Browsing: ABS

ABS Challenge System Could Be Coming To College Baseball & Other Notes From SEC Coaches Meeting


Image credit:
(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Southeastern Conference enters 2026 as the unquestioned standard-bearer for college baseball. Last spring, 13 of its 16 programs reached the NCAA Tournament, a record that reflected both the leagueâ€s depth and its sustained grip on the sport. LSU carried the banner all the way to Omaha, winning its second national title in three years and extending the SECâ€s streak of champions that dates back to 2019.

Against that backdrop, the conferenceâ€s coaches gathered this month to discuss the state of the game and issues shaping its future. Topics ranged from rule tweaks and player welfare to the ever-evolving balance of technology in dugouts.

Here is a look into those discussions and how they could shape SEC baseball—and the broader landscape of the sport—in the years ahead.

ABS Challenge System Gaining Traction

Across the country last fall, players experimented with the automated balls and strikes challenge system.

Pitchers tapped the tops of their caps, hitters tapped their helmets and catchers gestured behind the plate—all invoking technology to dispute an umpireâ€s call. For most programs it was less about competition than education, a chance to help players grow comfortable with a strike zone no longer subject solely to human interpretation.

One coach described it as simply making his hitters “more familiar with the strike zone.â€

But what once felt like a novelty is edging closer to permanence in college baseball. After trials in the minor leagues, spring training and the All-Star Game, MLB will be bringing its ABS challenge system online full-time in 2026. The SEC is already laying the groundwork to follow, though not on the same timeline.

“I have been vocal in saying that my ambition for us is to be in close follow when Major League Baseball implements that fully,†an SEC official told Baseball America. “We implemented the action clocks a year after Major League Baseball, so Iâ€ve used that as kind of the barometer for us for the ABS. When commissioner (Rob) Manfred said theyâ€re going to seek to start to employ that through the challenge system starting next year, 2026, for them, that caught my attention.â€

For the SEC, the target is 2027, though even that goal comes with caveats.

“Thatâ€s kind of the target date,†the official said. “But even standing here today in September 2025, I would tell you Iâ€m not naive. I think even thatâ€s ambitious for us, given the significant commitment to resources thatâ€s involved with that.â€

The official explained that the league is working to set up the foundation now, from the technology infrastructure to the logistics of training and implementation. But those steps will take time, and the runway is long. The target date of 2027 reflects both a desire to shadow MLBâ€s model and the recognition that the cost of outfitting stadiums, wiring broadcast feeds and retraining umpires will be substantial.

Itâ€s why the SECâ€s approach mirrors how it handled the introduction of the action clock in 2023—waiting a season to observe how the professional game adjusted, identifying pressure points and only then installing its own version with lessons already learned.

“I thought it was valuable for us to observe it at the major league level and to see what issues, if any, they identify, and kind of let them be the test case,†the official said. “And then for us to try to follow as soon as possible thereafter.â€

With MLB flipping the switch on ABS challenges for 2026, SEC ballparks could see the challenge system the following spring. Though the ambition is clear, the league is under no illusions: Adapting the game at college scale is a massive undertaking.

The First Base Bag Debate Continues

First base remains a point of contention.

The SEC has discussed whether to move from the double bag now in use to the larger “pizza box†base MLB adopted. Coaches see value in aligning the college game with the professional standard, but the path is complicated and highly unlikely to be uniform across the country based on conversations with SEC sources and several from outside the league.

Within the conference, there is reluctance to implement the bigger bag for conference games only, knowing teams would then toggle between two sets of rules in midweek and postseason play.Â

“If you want to call it experimental in which we employ for conference competition only, I think thatâ€s probably too much for our programs,†the SEC official said. “Is it feasible? Yes. Is it something that you want to do? Probably not.â€

The challenge is that while SEC schools could handle the cost and logistics of switching, many smaller programs may not.

One mid-major administrator told Baseball America it would cost in excess of $4,000 just to drill new holes in a turf field for the larger bag plus several more thousand dollars to adjust the bag locations at second and third. Even within Division I, resources vary enough that smaller conferences might not be able to keep up with those kinds of costs.

That disparity underscores a central tension in college baseball: the SECâ€s commitment to preparing players for pro ball by mirroring MLB standards vs. the broader NCAA ecosystem in which lower-budget Division I programs hold equal sway in rules decisions.

“It is a good illustration of the challenges that we face in this sport,†the official said. “Our players want to play 162 games a year at the next level. So, we try to take pride in preparing them as best as we can, including playing the game in the same type of way.â€

For now, the pizza box bag remains on the wish list rather than in the rulebook. Unless the NCAA moves toward uniform adoption—including at the tournament level—the SEC is hesitant to go it alone. But the conference has made clear that if consensus builds among power four leagues, it will push hard for the bigger base.

Pace Of Play Back On The Table

The SEC has prided itself on staying close to Major League Baseball when it comes to pace of play, but coaches were reminded this fall that progress is fragile. After three straight years of average conference games finishing under three hours, 2025 saw game times climb back to 3:10.

An SEC official said the trend concerned both the league and television partners.

“That three-hour line kind of seems arbitrary, but itâ€s actually pretty impactful,†the official noted.

The culprit, in part, is hitters gaming the action clock—stepping in with their heads turned and waiting until the countdown nears zero before engaging.

One proposal was to mirror MLBâ€s 15-second and 18-second pitch clocks. Coaches pushed back, arguing hitters need more control, but the league made clear that adjustments—either to clock rules or umpire instructions—could be coming.

“Weâ€ve got to figure out a way to curtail that,†the official said. “If a hitter gets in the box and they have enough time to just stand there and watch the clock tick down, that tells me thereâ€s too much time on the clock.â€

Exit Velocities On The Rise

One trend the SEC is keeping a close eye on is the continued climb in exit velocities across Division I baseball. Between 2022 and 2025, the average jumped from 82.5 mph to 86.1 mph, while 90th percentile averages have climbed from 96.5 mph to just under 102 mph to mark the first time the sportâ€s peak output has cracked triple digits in the data-tracking era.

Administrators and coaches in the SEC have discussed the issue, but no clear answers have emerged. The league is wary of calling it a safety problem yet acknowledges the trend is significant enough to monitor.Â

“Exit velocities in college baseball are objectively up right now,†an SEC official said. “Itâ€s something that weâ€re following and at least having conversation about ways in which that may be explored.â€

The likeliest starting point is the ball itself, but even that idea is at a very early stage. For now, the conversation remains just that—a conversation.

More Quick Hits

Roster Cuts On The Horizon

The SEC is helping coaches navigate the first mandatory roster declaration, which requires teams to be down to 34 players by Dec. 1. The timing is awkward, with the winter transfer portal window opening the very next day.Â

“Youâ€re going to declare your roster on one day and then the next day weâ€re going to invite the opportunity for anybody on that roster to enter into the portal,†an SEC official said. “It seems quite impractical and illogical, at least to me.â€

The league has encouraged coaches to step back and look at roster management holistically, recognizing how many overlapping dates—draft, portal windows and signing periods—now complicate the process.

Staff Size Flexibility

Baseball coaches want the same staff freedoms football and basketball recently received. Prior to the 2024 football season, the NCAA allowed analysts and other non-designated staffers to provide on-field instruction, eliminating what had become an archaic rule often ignored in practice. With staffs growing and more programs investing in analytical specialists, SEC coaches are lobbying for similar latitude.Â

As one official put it: “This is high-level competitive baseball—you should have the ability to put somebody out there. But because of these antiquated NCAA rules, youâ€re just hamstrung in what you can do.â€

Uncertainty Around New NCAA Committee

The NCAAâ€s new baseball oversight committee officially began work Sept. 1, but its role and influence remain unclear.Â

The SEC is pressing for clarity on how the group will operate, how it will be staffed and what authority it will carry in shaping the sport. Several coaches admitted they donâ€t yet understand its responsibilities, reflecting the uncertainty across the league.

“Thereâ€s a lot that needs to be addressed there,†an SEC official said. “Iâ€ve encouraged (coaches) to be pretty active and aggressive in asking those questions.â€

Source link

11 Things To Know About MLB’s New ABS Challenge System For 2026


Image credit:
(Photo by Caitlin O’Hara/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

With MLBâ€s competition committee expected to approve the automated ball-strike challenge system on Tuesday, itâ€s a good time to explain both how ABS works and clear up some of its misconceptions.

With Baseball America’s staff covering both the minor leagues and the Arizona Fall League, we have seen the ABS system in action for a number of years now. And weâ€ve had numerous conversations with coaches, players and even umpires who have experienced it in action.

In our experience, much like the pitch clock system, the ABS challenge system can best be described as a change that largely fades into the background before long. Itâ€s there, but you can go innings before being reminded that it exists.

Based on our years spent watching ABS games, here are some myths and misconceptions that are worth clearing up.

Dispelling 6 Myths About Automated Ball-Strike Challenges

Myth No. 1: Youâ€ll See A Lot Of Challenges

The number of ABS challenges each team has is quite limited. In Triple-A, it was three per team in 2023 and 2024 before being reduced to two in 2025.

However, that number is perhaps better described as being two incorrect challenges per team. If a team challenges a pitch successfully, they get another challenge. So, if an umpire is having a very bad day, a team could keep challenging pitches as long as they keep challenging successfully.

Of course, that doesnâ€t happen very often. On average, there were 4.2 ABS challenges out of the roughly 290 pitches thrown per Triple-A game in 2025.

Myth No. 2: ABS Challenges Will Make Games Longer

For 2024 and 2025, Triple-A has used an ABS system that is expected to be very similar to the new MLB system. This is a good thing for those fans worried the challenge system will eat into the progress made in shortening the length of games.

Consider that the average Triple-A game time in 2025 was 2:44. In 2023, when there was a hybrid system (full ABS in some games and challenge system in others), the average game time was 2:42. In 2022, the final year before any ABS experimentation in Triple-A, the average game time was 2:43.

In other words, the ABS challenge system hasnâ€t really affected game time in Triple-A.

That’s because the challenge system is designed to be extremely quick. Fans used to lengthy in-game replay delays are likely to be pleasantly surprised by how quickly decisions are made. This is a system in which no one gets to stop and think for a while before deciding whether to challenge. And once a challenge is initiated, itâ€s resolved within seconds. There are no calls back to a main office in New York or referees going under the hood to watch video.

Yes, the process takes about 10-15 seconds per challenge. But it also eliminates some of the arguments that often arose from players and coaches unhappy about pitch calls. With roughly four challenges per game, thatâ€s an extra 40-60 seconds. Any ejections or lengthy arguments that arose from strike zone disputes took much longer than that.

All in all, the time added by the ABS challenge system has proven to be negligible.

Myth No. 3: ABS Challenges Make Catcher Framing Obsolete

If MLB ever adopted a system in which all pitches were called by the automated strike zone, catcher framing would immediately become meaningless. There’s no denying that. It would result in all types of odd adjustments, as a catcherâ€s only real job as a receiver in that scenario would be to keep the ball in front of them and be ready to throw out basestealers. Even blocking the home plate umpireâ€s view in getting ready to throw would be inconsequential (except in the case of foul tips).

But this isnâ€t that.

In the ABS challenge system, more than 98% of pitches will still be called by the home plate umpire. Getting borderline strikes called will continue to have real value, both in the case of forcing the opposing team to use up challenges and in the many more instances in which they will decide not to challenge.

Similarly, a team with poor framing catcher who canâ€t get borderline calls may be forced to use or burn challenges on pitches that are called balls.

Myth No. 4: The ABS Challenge System Will Affect Hitters And Pitchers Equally

Simply put, the challenge system will be tougher for pitchers.

MLB has always been a tougher test than Triple-A, but for pitchers jumping from Double-A to Triple-A, the ABS challenge system has often proven to be a whole new world. Pitches that were getting called strikes regularly in Double-A (and often getting chase swings from hitters) were being spit at for balls in Triple-A.

As one Triple-A pitcher described it, there’s “a mentality shift” when it comes to pitching under the ABS challenge system.

“My first outing in Triple-A, I noticed right away how much more patient hitters were,” the pitcher told Baseball America. “I was throwing pitches just off the plate that normally get swings, and here they were taking them.

“At first, it was frustrating. Iâ€d come into the dugout asking where that pitch was, and sure enough, it was a ball. That made me realize I had to be better. I donâ€t know if it was the jump from Double-A to Triple-A or just the quality of hitters, but you quickly figure out youâ€ve got to go for in-zone whiffs instead of just chases, because these hitters know the zone so well.”

Myth No. 5. Cheating The System Will Be Easy

The speed with which challenges must be implemented is vital to making this system work. Coaches arenâ€t allowed to challenge pitches—only a hitter, pitcher or catcher can call for a challenge. The challenge has to be called for extremely quickly after the ball/strike call is made.

The idea behind this is to ensure that no player receives outside feedback before making a challenge. For example, a batter doesnâ€t get time to step out and think it over or look to the dugout for guidance. When the pitch is called, a player either taps his head or he doesn’t. The window to challenge the pitch closes just as fast as it opened.

On top of that, MLB purposefully delays pitch location information for a few seconds for games using the challenge system. To even start to try to cheat the system, a team would need to go through the trouble of engineering their own pitch-tracking system that perfectly matches the system MLB is using and then find a way to relay that information to players in a split-second.

No system is foolproof, but attempts to cheat the ABS challenge system would be difficult, to say the least.

Myth No. 6: Full Robot Umps Are Coming Soon

MLB has been experimenting with full ABS systems in games since 2019, when the Atlantic League adopted it in consultation with MLB. It has tried them in the Florida State League, as well as in Triple-A.

In every case, MLB decided to end the experiment. Full ABS systems have never seemed to provide exactly the strike zone everyone wanted to see. And time after time, the ABS challenge system was found to be preferable.

So far, feedback MLB has received from players, coaches, umpires and front offices has been a preference for the challenge system.

“The ABS system (without the challenges) is very boring,” said Robert Stock, who pitched under the ABS system for Triple-A Worcester and Nashville. “But adding in the challenges adds an element of skill (strike zone knowledge) and puts it at the forefront of the game.”

MLB has long used the minors to ensure that any issues with rules changes are discovered and fixed before the system comes to MLB. That was true with pitch clocks, shift restrictions, larger bases, liberalized base stealing rules and other more minor tweaks. As such, it’s notable that MLB is not using or experimenting with a full ABS system anywhere at this time. If a full ABS system was to be implemented in the major leagues, it almost certainly would be used in the minors first. And again, MLB tried that already and then killed their full ABS testing, replacing them with the challenge system.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has mentioned on multiple occasions that a full ABS system would create ripple effects for players, teams and umpires.

He and others within MLB have noted that, given a choice, a modest change that also manages to ensure the most egregious missed calls are overturned is preferable to a system that devalues certain current players.

For instance, top framers like Giants catcher Patrick Bailey would see their value as a catcher plummet immediately. The best home plate umpires would also see a skill they have developed over decades rendered meaningless.

“I think the ABS system has its ups and downs, but overall itâ€s good for the game because it keeps everyone accountable,” said a Triple-A pitcher with experience under the challenge system. “Yeah, it takes away some of the catcherâ€s framing, but having a consistent zone makes sure pitches are called right or wrong without all the gray area. You see big league games flipped by missed calls, and thatâ€s where having a clear answer really matters.

“Thereâ€s some strategy with the challenges, and as a pitcher, you definitely go through a little adjustment period on pitches you think are strikes. But the zone stays pretty fair. And when umpires get overturned and have to announce it to the whole stadium, that adds a whole new layer of accountability too. At the end of the day, being able to fix those big calls is a huge plus for the game.”

5 New Realities With ABS

Ok, so we know the ABS challenge system won’t destroy the very fabric of baseball as we know it. But there will be changes that come with it, too, just as there are with any change. Here are some new realities that weâ€ve seen in Triple-A.

1. It Will Be Harder To Get Called Strikes

The adoption of ABS has meant that, for the past several years, the Triple-A strike zone has been very challenging for pitchers. Pitches on the border of the zone that may induce an umpire in the majors to call a strike are consistently called balls in Triple-A.

The challenge system gives umpires constant feedback on whatâ€s a ball and whatâ€s a strike. No one wants to be consistently proven wrong on the jumbo video screen, so umpires quickly adapted.

“The zone in Triple-A is actually smaller than in the big leagues, so the mentality has to be filling it up and still finding swing-and-miss,†added the Triple-A pitcher.

However, as those adjustments have been coming to the MLB zone, the changes are getting much smaller. The number of called strikes in the shadow zone at the MLB level has dropped from 46.4% in 2024 to 42.2% in 2025. In Triple-A, the called strike rate on pitches in the shadow zone has hovered around 44% for the past three years.

2. There’s A Strategy To Challenging Pitches

From what we’ve seen in ABS challenge system testing, a bad call on a 1-0 or 0-1 pitch often doesnâ€t get challenged. Even a borderline call late in the count of early innings will often go unchallenged because teams donâ€t want to use up all their challenges too quickly.

In 2025, there were 650 called strikes that went unchallenged on pitches that were in the “chase†and “waste†zones, while there were three pitches called balls on pitches right in the middle of the zone. All were pitches that would have undoubtedly been overturned if challenged, but the pitching team decided it didnâ€t want to risk a challenge.

Teams also have to establish a strategy about who gets to initiate challenges. As noted above, only catchers, pitchers and hitters are allowed to make a challenge. In Triple-A, weâ€ve heard stories of hitters who have been told to never challenge pitches because they are so bad at it. Some teams want the catcher to be responsible for challenges instead of the pitcher.

Hypothetically, a player with a bad sense of the strike zone can burn through the entire teamâ€s allotment of challenges in a single at-bat without some guardrails.

“Early in a game, if a catcher isnâ€t absolutely sure, theyâ€re not going to burn one,” said the Triple-A pitcher. “You might need that in a 4-3 game in the ninth.”

Because of that, players with the best strike zone knowledge may be at a strategic advantage.

“Itâ€s going to be very fun to see which players have good strike zone knowledge,” Stock said. “For instance, does Juan Soto have immaculate knowledge of the zone? Or is he just really good at taking anything close, both balls and strikes alike? I canâ€t wait to find out.”

3. Expect Less Arguing Over Calls

The constant back-and-forth between hitters, catchers and pitchers trying to work the umpire and complain about questionable calls fades away when an ABS system is in effect.

If a player thinks the umpire blew the call, he can just challenge it. Within 10 seconds, thereâ€s an answer. If the player was right, the call is overturned and the game continues. If the player was wrong, the umpireâ€s call is confirmed and the player has no further reason to complain. Itâ€s hard to carry a grudge from a call in the fourth inning into your next at-bat if you had the means of correcting it and you didnâ€t feel convinced enough to challenge the call.

“Thereâ€s 99% less (complaining) from the dugouts about the strike zone,” Stock said. “If you donâ€t like a call, then challenge it. And Iâ€m sure itâ€s humbling for a player to really miss a call by a large margin.â€

4. Challenges Add Drama To The Game

One entertaining side effect of the way the ABS system is used is that it gets fans involved, too, as they see the decision made at the same time as the players and umpires. Once the pitcher, catcher or hitter taps their head, the umpire stands up and announces that the pitch has been challenged.

At that point, everyone turns to watch the jumbo video screen in the outfield. The animation shows the pitch come in, and only when it crosses the plate do you see the pitchâ€s location. Sometimes, the call is so borderline that it takes a moment to realize whether the pitch nicked the strike zone or not.

In general, crowds seem to enjoy the drama of the moment. Because there are few challenges, it doesnâ€t get repetitive, but in a crucial moment, itâ€s a nerve-wracking few seconds in which everyone in the crowd (and on both teams) waits to see the answer unveiled in real time.

If that’s an exciting thing to see play out during a Tuesday game in April, just imagine the drama when a crucial strike three call gets put up on the jumbotron in the late innings of a winner-takes-all postseason game.

5. The ABS Challenge System Reinforces How Good Umpires Are

Every now and then in Triple-A, you will see a challenge on a clearly blown call. But much more often, though, challenges come on pitches that have either grazed the corner of the zone or just missed it. Iâ€ve personally witnessed challenges in Triple-A for which I needed to be told if the pitch was a ball or a strike after the pitch location was shown up on the big screen—thatâ€s how close to the edge of the zone a pitch can be.

Many of these calls are being made on pitches that either miss or touch the strike zone by the narrowest of margins. While the ABS system is designed to ensure that an egregiously bad call doesnâ€t affect the game, it also ends up showing just how talented the game’s top-tier pitchers, catchers, hitters and umpires are.

(Geoff Pontes contributed to this story)

Source link