High school baseball coaches will be able to use one-way electronic communication to signal pitches to their catchers starting next season after the National Federation of State High School Associations approved the rule change this week.
This change was approved by the NFHS Board of Directors and is one of several rule revisions.
The coach must be in the dugout when using the device and he or she is prohibited from communicating with any players on defense aside from the catcher.
The change was made to maintain a balance between offense and defense, increase pace of play and responsibly manage technology so that schools with more available resources won't have an advantage according to Elliot Hopkins, NFHS Director of Sports and Educational Services and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee.
Also new in 2024• Rule 10-2-3h removes spectators' behavior from the umpire-in-chief's jurisdiction when deciding to forfeit a contest. Only infractions by players, coaches or team/bench personnel are under the umpire's jurisdiction. The committee agreed that poor behavior by spectators should be handled by game administration.
• Rule 1-6-1 was added and designates a wristband with defensive shifts, pitching choices or game directions as non-electronic equipment and must be a single, solid color and worn on the forearm. Pitchers' cards must not be white, gray or a distracting color and worn on their non-pitching arm.
• A complete list of the baseball rule changes is available at
www.nfhs.org.
Coaches will be permitted to use electronic communication devices from dugout to call pitches for catchers beginning in 2024. (Photo: Dave Smith)
