A new day has arrived for college baseball players.  Whether the player is currently on a NCAA roster or currently in high school, the rules of engagement are going to be adjusted.  Last week we explored the NCAA’s ruling, giving back a year of eligibility to all college players, basically wiping out the 2020 season.  As high school players move through their recruiting process, the research they do on potential schools may shift from, and be different, from any other recruiting classes in recent history. 

Below, we are going to review and discuss terms that high school recruits will see pop up as coaches, scouts, mentors, advisors, and family members work to rap their heads could  around how players in different classes should attack their recruiting process.  It may be a vocabulary lesson, but we will be working to give a little insight as to how each term could affect the recruiting process.

 

Roster Limit

At the Division I level, college baseball has a roster limit of 35 players.  For the 2020-2021 school year, the NCAA has removed the roster limit.  As of the time of this article, the NCAA plans for a roster limit of 35 to be back in place for the 2021-2022 school year.

There are schools who will routinely be above the roster limit of 35 every fall season.  All Division I rosters must be compliant with the 35 man roster by February of the spring semester.  Many times the players that do not make the cut, are made aware after the fall season, allowing the player a chance to potentially pursue other options with a transfer.  Players that return during the spring, and do not make the 35 man roster, are not eligible to use team facilities, or workout with the team.  There are some ways around the rule, and there are times a program will setup a player with a chance to stay through the spring, and be added back to the roster the following fall.

With the “Super Class” of the 2019 HS graduates and the 2020 HS graduates being combined into one freshman class, most rosters will be out of whack in 2020-2021.