NCAA Ruling Affects Clarion Record

GOLDEN EAGLES NOW 12-8-1 OVERALL IN 2005 SEASON

            A ruling by the NCAA that took effect on Monday, April 11^th,  will affect 55 games played by PSAC (Pennsylvania state Athletic Conference) members, including Clarion University.

Of the eleven games Clarion played on its March Spring baseball trip to Fort Pierce, Florida, nine games are affected by this ruling. Clarion will now leave Florida with a Spring record  of 1-0-1. Clarion had a record of 4-5 in the games that were eliminated.

The games involved were played in the same manner that games were played in the past in Florida, however the NCAA has altered its interpretation of the rules in question, causing a wide number of institutions to be affected.

            According to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, the games in question did not meet its new standard definition of a regulation contest or its definition of a doubleheader.

            An approved NCAA doubleheader, playing seven inning games, may now only have 30-minutes in between games. All other games must be 9-inning contests and no time limit may be placed on the completion of those games.

            The games affected by the ruling for Clarion are as follows: March 5 vs. Northwood (W 9-8), March 6 vs. Concord (L 2-12), March 7 vs. University of Sciences (W 7-1), March 7 vs. Concord (L 1-8), two games March 8 vs. Davis & Elkins (L 1-7, L 5-8), March 9 vs. Cedarville (W 4-0), two games March 10 vs. American International (W 8-2, L 4-6). The Davis & Elkins and American International doubleheaders “violate the 30-minutes in between doubleheaders” rule and the remainder were not nine inning games.

            Two games that were scheduled for seven innings but went nine innings on the Florida trip (March 6 vs. Elizabethtown 2-2 tie and March 11 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (3-2 win) will count according to the NCAA ruling.

            As a result, Clarion’s official record is now 12-8-1 instead of 16-13-1. The Golden Eagles 6-2 PSAC-West record is not affected.

            In addition, the statistics from the nine affected games will not count toward PSAC or NCAA leaders.

            NOTES – A total of 55 games involving 10 of the 12 baseball playing members of the PSAC were affected by the ruling, and those 55 lost results are only a handful of those lost throughout the country primarily on the Division II and III levels… According to the PSAC, over 250 games have been affected nationally.