College Baseball Notebook: NCAA urges coaches to not cancel games to protect position for tournament

TL;DR

The NCAA has urged Division I baseball coaches to refrain from canceling nonconference games to protect tournament positioning, warning that such actions could negatively impact evaluations. The memo highlights concerns over teams avoiding games that could hurt their RPI metrics.

Key points

NCAA warns against canceling nonconference baseball games
Teams may face negative evaluations for strategic cancellations
Oregon and North Carolina State recently canceled games
RPI metrics are affected by game cancellations

The NCAA has issued what's becoming an annual appeal to Division I baseball coaches to not cancel nonconference midweek games to protect their teams' positioning for the national tournament. Scheduling hijinks allow teams to avoid no-win situations this time of year, so games against mid- or low-major opponents sometimes are called off because a win wouldn't help the RPI and a loss would hurt it, perhaps badly. In a memo sent to coaches last week, the Division I Baseball Oversight Subcommittee said it was concerned with the practice of canceling games for reasons other than inclement weather. “It is not the intent or spirit of the game to adjust scheduled games in an attempt to strategically impact selection data or metrics,” the memo said. The subcommittee warned it would track cancellations and that games called off to avoid the impact on metrics “will be discussed and could have a negative impact on the subcommittee's evaluation of a team.” Oregon, No. 19 in the RPI, canceled two games against No. 212 Grand Canyon last week with no reason given. No. 42 North Carolina State announced it canceled a game against No. 279 North Carolina A&T by mutual agreement. No. 34 Miami said it canceled a game against No. 219 Florida International “due to overnight conditions” that made its field unplayable, but no details were given about the nature of those conditions. No. 12 Mississippi State went ahead with its midweek game against No. 141 Nicholls and won 21-6. “A lot has been made of teams this time of year canceling games because it’s not in their best RPI interest,” MSU coach Brian O'Connor said. “I don’t believe in it. I believe in karma, and I’m not judging anybody that does. We control our own program and the right thing to do is play the games."

In the polls

UCLA (46-5), North Carolina (40-9) and Georgia Tech (42-8) were the consensus top three teams Monday in the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America rankings. The Bruins, who won their first 25 Big Ten Conference games, won their series against Oregon on Sunday after Dean West's grand slam in the eighth inning completed their comeback from five runs down for a 9-6 victory. The Tar Heels swept Pittsburgh to reach 40 wins for the fourth time in six seasons under Scott Forbes. Georgia Tech outscored Duke 39-12, including 29-3 over the second and third games. The Yellow Jackets, at 10.3 runs per game, are the only Division I team averaging 10 runs.

Q&A

Why is the NCAA urging coaches not to cancel baseball games?

The NCAA is concerned that canceling games to protect RPI metrics undermines the spirit of competition and could negatively affect team evaluations.

What consequences do teams face for canceling games according to the NCAA memo?

Teams that cancel games to manipulate selection metrics may face negative evaluations from the NCAA's Division I Baseball Oversight Subcommittee.

Which teams recently canceled games and why?

Oregon, North Carolina State, and Miami recently canceled games, with reasons ranging from mutual agreement to unplayable field conditions, though specifics were often not provided.

What impact does canceling games have on a team's RPI?

Canceling games can harm a team's RPI by avoiding potential losses but also prevents any wins that could improve their standing.