NCAA baseball will use a new Half-Swing Mechanic for the 2012 season
Dear Coordinators:
With many of you having umpires working fall baseball, I thought it was important
to get this email out to everyone involving our new half-swing mechanics for 2012.
It is important that each of our coordinators, regional advisors and NCAA staff
notify their conference offices, coaches, sports information directors and media
that the NCAA has decided to change the previous practice of the home plate umpire
going for help on a "half-swing" to the base umpire on the "open" side of the batter.
In the past, if a right handed batter tried to check his swing, the HP would go for
help to the first base umpire in a 3-man system and would always go for help to
the third base umpire for a left handed batter.
Effective with the 2012 season, if the HP umpire goes for help on a half-swing
with runners on base, he will always appeal to the base umpire that is standing
on the foul line and will not seek help from a base umpire who is positioned
within the middle of the infield. There will be no change with no runners on base.
I would appreciate each of you taking the time to forward this email to your conference
staff, coaches and media/sports information directors. Additionally, it might also be a
good idea to forward this email to those folks that will be assigning NCAA Fall/Winter
baseball scrimmages as well as instructors that will be conducting clinics that involve
NCAA umpires. It is very important that not only the umpires are aware of this change, but also the media and administrators as well.
If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me
directly regarding this change of mechanics for the 2012 season.
Regards,
Tom Hiler
NCAA-Director of Baseball Umpires
PO Box 777
Mountain Home, ID 83647
208-598-5558 Cell
208-587-5416 Fax
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