A mercy rule, slaughter rule, knockout rule, or skunk rule ends a two-competitor sports competition earlier than the scheduled endpoint if one competitor has a very large and presumably insurmountable scoring lead over the other. It is called the mercy rule because it spares further humiliation for the loser. It is common in youth sports in North America, where running up the score is considered unsporting. It is especially common in baseball and softball in which there is no game clock and a dominant team could in theory continue an inning endlessly.
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" and the "bottom". In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team playing defense. A full baseball game is typically scheduled for nine innings, while softball games consist of seven innings; although this may be shortened due to weather or extended if the score is tied at the end of the scheduled innings. The use of the term inning in baseball and softball contrasts with cricket and rounders, in which the term is innings in both singular and plural.
The 2008 LSU Tigers baseball team represented Louisiana State University in the NCAA Division I baseball season of 2008. This was the final year for the team in the original Alex Box Stadium. A new stadium was built during the season and opened on opening day of the 2009 season.
The Virginia Cavaliers baseball team represents the University of Virginia in NCAA Division I college baseball. Established in 1889, the team participates in the Coastal division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and plays its home games at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park. The team's head coach is Brian O'Connor. The team has reached the College World Series six times, most recently in 2023, and won the national championship in 2015.
The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are currently coached by Mike Bianco and play at Swayze Field. They have competed in the College World Series six times, with their first national championship coming in 2022.
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and is coached by Dave Van Horn. The program started in 1897, and is in its 100th season of play in 2022. Arkansas is one of only four schools in the SEC to turn a profit from its baseball program in recent years, along with SEC Western division rivals LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
The 2009 LSU Tigers baseball team represented Louisiana State University in the NCAA Division I baseball season of 2009. This was the first year for the team in the new Alex Box Stadium.
The 2009 Clemson Tigers baseball team represented Clemson University in the 2009 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team played their home games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, SC.
The Florida Gators softball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of softball. Florida competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators play their home games at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Tim Walton. In the twenty-six year history of the Florida Softball program, the team has won two Women's College World Series (WCWS) national championships, nine SEC regular season championships, five SEC tournament championships, and have made eleven WCWS appearances.
The 2015 Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team represents the University of Cincinnati during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bearcats play their home games at Marge Schott Stadium as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They are led by head coach Ty Neal, in his second season at Cincinnati.
The 2015 East Carolina Pirates baseball team represents East Carolina University during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Pirates play their home games at Clark–LeClair Stadium as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They are led by head coach Cliff Godwin, in his first season at East Carolina.
The 2015 TCU Horned Frogs baseball team represented Texas Christian University during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Horned Frogs played their home games at Lupton Stadium as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They were led by head coach Jim Schlossnagle, in his 12th year at TCU.
The 2015 Baylor Bears baseball team will represent Baylor University during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bears will play their home games at Baylor Ballpark as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They will be led by head coach Steve Smith, in his 21st season at Baylor.
The 2016 Auburn Tigers softball team is an American softball team, representing Auburn University for the 2016 NCAA softball season. The Auburn Tigers play their home games at Jane B. Moore Field.
The Cincinnati–Memphis rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the University of Memphis Tigers. The rivalry between these two schools dates to their first college football game in 1966, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining attention as well, having started in 1968. The schools have also shared conferences historically, with the rivalry stretching over the span of five conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to the Metro Conference, Great Midwest Conference, Conference USA, and more recently in the American Athletic Conference.
The 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 2021 season marked the Gamecocks' 128th overall. The Gamecocks played their home games at Founders Park, and were led by fourth year head coach Mark Kingston.
The 2022 Texas Longhorns baseball team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Longhorns played their home games at UFCU Disch–Falk Field as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They were led by head coach David Pierce, in his 6th season at Texas.
The 2022 Davidson Wildcats baseball team represented Davidson College during the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. It was the program's 121st baseball season, and their 7th season the Atlantic 10 Conference. The regular season began on February 18 and concluded on May 21, 2022.
The 2023 Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2023 college baseball season. Florida competes in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games will be played at Condron Ballpark on the university's Gainesville, Florida, campus, in the third season at the ballpark. The team is coached by Kevin O'Sullivan in his sixteenth season as Florida's head coach. The Gators enter the season looking to return to the College World Series after a home regional final loss in the 2022 NCAA tournament.
