National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News Features

December 9, 1996

Big Ten pushes for change in baseball, softball playing seasons

BY THEODORE A. BREIDENTHAL
Staff Writer

A resolution signed by all members of the Big Ten Conference could represent the last chance in the foreseeable future to change the playing season dates for intercollegiate baseball and softball.

Instead of relying on random NCAA member institutions to support change-of-playing season legislation proposed by coaches associations, the Big Ten has sponsored a resolution (Proposal No. 129) that would create an NCAA ad hoc committee that would explore the possibility of redefining the competitive playing seasons for baseball and softball by moving the NCAA championships for those sports to late June.

"We think it is fair to have an exploration of the issues," said Carol Iwaoka, Big Ten assistant commissioner, "and to conduct the study to look at all the elements involved for moving the NCAA championships to the summer, and to take a multifaceted approach in order to address all concerns -- competitive, academic and financial impact."

The resolution cites four main reasons why an NCAA special committee is needed to study the issue:

  • Division I members have invested significant resources in baseball and women's softball, both of which are played by a distinct majority of schools (90 percent for baseball, 72 percent for women's softball).

  • Inclement weather prevails in early spring in the northern half of the United States.

  • The cancellation and rescheduling of games because of inclement weather results in a compacted schedule that has an adverse impact on the academic well-being of student-athletes.

  • Institutions in inclement weather regions are forced to compete at warm-weather sites in order to play a complete schedule and prepare for conference competition, further affecting academics and finances.

    "This has been a major issue of discussion for our baseball coaches for many years," said Dave Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association. "We just need to make a decision one way or the other and get on with it.

    "I believe the majority of our coaches want a change in some form. Because of the great variances in the programs -- weather-wise and budget-wise -- we have tried to develop a plan that is sellable to both the majority of baseball coaches and the NCAA membership."

    Keilitz said the Division I baseball coaches will caucus by division (region) at the business meeting of the ABCA convention January 2 in Dallas and then discuss the proposal during an overall Division I meeting that night.

    The Big Ten resolution will be voted on during the Division I business session Monday, January 13, at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

    "Provided the resolution passes and the ABCA coaches vote for the change-of-season proposal," Keilitz said, "hopefully the ABCA will have input with the NCAA ad hoc committee in studying the issues and developing the plan."

    A special committee likely would focus on the effects that a playing-season change would have on cost, academics, eligibility, summer baseball leagues and the professional draft.

    The purpose of the ABCA proposal is to develop a change-of-season plan for the betterment of Division I baseball that will be supported by the majority of Division I coaches, chief executive officers, athletics directors and faculty athletics representatives.

    The ABCA is encouraging the Division I membership to approve a schedule that, effective in 1999, would begin the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship regionals the third Thursday after Memorial Day. Under the plan the College World Series would start the fourth Friday after Memorial Day (this year, for example, the College World Series would have started June 21 rather than May 31).

    The ABCA's change-of-season committee agreed that conferences and individual schools should be allowed as much flexibility as possible regarding the scheduling of practices and games. Therefore, the committee decided not to establish specific starting dates for practice and/or games.

    Conferences would be allowed to set their own starting date for regular-season conference competition, as well as postseason conference competition. If a conference chose to move its conference schedule so it ends just before the NCAA Division I baseball regionals, that would be allowed.

    The committee is not asking for any changes in the allowable practice time (22 weeks) in the new plan.

    "We wanted to keep it as open-ended as possible," Keilitz said.

    In March 1995, the ABCA surveyed its membership and found that 65 percent of the coaches favored moving the playing season to later in the year. The survey also found that 87 percent favored a common starting date for all Division I institutions and that 56 percent favored a starting date of March 1.

    Although coaches from Southern-state institutions might be expected to oppose such changes, Keilitz said that is not the case.

    "I think there is a feeling that this is a workable plan," he said. "Some of the coaches don't agree, but our ballot will determine that. Overall, the feeling is one of broad support."