NCAA Approves ABS Challenges for 2027: What It Means for Southern Miss Baseball

The NCAA has approved an experimental ball-strike challenge system across all three divisions for 2027, potentially bringing one of professional baseball's biggest technological changes to Southern Miss and Pete Taylor Park.

A snapshot during a game between Southern Miss and Virginia at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg on Saturday, May 30, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A disputed strike three at Pete Taylor Park could look a little different next season.

College baseball is taking another step toward the technology already making its way through professional baseball, with an experimental Automated Ball-Strike challenge system being approved by the NCAA for the 2027 season across Divisions I, II and III. Let's take a look at the ABS system, as well as some other new rules the NCAA will be implementing next season.

ABS System Explained, and What It Means for Southern Miss

Southern Miss third baseman Drey Barrett squares up at the plate during a game against Tulane at Pete Taylor Park during the 2026 season. | Josh House

The ABS system does not mean balls and strikes will automatically be called by a computer. Home-plate umpires will continue making those decisions as usual.

Instead, teams will have the option, when the technology is available, to use an ABS system that allows players to challenge called balls and strikes. The experimental rule can be used during both the regular season and postseason.

For Southern Miss, that potentially adds another wrinkle to a 2027 season already carrying plenty of promise and intrigue.

If the technology is available for games at Pete Taylor Park, Golden Eagle hitters, pitchers and catchers would suddenly have another strategic element to consider. A borderline two-strike pitch could be challenged rather than simply ending an at-bat, while pitchers could potentially have a called ball overturned in a crucial situation.

Southern Miss shortstop Seth Smith (3) celebrates at the plate with center fielder Joey Urban (1) after hitting his third home run of the 2026 season in a 10-1 win over Georgia Southern at Pete Taylor Park. | Josh House

The biggest adjustment to this new rule may simply be learning when a challenge is worth using. That could make familiarity with the strike zone generated by the ABS technology another part of preparation for head coach Christian Ostrander's club, particularly for hitters and catchers who spend pretty much every pitch evaluating the edges of the strike zone.

The SEC gave college baseball an early glimpse of the technology when it experimented with the ABS system during its conference tournament in May. The results from that experiment were mostly positive, but there will definitely be a learning curve as players figure out what warrants a challenge and what doesn't.

More NCAA Experimental Rules Being Introduced

Southern Miss pitcher Camden Clark throws a pitch during a game at Pete Taylor Park during the 2026 season. | Josh House

In addition to ABS, the NCAA announced that a double first base will be required for all games next season, while 18-inch square bases will be permitted at facilities even though 15-inch bases remain the standard. Division I will also adopt a 30-second timer between batters and during mound visits and offensive timeouts. Teams will be allowed six offensive conferences, and video-review rules have also been expanded to allow challenges involving any tag play or a fair-ball call that could be overturned to foul.

Something else worth noting: Division I programs will no longer be permitted to use electronic devices to communicate offensive signals to players during games, although teams will have the option of using bat-sensor technology for in-game data collection.

Southern Miss third baseman Drey Barrett (15) welcomed at the Golden Eagles' dugout after hitting a home run during the 2026 season at Pete Taylor Park. | Josh House

Additional experimental rules that could be tested by individual conferences include limiting pitchers to two disengagements per batter and requiring a pitcher entering the game to face at least three batters unless the inning ends first.

For Southern Miss, though, ABS figures to be the change fans will notice the most. Upmires will still make the calls in 2027, but for the first time, technology could give the Golden Eagles a chance to ask whether they got it right.