SEC reveals how automated ball-strike system will work at 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament

Last week, the SEC announced plans to implement the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system, which is in its first season of use in the Major Leagues, during the upcoming 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament next week in Hoover, Ala. On Thursday, the SEC released a detailed webpage explaining the entire process, which is being utilized on an experimental basis during every game of the tournament.

Much like it’s used in both MLB’s major and minor leagues, the SEC’s ABS Challenge System uses Hawk-Eye camera technology and allows both teams to challenge a select number of questionable ball-and-strike calls. SEC Tournament games will still utilize a human home plate umpire to make all ball-and-strike calls, but each team will be permitted a total of three challenges per nine innings. If a game were to go to extra innings, teams that have previously exhausted all three of their challenges will be provided an additional challenge at the start of each extra inning.

Either team may issue a challenge at any point during a single plate appearance, including at the end of the at-bat. But there are restrictions, such as the defensive team cannot challenge a strike, and the offensive team cannot challenge a ball.

As in the majors, only three players — the batter, catcher, or pitcher — are allowed to challenge a call, and they must do so within 2-3 seconds of a pitch being called or forfeit the opportunity. And all challenges must be signaled by a quick tap of the player’s headgear. No other player, coach, or team personnel is permitted to signal or challenge a call.

Once a challenge is made, the home plate umpire will signal the Hoover Met press box and announce that an ABS challenge has been initiated. The ABS technology will then identify the pitch location based on the batter’s personal electronic strike zone, which is determined by each batter’s certified height. The Hawk-Eye system tracks the ball’s path through the strike zone, and a catcher’s ability to frame the pitch will have no impact on a challenged pitch. The end result will be displayed on the Hoover Met’s centerfield video board along with the remaining number of challenges for each team.

A batter’s personal strike zone is determined as a two-dimensional rectangle with a fixed 19-inch width set over the middle of the plate with an upper and lower boundary that represent 58- and 23-percent of the batter’s certified standing height, respectively. Any pitch that intersects the strike zone is a strike.

If a call on the field is ultimately overturned, the team will retain its challenge, whereas an unsuccessful challenge will result in that team losing one of its three allotted challenges.

The 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament will be held May 19-24 at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.