Eastern Baseball League Members To Discuss NCAA Playoff Ruling

An NCAA ruling that kept Harvard and two other Ivy Schools out of District playoffs for the NCAA World Series will be the main topic of discussion at a meeting of the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League tomorrow in New York.

The Crimson nine finished first in NCAA District I competition with a 9-2 record including vicories over Dartmouth and Boston University. But an NCAA rule states that only one team may represent any single league in the eight regional playoffs for berths at the national championship to be held in Omaha, Neb., on June 13-19.

Invites Dartmouth

The District I selection committee decided to invite Dartmouth, champion of the Eastern League, to compete in the playoffs. Since Harvard is also a member of the EIBL, the selection committee had to choose an independent. B.U., to complete the tournament's invitations.

Coach Loyal Park said he spoke to members of the NCAA rules committee last spring in Omaha and heard no opposition to his request that the ruling be dropped. Park assumed that they had followed his suggestion. He said he only learned a few weeks ago that the rule was still in effect.

In District II, the NCAA ruling has caused even more problems in selection choices. Cornell, runner-up in the Eastern League, actually received one of three bids to compete in the District II playoffs, but the Big Red declined the invitation so that Dartmouth could participate in District I.

Same Predicament

Princeton finished in the same predicament as Harvard. The Tigers were one of the top teams in District II with a 14-7 record, but five of those losses came against the leading teams in the EIBL competition. Again because of the NCAA ruling. Tom Petroff. Rider baseball coach and head of the District II selection committee, said he was forced to invite independents N.Y.U. and Seton Hall, both teams that Princeton beat, rather than the stronger Tiger team.

"I am going to institute action with the NCAA council to have this rule rescinded," Petroff announced last week.

If the NCAA does not remove the ruling from the books, it could mean the end of the Eastern League. Last week, members of the Princeton baseball team asked their Athletic Department to withdraw the Tiger nine from the EIBL. The players reasoned that Princeton could play the exact same schedule as an independent and be selected by the District II playoff committee.