The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee has determined that seven-inning baseball games played in tournaments on or before April 18, 2005, will be counted as regulation games.

Greensboro College, which played four seven-inning games in Florida in February, has now reinstated four games. The Pride split two games against Palm Beach Atlantic and Northwood. Greensboro College baseball's record now stands at 23-16.

The Pride closes its season on Wednesday night vs. Chowan. Game time is 6 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.

The rest of the press release from the NCAA follows:

The decision comes in response to the common practice of limiting games during early-season tournaments to seven innings instead of nine, the standard set in the NCAA Baseball Rules Book.  Similar games were unknowingly counted toward team records and individual statistics in previous years.

"The committee firmly believes that baseball is a nine-inning game,” said Chris McKnight, committee chair and head coach at Frostburg State University.  “However, there is widespread confusion that crossed conference and regional boundaries about how the rules regarding regulation games and doubleheaders are applied to tournaments.  This ruling allows those games to count, but makes clear that they won’t count in the future.”

McKnight added, “The impact on student-athletes who had, in many cases, raised funding for these events was a major factor in the committee’s decision.  Also, the committee does not believe – in most cases – institutions intentionally violated this rule.”

The ruling allows those games played on or before April 18 to count, but the committee made it clear that relief is being given because, in general, institutions were not intentionally violating the rules.

Team and individual performances during these games will be counted toward statistics and NCAA championship consideration.  Single seven-inning games not played as part of tournaments will not be considered regulation games.

Seven-inning games are only considered regulation when they are part of a doubleheader, defined as a game between the same two teams with the second game beginning no more than 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.  Under NCAA rules, doubleheaders may be played using two nine-inning games, two seven-inning games or one of each.

"During a tournament, if a team plays one team in the morning and a different team later in the day, that is not considered a doubleheader,” McKnight said.  “So, both games must be nine-inning games.  Because this rule has been misunderstood by a large number of institutions for many years, the committee is offering relief for teams who have played in these games.”

A shortened contest is considered a regulation game if an umpire calls the game after five innings due to inclement weather, darkness or another situation that puts participants or spectators at risk.  Time limit games and conference policies that supersede the Baseball Rules Book are not considered regulation contests and will not be permitted after April 18.

The rules regarding regulations games and doubleheaders are rules 5-7 and 5-8, respectively, in the 2005 NCAA Baseball Rules Book, which can be downloaded or ordered by selecting the link in the Helpful Links box.

The committee will fully discuss these issues at its annual meeting in July.

--PRIDE--