Electronic Communication Devices from Dugout to Catchers to be Permitted in High School Baseball

The change will be allowed starting with the 2024 season.

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INDIANAPOLIS – A new rule will allow electronic communication devices to be permitted in high school baseball.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee approved the new rule at a meeting in Indianapolis last month.

The rule allows the use of a one-way communication device between a coach in the dugout to the team’s catcher for the purposes of calling pitches.

According to the NFHS, the new rule prohibits coaches from communicating with any other player besides the catcher on defense and with any player while batting. The coach must also be in the dugout when using the communication device.

“This change is consistent with the growth of the game and is indicative of a measured and responsible approach to enable technology into our level of competition,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS Director of Sports and Educational Services and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee. “The committee has made these changes to maintain the balance between offense and defense; increase the pace of play; and will responsibly manage technology so there is no advantaged gained by schools that have more available resources than some of their contemporaries. Creating a level playing field is paramount to education-based athletics.”

Other rule changes include game management by umpires. The edit removes spectators’ behavior from the umpire-in-chief’s jurisdiction when deciding to forfeit a contest.

Only infractions by players, coaches or team/bench personnel are under the umpire’s jurisdiction. The committee agreed that poor behavior by spectators should be handled by game administration.

Another rule designates a wristband with defensive shifts, pitching choices or game directions as non-electronic equipment and must be a single, solid color and worn on the forearm. Pitchers’ cards must not be white, gray or a distracting color and worn on their non-pitching arm.