2026 NFHS Baseball survey is out!

[The Man in Blue]

Is this rule satisfactory?

 

1.Modifying that a double first base will be mandatory effective January 1, 2027 and associated rule changes.

Yes

No

 

2.Clarifying what is allowed on a school’s official baseball uniform.

Yes

No

 

3.Clarifying what is not allowed to be worn by a player to record or transmit audio or video feeds.

Yes

No

 

4.Clarifying the definition of a player-to-player meeting.

Yes

No

 

5.Clarifying the difference between a player-to-player meeting and a charged conference.

Yes

No

 

Are these items a problem in your area?

 

1.Coaches in the coaches’ box utilizing personal video and audio technology such as Meta glasses and similar devices.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

2.Excessive stepping off the pitcher’s plate and signaling by pitchers and catchers in order to slow down the game.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

3.Players coming into live-ball territory during a live ball, or coaches sitting in live-ball territory during the game (e.g., on a bucket or lawn chair).

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

4.Increasing number of fake tags (NFHS Rule 2-22-2) related to more students playing travel ball and developing bad habits from these leagues/clubs.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

5.Confusion about the strike zone on a batter – are enough strikes being called at both the low and high zone.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

6.Players not running on and off the field in between innings causing delays in the next half-inning starting.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

7.Starting times of games being delayed due to teams arriving late to the field site (busing issues, etc.)

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

8.Sportsmanship rules being enforced consistently – arguing balls and strikes, unsportsmanlike conduct, bench-clearing situations.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

9.Coaches working around pitch-count rules – confusion about tracking counts, limited bullpen depth for small schools and rest rules – and whether the rules are working to best protect pitchers.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

10.Technology being used by some schools and not others, such as Trackman, Rapsodo, AWRE video analysis creating a competitive advantage.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

11.Fields lacking a properly marked “out of play” boundary line when the field doesn’t have a fence that extends beyond first and third bases to the outfield fence.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

12.Lack of game supervision by school administrators.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

13.Using “bat wraps” to hide cracked or damaged non-wood bats.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

14.Length of sub-varsity baseball games, which unlike most sports, are not shorter than varsity contests.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

15.Further defining the legal requirements of a headfirst slide.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

16.Schools not allowing spikes or cleated shoes on turf surfaces.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

17.Electronic equipment affixed to field structures, e.g., radar gun affixed to backstop or camera mounted on outfield wall.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

18.Coaches not wearing baseball uniforms during contests.

Never

Rarely

Frequently

Almost always

 

Would you be in favor of the following?

1.Increasing suspensions from one game to two for unsportsmanlike behavior since an administrative ejection for batting out of order was not the intended target of the two-game (or more) penalty.

Yes

No

 

2.Modifying the “media-area” rule (NFHS Rule 1-2-8) for umpires to allow officials to create area during the game.

Yes

No

 

3.Eliminating the third-to-first pickoff move by pitchers.

Yes

No

 

4.Requiring all substitutes to be listed on the lineup card with proper numbers prior to the start of the game. If a player is not listed on the lineup card, the individual is not eligible to play in the game.

Yes

No

 

5.Mandatory verification between schools on pitch counts and heavier penalties for violations.

Yes

No

 

6.Zero tolerance for unsporting behavior toward umpires and opponents.

Yes

No

 

7.Allowing a coach in the coach’s box to use a phone or electronic tablet for keeping score.

Yes

No

 

8.Changing the rule defining a player being “out of play” as having either foot completely out of play. For example, if a fielder makes a catch with one foot inside the dugout, it would not be a catch.

Yes

No

 

9.Considering whether a balk followed by a pitch should be a delayed dead ball.

Yes

No

 

10.Allowing the larger (MLB) first base as an option to the double first base.

Yes

No

 

11.Requiring players to remain in the batter’s box between pitches. Exceptions would be swinging strike, bunt attempt, avoiding wayward pitch.

Yes

No

 

12.Requiring all electronic equipment and audio/visual equipment to be restricted to the dugout vicinity.

Yes

No

 

13.Enacting special rules for extra-inning games (runner on second base, etc.).

Yes

No

[JSam21]

Question 10 is the dumbest one on the list. #12 is close behind.

[Velho]

2 hours ago, JSam21 said:

Question 10 is the dumbest one on the list. #12 is close behind.

Which #10 & #12?

[The Man in Blue]

I can't figure out how to answer most of these.

Pitch counts aren't my problem. EVER.

Technology in the coach's box is flat out an issue, because too many of them are texting, not running a scorecard.

Is it satisfactory that the double first base will be adopted in 2027?  No, but finding out why I say that is the information you really need.  Is it that I object to the double first base?  I don't think it is coming soon enough?  Or is it that you rat***ked other rules as a result?

I don't care what is on a school's uniform.  I just don't.

What if I think clarifying a player to player meeting is not satisfactory but clarifying whatever they asked in the second one is?  It obviously isn't, as people are still asking questions.  Or do I disagree with a rule that has no penalty?

Would I be in favor of increasing suspensions?  Sure, but that is just because I am mean, not because it has anything to do with me.

Is the length of sub-varsity games an issue?  No and yes . . . No, because my state largely already took care of this.  Is less pay for the same work an issue?  Yes.  

Requiring the batter to stay in the batter's box . . . don't we already do that?!

 

And so on, and so on . . . 

[StatsUmp]

23 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

1.Increasing suspensions from one game to two for unsportsmanlike behavior since an administrative ejection for batting out of order was not the intended target of the two-game (or more) penalty.

What am I missing here? Someone can get (administratively) ejected for simply batting out of order? 🤔

28 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

I can't figure out how to answer most of these.

Most of these make me wish, "Why?" was an acceptable response.

[JSam21]

21 hours ago, Velho said:

Which #10 & #12?

Sorry... my fault. The use of the 18" base at first instead of the double first base. Because yeah, lets throw off the entire geometry of the field and have teams have to reset their first base anchor. 12, requiring all electronic and audio/visual equipment to remain in the dugout. That would literally mean all cameras would have to film from the dugout, which doesn't help anyone. 

[Velho]

3 hours ago, JSam21 said:

The use of the 18" base at first instead of the double first base.

Tangent: Can't research it right now, but I think I saw where MLB (or testing in MiLB?) is going to move 2B to be fully inline with 1B & 3B.

[SeeingEyeDog]

In practice, I think these kinds of surveys are a fantastic idea. If I were running NFHS, I would publish the survey results and then talk about how we are going to work the nationwide feedback into our rules.

Some of those questions should simply NOT be asked...Why would you ask a question about whether a coach in the coach's box should be allowed to have an electronic device there on the field for "scoring purposes"? Sure, I get it...small school and they don't have the resources to have a parent or other volunteer keeping score. But, exactly how are the umpires supposed to effectively police that to make sure the coach is ONLY using it for "scoring purposes".

I don't care if you are taking a survey for presidential candidates...or the national rules of high school baseball. If you take a survey and then don't publish the results and allow those results to guide your review process, it's simply a exercise to pretend to your customers or members that you "care what they think".

~Dawg

[JonnyCat]

3 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

If you take a survey and then don't publish the results and allow those results to guide your review process, it's simply a exercise to pretend to your customers or members that you "care what they think".

100%. I hate when organizations/businesses/politicians take surveys with no intentions of implementing the results. It's just a dog and pony show.

[mac266]

My biggest beefs with the NFHS rules are 1) the immediate dead ball on a balk, 2) the 3rd to 1st move, and 3) judging ball or strike when a batter intentionally leans into a pitch (in NCAA, this is an automatic strike regardless of where the pitch was). I voted my mind but I'm not confident I'll get the changes I want.

[BigBlue4u]

9 hours ago, mac266 said:

My biggest beefs with the NFHS rules are 1) the immediate dead ball on a balk,

Actually, this rule helps the umpires more than anybody.  By making the ball immediately dead, nothing can happen, and there is no issue with the placing of runners, etc.  And, trust me, this rule is sometimes even misapplied in MLB. When discussing the high school balk rule, people often say, well, what if the batter hits a home run, etc. etc.  Well, here's some news.  Study after study has revealed that in the overwhelming majority of balk calls, the ball is not even hit.