Report: Canceling games to protect RPI is under scrutiny

Scrapping nonconference games for the purpose of bettering your resume and improving your RPI is drawing scrutiny in the world of college baseball.

The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee warned against eliminating contests for competitive reasons in a memo that was obtained Tuesday by Baseball America.

According to the publication, Coastal Carolina athletic director Matt Hogue, the committee chairman, wrote the memo.

"On behalf of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, I wanted to let you know that we are concerned with the practice of cancelling regular season games for reasons other than inclement weather," Hogue wrote. "It is not the intent or spirit of the game to adjust scheduled games in an attempt to strategically impact selection data or metrics.

"As you are aware, when selecting teams for the championship, the committee weighs all the available data and the complete body of work. The committee has kept, and will continue to keep, a watchful eye on team schedules and any known reasons for any cancellation. During the committee's subjective evaluation of teams, games cancelled to avoid the impact on mathematical metrics will be discussed and could have a negative impact on the committee's evaluation of a team."

RPI is the main tool the selection committee uses in terms of deciding NCAA Tournament bids.

Since teams that lose to a team with a low RPI could be hurt by the setback, there are teams that have canceled games to take away that possibility.

--Field Level Media