Christopher’s baseball team closed the season strongly to reach the playoffs for the tenth straight non-Covid year. The Cougars were 16-11 overall, 8-6 in the ultra-competitive Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division. In the playoffs, CHS upset Palo Alto 3-2 on the road and then lost 2-0 to eventual champ Carmel.
On the other side of town, Gilroy was competitive in 2025. The Mustangs were 12-15 overall, 8-10 in BVAL, Santa Teresa Division play.
When the Cougars and the Mustangs take the field next spring, they will find the diamond looks a little different. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced that the “double first base” will be mandatory for the spring 2026 baseball season.
The new rule, used successfully in college baseball this past season, entails two side-by-side first bases. One is in fair ground for the defense and another base of a different color is in foul ground for the batter, when running to first. The setup helps avoid collisions at first base.
The extra base only comes into play during plays at first after a batted ball. Once a runner is on first base, everything is the same as before for that runner and anyone on defense. That is, they both use the standard white base in fair territory.
If a player hits a double, triple or homer, he may use either base when rounding first.
A bouncing batted ball over the colored base is in foul territory and thus foul.
Coaches have been positive about the new rule. They feel players will adjust quickly and it will also help the umpires.
“Adding the double first base is symbolic to the evolution of the sport,” Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee, said in a news release. “It will immediately address running lane violations, and it will further protect the players from the violent collisions that have occurred at first base.
“By reducing collisions and enhancing safety, it preserves both the integrity of competition and the well-being of those who play.”
The new season is tentatively scheduled to begin in late February of 2026.
This rule has not yet been implemented in softball, but it seems that that sport might follow soon.
