A year ago, disaster struck Oklahoma State baseball.
On a ground ball hit in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Cowboys’ weekend opener against Michigan at Globe Life Field last February, OSU catcher Beau Sylvester sprinted toward first base. The Wolverines’ first baseman, Dylan Stanton, stood at an awkward angle, nearly blocking the bag and Sylvester’s base path.
Sylvester collided with Stanton because he didn’t have enough room to step on first base. And while Sylvester was ruled safe via infield single, it’s a play Cowboys coach Josh Holliday said postgame “shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“It was a simple throw down the line — scary play,” Cowboys’ left fielder Donovan LaSalle said. “It ended Beau’s season early, and he was our starter. Big loss. So they’re just looking after us and trying to keep us safe.”
The solution? A double bag at first base.
On Jan. 28, the NCAA Division I Rules Committee instituted the rule in hopes of eliminating injuries like Sylvester’s and reducing the risk of interference calls. Each ballpark will now have the regular white bag placed adjacent to a colored bag, also known as “the safety bag.”
During any play at first, the defender must be in contact with the white bag, while the hitter runs to the safety bag, which is green or orange to make it easier for the officiating crew to see which bag the runner touches.
During OSU’s 6-0 win against Abilene Christian on Wednesday night at La Moderna Field, an orange bag was placed next to the regular base. The Cowboys joked after the game that it was a “fitting” color. All jokes aside, it served its purpose.
One awkward step on an already-crowded base or an overthrow from an infielder, causing the first baseman to step off and block the runner’s path, could have caused mayhem. That didn’t happen, but OSU players still hold onto the bitter memory of Silvester’s injury.
“They say baseball is not a contact sport until a play like (Sylvester’s) happens,” Cowboys designated hitter Jayson Jones said. “So looking at the game tonight, honestly, who knows what could have happened without (the safety bag)?
“They’re just looking out for us. They want to make sure that everyone stays safe and has a good time playing; no problem with that.”
But it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing.
During a game between Stetson and No. 8 Florida, home plate umpire Steve Trimper called Hatters catcher Salvador Alvarez out after review for allegedly not stepping on “the right bag.” Social media posts after the Gators’ 6-1 win showed Alvarez had stepped on the colored bag.
“It hasn’t been perfect, and I don’t know if there’s any way you can ensure controversy of some sort will never happen,” Holliday said. “But it’s obviously in the best interest of our players’ safety and health.
“(The double bag) stems from a really, really bad baseball call where a runner runs down the first base line like he’s supposed to, and then (the umpires) come back and say that he interferes with whatever. A lot of players have been getting hurt, like Beau (Sylvester) did last year, and then there’s plays where the catcher overthrows the ball and interference is called.”
Controversy is likely with any rule change. But the positives outweigh most negatives, Holliday said. And for the sake of health and longevity, perhaps change isn’t a bad idea.
“I think the whole concept is twofold,” Holliday said. “Nobody is saying that baseball has to be a single-bag sport. So, if we can make the game better, then credit to the sport for making it safer and better. Of course, when you add something new, there’s always growth and a learning curve. But if we can figure out how to navigate it and work with it, I think that it can be a really good thing for our sport.”
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