National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News DigestMay 11, 1998
Division I baseball midseason trends
Midseason trends Batting Batting Average -- .305 Scoring -- 7.22 HR/Game -- 1.03 SB/Game -- 1.36 Pitching ERA -- 6.14 Strikeouts/Nine Innings -- 7.22 Fielding Fielding Percentage -- .950 Averages are per game and per team. 1997 statistics Batting Batting Average -- .304 Scoring -- 7.00 HR/Game -- 0.96 SB/Game -- 1.26 Pitching ERA -- 5.93 Strikeouts/Nine Innings -- 6.94 Fielding Fielding Percentage -- .951 Averages are per game and per team. Conference leaders Batting Average Big East -- .321 Scoring Southeastern -- 8.89 HR/Game Southeastern -- 1.72 SB/Game Southwestern Athletic -- 2.18 ERA Atlantic Coast -- 4.68 Strikeouts/Nine Innings Pacific-10 -- 8.24 Fielding Percentage Big Ten -- .960 Next week: Softball Hitters in Division I baseball aren't rattling the fence this year only because they are hitting the ball over the fence more than ever before. If the trend holds for the rest of the season, for the first time since records were kept, Division I baseball teams will average more than one home run per game. As of mid-April, the average was 1.03 homers a game, up from 0.96 last year. The previous high was 0.92 in 1985. Other offensive indicators were up as well. The average batting average at midseason stood at .305, which would be an increase over last year and close to the record of .306 set in 1985. Earned-run average stands at a lofty 6.14, which would be the highest ever, surpassing the 5.93 set in 1997.
LITIGATIONNCAA considers appeal of restricted earnings judgment The NCAA is considering an appeal of a judgment of almost $67 million that a jury has awarded to a group of restricted-earnings coaches. Elsa Kircher Cole, NCAA general counsel, said she believes that reversible errors were made during the course of the trial, which ended with the jury's decision May 4. The plaintiffs were asking for $30 million in damages. Although the NCAA claimed that only 59 coaches were affected by the legislation and that their damages totaled less than $1 million, the jury determined that damages equal $22.3 million, which are tripled under antitrust law. In general, such damages must be paid within 10 days of when the judgment is entered (U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil entered the judgment May 4). If it chooses to appeal, the NCAA plans to file a motion with the court to post a bond, which would be held in trust pending the outcome of the appeals process. In addition to the appeal on the damages, the NCAA is also discussing filing a petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court on the merits of the case. Cole stressed that the decision on how to pay the judgment rests with the NCAA Executive Committee. The NCAA was not insured against this action, so any payments will need to come from Association resources. The jury awarded damages of $11.2 million for men's basketball coaches, $1.6 million for baseball coaches and $9.5 million for coaches of other sports. Staff contact: Elsa K. Cole.
DIVISION IIPresidents Council has new chair and vice-chair Arend D. Lubbers, president of Grand Valley State University, has been selected as chair of the Division II Presidents Council and Gladys Styles Johnston, chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, has been selected as the Presidents Council's vice-chair. Lubbers replaces former University of North Florida President Adam W. Herbert, who resigned in January as chair and as a Region 2 representative on the Presidents Council when he was selected as chancellor of the Florida State University System. Johnston replaces Anthony F. Ceddia of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, who decided to step down early as vice-chair and Region 1 representative to assume increased duties within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Staff contact: Nancy L. Mitchell.
INSURANCENew catastrophic-injury policy OKed by Executive Committee A new catastrophic-injury insurance policy that will provide continued protection for student-athletes and other individuals at member institutions has been approved by the NCAA Executive Committee. The program will continue to provide benefits for catastrophic injuries, as well as for serious noncatastrophic injuries. The new carrier will be Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. The deductible will be $50,000, an increase of $25,000 from the current policy. To provide institutions with an option on addressing the increase in the deductible, Mutual of Omaha is making available "gap coverage" ranging in price from $1,975 to $4,975, depending on the institution's division affiliation and whether it sponsors football. Staff contact: Keith A. Martin.
ELIGIBILITYPossible NBA strike may put those turning pro early at risk The ongoing collective-bargaining discussions in the NBA pose the possibility of a work stoppage sometime after the June 24 draft. While it is impossible to predict the outcome of those negotiations, student-athletes who have declared for the draft face the possibility of not playing basketball at all in 1998-99 -- college or pro. Current legislation (NCAA Bylaw 12.2.4.2.1) allows underclassmen who have opted for the draft to withdraw their names up to seven days before the draft and retain eligibility, provided they have not signed with or accepted benefits from an agent or a professional team. The legislation also allows for those underclassmen who go through the draft, but are not selected, to retain eligibility so long as they have not signed with or accepted benefits from an agent or professional team. Eligibility is jeopardized, however, once the student-athlete signs an agreement with an agent or is chosen in the draft. Staff contact: William S. Saum.
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