Umpires & Coaches Rules Interpretation Meeting

1. 2011 BASEBALL Umpires & Coaches Rules Interpretation Meeting

2. NSAA Dates • First Day of Practice – February 28 • Umpire On-Line Tests Due – March 11 • Supervised Tests – March 23 & 28 • Umpire District/State Applications – On-Line • Enter Schedule on NSAA Site • First Contest – March 17 • District Seeding Dates – Games through April 26 will count; April 27 assignments made & hosts sites secured; April 28 brackets posted on NSAA web site.) • District Tournament Dates – May 6-7, 9-10 • State Tournament – May 14, 16-20

3. Baseball Reminders • Season Begins - First Day of Practice (Organized Practice Rule – 4 players Prior to Feb. 28) • Athletes CANNOT participate on other teams (including tryouts) until the end of the state tournament. • Athletes can attend Camps/Clinics, but cannot physically participate. • Summer Legion Teams Begin May 15 (Week 46)

4. Contest Limits & Permissible Contests • Schedule = 24 dates during regular season, 4 tournament limit (not including districts and state) • Single Games & Doubleheaders • Double-Dual - four schools playing two pre-determined contests or two of the other schools in one day • Triangular - three schools playing two pre-determined contests in one day. • Tournament – 4 or more teams where winners continue to advance or compete until a champion is determined (straight bracket or pool play with championship criteria).

5. Reporting Scores • Schools must call in all scores. • Omaha World-Herald: 1-800-284-6397 or 402-444-1000. • Lincoln Journal Star: 1-800-742-7315 or 402-473-7431. • E-mail to jangele@nsaahome.org • District Seeding – April 28; All games through Tuesday, April 26 shall count.

6. 2011 NFHS BASEBALL RULE CHANGES B. ELLIOT HOPKINS, MLD, CAABASEBALL RULES EDITOR

8. Rule 1-1-2Lineup Cards • Head coaches of both teams are required by rule to submit a team’s lineup card which shall include: • Player’s name; • Jersey number; • Player’s position; • Team’s batting order of each starting player • Name and jersey number of each eligible substitute; • The umpire shall not accept the lineup card until all known substitutes are listed.

10. Rule 1-3-2Definition of a Baseball Bat • Legal wood, aluminum or composite bats shall: • Be one piece, multi-pieces, permanently assembled or two pieces with interchangeable barrel construction; • Not have exposed rivets, pins, rough or sharp edges or any form of external fastener that would present a hazard; • Be free of rattles, dents, burrs, cracks, sharp edges; • Bats that are broken, cracked, dented, altered or deface the ball are illegal.

13. Axe and V-shaped style handles are permitted.

15. Tapers are no longer required to be smooth or round. The taper is now permitted to have holes and be a designed in geometric shapes.

17. Rule 1-3-2bDefinition of a Baseball Bat • Barrel • The area intended on the bat for contact with the ball. • The barrel shall be round, cylindrically symmetric and smooth. • The barrel may be wood, aluminum or composite (made of two or more materials used together – including wood). • The type of bat (wood, aluminum, composite) shall be determined by the composition of the bat’s barrel.

20. Legal Bats for the 2011 Season • Solid wood bats; • Aluminum bats that meet the Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) performance standard; • That includes aluminum barrel bats with composite handles • Composite bats that meet the Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) performance standard and have been re-tested and granted a waiver from the NFHS (see list on the NFHS Website http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4155).

22. Legal Bats for the 2011 Season • Note: Only baseball bat manufacturers can apply for and receive a waiver from the NFHS. • Any aluminum or composite bat that meets the January 1, 2012 BBCOR specifications found in Rule 1-3-2e are legal for 2011. • List of legal bats appears on Washington State University Sports Science Lab and NFHS web sites. • Coaches must verify bats by their players are legal in order to be used for 2011.

23. Legal Bats for the 2011 Season • The Washington State University Lab – link located on baseball page of NSAA web site under • 2011 Compliant Bat Information • http://www.mme.wsu.edu/~ssl/certified/besr/certified.html • For bats that meet NFHS high school playing rules until December 31, 2011, go to: • NFHS BESR Certified Baseball Bats link which lists only legal BESR Bats from the 2010 NCAA Season. • The site is searchable by make and model of the bats.

25. 7-4-1 Review – Illegal Bat • Illegal Bat Penalty: • Batter enters batter’s box with and illegal • Or a batter is discovered to have used an illegal bat before the next pitch to the following batter • The batter is out or the defense may take the result of the play. • The bat shall be immediately removed from the game.

27. Baseball now matches other NFHS rules codes. • Requiring padding of casts, splints and altered braces worn by players.

28. Rule 1-5-8

29. Rule 1-4-2Padded Casts/Braces for Pitchers • The rule (1-4-2) still applies for the pitcher. • A pitcher cannot wear any item on his hands, wrists or arms which may be distracting to the batter. • That includes a cast, guard, brace, splint, etc. that is white, gray or distracting on the pitcher’s arms.

30. Rule 2-16-2Definition of a Foul Tip • Foul Tip: • Struck ball must go directly from the bat to the catcher’s hand or mitt. • Can only be caught by the catcher. • A strike is added to the batter’s count. • Ball remains in play. • Eliminated the language that a foul tip can be caught by any infielder.

33. Rule 2-16-2Definition of a Foul Tip • A bunt that does not go directly to the catcher’s glove, does not meet the definition of a foul tip. • The ball was caught before it hit the ground and is a foul pop-up. • Any defensive player can catch the ball and it will be registered as an out.

35. Rule 3-1-5Concussions • Possible signs and symptoms: • Loss of consciousness, • Headache, • Dizziness, • Confusion, • Balance problems, • Staggering around • “When in doubt, sit him out!”

36. Rule 3-1-5Concussions • Only health-care professionals can determine if a player has experienced a concussion. • Officials are asked to observe players to see if they exhibit the signs or symptoms of a concussion, and immediately remove him from the game. • The player shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

38. Concussion Management • While a player may or may not be unconscious, he only has to show the signs or symptoms of a concussion to be removed from the contest. • When allowing the player to return to competition on the same day (i.e., double-header or tournament play), the health-care professional, who releases the player, and the coach bear responsibility for the player. • Officials are asked to observe players to see if they exhibit the signs or symptoms of a concussion, and immediately remove him from the game.

39. Rule 8-2-6LLast Time By • If a runner correctly touches a base that was missed (either advancing or returning), the last time he was by the base, that last touch corrects any previous base running infraction. • Cannot be called out on an appeal. • Clarifies the appeal procedure, allowing the runner to correct his base running error.

41. Rule 8-2-6Runner May Not Return • Remember a runner may NOT return to touch a missed base or one left to soon on a caught fly ball if: • 1. He has reached a base beyond the base missed or left too soon and the ball becomes dead. • 2. He has left the field of play, or • 3. A following runner has scored.

42. POINTS OF EMPHASIS

45. Pregame Equipment Check • Each umpire must inspect the available equipment prior to the contest. • Bat inspection is critical due to the new bat rules. • Batting and catcher helmet inspection must also take place with the new emphasis on concussion management. • Cracked helmets or helmets without proper padding provide little to no protective assurances.

48. Thanks & Have a Great Season! Questions? Contact Jim Angele jangele@nsaahome.org 402-489-0386 The End