HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL NFHS 2011 BASEBALL RULE CHANGES & POINTS OF EMPHASIS

AGENDA 2011 Rule Changes Points of Emphasis

LINEUP CARDS RULE All known substitutes must be listed on the lineup card before the plate umpire accepts it. Head coaches of both teams are required to submit a team’s lineup card which shall include: – Player’s name; – Jersey number; – Position and batting order of each starting player; – Name and Jersey number of each eligible substitute. There is no penalty for adding an eligible substitute during the game.

LISTING OF SUBSTITUTES Key Points – Coach is required to list all known substitutes. – If a player is not listed on the lineup card as a substitute, and attempts to substitute for a player, the UIC shall accept the substitution with no penalty. – The intent of the rule change is to speed up the substitution process by having names already listed on the lineup card. – A player, whether listed on the lineup card or not, will be allowed to participate as a substitute.

BATS RULE 1-3-2, 3, 4, 5 For the past thirty years, advances in technology and manufacturing have dramatically impacted high school bats. As a result, rules have struggled to keep up with the changing rate of bat performance and important factors of competition: maintaining the proper balance between offense and defense, minimizing risk to participants, and retaining the long-standing traditions of the game. Accordingly, the bat rule was modified to better meet the current state of the game and its equipment.

DEFINITION OF A BASEBALL BAT RULE There are three types of bats: – Wood, aluminum or composite bats. – They shall: Be one piece, multi-pieces, permanently assembled or two pieces with interchangeable barrel construction; Not have exposed rivets, pins, rough or sharp edges or any form of external fastener that would present a hazard; Be free of rattles, dents, burrs, cracks, sharp edges. – Bats that are broken, altered or deface the ball are illegal.

DEFINITION OF A BASEBALL BAT RULE Each legal bat must be composed of the following parts: – Knob. – Handle. – Taper. – Barrel. – End Cap.

KNOB The bat knob shall protrude from the handle. It may be molded, lathed, welded or permanently fastened. Devices, attachments or wrappings are permitted except those items that cause the knob to become flush with the handle. (Creates a safety risk with inability to hold onto the bat). A one-piece rubber knob and bat grip combination is NOT LEGAL.

BAT HANDLE It is the area of the bat that begins at, but does not include the knob, and ends where the taper of the bat begins. There are no restrictions on the shape of the handle. – Does not have to be round are cylindrical. – Mattingly v-bat and similar bats are legal.

TAPER It is the optional transition area which connects the narrower handle to the wider barrel portion of the bat. Length and material may vary but the taper may not extend more than 18 inches from the base of the knob.

TAPER The taper is not required to be smooth or round. – The taper could be square shaped or hexagonal. The taper is permitted to have holes and geometric shapes.

BARREL This is the area on the bat intended for contact with the baseball. The barrel shall be round, cylindrically symmetric, and smooth. The barrel may be wood, aluminum, or composite (made of two or more materials). The type of bat (wood, aluminum, composite) is determined by the composition of the bat’s barrel.

END CAP Can be manufactured in rubber, vinyl, plastic or other approved material. Shall be firmly secured and permanently affixed to the end of the bat so that it can only be removed by the manufacturer without damaging or destroying the bat. Note: A one-piece construction bat is not required to have an end cap.

BAT REQUIREMENTS RULE 1-3-2C; Each non-wood bat must have a safety grip made of cork, tape (no smooth or plastic tape) or commercially manufactured composition material. The grip must extend a minimum of 10”, but not more than 18” from the base of the knob. No slippery or similar material will be allowed. Resin, pine tar or any other drying agent to enhance the hold are permitted on the grip only. Molded grips are illegal. Non-wood bats shall be 36 inches or less in length, 2-5/8 inches or less in diameter at the thickest part of the barrel and weigh no more than three ounces less than the length of the bat. Wood bats shall be 36 inches or less in length and 2 ¾ inches or less in diameter at the thickest part.

WHY THE CHANGES? The changes in the rule were intended to: – Inhibit the practice of tampering with bats. The requirement that a bat meet ABI (Accelerated Break-In) makes the “rolling of a bat” impractical. ABI is a part of BBCOR performance. End Cap restriction makes the dismantling of the end cap to “shave” the bat difficult. – To disallow from high school competition those composite bats whose performance did not remain within the performance limits throughout the life of the bat. There are on the market composite BESR bats that exceed the top performance limit after use.

FOR THE 2011 SEASON Legal for Play: – Solid (one piece) wood, wood laminate, or bamboo bat. – Any aluminum or composite BBCOR bat. – Aluminum barrel bats (including those with a composite handle) that meet the BESR standard. – Any non-hollow (filled core) composite BESR bat. – A BESR hollow composite bat that has been granted a waiver for play. Not-Legal for Play: – Hollow composite BESR bats that do not pass the ABI protocol.

FOR THE 2011 SEASON There are certain BESR hollow composite bats that have passed the ABI testing and have been granted approval for play in Current approved BESR composite bats: – DeMarini CFB10 – 31, 32, 33, 34 inch models; – Vendetta VCB10 – 31, 32, 33, 34 inch models; – Combat B1AB2, B1AB2 R & B2AB1– 31, 32, 33, 34 inch models; – Louisville CBXD & CBXT – 31, 32, 33, 34 inch models.

APPROVED BESR HOLLOW COMPOSITE BAT LIST There may be additions during the season to the approved list. The approved list of bats that have been granted a waiver may be found: – NFHS website: – In the “Search” Box, type bats. – There will be two headings to use: “ NFHS Compliant Baseball Bat List;” “Approved BESR-ABI Composite Baseball Bats.”

NFHS WEBSITE FOR BATS

APPROVED BESR HOLLOW COMPOSITE BAT LIST It is the responsibility of the Head Coaches to have at each game a copy of Approved Bat List. If no list is available and there is a question as to a bat’s legality, it is the UIC’s judgment whether the bat is legal for play. – The majority of hollow composite BESR bats are not legal. – Remember why the action was taken to ban such bats. – It is NOT the officials’ role to carry the approved list with them.

RULE a USING AN ILLEGAL BAT A batter is out when he enters the batter’s box (even if the ball is dead) or is discovered having used an illegal bat. If the infraction is discovered before the next pitch following the turn at bat of the player who used an illegal bat, the defense may take the penalty or the result of the play. Penalty: The ball is immediately dead, the batter is out, and runners return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch.

PLAYER EQUIPMENT RULE Rule Change was recommended by the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. All hard and unyielding items: – Guards, – Casts, – Braces, – Splints, etc. Must be padded with a closed-cell, slow recovery foam padding no less than ½ inch thick.

PADDED CASTS AND BRACES Knee and ankle braces which are unaltered from the manufacturer’s original design/production do NOT require any additional padding. Pitcher cannot wear any item on his hands, wrists, or arms which may be distracting to the batter. This includes a cast, guard, brace, splint, etc. that is white, gray or distracting to the batter. – It is umpire’s judgment as to what is distracting.

FOUL TIP Definition: “A foul tip is a batted ball that goes directly to the catcher’s hands and is legally caught by the catcher. It is a strike and the ball is in play.” Now, if a batted ball goes directly to the catcher’s hands, rebounds and is caught by another infielder, the ball is dead and treated as a foul ball. Only the catcher may catch a foul tip.

RULE Medical data is clear that concussions occur more frequently in baseball than was previously thought. Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional. Only health-care professionals can determine if a player has experienced a concussion. Officials are to observe and remove any player from the game who exhibits the signs or symptoms of a concussion.

RULE It is the responsibility of the umpire to notify the head coach of the player’s removal from the game. – Both umpires shall together notify the head coach. Plate umpire should note the name and number of the player removed on the lineup card. – Re-entry rules apply as for any other substitution. At this point, the responsibility of the umpires ends. Communication of a return to play decision is a responsibility shared between the health care professional and school personnel. The OHSAA requires an MD/DO or Licensed Athletic Trainer to provide a written release for a potentially concussed athlete to reenter the game. – This note is to be given to the head coach. While written approval is required for an athlete to return to play, the written approval DOES NOT need to be seen by the umpire.

From: To: Date: Thu, 20 Jan :09: Subject: Re: Guidelines Jay, It was good to visit with you this afternoon. I have attached the concussion guideline and the new NFHS rule changes for this season. Please be aware that ALL umpires will not be responsible for concussions based on the direction and requirements of the NFHS baseball rule book during the season. Coaches and/or trainers shall provide medical attention and be responsible for any player that exhibits concussion related symptoms. A new concussion policy will be released by the commissioner of education very soon and approved by the UIL for adoption and distributed to all officials. Please call me if you have any questions. -- Tony Timmons UIL Director of Officials

LAST TIME BY RULE 8-2-6L NFHS Approved Rulings have enabled the “last time by” principle, this rule change provides rule book reference for coaches and umpires. Last Time By: “If a runner correctly touches a base that was missed (either in advancing or returning), the last time he was by the base, that last touch corrects any previous baserunning infraction.” What the principle is saying, for example, if a runner missed second base advancing to third, if he were to return to first he would not need to stop and touch second base two times (one for going and one for returning).

LAST TIME BY RULE 8-2-6L It is intended to be used in handling situations (a resulting appeal) at a base that has been missed in passing by a reasonable small margin (umpire judgment). – When a runner correctly touches a base on the last time by, that touch erases all previous misses at that base. Does not exempt a runner from his running responsibilities, nor does it forgive him for intentionally trying to gain an advantage while running the bases. A runner who proceeds, say from the vicinity of third base, and runs directly back to first base across the middle of the diamond, would still be vulnerable to appeal under the provisions of last time by. The runner gained an advantage far too large and obvious to be ignored using this guideline.

LAST TIME BY PLAYS Play 1:R1 barely misses 2 nd base but touches it on his return to first. The missed base is appealed. RULING: The appeal is denied. The last time by the base, it was properly touched.

LAST TIME BY PLAYS Play 2: R1 misses third base by a large margin. He returns to second base and in so doing touches third. RULING: R1 is vulnerable to an appeal as the principle of last time by does not apply.

LAST TIME BY PLAYS Play 3: R1 is moving on the pitch as the batter hits a fly ball to center. R1 touches 2 nd and heads for 3 rd when the ball is caught. R1 returns to first base but misses second. The ball is thrown into the dugout and R1 is awarded home. R1 touched first, second and then third on the award. RULING: Legal, R1 is not vulnerable to appeal. Play 4: R1 leaves first too soon on a fly ball. He touches second and advances near third when his coach tells him to return. He does so by running directly across the diamond toward first. The ball gets by the first baseman, and R1 retouches first and makes it safely to second. RULING: R1 would be declared out upon proper appeal as the principle of last time by would not apply.

2011 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

GOOD SPORTING BEHAVIOR There has been an increase in incidents where officials have been pursued and harassed following a game. Pursuit of an official to the locker room, car, or parking lot is unacceptable. School administration is responsible for the security and safe passage of the officials. Ejections are still possible by rule until an official has left the confines of the field. (Post-game ejection). Officials who are pursued and harassed after a game should fill out an incident report on the TASO web site.

ALTERING OF BATS Bats that are rolled, shaved, flattened, corked or in any way altered from the original manufactured condition are illegal. Players may only use legal equipment as it is in the best interest of the game: – Risk minimization, – Fair play, – Good sportsmanship, – Respect for the opponents and the game of baseball.

PREGAME EQUIPMENT CHECK Checking of equipment prior to the game is more important now than ever before. Each umpire must inspect the available equipment prior to the contest. Bat inspection is critical due to the new bat rules and requirements. Coaches are to require that their players make all their bats available for inspection.

LEGAL EQUIPMENT Helmet inspection is as essential as bat inspection. With the importance of preventing concussions, cracked or illegal helmets provide little to no protection. Catcher’s helmets must be legal, with a NOCSAE seal, and in good condition.

INCLEMENT WEATHER Game is suspended whenever: – Lightning is seen; – Thunder is heard. Contest is to be stopped. Cannot resume until a minimum of 30 minutes have passed since the last incident of: – Lightning; – Thunder. Officials’ Responsibility ends after the field is cleared. Work with Home Management.

HAVE A GREAT 2011 SEASON