Sign stealing didn’t start with the Houston Astros scandal. Teams have looked to get a read on an opponent’s signs for as long as baseball has been played. But the NCAA is going to extra lengths to curb that practice, and it’s already a lot to handle for the baseball traditionalists out there.
New for the 2022 college baseball season, teams are allowed to utilize one-way electronic communication to signal pitches. We saw that in action this weekend with college baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt using electronic wristbands that showed a pitch call entered in from the dugout.
The whole idea behind the new tech was to keep the game on a level playing ground. You can’t have a runner on second base relaying the catcher’s signs to the batter if the catcher no longer has to show a sign at all.