Rich Fetchiet was named Coordinator of Baseball Umpires in ...



BIG TEN CONFERENCE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT MANUAL

revised 1/11

Section 1. Awards and Honors

1. A team award will be presented to the Conference tournament champion/automatic qualifier. (Effective with the 1998 Tournament)

2. All awards shall be ordered and purchased by the Conference office.

3. There shall be no commercial sponsorship of individual or team awards.

4. Individual awards are provided for the all-Conference team and for Coach, Player, Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. These awards will be shipped to the Director of Athletics at the award recipient's institutions.

5. See the Awards and Honors section of this Manual for information about the all-Conference team, all-academic team, media honors and other awards authorized for athletes in the sport of baseball.

Section 2. Awards Presentation

There shall be an awards ceremony to present the tournament award for the winner of the Big Ten baseball tournament. The tournament winner is awarded the NCAA automatic qualification berth and the Conference champion is determined by regular season play.

Section 3. Ball

1. The Rawlings R-1 NCAA ball will be used for the 2010-13 Conference Tournaments provided Rawlings meets the specifications requested by the Conference in its agreement. (Revised 1/14/00, 2/06; Effective 2/06; Editorial Revision 4/10)

2. The host shall have 60 dozen balls, all provided by Rawlings, on hand to start the tournament. (Revised 2/04, 2/06; Effective 2/06)

3. The umpires shall rub and examine four dozen balls prior to the start of each game.

Section 4. Bat

For regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament, only bats that meet the specifications allowed for use in the NCAA Division I baseball championship will be used. (Revised 1/9/99, 2/04; Effective 2/04) See attachment C

Section 5. Coaches' Meeting

There shall be a participating coaches' meeting with the umpire crew chief the night preceding the tournament, after the press conference. The purpose of this meeting shall be to review final arrangements regarding the tournament. The names of the umpires will be distributed but the specific game assignments will not be available until approximately one hour before each game. The host shall notify the umpires and coaches of the time and location of the meeting. (Revised and Effective 2/08)

Section 6. Dates of Tournament

The Conference tournament shall take place on the weekend prior to the NCAA Championship Regional and shall begin on a Wednesday. (Revised and effective 10/4-5/99)

Section 7. Drug Testing

As part of its comprehensive drug testing program, the Big Ten Conference will conduct drug testing at a number of Conference championships and tournaments each year. Drug testing may occur at any Big Ten championship or tournament and any student-athlete on the travel squad (including a nonparticipating or injured student-athlete) is subject to drug testing. Specific information regarding drug testing protocols can be found in Appendix G of the Big Ten Conference Handbook. (Effective 8/1/07)

Section 8. Dugouts

The home team shall occupy the third-base dugout. Teams waiting to play are expected to stay clear of the dugouts until the teams in the preceding game have had an opportunity to remove their equipment and teams vacating the dugouts shall be encouraged to depart as soon as possible. If a team plays back-to-back games on the same day, there is no need to switch dugouts (Revised and effective 2/04)

Section 9. Equipment and Facilities

1. The host shall furnish all facilities, equipment, and other game essentials which shall meet NCAA specifications.

2. It is recommended that the host shall have the following facilities available:

1. A warm-up bullpen for both teams, and

2. A secondary hitting area or field for batting practice.

Section 10. Field (Revised and Effective 2/04)

In order to avoid cancellations due to wet grounds, the host shall provide a reliable rain cover for the entire infield. This cover shall be placed on the field the day before the tournament, unless the condition of the field does not warrant this action.

Section 11. Format for Tournament

1. The Conference tournament shall be conducted according to a six-team format using the schedule of games shown attached bracket of this Manual (Revised 10/4-5/99, 3/02; Effective 3/02).

2. All tournament games shall consist of nine innings, and shall be completed to nine innings if delayed for any reason.

3. If a game is called before nine innings are played, the game shall be continued and completed the next day prior to the regularly scheduled games.

Section 12. Home Team

1. The highest-seeded teams from the final Conference standings shall be the home teams for the first-round contests and the first game for the No. 1 and 2 seeds (after their byes). In subsequent games, the home team shall be determined according to the following formula:

1. The team that has been the home team the fewer number of times shall be designated the home team.

2. If the two teams are equal in this respect but unequal in the number of times they were the visitor, then the team that has been the visitor more often will be designated the home team.

3. If the two teams are equal in the number of times that they have been home and visitor, tournament manager shall observe the following procedures in the order stated:

1. The team that was visitor in its preceding game shall be the home team, unless both teams were visitors in their preceding games.

2. If the two teams have met previously in that particular tournament, the visitor in the previous game shall be the home team in the game in question.

3. If the above procedures do not resolve the matter, the highest seeded team shall be the home team.

If an 11th game is played, the visitor in game 10 will be the home team in game 11. (Revised and effective 2/04)

Section 13. Inclement Weather (Revised and Effective 2/04)

1. The Big Ten Conference representative, in consultation with the protest committee, shall have the authority to cancel a game and start a game. Umpires may only halt play once the game has started.

2. Continuation of the game shall be under the absolute jurisdiction of the umpires and the Big Ten Conference representative, in consultation with the protest committee.

3. If possible, a game shall begin not later than one hour after the scheduled starting time.

Section 14. Jewelry

Student-athletes are prohibited from wearing on their bodies any type of jewelry in all Big Ten regular season or championship competition. (Revised 5/24/99, Effective 8/1/99)

Section 15. Lightning Policy(Revised and effective 2/20/01)

1. The host institution’s lightning policy shall be followed provided it is at least as stringent as NCAA guidelines.

2. When the host institution does not have a lightning policy, NCAA guidelines shall be followed. See Appendix J of the Championships Manual.

3. If a lighting policy will be used that differs from NCAA guidelines, this policy will be communicated by the host institution to the participating teams and officials prior to the start of the Tournament.

Section 16. Media Services (Revised 2/06, Editorial Revision 10/10; Effective 10/10)

The host shall have the following responsibilities with regard to media services:

1. Arrange for the media needs of all teams.

Note: All contracts for radio and television rights for Conference tournament shall be approved and administered by the Commissioner's office. All radio rights receipts shall accrue to the tournament account.

2. Administer the credentials of all media personnel.

3. Provide the official scorer for the games.

4. Sale of the program at the tournament shall be the responsibility of the host. Revenues incurred during the conduct of the tournament shall be included in the tournament receipts portion of the financial report due to the Conference office.

5. Distribute the results of the games to all appropriate media outlets.

Section 17. Number of Players

A 25-player roster shall be submitted to the official scorer and head umpire using a standard form approved by the conference office at the coaches' meeting the night prior to the tournament (see Attachment B). All players on these rosters are to have been certified eligible and must have their names on file as such in the Conference office. Only these players shall be eligible to play in the Conference tournament.(Revised and effective 2/04)

Section 18. Practice Policies (Revised 12/95, 2/09; Effective 2/09; Editorial Revision 10/10)

1. All teams shall have an opportunity to practice on the official playing field one time prior to the opening day.

2. The times for practice shall be assigned by the host.

3. This information shall be sent in advance.

4. Batting practice will normally take place on the field before the first game only each day, depending on the weather conditions and status of the field. The home team should take batting practice two hours prior to game time. The visiting team takes batting practice one hour and twenty minutes before game time.

5. The home team takes 10 minutes of infield and outfield practice 35 minutes before game time. The visiting team takes 10 minutes of infield and outfield practice 25 minutes before game time.

6. The ground crew shall condition the infield 15 minutes before game time.

Section 19. Pre-Tournament Press Conference

The host shall arrange for a press conference to be held the night preceding the tournament. Each participating coach shall be provided an opportunity to speak to the media.

Section 20. Protests

1. There shall be a Protest Committee, consisting of the Conference office representative, the chief umpire and the tournament manager, who shall chair the Committee.

2. The Protest Committee shall handle all protests.

3. All protests are decided by the Protest Committee and must be decided before play can continue.

4. The procedure for protest shall be as follows:

1. The coach making the protest must protest to the umpire-in-chief.

2. The umpire-in-chief immediately takes it to the Protest Committee.

3. The Protest Committee, after discussion, either upholds or denies the protest at that time. Their ruling is final.

4. Protests must be made when the action happens. No protest can be made after a succeeding play or pitch is made.

5. A game ending protest can be made before the umpires leave the field. The umpires should be instructed to wait several minutes on the playing field after the game has ended. They should not run directly off the field after the last out. They should allow some time for a possible protest.

Section 21. Rules

1. NCAA rules shall be followed, except as modified by the Conference Handbook and this manual, and where required by local ground rules.

2. The local ground rules shall be given to all participating coaches and the umpires before the tournament begins.

Section 22. Selection of Participants (Revised 10/99, 4/00, 10/10; Effective 10/10)

A. The first six teams in the conference standings at the end of regular season play shall be the participants in the conference tournament.

B. The champion/#1 seeded team shall be the team with the best winning percentage of its regularly scheduled conference games.

C. Tie games shall be counted in the conference standings as one-half win and one-half loss.

D. If a team is on suspension, it shall not be eligible to participate in the conference tournament. If a suspended team is among the top six finishers in the regular season standings, then all teams shall move up one place for the purpose of determining participant teams in the conference standings.

E. In case of a tie between two teams for seeds 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the Big Ten Tournament, the tiebreaker procedure is as follows:

1. The winner of the game or series of games between the two tied teams shall receive the higher seeding spot.

2. In the event these two teams divide a series between themselves, the team with the best winning percentage against all teams ending the season (tied or not) in positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the final conference standings will receive the higher seeding spot.

3. If the teams are still tied, seeding will be determined by the best winning percentage against Big Ten common opponents.

4. If the teams are still tied, seeding will be determined by the team that allowed the fewest number of runs in conference games. If the two teams have not played all 24 conference games or an equal number of games, then to use this procedure, it is necessary to move back to a point in the season where the two teams played an equal number of games (i.e., 23, 22, 21, etc.)

5. If the teams are still tied, seeding will be determined by a flip of the coin to be conducted by the Commissioner (or designee).

F. In case of a tie between three or more teams for seeds 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the Big Ten Tournament, the tiebreaker procedure is as follows. Throughout this tiebreaker process, if multiple teams are separated from the group as the highest seed, all teams will move to the next step in the tiebreaker process :

1. If three or more teams are tied and they all have played each other during the conference season, the best winning percentage in these head-to-head games will determine the highest seed with the other teams following in order based on highest to lowest winning percentage. If all of the tied teams have not played each other, move to the next step in the tiebreaker process. If one team is separated as the highest seed and any of the other teams remain tied based on head-to-head winning percentage, see Section G.

2. If three or more teams are still tied, the best winning percentage against all teams ending the season (tied or not) in positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the final conference standings will determine the highest seed with the other teams following in order based on highest to lowest winning percentage. If one team is separated as the highest seed and any of the other teams remain tied based on winning percentage against all teams ending the season (tied or not) in positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the final conference standings, see Section G.

3. If three or more teams are still tied, the best winning percentage against Big Ten common opponents will determine the highest seed with the other teams following in order based on highest to lowest winning percentage. If one team is separated as the highest seed and any of the other teams remain tied based on the best winning percentage against Big Ten common opponents, see Section G.

4. If three or more teams are still tied, the team that allowed the fewest number of runs in conference games will be the highest seed with the other teams following in order based on number of runs. If each of the teams have not played all 24 conference games or an equal number of games, then to use this procedure, it is necessary to move back to a point in the season where each of the teams played an equal number of games (i.e. 23, 22, 21, etc). If one team is separated as the highest seed and any of the other teams remain tied based on runs allowed in conference games, see Section G.

5. If the teams are still tied, seeding will be determined by a flip of the coin to be conducted by the Commissioner (or designee).

G. When determining seeding with three or more tied teams, one team will be seeded as the highest seed by one of the procedures in section F. In regards to the remaining teams:

1. If one team is separated as the highest seed and three or more remaining teams (which could include one or more multiple-team ties) are still tied based on the specific tiebreaker used to separate the first team from the group, all remaining teams will begin the tiebreaker process for three or more teams (section F) from the beginning.

2. If one team is separated as the highest seed and only two remaining teams are still tied based on the specific tiebreaker used to separate the first team from the group, the two teams will begin the tiebreaker process for two teams (section E) from the beginning.

Section 23. Staff

The following personnel shall be provided for conduct of the Conference baseball tournament:

1. Tournament manager

Note: The host shall appoint a tournament manager who shall not be a Conference baseball coach or a host Director of Athletics.

2. Six umpires (revised and effective 11/22/99)

3. An adequate tarp and ground crew

4. Ball shaggers and bat boys (the ground crew may serve this function)

5. Ticket takers, program sellers

6. Sports information personnel.

Section 24. Starting Times (Revised 4/00, 2/04, 2/06, 2/09; Editorial Revision 10/10)

A. Starting times of all practices shall be determined by the host institution.

Game starting times shall be as follows:

| |Lights |No Lights |

|Day 1 - Wednesday |

|Game 1 - 4th Seed vs. 5th Seed |12:05 p.m. |12:05 p.m. |

|Game 2 - 3rd Seed vs. 6th Seed |3:35 p.m. |3:35 p.m. |

|Day 2 - Thursday |

|Game 3 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 |12:05 p.m. |9:05 a.m. |

|Game 4 - Highest Seed of Winners of Games 1 and 2 vs. 2nd Seed |3:35 p.m. |12:35 p.m. |

|Game 5 - Lowest Seed of Winners of Games 1 and 2 vs. 1st Seed |7:05 p.m. |4:05 p.m. |

|Day 3 - Friday |

|Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Lowest Seed of Losers of Games 4 and 5# |12:05 p.m. |9:05 a.m. |

|Game 7 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Highest Seed of Losers of Games 4 and 5# |3:35 p.m. |12:35 p.m. |

|Game 8 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 |7:05 p.m. |4:05 p.m. |

|Day 4 - Saturday |

|Game 9 - Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 |3:35 p.m. |12:05 p.m. |

|Game 10 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 |7:05 p.m. |3:35 p.m. |

|Day 5 - Sunday (If necessary) |

|Game 11-Winner of Game 10 vs. Loser of Game 10 |12:05 p.m. |12:05 p.m. |

#EXCEPTION: If one of the games 4 or 5 losers has already had a bye, that team will play in game 6 regardless of seed

B. If two games are played in daylight, the first game should start at 12:05 p.m. and the second game at 3:35 p.m.

C. If there are extra innings played in the first game resulting in the succeeding game not being able to start at the stated time, 45 minutes must be allowed before the next game starts.

D. If the first game is finished early and there are more than 45 minutes left before the starting time of the succeeding game was announced to start, the second game should start at the announced time.

E. The final game of the day must begin before 10 p.m. local time, or be postponed until the following day.

F. An individual team shall play no more than two games in one day, not counting suspended games, with the exception of the final day of the event

G. All games except for game 11 are to be suspended if for any reason a winner is not determined.

Section 25. Team Uniforms

The visiting team shall wear a uniform of different color than the home team. The home team has the prerogative of choosing the color it wishes to wear. Example, should the home teams want to wear white, the visitor has to wear a contrasting color.

Section 26. Tournament Manager's Responsibilities (Revised 2/04, 2/06; Effective 2/06; Editorial Revisions 10/10, 1/11)

The tournament manager shall be responsible for working with personnel at the host site to insure that the following duties are performed:

1. Prepare the proposed budget for the Conference office and submit the financial report (see Appendix E of Championships Manual).

2. Set the price of, print and sell tickets and assure maximum promotion of the tournament.

3. Set the time of the games and notify the teams of when and where the games will be played.

4. Notify the teams where they will dress for practice and games. It is possible they may wish to dress at their lodging quarters.

5. Notify the teams where they will practice and the times. Practice times for the day prior to opening day shall be sent in advance to the participating coaches.

6. The conference office shall contact the officials selected by the conference assignor. Host management shall inform the umpires of the following championship information:

1. Dates of games

2. Starting times of games

3. Remuneration

4. Lodging information

5. Dressing quarters.

7. Notify the visiting coaches of possible housing and eating establishments available at a favorable rate. If possible, identify an official headquarters hotel or motel for all teams and umpires, in order to get a better overnight rate.

8. Arrange a complimentary meeting room at the aforementioned hotel/motel. This room would be used for the pre-championship meeting of the Protest Committee, coaches, and umpires to discuss ground rules, tournament procedure, play and rules interpretation. It could then be used as a press room.

9. If possible, arrange a pre-tournament dinner for the night before the opening game as a public relations affair. Those invited to attend the dinner would be guests, university officials attending the tournament, coaches, members of the participating teams, conference office staff, tournament management personnel, and the media.

10. If a large dinner is not possible, then a dinner meeting should be held for the conference office staff, tournament management personnel, university officials, coaches and media. After the media complete their interviews, a meeting would be held to discuss the rules and tournament procedures with conference office staff, tournament management personnel, university officials, coaches and umpires.

11. Arrange for a practice field to be used by the teams prior to the hour of their games.

12. Time the infield and batting practice, ask the team to leave the field when their time has elapsed and ensure that the games start on time.

13. Supervise the ground crew which works for and with the tournament manager (not the host coach). The tournament manager shall instruct the ground crew as to when and how the field is to be conditioned.

Section 27. Tie Breaker For NCAA Automatic Qualifier and Tournament Champion

The NCAA automatic qualifier and Tournament Champion shall be the winner of the six-team Conference postseason tournament. (Revised 12/9/91, 12/14/92, 10/4/99, 5/02, 2/04, 2/05; Effective 2/05)

1. If the baseball tournament cannot be started, is not played to completion, or ends in a tie, the following tie breaker shall be used to determine the automatic qualifier and Tournament Champion:

1. If none of the tournament games can be played, the automatic qualifier and Tournament Champion will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

2. If the tournament has been started but cannot be completed, the automatic qualifier and Tournament Champion will be determined as follows:

1. Tournament played through Game 7 or less: the No.1 seed in the tournament.

2. Tournament played through Game 8: the winner of that game.

3. Tournament played through Game 9: the winner of Game 8.

4. Tournament played through Game 10: the highest seed between the two teams.

Section 28. Umpires (Revised 2/06, 8/07, 2/08; Effective 2/08; Editorial Revisions 10/10, 1/11)

A. The Conference authorizes the payment of game fees, travel, lodging and per diem for six umpires based on a six-team tournament and travel, lodging, and per diem for the supervisor of umpires. The supervisor of umpires should make best efforts to be present at all Big Ten Tournament games. See tab "Instructions To Host" of this Manual for the approved umpires fees and expenses.

B. The coordinator shall use the coaches' evaluations as a tool in the tournament umpires selection process.

C. The tournament manager shall notify the coaches of the umpires' names. Specific game assignments will not be available until approximately one hour before each game.

D. One umpire shall be designated as the head umpire.

E. The Conference shall be responsible for payment of umpires (see Section VII of Championships Manual).

F. The rotation for umpires working each game shall be that the head umpire is designated as the home plate umpire for the first game and then the normal rotation around the bases shall be followed for subsequent games. The supervisor of umpires, in consultation with the conference office representative, may adjust the rotation during the tournament. A four-person officiating crew rotation is used.

G. The umpires are to be on the playing field 15 minutes before game time and have the baseballs for the game. The games should start with approximately four dozen baseballs, pre-rubbed and examined by the umpires.

H. The umpires are to go to home plate 10 minutes before game time and receive the line-ups from the coaches. At this time, last minute instructions or ground rule changes should be discussed.

I. Conflict of Interest Policy. The following individuals are prohibited from serving as officials for conference events during the regular season and championship/tournament:

1. Immediate family members

2. Current coach or individual affiliated with a current program

3. Individual involved in a personal relationship with a coach/student-athlete

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