By Matt Luckett
If you have not already heard, college baseball has new rules. There has been a major change to Division I college baseball as dictated by new legislation. Two rule changes that will impact the game most dramatically are the universal start date and roster size.
With the college season in full swing the DI coaches are still disgruntled over a rule put into place at the beginning of this season, the universal start date. This rule is forcing more games to be played in a smaller time frame. A team this year is given approximately 13 weeks to play up to a 52 game season. You may be thinking, "Big deal." Quite the opposite is true; it is a big deal.
This change will have multiple major affects on the future of the game. First, student-athletes will have less time for academics. Instead of playing games on Friday, Saturday and Sundays like in past years, now games have to be played during the week as well as the weekend. This year Arizona has a mid week series at San Diego State when in past years this series was played on the weekend.
With the new spring schedule coaches will be busier than ever. High school players will need a clever summer and fall schedule in order to be showcased for college coaches. More then ever, coaches will look at trusted sources for referrals.
The universal start date will make pitching and catching the highest priority positions to recruit. This leaves less roster spots for position players. The NCAA is limiting spring rosters to 35 players which includes red shirts and players who did not make the travel squad. Coaches will have to be more selective then ever in whom they ultimately decide to bring on to the team.
