Player-Coach?

[JJ]

Is a Player-Coach allowed in NCAA baseball?

JJ

[Rich Ives]

Head Coach
SECTION 1. A head coach is a person employed or appointed by an institution to be responsible for the team’s actions on the field (usually the head coach also is responsible for the team’s actions off the field) and to represent the team in communications with the umpire and the opposing team. A player may be designated as head coach in the event the head coach is absent.

a. The head coach may delegate specific duties prescribed by the rules to a player or assistant coach, and any action of such designated representatives shall be official. The head coach always shall be responsible for the team’s conduct, observance of the official rules and deference to the umpire.

b. If a head coach leaves the field, a player or assistant coach shall be designated as the substitute; and such substitute coach shall have the duties, rights and responsibilities of the head coach. If the head coach fails or refuses to designate a substitute before leaving, the umpire-in-chief shall designate a team member as substitute head coach.

Assistant Coach
SECTION 2. An assistant coach is a person who assists the head coach. The assistant coach is ineligible to compete as a player. Assistant coaches may not leave their position, dugout or bullpen area to appeal any play on the field.

[ilyazhito]

Weird. A player can be head coach, but not an assistant coach.

[bob jenkins]

No weird at all.

If there's an adult (associated with the school, etc.) he's the head coach. If not, then let a player be the head coach.

A head coach is required. An assistant is not.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

No weird at all.

If there's an adult (associated with the school, etc.) he's the head coach. If not, then let a player be the head coach.

A head coach is required. An assistant is not.

I understand your logic, but it is not consistent why a player would be allowed to act as one type of coach, but not as the other. If a player can be a coach, period, it is irrelevant what type of coach he can, or cannot be. In addition, NCAA athletes are (almost) always adults, so the distinction of "If there's an adult, he's the head coach. If not, ... player be the head coach" makes no sense. Still, the rule is written this way, so administrators will have to follow it.

In professional baseball, this scenario cannot happen, because of salary cap considerations, but it is still covered in the rules, nonetheless.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I understand your logic, but it is not consistent why a player would be allowed to act as one type of coach, but not as the other.

It's consistent because of the "rights" and "responsibilities" of each role -- and we don't want 32 "assistant coaches" who are also players.

Note that not making a player an assistant coach does NOT mean the a player cannot coach first or third, for example.

And, I didn't mean "adult" in any legal sense -- but in an English sense of the word.