The NCAA year-round testing program started in 1990 due to concerns that the NCAA postseason drug-testing program was not adequately deterring the use of anabolic androgenic steroids. Accordingly, the year-round testing program is limited to testing urine for anabolic steroids and products that athletes might ingest to "mask" the presence of steroids. Such products include the NCAA banned-drug classes -- diuretics and urine manipulators. Street drugs, such as marijuana and Ecstasy, are not included in year-round on-campus testing by the NCAA.

During this pilot program, all NCAA sanctions for a positive drug test for baseball players tested will be set aside. Baseball drug-testing results will be reported in the aggregate to the competitive-safeguards committee and to the Management Council in order to gather data on whether year-round drug testing in baseball will become a permanent program.

All Division II schools that sponsor baseball were notified by the NCAA of the need to have baseball athletes complete an addendum to the annual NCAA drug-testing consent form. The addendum can be found on the NCAA Web site (www.ncaa.org) with the Division II compliance forms.

The National Center for Drug Free Sport (The Center) will administer this pilot program. Athletes, coaches and administrators are encouraged to contact The Center with questions regarding the drug-testing program. Center staff may be reached at 816/474-8655 (extension 11, or via e-mail at info
@drugfreesport.com.