The NCAA announced on late Tuesday evening several changes to college baseball with most of them regarding the use of replay and minor changes including the color of the foul poles. The big change though was that the hitter must make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch. The exact wording is below.
Starting in 2015, a batter must make an attempt to avoid being hit by the ball. If the umpire rules the batter did not make an attempt to get out of the way, or that he leaned into the path of the ball of the ball or intentionally tried to be hit by the ball, a pitch inside the strike zone that touches the batter will be called a strike. If the pitch is outside the strike zone, it will be called a ball. In either case, the batter will not be awarded first base.
I caught up with a few coaches across the country who chipped in with their opinion on the rule changes.
Justin Hill, McNeese State
The most disappointing thing about the new HBP rule asking a hitter to try to avoid a pitch inside the batters box, or anywhere for that matter, puts them at a greater risk for injury. When a batter tries to move backwards, he leaves his face & body exposed and in a vulnerable position. Turning his back to the pitch to “wear it” is much safer for the batter. I’m completely against leaning into a pitch, but I cannot in good conscious put our kids at a greater risk of injury. Not to mention, it list our umpires in much more difficult situation asking them to make a judgement call on a split second reaction.
Jake Boss, Michigan State
I’m not a big fan of the HBP rule. I think the new rule makes it tougher for an umpire to make a decision and opens the door to a lot of unnecessary controversy over whether the batter moved or not. The game is moving so fast, that it might be tough to make a decision from behind the plate making his job much more difficult.
On the other hand, I’m in favor of the rule changes with Instant Replay. Getting the call right should be the goal anytime we go on the field. If an umpire who didn’t CLEARLY see the disputed play weighs in and impacts the decision, then I would have a problem.
Eric Valenzuela, St. Mary’s (CA)
Anonymous West Coast Coach
I think the hbp rule is going to cause major problems in terms of interpreting whether or not the batter moved out of the way of the pitch. This will lead to more coaches and umpires have discussions on their decisions with the hit by pitch rule.
