What is a walk-off in college baseball? NCAA rule explained

The NCAA Regionals are less than two weeks away as they are set to begin on May 31, marking the start of the 2024 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. Conference tournaments are even sooner, as they will begin on May 21. The Selection show, which announces which teams have qualified for the postseason and their seeding, will air on May 27.

While NCAA Super Regionals don't begin until June 7 or 8 and the College World Series doesn't start until June 14, the championship picture will likely become clearer over the coming weeks. With additional attention set to come to the college baseball world, take a look at what a walk-off, which there will likely be several of over the next few months, is below.

What is a walk-off in college baseball?

A walk-off is one of the most exciting plays in college baseball or any level of baseball for that matter. It occurs when the home team takes the lead in the ninth inning or extra innings. When such a situation occurs, the visiting team does not have the opportunity to come to the plate again, ending the game immediately, with the home team winning.

While walk-off home runs get the most attention, a walk-off can be recorded in multiple ways, including a hit, a bases-loaded walk or hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly, an error, an out if there are less than two outs in the inning, a wild pitch, a passed ball, or a balk.

The term walk-off was first used by National Baseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley after giving up an infamous walk-off home run to Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. His Oakland Athletics went on to lose the series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to the MLB's official website:

"Game-ending home runs that were so deep, you didn't have to look at them as a pitcher. You just "walked off." Since then, the term has evolved to connote a situation where the game ends, with the losing team left to "walk off" the field in defeat."