Baseball to allow communication device between coach and catcher

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Baseball

The National Federation of State High School Associations passed a rule that will allow a one-way communication device between a coach in the dugout and a team’s catcher for the purpose of calling pitches at its Baseball Rules Committee meeting in Indianapolis June 4-6.

The new rules prohibit coaches from communicating with any other player besides the catcher on defense. The coach must be in the dugout when using the communication device.

“This change is consistent with the growth of the game and is indicative of a measured and responsible approach to enable technology into our level of competition,” Elliot Hopkins, NFHS Director of Sports and Educational Services and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee, said in a statement.

Hopkins added that the changes will “maintain the balance between offense and defense,” increase pace of play. The committee also said they want to achieve a level playing field between schools, saying that no advantage is gained by schools “that have more available resources than some of their contemporaries.”

The NFHS also passed a rule that removes spectator behavior from the umpires’ jurisdiction. The committee said that game administrators are to handle poor spectator behavior and that this change will allow the umpire to focus on the action and players on the field.