REPORT OF THE

NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL COMMITTEE

1. ACTION ITEM.

· Automatic Qualification.

a. Recommendation. That the following 30 conferences receive automatic bids for their conference champion into the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The balance of the 64-team field will be selected at-large by the Division I baseball committee:

America East Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy Group, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, Southeastern Conference, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Summit League, Sun Belt Conference, The Patriot League, West Coast Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.

b. Rationale. Each conference meets the defined criteria for automatic qualification.

c. Estimated Budget Impact. None.

d. Student-Athlete Impact. None.

2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

a. Lighting and Power Standards. The baseball committee reviewed its current lighting and power requirements and the financial impact they would have on potential host institutions. The committee determined that it would highly recommend that host institutions meet these standards, but not require them to serve as a championship host. The lighting and power capabilities may have an impact on the selection of preliminary round host institutions when considering two teams of equal seed (e.g., two teams, both of which are 3-seeds).

b. West Coast Conference – 50 Game Proposal. The baseball committee was opposed to the proposed legislation from the West Coast Conference, which would reduce the maximum number of games from 56 to 50. The committee believes the new baseball academic enhancement proposals should have an opportunity to show their expected impact and an institution or conference can make the individual decision about how many games to play during the season.

c. Ivy Group – Squad Size Limitation Proposal. The baseball committee was opposed to the proposed legislation from the Ivy Group, which would eliminate the 35-person roster size limitation. The committee noted that this is an important element of the recently adopted baseball academic enhancement proposals and there are other ways to address the few junior varsity baseball teams in Division I.

d. Southeastern Conference – Revised Baseball Recruiting Calendar Proposal. The baseball committee was opposed to the proposed legislation from the Southeastern Conference, which would revise the baseball recruiting calendar to begin the spring contact/evaluation period on February 1, rather than on March 1 as currently scheduled. The committee noted that this will increase recruiting expenses, as the schedule of baseball evaluation events will expand to fill the available space, and there is no need for additional recruiting time.

Committee Chair: Larry Templeton, Mississippi State University

Staff Liaison(s): Dennis Poppe, Baseball and Football

Randy L. Buhr, Championships

Damani Leech, Baseball and Football