The SEC is testing an experiment regarding first base equipment this week at the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, AL.
While watching any of the games, spectators will notice a unique green base in foul territory directly next to the traditional white base at first. The green base is used for runners headed to first base on a ball in play while the white base is saved specifically for the first baseman to use covering the bag.
The SEC’s hope with the double-bag setup is to reduce injuries by allowing more space between the first baseman and the base runner sprinting down the line. Injuries and player-on-player collisions are targeted for reduction with the implementation of the new system.
When a player is running from the batter’s box to first base on an active play, the batter does not have to stop directly on the bag like at second base and third base. Instead, the batter runs full speed through the bag to try to beat the bang-bang nature of a play at first. While not extremely common, the one-bag setup doesn’t provide much space for the high-speed play to occur and can lead to collisions – the bags are only 15 inches wide, after all.
That changes after the runner reaches first, though. Once a batter reaches first and moves from being a batter to an active baserunner, the green bag is out of play. The green bag is only for the path from home plate to first base, meaning that all other actions involving the bag must use the traditional white base in play including pickoff returns and tag-ups.
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A foul ball that strikes the green bag without touching the white bag is considered a foul ball due to the green base being in foul territory, too.
According to the SEC, the double-base format was not used in SEC regular season play but was implemented in scattered non-conference games. Tennessee has not used the double-bag setup at all this season, giving the Vols another aspect to consider while in Hoover this week.
Tennessee will play Mississippi State in an elimination game on Friday night for the right to play Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday at the Hoover Met. Stay locked into RTI for live coverage from Hoover while Tennessee is in the tournament.
Here’s a look at the rules and guidelines for the double base rule according to the SEC’s official press release before the tournament:
- “A batted ball hitting or bounding over the white portion of the bag is a fair ball. A batted ball hitting or bounding over the colored (orange or green) bag without first touching or bounding over the white section is foul.
- When an initial play is being made on the batter-runner at first base, the defense must use the white section of the double base and the batter-runner must use the colored base except in the case of a dropped third strike. After a dropped third strike, if the fielder is drawn to the side of the colored base, the runner would go the white base and the fielder to the colored base. On a dropped third strike, the fielder and batter-runner may touch either the white or colored base.
- If there is a play on the batter-runner and the batter-runner touches only the white portion of the double base and the defense appeals prior to the batter-runner returning to first base, it is treated the same as missing the base. Penalty: Batter-runner is out.
- On extra-base hits or other balls hit to the outfield when there is no chance for a play to be made at the double base, the batter-runner may touch either the white or colored section of the base. Should, however, the batter-runner reach and go beyond first base, they may only return to the white section of the base.
- Once the batter-runner reaches first base, they shall then use only the white base.”
