WBSC Executive Board meeting: New pitch limits amongst rule changes for youth WBSC Baseball World Cups; National Federation updates and WBSC anniversary preparations on 10th May

The WBSC Executive Board held its secondmeeting of 2024 on Thursday, approving rule changes to the U-12, U-15 and U-18Baseball World Cups as well as three National Federation updates.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari opened the meeting by expressing his“deepest condolences and solidarity with those affected by the recentearthquake in Taiwan. Our thoughts are with them during this challenging time,”he said while confirming that the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and the ChineseTaipei Softball Association reported their baseball and softball communities wereunharmed.

The Board members approved three rule changes the Baseball TechnicalCommission proposed for the U-12 Baseball World Cup. The re-entry rule wasremoved while teams won't be able to use a designated hitter. The BatPerformance Factor (BPF) was also lowered from 1.15 to 1, which matches the BPFof one-piece wooden bats.

The Board also approved a proposalregarding the pitch limit rule in the U-12, U-15 and U-18 Baseball World Cups.
The limits will become cumulative each day to further protect young athletes,giving more rest days in case a pitcher gets to the mound for three consecutivedays.

The merger of the Cuba Baseball and theCuba Softball Federations into one national governing body – the Cuba BaseballSoftball Federation - was also approved along with the change of the BritishVirgin Island Softball Federation to the British Virgin Island Baseball &Softball Federation and the Sint Maarten Baseball Federation to the SintMaarten Baseball & Softball Federation.

Earlier in the meeting, the Executive Boardreflected on the success of last month’s eBaseball World Finals at the OlympicMuseum in Lausanne which were heralded as a significant milestone in the“WBSC’s efforts to innovate and grow baseball/softball” with the ExecutiveBoard “very excited” about the future opportunities of the discipline.

The Global Baseball Series in Osaka betweenSamurai Japan and Team Europe were also applauded for providing two thrilling gamesin the series’ return to the international calendar. “It was a resoundingsuccess and a fantastic showcase for our beloved sport,” President Fraccarisaid. “I'm incredibly proud of the strides we're making in promoting baseballinternationally and it was a strong sign of the continued good cooperationbetween the WBSC and NPB.”

The Board also received a briefing regarding the WBSC’s 10-year anniversary celebrations set for 10 May, which will be a chance for National Federations and clubs to participate by playing Baseball, Softball or Baseball5 and posting on social media on the day. “It's a momentous occasion that highlights a decade of dedication, collaboration, and progress,” President Fraccari said. “Let's take this opportunity to reflect on our achievements and look forward to the promising future ahead.”