A more uniform method of monitoring who is in uniform during championship play highlighted discussions at the Division II Baseball Committee's annual meeting June 27-30 in Jackson, Wyoming.

Continuing a debate that has occurred over the past few years, committee members attempted to ease demands placed on tournament managers and umpires regarding who should be in the dugouts during competition.

Beginning with the 2001 championship, teams are allowed 30 uniformed and two nonuniformed personnel in their dugouts. NCAA postseason game rosters allow for 24 active players, and schools have the option of filling the remaining six uniformed slots with any combination of coaches and players. The two nonuniformed dugout positions are reserved for such duties as athletic trainer, manager or sports information contact, in any combination.

All coaches and players in the dugout must be in uniform.

"We feel like the image that is placed on that field should show a lot of class," said Gary Rundles, chair of the committee and newly named head baseball coach at the University of West Alabama.

"We have had a problem with players out of uniform showing up in shorts and ragged T-shirts, and we just don't think that presents the right image for Division II baseball.

This past year, 34 people were allowed in each dugout -- 24 eligible players plus 10 other personnel. Of those 10, six were coaches and four were nonuniformed players.

"We've made a move to put more people in uniform to clean that up and allow the coaches some flexibility maybe to address players who are part of the team instead of looking like somebody out of the stands," Rundles said. "We want to present an image to people that when they come to the ballpark, they look out there and see people in nice uniforms."

In other action, the committee proposed a pay increase for umpires from the current $1,000 for the championship finals in Montgomery, Alabama, to $1,250, a recommendation that must be approved by the Division II Championships Committee. Baseball committee members feel the pay increase is necessary because the current stipend, on a per-game basis, is only equal to and in some cases less than the amount umpires receive for regular-season assignments.

"I think in the past, we've lost some good umpires because of (the pay)," Rundles said. "The umpires have been taking a regional in Division I instead of a championship assignment in Division II."

Regional pay for umpires also was increased from $75 per game to $100 per game.

The committee met with representatives from Montgomery to discuss improvements for the eight-team finals event. Montgomery's Patterson Field hosts the championship finals through 2004. The two groups discussed issues such as using older ball persons, having predetermined off-site practice facilities and increasing security at the championship.

Further, both parties agreed that one improvement would be an assurance of television coverage. The 2000 finals had its scheduled television coverage canceled just days before the event, and the host committee wants to work with the baseball committee and NCAA broadcast services staff on ways to better guarantee television exposure.

After a successful trial this past year, the committee agreed to set a predetermined site for the South Regional for the next two championships. Baseball City, Florida, and the Sunshine State Conference hosted the 2000 South Regional. The committee believes that by permitting the South Regional to remain in locations like Baseball City, additional fan support can be gained to enhance the experience of the student-athlete and the championship as a whole.

The committee also agreed to offer a presentation for coaches and athletics administrators attending the annual American Baseball Coaches Association meeting, slated this January for Nashville, Tennessee.

The committee reviewed the baseball sponsorship list and acknowledged two members, the University of Findlay and Western Oregon University, have completed their provisional status and would be placed in the Great Lakes and West regions, respectively.