2013 Rule Changes for Mizzou Baseball

There are rules changes every season in NCAA Division I Baseball. This year is no different, PLUS the Tigers will have to learn a few SEC-specific rules that are not necessarily new to the SEC but will be new to Mizzou.

1954 Rule Book

2013 NCAA Division I RPI Change

♦ RPI formula altering for 2013 season (NCAA.com)

The Division I Baseball Committee recommended changes to the Rating Percentage Index calculation that will be applied beginning with the 2013 season.

The revised RPI formula will value each road victory as 1.3 instead of 1.0. Each home win will be valued at 0.7 instead of 1.0. Conversely, each home loss will count 1.3 against a team’s RPI and each road loss will count 0.7 against a team’s RPI. Neutral-site games will retain the same value of 1.0, but the committee is studying how to determine if a game should be considered a neutral-site contest. The weighting is based on data showing that home teams win about 62 percent of the time in Division I baseball.

An institution’s RPI will still consist of the following three factors:

• Division I winning percentage (25 percent of the RPI)
• Opponent’s Division I winning percentage (50 percent of the RPI)
• Opponents’ Opponents’ Division I winning percentage (25 percent of the RPI)

This RPI formula change could have some impact on several SEC teams, which are notorious over-loading their schedules with home games.


NCAA D-I Rules Changes

From NCAA Baseball 2013 and 2014 Rulebook

The most significant rules changes have to do with putting some teeth into the umpires' ability to enforce the existing rules.

• The NCAA and the umpires will be more rigorous in enforcing the rules about precisely where the 1st and 3rd base coaching box lines are drawn, and that the base coach stay within that box
• Each bullpen have a minimum of two mounds
• Portable pitcher's mounds are legal, provided both teams agree to their use prior to visitors' arrival at the game site
• A pitcher's glove may not be white or grey or in any way distracting
• The catcher shall have both feet in the catcher's box until the pitch is released
• Any player or coach who is ejected from a game is automatically suspended from the next scheduled game
• Any ejected player or coach who returns to the field, the dugout, or the grandstands before the umpires leave the field at the end of the game will receive an automatic 3-game suspension.
• As always, players and coaches are prohibited from deliberately erasing the batter’s box
  or other lines. Umpires must stop the individual from erasing the lines.  The new rules say "the umpire has authority to require the batter to stand in a proper batting position.
  He may require the grounds crew to reline the box. After a warning, individuals who
  repeatedly commit this infraction may be ejected."
• The umpire shall declare intentional interference and award just compensation, be it an out, extra bases, etc., if a spectator intentionally reaches out of the stands or goes out onto the playing field. The ball is dead immediately.
• Conferences are allowed to establish their own travel guidelines/restrictions for the get-away or travel day of a series regardless of the mode of transportation.
• Players or coaches who are ejected for leaving their position and participating
  in a fight shall serve a four-game suspension. If a team does not have enough eligible players available to continue the game, the team shall forfeit the next four contests.
• No member of a team’s personnel may argue or continue to excessively
  express themselves with prolonged actions or offensive language after an
  ejection. PENALTY: An additional two-game suspension
• If a player, coach or team representative is ejected from a contest because of physically abusing an umpire or fighting an opposing player, the following shall be enforced: For the first offense by an individual, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next four contests.
• There are many fine tunings of the rules regarding offensive interference or batter's interference or catcher's interference
• A ball stuck in a fielder's glove remains alive.
• Delay the game at any time. With the bases unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball within 20 seconds after receiving the ball on the mound; PENALTY—After a warning for each pitcher, a ball will be called each time the rule is violated.
• If the pitcher is not in contact with the pitching rubber, the pitcher may go to the mouth while in the dirt area; however, the pitcher must wipe off the fingers before engaging the rubber
• Team personnel may not come onto the playing field to argue or dispute a warning of their pitcher intentionally throwing at a hitter. After a warning, they are subject to an immediate ejection.
• No replay may be shown in the stadium during a dispute with an umpire.
• Walk-up songs: All music, chants or crowd-cuing messages must stop when the batter enters the dirt circle
• The public address announcer will announce the first batter of the inning immediately after the catcher throws the ball down to second base and announce any following batter no later than when the ball reaches the third baseman or any infielder on a ball being thrown in from the outfield. The public address announcers may not announce a pinch hitter or new pitcher until signaled in from the umpire. Umpires are to be alert for lead-off pinch hitters in the on-deck circle in order to confirm the substitution and have such batter announced on time.
• Once umpires have determined a need to conference to review a play, they shall
  direct the head coach to return to the dugout or coaching box before the crew will begin their discussion.

SEC Baseball Rules

The SEC has several conference-specific rules for baseball, which I've covered in detail previously at SEC Dixie-nary: R is for Rule Book.  Be sure to click and take a look, because some of them are significant.

While you're at it, check out our entire series on the SEC Dixie-nary to learn many more things about our new conference, including geography and weather, history, recruiting footprints and $$$.