The SEC has used its baseball tournament to test new rules in recent years including back in 2024 when the tournament used a second first base bag to help avoid collisions at the base. A year later, every SEC team added a second first base.
Now this year, the SEC is implementing the automated ball-strike (ABS) system in its conference tournament, D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers first reported.
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 use their 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.
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The rule has been an early success in the MLB due to its quick nature, the drama it adds to games and the strategy around using them.
By implementing it in the conference tournament, the SEC hopes it will have a similar effect on college baseball. The less consistent strike zones and the comparatively younger players makes ABS all the more interesting in college baseball.
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.
