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The NCAA Division I council has approved new legislation that will allow teams to begin their preseason practice period 35 days before the start of competition, increasing the critical ramp-up time from 21 days, according to a source directly familiar with the development. The rule will take effect on Aug. 1.
Additionally, the council opted to table a vote on whether or not Division I teams could increase the number of fall exhibitions against outside competition from two to four.
Coaches, NCAA administrators and players view expanding the preseason training timeline as a massive victory for the sport, which has been hampered by a soaring number of arm injuries in recent years.
That trend led Division I coaches to push hard for a longer preseason runway so that pitchers could more slowly work their way up to season-ready status.
Several coaches told Baseball America in the last month that increasing preseason camp time became even more pressing once the NCAA mandated baseball programs trim rosters to 34 players for the regular season starting in 2026, Many program leaders feel the move will heighten the stress on arms and threatens to leave teams vulnerable to overusing players if enough season-ending injuries occur.
It’s the same reason why some coaches were hesitant to endorse 34-man fall rosters.
“I want to protect the student athlete,” one mid-major assistant told BA earlier this month. “I’d like to think we all do. I also don’t think we can start at 34 and confidently go into the fall thinking we won’t start our season at 29 players due to injury. At least at 35 or 36 we can limit the number of guys getting cut, but I really don’t know. There’s no right answer for me.”
Increasing the limit of fall exhibition against outside competition is viewed similarly.
“It’s all for the player,” a high-major head coach texted BA on Thursday afternoon following news that the change didn’t pass. “We’re haggling over little things that really shouldn’t matter. Let the students play four baseball games in the fall. What’s the harm?”
Thursday’s developments are the latest in a series of seismic shifts across the college baseball landscape that have occurred in recent months.
Coaches were informed at the American Baseball Coaches Association convention in Washington D.C. earlier this month that neither 34-man regular-season limits nor a Dec. 1 cut deadline to get down to the number were up for negotiation.
However, coaches were still able to come to a consensus on a proposal to limit fall squads to 38 players. Many felt the number was a reasonable middle ground between rosters that were too big and would likely force the sport to open a mid-year transfer window with immediate eligibility and rosters that were too small and exposed to being undermanned in the event of serious injuries, which have been increasingly common.
“I think everyone would like to have two more bodies, but in the grand scheme of things, you go 38 instead of 34 or 36 and the trickle down effect will let everyone get a little bit better players,” one mid-major head coach said. “It’s good for the game of baseball as a whole. Competition is beneficial, but guys who are worried about lawsuits are valid, too.”
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