There is, by rule, no mercy in postseason college baseball.
Despite the SEC adding a 10-run rule ahead of the 2023 college baseball season and other conferences following the lead during the 2024 season, there will be no run rule in place for the 2024 .NCAA Baseball Tournament and the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
In SEC games since 2023 — and other NCAA games in which coaches reach an agreement before a game — if one team leads another by 10 runs or more following the seventh inning, a game can be called due to the run rule. The rule is similar to the eight-run rule in college softball after five innings.
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The NCAA Baseball Tournament starts with the regional round on Friday, May 31. The Super Regionals begin the following week, and the College World Series is slated to start on Friday, June 14, from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Here's what you need to know about the run rule and if it applies in the NCAA Baseball Tournament and CWS:
College baseball 10-run rule, explained
Each conferencehas its own rules, but according to Section 79 of the 2023-2024 NCAA Baseball Rules Book, there is no set NCAA run rule to end a game early.
"SECTION 79. By conference rule, or mutual consent of both coaches before the contest, a game may be stopped only after seven innings if one team is ahead by at least 10 runs.
"Each team must play an equal number of innings unless shortened because the home team needs none or only part of its half of the final inning."
The SEC announced a 10-run rule ahead of the 2023 season for conference games.
"The SEC will also implement a 10-run rule for conference games. The policy stipulates that a contest shall be stopped after seven innings if one team is ahead by at least 10 runs, in accordance with NCAA playing rules. The 10-run rule shall also be utilized for all non-conference competitions with the consent of the coach of the non-conference opponent. If the coach of the non-conference opponent does not consent, the game shall be played in its entirety consistent with NCAA playing rules.
A recent example of the run rule not applying for the College World Series was last year's matchup between LSU and Florida in the best-of-three-game series. The Tigers opened the series with a 4-3 extra-inning victory. The Gators responded with a 24-4 win in a game in which they led 15-3 after seven innings and by as much as 21 runs in the ninth inning.
In the Game 3 winner-take-all game, the Tigers led 14-4 after eight innings and ended up winning 18-4 to win their program's seventh national championship. No other games in Omaha met the requirements of a potential 10-run rule.
