How Florida baseball plans to approach SEC Tournament's new ABS challenge system
Florida baseball will experience the SEC Tournament’s new automated ball-strike challenge system this week. Here's how the Gators will approach it.
The SEC is once again using its baseball conference tournament to test experimental rules. This year, like in MLB, the conference will use an automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system in every game. Two seasons ago, the tournament unveiled the double first-base which was developed out-of-safety and has since been mandated by the NCAA.
Florida baseball will have its chance to try the latest experiment on Wednesday, May 20, when the Gators play either Vanderbilt or Kentucky in their SEC tournament opener. The SEC tournament is played in Hoover, Alabama, from May 19 to May 24. “The game is always evolving and changing, and we've got to evolve and change with the changes,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
“I think that the more we can mirror the rule book and at the major league level and translate it into our level, I think it'd be beneficial. " Each team will have three challenges. If a challenge is successful, a team retains it; if the original call is confirmed, a team loses it.
Notably, each team will receive one additional challenge in extra innings. Only the pitcher, catcher or hitter can initiate a challenge. “I don't have any objection to them experimenting in Hoover,” O’Sullivan said.