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Florida high school baseball state semifinals and finals will become best-of-three series in spring 2027 after the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors voted 11-0 on Monday to replace the single-elimination format.

The board also approved rule changes for beach volleyball, track and field, and flag football.

How the new baseball playoff format works

The change, approved at the board's first meeting of the 2026-27 school year in Gainesville, applies to every FHSAA classification, including Clearwater-area programs. Semifinal series will be played at the higher-ranked team's home field, and only the finalists in each class will travel to Fort Myers for the championship.

The Open Division, which includes the eight highest-ranked teams statewide, will use pool play with best-of-three series in every round, according to the FHSAA's meeting recap.

The FHSAA introduced best-of-three series for regional rounds in 2024 but scaled them back in 2025 after travel complaints. State semifinals and finals had remained single-elimination until now.

Coaches back change as athletic directors split

"I think this is a big win for the baseball community," said FHSAA board member Trevor Berryhill, who coaches baseball at The Master's Academy, according to Yahoo Sports. "For every decision we make the goal should be to maximize student experience."

Before the board vote, the FHSAA's baseball advisory coaches committee endorsed the format change 8-0. The athletic directors committee approved it 7-4 and raised concerns about added costs for hotel stays and missed school days.

Beach volleyball and track and field changes

The FHSAA recap listed five beach volleyball procedure changes: a modified deadline for lineup changes, specified penalties for lineup violations, a jewelry policy aligned with National Federation of State High School Associations indoor volleyball rules, new rules governing pair positioning at district tournaments, and a requirement that MaxPreps submissions include each pair's line number.

For track and field, the board approved a new regional qualification procedure for the 2027 season. At district meets, the top two finishers in each event will advance to regionals, along with the next eight best eligible marks in the region from district meets or approved regular-season qualifying meets. The board also updated javelin warm-up regulations and added language on prohibited items during competition.

The FHSAA board of directors is scheduled to meet next on Nov. 1-2 in Gainesville.