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Coaches disagree on a ‘mercy rule’ for high school baseball

March 11, 2026

Orange County high school baseball final scores Tuesday included these two …

Santa Margarita 20, Trabuco Hills 3.

Cypress 17, JSerra 1.

Both games went the full seven innings. There is no mandatory mercy rule in high school baseball according to rules established by the National Federation of State High School Associations, which the CIF Southern Section follows in baseball and in other sports.

A 10-run mercy rule is optional. According to the CIF Southern Section: “If the 10-run rule is adopted by a league, tournament or utilized in a nonleague contest, it shall be implemented as follows, ‘At the end of 5 innings, or 4½ innings with the home team ahead, if a team is ahead by 10 runs or more the game will be over.”

A 10-run mercy rule is not an option in the CIF-SS playoffs.

Cypress coach John Weber would like a mandatory 10-run rule.

“It’s unhealthy to play a game without a mercy rule available,” said Weber, in his 21st season as Cypress’ baseball coach. “And not just yesterday, but any game. It’s degrading and it’s not what the game is about at this level.”

Cypress coach John Weber talks with the umpire during a Crestview League baseball game in Placentia on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Weber said he understands why coaches would be against a mandatory mercy rule.

“I know the converse side of it, which is you can get other players in the game,” Weber said. “If you’re a private school or if you’re La Mirada or Huntington Beach that like to carry 30 players, that puts you on the plus side of this. I played everybody yesterday (against JSerra), but I still think it’s unhealthy.”

Santa Margarita’s 20-3 win over Trabuco Hills was not a runaway from the early going. The Eagles scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cypress scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it 11-1 over JSerra.

Eagles coach Chris Malec, in his ninth season coaching Santa Margarita baseball, likes not having a mercy rule for the reasons that Weber explained, that playing a full seven innings in a one-sided game gets players varsity game action that they might rarely see.

“Here’s a chance to say ‘thanks’ to the hard-working kid, to give him the high school sports experience,” Malec said.

NOTES

Santa Margarita sophomore pitcher Tyler George is 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA. Eagles freshman infielder Cooper Holland is batting .409. Senior catcher Warren Gravely, who signed with Notre Dame, is batting .455. …

Cypress senior catcher Noah Johnson, a Cal State Fullerton signee, has 11 hits in eight games with five RBIs and 11 runs scored. Centurions junior left-hander Tate Belfanti, who committed to Texas Christian University, is 3-0-1 with a 0.47 ERA and 34 strikeouts with five walks in 15 innings. …

A double-sized first base will be included in high school baseball nationwide beginning with the 2027 season. Half of the base will be white and in fair territory, a contrasting color will be in foul territory with the base line used as the dividing line. All sorts of conditions apply, including the runner at first base can only return to the white half of the double base on a pickoff attempt. …

Among the games coming up are these: Monday, March 16, Beckman vs. Woodbridge at Windrow Park; Tuesday, March 17, Villa Park at Cypress, St. John Bosco at JSerra; Wednesday, March 18, Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor; and Friday, March 20, El Dorado at Villa Park, St. John Bosco at JSerra and Mater Dei at Cypress.

Coaches disagree on a ‘mercy rule’ for high school baseball Orange County Register

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Coaches disagree on a ‘mercy rule’ for high school baseball

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