NCAA By-Laws on Baseball Practice Season

School's back in session, and it's time for some heavy reading.

Official Fall practice cannot begin prior to September 1st

2nd semester 1st official practice date: January 29

From the NCAA By-Laws:

17.1.6.2.3 Skill Instruction—Baseball.
In baseball, participation by student-athletes in skill-related instruction is permitted outside the institution’s declared playing season, from the institution’s first day of classes of the academic year or September 15, whichever occurs earlier, to one week prior to the beginning of the final examination period at the conclusion of the academic year [see Bylaw 17.1.6.2-(a)]. More than
four student-athletes may be involved in skill-related instruction with their coaches from September 15 to one week prior to the final examination period for the fall term and from January 15 through April 15.

No more than four student-athletes may be involved in skill-related instruction with their coaches at any one time in any facility prior to September 15, from the opening day of classes of the institution’s second academic term to January 15 (for those institutions that begin classes prior to January 15) and after April 15. Skill-related instruction shall not be publicized and shall not be conducted in view of a general public audience.

17.2 BASE BALL
Regulations for computing the baseball playing season are set forth in Bylaw 17.1. (See Figure 17-1 and Figure 17-2.)

17.2.1 Length of Playing Season. The length of an institution’s playing season in baseball shall be limited to a 132-day season, which may consist of two segments. (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 1/9/06 effective 8/1/07)

17.2.1.1 Championship Segment. An institution’s championship segment must consist of consecutive days and may exclude only required off days per Bylaw 17.1.6.4 and official vacation, holiday and final-examination periods during which no practice or competition shall occur. (Revised: 1/9/06 effective 8/1/07)

17.2.1.2 Nonchampionship Segment. An institution’s nonchampionship segment shall be conducted within a period of 45 consecutive calendar days during the months of September, October and November under the following conditions: (Revised: 1/9/06 effective 8/1/07)

(a) Days used for practice or competition must be counted toward the 132-day season, but are not required to be consecutive;

(b) Days during which countable athletically related activities are limited solely to required conditioning activities and/or in skill-related instruction are not required
to count toward the 132-day season;

(c) During any week in which practice or competition occurs, a student-athlete’s involvement in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week and all countable athletically related activities are prohibited during one calendar day per week; and

(d) Any week in which practice or competition does not occur shall be considered outside the playing season (see Bylaw 17.1.6.2).