, institutions are reminded that all NCAA baseball playing rules (including playing with legal equipment) must be followed. LOCATION AND TIME OF TESTING The home team shall designate the sport administrator, event manager or other administrative designee to oversee the administrative process of the testing (e.g., conducting and overseeing the testing and filling out any necessary documentation). The head coach (or one of the full-time assistant coaches or other staff member appointed by the head coach to represent the team) will be responsible for actually testing his team s bats (e.g., physically placing the bats in the machines). The home team s administrator, event manager, or other designee will serve as the observer and record the results. Both coaches (or appointed designee(s)) will bring all bats to the testing location, as well as their teams stickers provided by the Big Ten. Bat testing must be conducted prior to the scheduled start time of the first game of the series.

20 Attachment C Testing should take place at a time mutually agreed upon by the two institutions and may take place on the day prior to the first game of the series. Location of the testing will be determined by the home team and communicated via to the visiting team s head coach or designee no later than 48 hours prior to the first game of the series. Umpires do not have to be present during testing but should be made aware of when/where testing will take place. Testing shall not be conducted in public view or near fans/media. TESTING PROCEDURE 1. RING TEST A ring test will be conducted to verify the maximum barrel diameter. The bat must pass through a ring that is 1 inch long and of inside diameter of inches. A testing ring has been provided to each school by the Big Ten. To test for barrel diameter, place the bat vertically on the ground, with the knob up. Place the ring over the knob, and let it fall. If the bat does not pass through the ring, the bat is surrendered and will not be returned for use. If the bat passes through the ring from gravity alone (not forcing), the diameter passes and it proceeds to barrel compression testing. 2. BARREL COMPRESSION TESTING A bat tester instruction manual can be found at the end of this document. It is critical that these instructions are followed closely to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. Also, for a video that provides instruction on using the bat testing unit, go to and click on Baseball Bat Compression Test. On the G4 SSL fixture: 1250 psi shall be the lowest passing score for metal bats psi shall be the lowest passing score for composite bats. 800 psi shall be the lowest passing score for non-linear bats. *The Rawlings Quatro model is currently the only BBCOR non-linear bat. At the time of the testing, each team should provide to the home team event manager its Big Ten Baseball Test Reporting Form with the first four columns already filled out. This will expedite the test recording process. Each bat will be tested approximately 6 inches from the end of the barrel. The bat will then be rotated 90 degrees and tested again. This constitutes one complete BC test. The highest score of the two measurements will represent the score for each complete BC test.

21 Attachment C Each bat will be tested a maximum of three times, until it receives two pass results or two fail results, whichever comes first. If after the first two tests: o the bat has two pass results, the bat receives the appropriate sticker and is ready to be used in competition; o the bat has two fails, the bat is considered unacceptable for play and must be surrendered and will not be returned for use; o the bat has one pass result and one fail result after the second test, the bat will be removed from the machine and inspected for cracks. If no cracks are found, the bat will be inserted into the machine and tested a third and final time. if the bat has a second pass result, the bat will be identified as passed and the sticker affixed. if the bat receives a second failed result, the bat will be deemed unacceptable and surrendered to the testing team. Bats passing both tests will receive a tamper-proof sticker to be placed on the taper of the bat so that it is easily visible. The opponent s sticker will be placed on bats that have passed (e.g., if Illinois is playing Purdue, the Illinois sticker is placed on the passing Purdue bat and the Purdue sticker is placed on the passing Illinois bat.) The visiting team shall always travel with its own stickers to be used during the testing. The home team is not responsible for stickers of the opposing teams. The stickers should be removed after the series has been completed. The Big Ten office will purchase each institution s stickers and ship to each baseball sport administrator prior to the start of Big Ten play. REPORTING PROCEDURE The home team event manager (or administrative designee) will complete the Big Ten Baseball Bat Test Reporting Form. The form should be submitted via no later than noon CT Monday after completion of bat testing for the series to Gil Grimes (ggrimes@bigten.org) at the B1G office. PROCEDURES FOR FAILED BATS A bat that fails the BCT testing prior to a series will be deemed illegal and remain in the immediate possession of the home team s event manager until the end of the series. The home team s sport administrator, event manager or appointed administrative designee will return a visiting team s illegal bat to the visiting team head coach at the conclusion of the last game of the series. The home team s sport administrator will maintain possession of a home team s illegal bat. It is the responsibility of the head coach to give the failed bat to his/her baseball sport administrator upon the team s return to campus. All failed bats shall not be used in any subsequent game.

22 Attachment C IMPORTANT: FIXTURE CALIBRATION It is important to check the calibration of the bat testing fixture before the season and periodically during the season. To check calibration of the device, insert the red calibration cylinder (that came with the tester) just as you would a bat. Be sure to center the cylinder under the anvil. Preload to 0lbs as usual and pull the cam lever. Your compression should meet the tolerances engraved on the cylinder. If the device is not calibrated, contact the Big Ten office and/or the LV Sports customer service line. For a video that provides instruction on checking the calibration of the bat testing fixture, go to and click on Compressing calibration cylinder.

23 Attachment D 2019 Big Ten Conference Baseball Bat Testing Reporting Form *Team representative should fill out the first four columns of this form prior to arrival for testing. *The remaining columns are to be filled out by the home team's on-site administrator conducting the testing and sent to the Big Ten office no later than noon CT Monday following the completion of bat testing for the series. Team: On-Site Administrators: Date: Manufacturer Model Number Model Name Composite or Metal Ring Test "P" = Pass "F" Fail Test 1 "P" = Pass "F" Fail Test 2 "P" = Pass "F" = Fail If Necessary "P" = Pass "F" = Fail