Over the past decade, technology has played a greater role in baseball.
Instant replay; various ball tracking devices that measure spin rate, movement and velocity; and PitchCom devices relaying pitch calls to pitchers and fielders' wrists at the press of a button are some of the common examples.
They have transformed the sport, starting in pro ball before eventually trickling down to colleges like LSU.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson speaks with home plate umpire James Ainsworth and third base umpire Ryan Broussard regarding the call of interference at third base in a game against North Dakota State, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
But one piece of tech that hasn't made its way to the collegiate level yet is the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. The ABS challenge system is a mechanism that enables a batter, pitcher or catcher to challenge a ball or strike call from the umpire.
Each team gets two challenges and loses a challenge if the umpire's call is confirmed. The technology used to determine the balls and strikes is Hawk-Eye, which tracks the exact location of pitches as they enter the strike zone.
The first use of the ABS challenge system in the minor leagues was in the Single-A Florida State League in 2022. The apparatus has been utilized in Triple-A the last two years and is being used in MLB spring training games this year for the first time.
There's nothing indicating the system will come to the college game soon, but LSU players have expressed mixed feelings as to whether or not they'd utilize it if given the chance.
LSU sophomore outfielder Jake Brown and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson said they'd be hesitant to challenge calls. Eyanson went as far as saying he doesn't want the system to be used in college.
"It doesn't really make a difference," Brown said. "I think especially where we're at, the umpires are normally pretty good. And I don't want to lose the challenge because I thought something was a ball."
Juniors Chris Stanfield and Daniel Dickinson would embrace the ABS challenge system if given the chance.
Both admitted they aren't terribly familiar with the rules, but they still were enthusiastic about the idea.
"As soon as the umpire makes a bad call," Dickinson said, "I'm challenging every single time."
Junior Jared Jones also would be interested in playing with an ABS challenge system. He just wants to make sure he is 100% right before challenging anything.
"I think there are times where I would catch myself doing it," Jones said. "I'd have to be totally sure, though. I mean, I'm not going to try and guess and be wrong."
