MINUTESOFTHE
NATIONALFASTPITCHCOACHESASSOCIATION
DIVISIONIIICAUCUS
December3-4,2015;AtlantaMarriottMarquis
NFCADivisionIIIrepresentativeandEasternConnecticutStateUniversityhead
coachDianaPepinbroughtthemeetingtoorderat8:35a.m.ET.
1. HeadCoachesCommittee.Ms.Pepinprovidedanupdateforthegrouponthe
previousevening’sinauguralD3HCCmeeting.Tworepresentativesfrom
eachregionwillrepresentthegreatergroup’sinterestsandmeetregularly
viaconferencecall.
2. Introductions.Ms.Pepinaskedcoacheswithfiveyearsorlessexperienceto
stand,followedbycoacheswith5-10yearsexperience,15-20years
experienceand20-plusyearsexperience.
3. Top25report.CommitteechairGeorgeWares(Central).
a. Mr.Waresaskedcoachestoletyourregionalrepknowifyoufeel
yourteamisnotbeingconsidered.
i. Regionalreps
1. Atlantic:KeithParr(ChristopherNewport)
2. Central:NicoleLoudin(JohnCarroll)
3. East:DaleMartin(Manhattanville)
4. GreatLakes:KatMcCreery(IllinoisWesleyan)
5. Midwest:Mr.Wares
6. NewEngland:Ms.Pepin
7. Northeast:JulieLenhart(Cortland)
8. West:JanaeShirley(EastTexasBaptist)
b. TherankingsareNOTabasisforNCAAconsideration,rankingor
tournamentselection.
4. All-Americareport.CommitteechairCherylMilligan(Tufts).
a. Ms.Milligansaidthebetterinformationrepshave,thebettertheAllAmericateamtheyselectwillbe.
b. Utility:Gamesplayedatpositionisastatthecommitteewillstart
consideringduringtheselectionprocess.
c. Ms.MilligansaidthequickercoachescangetstatstoNFCAD3liaison
DaveHines,herselfortheirownregionalrep,thebetterjobthe
committeecando.
d. AreminderthatcoachesMUSTvoteiftheynominateplayerstokeep
thoseplayerseligibleforselection.Youmayvoteforyourownplayers
intheD3selectionprocess.
e. Regionalreps
1. Atlantic:BrandonElliott(VirginiaWesleyan)
2. Central:TimSyrek(Calvin)
3. East:LindsayFreitag(Misericordia)
4. GreatLakes:LeslieHuntington(Wisconsin-EauClaire)
5.
6.
7.
8.
5. Midwest:Mr.Wares
6. NewEngland:Ms.Milligan
7. Northeast:StephanieConroy(Plattsburgh)
8. West:Ms.Shirley
NFCAHallofFamereport.D3repDebPallozzi(Ithaca).
a. HOFnominationsaredueeachyearbyOct.1.
b. WeneedtogetmoreD3peopleintotheNFCAHallofFame.
c. Thecriteriamaybechanging.
d. Committeelookingathighschoolandtravelballcoachesandhowto
gettheminvolvedinthenomination/selectionprocess.
e. CommitteediscussedhavinganewwebsitededicatedtoNFCAHallof
Famers.
NCAARulesreport.Ms.Lenhart.
a. Technologyinthedugoutideasdiscussed.
i. TVsinthedugouts.
ii. Receivers/speakersincatcher’shelmets.
iii. Technologyonhold.
b. Batlistshorterthaninpastyears.
c. Foulpolesmustbeacontrastingcolor(whiteoropticorange)andin
placeby2018.
d. Backstoppaddingisnowrequiredandcan’tbeconcreteorbrick.
e. Linksrulenolongeronthetable.
f. ContactMs.Lenhart([email protected])if
youhavequestionsandshe’lleithertellyouwhattheruleisorfind
outtheanswerforyou.
g. TerryBurdette(HoodCollege)soughtthoughtsonpotentialaddition
ofasafetybaseonbehalfofNFCARulesCommittee.
i. Strawpollinroomshowednooneinfavorofthesafetybase.
h. Safetynettingindugout.
i. Makeitsixfeetaboveplayingsurface?
ii. Currentruleissixfeetabovedugoutfloor.Somefieldshave
sunkendugouts,makingthatheightsomethingquitedifferent.
iii. Doesn’thavetobeentiredugout,justallowasafeareawhere
youaren’tgoingtobehitwithaball.
KrisHerman(Williams)notedthatitisimportantforcoachesthatserveon
NCAAcommitteestobringbackfromthosemeetingscostconcerns.Itisn’tas
simpleoreasyasitmaysound(toADsandotheradministrators)forschools
tomakechanges.
NCAAChampionshipsreport.JanGentry(Asst.DirectorofChampionships).
a. 2015review.
i. Championshipwasa62-teamtournament,with16regional
sites(14four-teamsitesandtwothree-teamsites)andeight
superregionals.FinalswereatMoyerSportsComplexinSalem,
Va.Tuftswasnationalchampion,whileTexas-Tylerwas
runner-up.
b. EastRegionreppositiononNCAAD3SoftballCommitteewillbefilled
inthenextcoupleweeks.
c. 407institutionssponsorD3softballandareeligibleforthe
championship.
d. Basedonthe1:6.5D3teamsportaccessratio,Ms.Gentryreported
thatthesoftballcommitteewillrequesttheNCAAChampionships
Committeeapproveanincreaseinthefieldsizeto63for2017.
e. 2016NCAAChampionshipfield.
i. 62teams.
ii. 43PoolA(automaticqualifier)berths,uponefrom2015to
reflectaddingSouthernAthleticAssociationAQ.
iii. OnePoolB(independent)berth.
iv. 18PoolC(atlarge)berths.
v. Importantdates.
1. Selections:Sunday,May8.
2. Regionals:May13-15.
3. SuperRegionals:May20-21.
4. Championship:May26-31atMoyerSportsComplex,
Salem,Va.HostedbyOldDominionAthleticConference
andcityofSalem.
f. Committeenominationprocess.
i. Threepositionscomingopen(GreatLakes,MidwestandNew
England).Twoofthethreemustbeadministrators.
ii. CCC,IIACandWIACnoteligible(sameconferencecan’tserve
consecutiveterms).
iii. Self-nominationswereaccepted.DeadlinewasDec.4.
g. FutureNCAAChampionshipdates.
i. 2017:SelectionsonMay7,RegionalsonMay12-14,Super
RegionalsonMay19-20andChampionshiponMay25-30
(OklahomaCityatASAHallofFameStadium).
ii. 2018:SelectionsonMay6,RegionalsonMay11-13,Super
RegionalsonMay18-19andChampionshiponMay24-29
(OklahomaCityatASAHallofFameStadium).
iii. 2019:SelectionsonMay5,RegionalsonMay10-12,Super
RegionalsonMay17-18andChampionshiponMay23-28(site
TBA).
h. Bidprocessfor2019-2022NCAAChampionshiphosts.
i. June2016:Bidportalopens.
ii. August2016:Bidsdue.
iii. December2016:Siteselectionannouncement.
i. D3ChampionshipsCommitteeActions.
i. Continuedmonitoringofcostofsuperregionalformat.
1. Feedbackhasbeenpositive.
2. Travelexpenseswerelowerthanexpected.
a. Siterep,umpirecostsareup,butoverallcosts
aredown.
ii. Approvedbudgetreductions(effective2014-15).
1. Reducetravelpartysizeby10percentforteamsports.
2. Reduceperdiemrateby$5(to$90).
3. Eliminateperdiemprovidedtohostinstitutions.
4. Eliminatehosthonorariumfornon-predetermined
sites.
5. Teamsrankedforregionalrankings:Flexibilitytorank
15-21percentperregion,nominimum(insteadof15
percentperregion,minimumofsix)toallowmore
equitablegroupofrankedteams.
6. SouthernAthleticAssociationAQeffectivefor2015-16.
7. GreatSouthAthleticConferencedissolving,effective
2016-17,whichcouldbringPoolBberthsbacktotwo
for2017.
iii. ProposedincreasetoduesforD3schoolstooffsetcosts.
j. 2016NCAASoftballCommitteeAnnualMeeting.
i. ThecommitteewillmeetJune20-22inIndianapolis.Ifyou
haveissuesthatyouwouldlikethecommitteetodiscuss,
pleaseforwardtheminwritingtoMs.Gentry
([email protected])byJune10.
9. Issuesforum.
a. Getfeedbackon16regionals—8supers—finals.
i. Waittoseed16teamsuntilafterregionals?
ii. Butcan’tcreateflights.
iii. Essentiallyreseeding.
b. Sharehowteamsarebracketedtobuildonmockrankingexercise
donewithMs.GentryduringseconddayofD3caucusat2014NFCA
NationalConventiontohelpcoachesbetterunderstandtheprocess.
c. Alsorankingofumpires.
d. Non-conferencestrengthofschedule.
i. Ideaofseparatingoutnon-conferencestrengthfrominconference.
ii. Ms.Lenhartaskedifacolumncouldbeaddedtolistgames
againstoutofconferencerankedteams.
iii. Ms.GentrysaidteamsgetcreditforANYrankedteam,so
regionsthatrankmoreteamsprovidemoreopportunitiesfor
gamesagainstrankedteams.
e. AnitaKubicka(MontclairState)saidwebstreamingofNCAA
Championshiphasbeengreat.NCAAprovideswebcastsforonlyfinals,
butitisexpectedthathostschoolsduringearlierroundsdoawebcast
ofgamesattheirlocation.
f. The62tournamentteamsareselectedandTHENhostbidsare
considered.
i. JoeKinsella(LakeForest)saidthattheyhostedregionalsand
superregionalsandwouldconsiderNOThostingagain,based
oncost.
g. NCAAManagementCouncilisconsideringdroppinggamesinbaseball
andsoftballfrom40gamesto35.
i. MarieCurran(BuffaloState)ischairingaD3HCC
subcommitteetoaddresstheproposedreduction.
ii. Ms.Pepinnotedtherearesignificantdifferencesinbaseball
andsoftball,onebeinglessmissedclasstime.
iii. HCCpreparingfivebulletpointstoforwardtorepresentatives
attendingNCAAConvention.
1. Amongitemsthathelpseparatebaseballandsoftball:
a. Daysofcompetition.Softballdoesitin20days,
whilethere’s32daysforbaseball.
b. Howmanydaysaweekbaseballandsoftball
teamsplay.
c. Averagestarttime(i.e.noonforbaseball,3p.m.
forsoftball)
2. Strawpolls.
a. Howmanyschoolshavelights?One-third.
b. Howmanyusethemmorethantwice?Afew.
c. Whowantstoreducegames?Noone.
d. WhofilledoutNCAAsurveysenttocoaches(also
senttoFARs,ADsandstudent-athletes)?Most
everyone.
3. Someschoolshavebaseballandsoftballteamstravel
together.Forsoftballteams,thatcouldmeanwatching
baseballteamwarmupfortwohours,goplaytheir
games,thencomebackandwatchbaseballfinishup.
iv. Reasonfordiscussion:Reducingmissedclasstime.
v. Changingcompetitionseason.
1. Reasoning:
2. Pro:Betterweatherinthefall.
3. Con:Problemswithstaffing(SIDs,trainers,events
personnel)
4. Con:Problemswithstudent-athletesthatneedto
studentteachorwhocompeteinafallsport.
vi. Ifgamesarereducedfrom40to35,teamsmayonlygetin30
games,whereteamsaregettingonaverage36gamesnow,
whichisalreadywheretheproposedreductionwouldbe.
vii. Thelasttwoweeksoftheseason,teamswillcramin25
percentoftheirgames(gamespreviouslycancelleddueto
poorweather)togetthemcompleted.
viii. Mr.Waressaidifwehavestudent-athletessayingtheywantto
keepthesameamountofgames,thatsaysalot.Weneedto
havetherightpeoplespeakingupforustopeoplethatmaynot
knowaswellhowsoftballworks.Thosespeakerscouldbe,
amongothers,coaches,administratorsandSAACmembers.
10. LeadoffClassics.NFCAhasadoptedatwo-yearmodelforitsLeadoffClassics
(insteadofeverythreeyears).TheJuniorCollegeandNAIAeventswillbe
pairedtogetherandalternateplayingatSouthCommonsComplexin
Columbus,Ga.,whileD3andD2willalternateyearsatsitesaroundthe
countrychosenbytheirrespectivedivision(notanchoredinonespot).There
willbetwoevents,D3orD2andJCorNAIA,eachyearstartingin2017.
11. SalarySurvey.PennySiqueiros(Emory)hasspearheadedaneffortforaD3
salarysurvey.“You’reworthit!”
a. Provideinformationtobetterspeakaboutsalaryissuesatschools.
b. Runriskoflosinggoodcoachesifwedon’tcompensatethem
properly.
c. Whatisthebalanceofyourtimeasa“full-time”employeewith
respecttotimedevotedtosoftball?70/30?80/20?50/50?
d. PlanisforsurveytobesentouttoD3membershipinJanuary.
e. ResultswillbepostedintheCoach’sBoxatNFCA.orgforD3members
anddistributedtodivisionheadcoachesviaemail.
12. NCAAAcademic/MembershipAffairs.
a. Tenproposals,someofwhichdon’tapplytosoftball.
b. GotoNCAA.org—D3—Governancetoseeproposalsandother
documents.
c. ProposalsthatDOapplytosoftball:
i. NCAAmemberfeesincreasedto$2,000(from$900)forD3
schools.
ii. NCAAmemberfeesincreasedto$1,000(from$450)forD3
conferences.
iii. Currently3.18percentofbudgetgoestoD3.Ifproposalis
approved,100percentwouldgotoD3.
iv. Communications.
1. Talkingaboutsocialmediaprocedures.
v. On-campuscontacts.
1. Athletescancometocampuswhenplayingnearby(but
notbeingplayedonthatcampus).
vi. Championshipineligibilityforbanneddrugs.
vii. Automaticqualificationforprovisional/reclassifyingmembers.
viii. Youcannotmeetwithyourteaminaleadershipexperience
(thewholeathleticdepartmentmustbeincluded).
ix. Allowedtohaveameetingaboutsoftballstufftheweekoffall
seasonoranytimeduringspringseason.
d. IndiscussionbyNCAAManagementCouncil.
i. Splitseason.
1. 25-30percentinfall,therestinspring.
2. Cons:Studentteaching,two-sportathletes,disjointed
flowofseason.
13. SpecialOlympics.
a. ActivitiesarewithintheD3model.
i. Ms.Pepinsaidherschool“adopted”a54-year-oldmale(this
washissixthseasonwiththeteam),whocomestopractices.
1. Shesuggestedformingasubcommitteetodiscuss:
a. SchoolssupportingSpecialOlympicteamsand
individualathletes.
b. HostingaSpecialOlympicsevent.
c. Comingupwithapointssystemtocrowna
championforSpecialOlympicsactivism.
14. Softballhottopics.
a. D1wantsfourumpiresfortheirgames.
b. Ms.Hermansaiditisincrediblyimportanttohaveavoice.Decisions
madebyothergroups(D1)maynottakeintoaccountorunderstand
howdecisionsattheirlevelimpactothergroups(i.e.thosethatdon’t
havethesamefinancialresources).
15. NCAASecretary-RulesEditorreport.VickieVanKleeck.
a. Pleaseseeattachedsupplementforcompletepresentation.
b. March-AprilisNCAAcallforruleproposals.
i. MustbeonHUByourself(notyourassistant),becausethat’s
wheretheinformationandformsare.
ii. https://sup.arbitersports.com
c. ContactinformationforMs.VanKleeck:
i. [email protected]
ii. 540-819-4655
16. Umpiresreport.DonnaVavrinec,nationalcoordinator.
a. Strikezone.
i. Itisaworkinprogress.
ii. Callthestrikezonethatisintherulebook.
iii. Willsomeumpiresgiveyoualowstrike?Yes.
iv. Willsomeumpirescallitexactlyintherulebook?Yes.
v. Ms.Vavrinecsaidthatumpiresdoadisservicecome
postseasoniftheydon’tcallthestrikezoneasintherulebook.
“Ididn’thavethatcalledallyear!”
vi. Ms.Vavrinecstressescallingthestrikezonethatisintherule
book.
vii. Coaches/hostsitesareresponsibleforthelinesonthefield
beingcorrect(i.e.batter’sbox).
b. Umpiresarebeingtoldtowatchforclues.
i. Areplayerscrowdingtheplate(toeingthelineandoutover
theplate)?
ii. Areplayerswearingalotofarmor(whichcouldbeasignthey
gethitalot)?
c. Relyonumpirejudgment.
d. Umpiresmayaskyoutoredrawthebatter’sboxlines.
e. Goingforhelp.
i. Usuallydealingwithatwo-mancrew(butevenwithathreemancrew),stayfocused…don’tbailonthecall.
ii. Lookatwhatthebarrelofthebatisdoing.
f. Threein-personumpireclinicsinJanuary.
i. Atlanta.
ii. SanJose.
iii. Indianapolis(whichwillberecorded).
g. SubmittoMs.Vavrinecalistof10umpiresthatarepostseason
worthy.
h. Keepinmindthatumpireshavetoadjusttobatter’sheight,butcan’t
golowerthanthecatcher’shelmet(andlookthroughit).
i. ContactinformationforMs.Vavrinec:
i. [email protected]
17. Adjournment.Thefirstdayofthecaucusadjournedat11:40a.m.
18. Tournamentselectionsession.Theoptionalseconddayofthecaucusfrom88:45a.m.onDec.4wasutilizedforatournamentselectionexerciseledby
Ms.Gentry.
a. AfterNCAAtournamentfieldispicked,thecommitteethenlooksat
thepotentialhostslist.
b. Primarycriteriaforselection.
i. Win-losspercentage.
ii. D3head-to-head.
iii. Resultsversuscommonopponents.
iv. ResultsversusD3,asestablishedbyrankingsattimeof
selection.
v. D3strengthofschedule:
1. 2/3opponents’winningpercentageand1/3opponents’
opponentswinningpercentage.
c. Secondarycriteriaforselection:
i. Non-D3win-losspercentage.
ii. Resultsversuscommonnon-D3opponents.
d. Optionalselectioncriteria(mustbeapprovedbyD3Championships
committee):
i. Win-losspercentageforlast25percentofgames(notusedby
softballcommittee).
ii. Strengthofschedulemultiplier.
e. Coaches’pollsareNOTusedbycommitteeascriteria.
f. In-regioncompetitionrequirement(70percent).
i. Anycontestagainstschoolwithinmembershipregion.
ii. Anycontestversusschoolwithinestablishedsportregion.
iii. Conferencegames.
iv. Schoolswithin150-mileradius.
v. Schoolsinanyyearoftheprovisionalorreclassifyingprocess
intoD3.
vi. Exemptallgamesononevacationperiod(i.e.springbreak).
vii. PostseasonmayNOTbeusedtomeettherequirement.
viii. Scrimmages/exhibitiongamesshouldnotbeincluded.
ix. The70percentrequirementisbasedontheINITIALschedule
submittedbytheinstitution.
g. Pairingandsiteselection.
i. Teamsgroupedinclustersaccordingtonaturalgeographic
proximity,thengeographicproximity(within500miles)team
canbemovedtonumericallybalancethebracketifproximity
ismaintained(noflightscreated).
ii. Buildingpodsoffour(orthree).
iii. Sitecriteria.
1. Qualityoffacilities(andhotels).
2. Location.
3. Seeding.
4. Attendancehistoryandattendancepotential.
iv. Assignmentofteams.
1. Minimizeflights.
2. Considerationoftraveltime,expensesandmissedclass
time.
3. Balancingrelativestrengthofbracket.
v. Additionalconsiderations.
1. Goalofnotrequiringteamstotravelmorethantwo
timezones.
2. Avoiddrivingpastasitetoreachassignedsite.
3. Considerationfortravel/siteassignmentinprevious
years(i.e.trynottosendateamona450-miletripin
consecutiveyears).
4. Teamsmaybeseededonregionalbasisusingthe
selectioncriteria.Geographicproximitytakespriority
overseeding.
5. Teamsfromsameconferencedonothavetoplayone
anotherinthefirstcontestofthefirstroundaslongas
geographicproximityismaintained(butcouldmeetin
regionalfinal).
6. Thehighestseededteamthatmeetsallselectioncriteria
willbeselectedasthehost,providedgeographic
proximityismaintained.
7. Typicallythetwohighest-rankedteamsineachregion
areselectedtohost(iftheysubmittedbidstohostand
meetallthecriteria).
8. 14four-teambrackets.
9. Twothree-teambrackets.
10. Teamsareassignedtoregionalsitesbasedprimarilyon
geographicproximity.Eachregionalisseeded(#1plays
#4and#2plays#3).
11. Minoradjustmentsaremadetobalancetherelative
strengthofthebrackets(regionally-rankedteamsand
automaticqualifiers).
12. Theseedingisadjustedifnecessarytoavoidconference
matchupsinthefirstcontestofregionals.
13. Regionalsitesarepairedforsuperregionals.
a. Flightsmuststillbeminimized.Typicallythere
aretwohostsfromeachregionandthosetwo
regionalsitesarepairedforsupers.The
committeewillreviewwhosubmittedsuper
regionalbids.
14. Finalsbracketseedsteamsatfinalssitebytheirranking
inregion.
15. Regionalswithnon-Sundaycompetitionteamwill
followaThursday-Saturdayformat.
16. Ms.Hartlsaidit’sreallyeasytoputabidin,soifyou
haveathoughttohost,putinthepaperwork.
19. Reseedingdiscussion.
a. Afterregionals,seedtheadvancingteams(1-16)usingonlinescorereportingsystemupdatedwithregionalresults.Followtraditional
bracketingprinciples(#1vs.#16,#2vs.#15,etc.).
b. Thebracketmustfollowminimumnumberofflightspossibleforthe
eightmatchups.Seedingmayneedtobeadjustedtominimizeflights.
c. Usenon-conferencestrengthofschedule.
d. Mr.Waresnotedthatthereneverwillbeaperfectsolution,but
reseedinggetsclosesttothatideal.
e. Strawpoll:Manysawadvantagestodoingit.
ActionItems:
• LetamemberoftheNFCATop25committeeknowifyoufeelyourteamis
notbeingrepresented.
• ContactyourrespectiveNFCAAll-AmericaCommitteeregionalrepifyou
wanttobeonthesubcommitteechoosingtheNFCAAll-Regionsquad.
• KeepnominatingqualifiedDivisionIIIindividualsfortheNFCAHallofFame.
• ContactMs.VanKleeckifyouhavearulesquestion.
• ContactMs.Vavrinecifyouhaveanumpirequestionorissue.
• ContactMs.Gentryifyouhaveissuesyou’dlikediscussedbytheNCAA
SoftballCommitteeatitsmeeting.