The Softball Rules Committee met via videoconference in June and, among other recommendations, supported allowing conferences to continue to experiment with video review in regular-season conference games and conference tournament games.
Any proposed rule changes must be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, a 12-member committee that includes three representatives from each of the FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III levels. The group is set to discuss softball rule changes on July 22nd.
Coaches will be allowed two video review challenges per game; an NCAA release noted a time frame of “about 30 seconds” to elect to use a challenge. Following the play at issue, a challenge must be indicated verbally or visually before the next pitch is thrown; before all members of the infield have left their positions and fair territory; or before the umpires have left the field of play. From the sixth inning onward, umpires would be allowed to initiate a video review on their own volition.
Any ball higher than the top of the foul pole when it leaves the park would not be reviewable. According to the same NCAA press release, the committee members did not believe that there would be enough video evidence to overturn the original call in those scenarios.
The following plays could be reviewed:
- Deciding whether a batted ball called fair is fair or foul.
- Deciding whether a batted ball called a ground-rule double or home run is fair or foul.
- Deciding whether a batted ball called foul that could result in a ground-rule double or home run is fair or
foul. - Spectator interference.
- Deciding scoring plays at home plate inclusive of collisions (illegal and/or malicious slides), obstruction by
a defensive player or timing plays. - Force/tag play calls: Plays involving all runners acquiring the base before the defensive player’s attempt to
put the runner out at any base. - Hit-by-pitch calls: Plays for which there is a possibility that a pitched ball touches a batter or her clothing,
which shall incorporate a review of the ball in relation to the batter’s box, if it is determined upon review
that the ball hit the batter or her clothing. - Placement of runners: An umpire’s placement of all runners (per the rules/casebook) after any blocked ball
call. - With runners on base, a no-catch call can be changed to a catch only if it results in a third out. With no
runners on base, a no-catch call can be changed to a catch at any time
Per the committee’s recommendation, the following scenarios would be added to the list of reviewable plays:
- If the ball left the field of play on home runs.
- All aspects of a scoring play/timing play.
- Obstruction and interference at any base, only if the play in question results or would result in the third out
of an inning and relates to a timing/scoring play. - Malicious/flagrant contact. Umpires would be allowed to initiate this review without requiring a coach’s
challenge at any point during the game for student-athlete safety reasons. - Deciding on a foul tip/foul ball at the plate, including a dropped strike.
The 8-member Softball Rules Committee includes Kelly Gatwood, Assistant Commissioner for Sports Services for Conference USA; Texas head coach Mike White; UNC Greensboro head coach Janelle Breneman; Florida Gulf Coast head coach David Deiros; Saginaw Valley State head coach Todd Buckingham; Lenoir-Rhyne head coach and SWA Shena Hollar; Chatham head coach Deanna Tritinger; and Knox College head coach and SWA Lexie Vernon.
