National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 18, 1997

I Baseball Committee hears presentation on umpire program

Presentations from baseball constituent groups highlighted the annual meeting of the Division I Baseball Committee.

The committee, which met July 20-23 in South Lake Tahoe, California, heard a presentation on the state of the NCAA National Umpire Program from Dave Yeast, the program's national coordinator.

Yeast reviewed the restructured program and explained the extensive evaluation process that has been implemented. He noted that the National Umpire Committee, which he chairs with four national umpire evaluators, will attempt to identify major regional umpire associations to include in the new system. Further, he reported that the committee will draft a list of proposed guidelines for review by the Division I Baseball Committee aimed at eliminating the "red-lining" of umpires by coaches.

Yeast also outlined plans to produce a videotape this fall that will focus on new rules for 1998, and three- and four-man umpire mechanics. The committee will ask conferences and associations to show the videotape to their umpires Sunday, January 11, 1998.

The committee also heard a presentation by Jack Diesing Jr., president of College World Series, Inc., who discussed the city of Omaha's commitment to the event and its interest in extending the current contract to host the championship beyond 2000.

Brinker Harding, assistant to the mayor of Omaha, made a presentation on behalf of the city outlining plans to improve the facilities and overall ambience at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Finally, the committee met with Dave Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association, and discussed the progress of consideration of a change-of-season proposal that was introduced in a resolution at the 1997 Convention. The Division I membership referred the resolution, 1997 Convention Proposal No. 129, to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet for consideration of whether to change the baseball season and hold the championship in late June.

Keilitz told the committee that the proposal will help the majority of NCAA baseball-playing institutions.

He also recommended to the committee that it sponsor a bracket-expansion proposal that would increase from 48 to 64 the number of teams participating in the championship.

The committee agreed that the change-of-season resolution should be followed and that a blue-ribbon panel of coaches and athletics administrators should be formed immediately to study the resolution.

Other highlights

Division I Baseball Committee
June 20-23/South Lake Tahoe, California

  • Reviewed selection criteria and the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and agreed to maintain the same criteria for the 1998 championship. The committee also agreed to an ongoing review of the selection process.

  • Formed a subcommittee to study the concept of neutral-site regionals.

  • Voted to recommend to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that the following 19 conferences receive automatic qualification for the 1998 Division I Baseball Championship: America East; the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big South, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Big West, Mid-American Athletic, Missouri Valley, Pacific-10, Southeastern, Southland, Southern, Sun Belt, Trans America Athletic, West Coast and Western Athletic Conferences; the Colonial Athletic Association; and Conference USA.

    In addition, the following 1998 conference play-in pairings will be recommended to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet for consideration at its September 23-25 meeting: Mid-Eastern Athletic at Atlantic 10, Southwestern Athletic at Ohio Valley, Metro Atlantic at Ivy Group, Midwestern Collegiate at Mid-Continent, and Northeast at Patriot League.

  • Agreed that it would assign hotels for the 1998 College World Series.