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Seeing double: A second first base is coming to high school baseball
A "second" first base, designed to help mitigate the risk of collision, is being introduced in New Mexico prep baseball and softball starting in 2027.
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You’ll be seeing double on local high school baseball fields starting in 2027.
The National Federation of State High School Associations on Tuesday announced that an additional first base will be added in an effort to “minimize the risk of collision by runners and fielders.”
This change was first proposed last month, and has now been approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The change in high school mirrors what already exists in college; a green base was used at the recent Men’s College World Series, for example. The base can be any color as long as it stands in contrast to the regular white bag. The colored bag is located in foul territory, with the foul line separating the two bases.
There are some minor amendments, as when the batter can use either side of first base on an extra-base hit to the outfield. Another: interference will be called on the runner if they only touch the white base on a force play at first and collide with the fielder. A fielder will be called for interference if they only touch the colored bag and collide with the runner.
