The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- May 24, 1999

New Jersey league weighs baseball postseason issue

The baseball bat issue continues to be a source of debate in Division III.

The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) banned aluminum bats before the season began, and no team in the conference was allowed to play against a team that used them.

According to Montclair State University sports information director Al Langer, the NJAC's baseball coaches voted May 11, 6-4, in favor of boycotting the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

Rowan University, one of the teams voting against the boycott and in favor of dropping the conference ban on aluminum bats, informed NJAC officials that it intended to play in the NCAA tournament anyway.

After Rowan's announcement, the other three NJAC playoff teams -- William Paterson University of New Jersey, Montclair State and College of New Jersey -- chose to join Rowan, announcing that they would play in the NCAA regionals if selected.

The conference was the first to ban competition with aluminum bats, and it did so before the final ruling on the issue from the NCAA, which ultimately chose a standard that includes some aluminum bats.