NCAA Rules Committee Recommends Regular Season Replay

Update: The NCAA on Aug. 17 announced the playing rules oversight panel approved the proposal to allow video replay to be used during the regular season, beginning in 2017. It also approved the baseball rules committee’s recommendations for stronger penalties for players using illegal bats during games and a rule change regarding when a pitcher is in the windup.

Replay in the college baseball regular season could be coming next season.

The NCAA baseball rules committee recommended making video replay review for 2017, the NCAA said Wednesday.

Video replay has been used on an experimental basis in the College World Series since 2012, as well as in super regionals the last two years. Several conferences use video replay during their conference tournaments, and the Southeastern Conference has it for all conference games.

The number of plays that can be reviewed is limited to fair or foul calls, trap or caught calls in the outfield, plays at the plate, fan interference and determining if a run scores on a timing play.

Video replay has only been used once at the CWS since its implementation. In this year’s June 19 game between Coastal Carolina and Florida, a call on the field was overturned when replay showed a ball hit down the right field line by Chanticleers third baseman Zach Remillard was a fair ball because it landed on the foul line.

The rule change must still be approved by the NCAA playing rules oversight panel when it meets next month for a conference call.

In a statement, committee chairman Casey Scott, the assistant athletic director at Kansas State, said the response to replay has been positive.

“We felt it was time to give institutions the opportunity to use it in regular-season games,” he said.

The committee also recommended stronger penalties for players using illegal bats during games and a clarification to the rule defining when a pitcher is in the windup rather than in the stretch.