Page 117 - (FINAL!) UPDATED 13.0) 2020-2021 HANDBOOK - SEPTEMBER 2020 EDITION_Neat

1. BASEBALL – DIVISION I
Section 1. Tournament Dates
The dates for the tournament shall be recommended to the Board of Regents by the NJCAA Division I Baseball Committee and the
Tournament Host. Future dates:
May 29 – June 4/5, 2021 – Sam Suplizio Field; Grand Junction, CO
May 28 – June 3/4, 2022 – Sam Suplizio Field; Grand Junction, CO
May 27 – June 2/3, 2023 – Sam Suplizio Field; Grand Junction, CO
Section 2. Tournament Host Pre-Tournament Responsibilities
A. The Tournament Host will notify the qualifying teams of the time schedule and other pertinent information.
B. The Tournament Host shall be responsible for the promotion, advertising and ticket sales of the contest. They shall secure the
playing site and make all the arrangements for the handling of spectators.
Section 3. Qualification of Teams for Competition
A. The qualifying teams shall come from the following 10 districts:

2020-2021 NJCAA DI BASEBALL DISTRICTS

DISTRICT REGION(S) DISTRICT REGION(S) DISTRICT REGION(S) DISTRICT REGION(S) DISTRICT REGION(S)

Appalachian 7, 17 East 10, 15, 20 Mid-South 14 Midwest 4, 11, 24 Plains 6
South 22 South Atlantic 8 South Central 2, 16, 23 Southwest 5 West 1, 9, 18

B. The NJCAA Division I Baseball Committee has complete jurisdiction over the selection and invitation of teams who are to compete.
1. Seeding the national tournament will be done by the NJCAA DI Baseball Committee via a conference call no later than the
Tuesday morning prior to the start of the tournament. Only games played against NJCAA, NWAC, or CCCAA programs will
be considered using the following criteria (in no particular order):
i. Record vs. Division I NJCAA teams
ii. Record vs. Division I top 20 teams
iii. Overall record vs Division II & Division III
iv. National Poll
v. Overall record on the road, at a neutral site, at home Strength of Region/District in National Tournament
C. In the event there is a vacancy in the tournament bracket, the runner-up in the district of the vacancy will be the alternate team. The
District Chairman will be responsible for selecting a second alternate from that district if the runner-up is unable to fill the vacancy.
D. If the Regional Directors in any district cannot agree unanimously on a district playoff procedure, the dispute will be resolved by the
NJCAA National Office.
E. In the event there is no representative from a district, a runner-up from another district will be selected to fill the vacancy. The
replacement order by district will be as follows, determined by blind draw.
NOTE: These districts will be in effect for a nine-year rotation period beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year.

2020-2021 NJCAA DI BASEBALL TOURNAMENT – NINE-YEAR ROTATION

1. West 2. Midwest 3. South Central 4. Mid-South 5. South Atlantic 6. Southwest 7. South 8. Plains 9. East 10. Appalachian

F. Districts will conduct double elimination tournaments to qualify teams for the National Tournament.
The Division I Baseball Committee, in coordination with the Director of Championships and Sport reserves the right to adjust the
district qualification procedures using current declaration numbers. The adjustments must be published no later than November 15
annually. Specific group and district playoff procedures are the responsibility of the respective Regional Directors and must be
published by December 15 annually.
G. The scheduled first game of each District Tournament must be no later than the Saturday preceding the NJCAA Tournament. All
District Tournaments must be completed no later than midnight on the Sunday prior to the start of the NJCAA Tournament.
Section 4. Tournament Rules and Officials
A. The tournament shall be conducted as a ten-team double elimination tournament.
B. NCAA Baseball rules shall be used in all NJCAA Division I tournament games, including district play, with the following exceptions:
1. The maximum allowable number of individuals an institution can have on the field, including the practice field, bullpen, bench and dugout
is 37. Each team is limited to one head coach, four assistant coaches, recognized by their respective institution, 30 eligible student-
athletes in uniform, one manager and one trainer. The official roster will be signed and turned in at the tournament coaches meeting. No
deletions or additions will be allowed after the roster is turned in.
2. All games are scheduled for nine innings.
3. The 10-run rule shall be in effect after five complete innings.
4. The eight-run rule shall be in effect after seven complete innings.
5. The Championship Game (or games) shall be played the full nine innings regardless of the score.
6. Any game delayed because of rain, power failure, etc., shall be resumed at the point of suspension and played a full nine
innings unless terminated under Rule 3 or 4 above.
7. In the event of unavoidable delays due to weather or other unforeseen causes, the Tournament Co-Chairmen and the NJCAA
Representative reserves the right to re-schedule game times, schedule seven inning games, schedule a team(s) for two games
in one day, or other arrangements as necessary. Coaches will be kept closely advised of any changes.
8. At the National Tournament, when two teams are undefeated, the higher seed will be allowed to choose whether they be the
home team or visitors. Decision for opening round home/visitor will be determined at the coaches meeting. Once teams are in
the loser’s bracket, home/visitor will be determined by a coin flip. NOTE: In District play home team designation can be
determined by other methods if agreed to in advance.
9. Bat testing will be conducted by an NJCAA representative prior to the start of the National Tournament in accordance with
NCAA Bat Testing Protocols.
C. Diamond DI-PRO Low Seam Baseball is the official baseball of the NJCAA. Baseballs used in the NJCAA Baseball Tournament
shall be secured through the NJCAA National Office and shipped directly to the host.