The NCAA will honor BYU's request not to play on Sundays during this year's Division I baseball tournament, an NCAA official told CBS Sports on Tuesday.
Ron Prettyman, managing director of championships and alliances, confirmed the existence of a memo that has gone out to all 295 Division I baseball programs. Any school hosting a regional or super regional -- traditionally played Friday through Sunday -- will have to play a Thursday-through-Saturday competition if BYU is involved.
The Mormon faith teaches that Sunday is a Sabbath day to be filled with spiritual contemplation. The Sunday exemption has been mentioned in the past as a possible issue were BYU to join a conference for football.
While BYU is independent in football and doesn't play on Sunday, the Cougars joined the West Coast Conference in most all other sports in 2011 with the condition that contests wouldn't be scheduled on Sundays. That includes this week's WCC Tournament from Thursday through Saturday in Stockton, California.
BYU is currently 37-15 and the No. 2 conference seed heading into the WCC Tournament.
BYU baseball hasn't been a concern for the NCAA Selection Committee since 2002. That's the last time the Cougars were in an NCAA regional. The NCAA previously accommodated BYU in the national tournament in 1979 and 1994, according to the school's website.
The Cougars last played in the College World Series in 1971.
It's already assured, if the Cougars make the College World Series, that there wouldn't be Sunday conflicts. BYU would be bracketed to play in Saturday and Monday opening games, June 18 and 20. The next Sunday, June 26, is an off day before the beginning of the best-of-three championship series.
"It's not just BYU -- it's two or three schools that have requested that religious exemption," Prettyman said.
The NCAA Baseball Tournament kicks off with regionals on June 3. The winners from those 16 sites will advance to super regionals the next week. The eight winners from that best-of-three series will advance to Omaha for the CWS
The NCAA was previously set to accommodate BYU with a Sunday exemption in women's soccer in 2012. BYU lost an quarterfinal game, however, so the point became moot.
