SEC Baseball Tournament. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
The Southeastern Conference is testing a new rule at this month’s baseball tournament in Hoover. For the first time in college baseball, players will be able to challenge balls and strikes with the ABS (automated balls and strikes) system.
Each game, both teams will have three challenges to use on balls and strikes. If a team wins a review, they will retain said review for the remainder of the game. Only a pitcher, hitter or catcher can challenge a pitch. Coaches are not able to prompt ABS reviews.
The ABS is a new rule in Major League Baseball this season. When a pitcher, hitter or catcher tap their head, it indicates a challenge of a called ball or strike. The system then uses an automated strike zone to quickly determine whether the pitch was a ball or a strike.
The system has been widely popular in the MLB but there’s plenty of questions about how the system will work in college baseball where strike zones are less consistent due to less seasoned umpires. How does first-year Tennessee head coach Josh Elander feel about the SEC testing out the rule?
“I think it’s a great idea,” Elander said Tuesday night. “I’m just excited to see how it plays out. … But again, just to be honest like SEC umpires, our guys have been great. I mean, they do a good job of, again, there’s so many systems and how you can look at. I mean, some of those guys are wildly talented and making sure they don’t call strikes out the strike zone. So it’ll be a good test. Will add another little bit of a coil into the conference tournament. And I know Hoover’s an awesome event.”
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In professional baseball, there’s been strategy around how any given team uses its challenges. Which players are allowed to challenge and when they are allowed to challenge creates intrigue with the risk-and-reward of reviews.
While the news is still fresh, Elander says that Tennessee will do its homework and create a system for how it decides to use its challenges.
“There has to be some sort of strategy to it for sure,” Elander said. “So again, it probably would good to connect with some of our pro ball connections, and how are they using it and what capacity? Because I know there was, there’s been so many different things, but it is still new up there as well. But there has to be some sort of strategic element, and we’ll definitely make sure we get those questions answered before we get down there.”
Through eight SEC series, Tennessee baseball boasts an 11-13 SEC record. The Vols need three more regular season wins to secure a NCAA Tournament birth. If Tennessee adds just two more regular season wins, they would be searching for victories in Hoover to secure its NCAA Tournament footing.
If the regular season ended today, the Vols would be a 12-seed facing off against 13-seed Vanderbilt in the opening day of the tournament.