The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted Thursday to approve the legislative council’s recommendations to maintain the 56-game schedule and to add a 14th week to the college season, according to American Baseball Coaches Association executive director Dave Keilitz. Starting in 2010, the season will begin one week earlier.

"This will benefit the majority of Division I baseball programs," Keilitz said. "The Northern schools it probably won’t benefit, but certainly it will help the majority."

This is a good development for college baseball, although I would have preferred to see a week added to the end of the season. That would have presented a number of logistical concerns, however, and was never a viable short-term option. Starting a week earlier does diminish some of the relief to Northern schools that the uniform start date offered, but at least there is still a common start date. That’s still a major improvement from past years, when some warm-weather teams would begin play in late January, and many Northern teams started a full month or more later.

Most coaches we’ve spoken with have been clamoring for an extra week since the 13-week schedule went into effect. Now they’ll get their wish.