Whistlers allowed, Mississippi State cowbells aren't at Vanderbilt Super Regional

Vanderbilt baseball can’t play its usual music over the stadium sound system at this weekend’s Super Regional, and Mississippi State fans can't ring their cowbells.

No cell phones are allowed in dugouts, but a long-distance phone line is mandatory. And players are allowed to drink Gatorade, but only from Powerade bottles.

These are a few of the curious requirements in the 71-page NCAA rule book for hosting a Division I Super Regional baseball series, which Vanderbilt will do against Mississippi State beginning Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2). Here are those and some other interesting rules of note:

LIVE UPDATES:Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State in Super Regional

Whistlers yes, cowbells no

Vanderbilt has two infamous whistlers, Jeff Pack and Preacher Franklin, at its games. Opposing fans, and some Vanderbilt fans, hate their loud shrieks. But those natural sounds, just like yelling or cheering, are permitted.

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Mississippi State fans are known for ringing cowbells in support of the Bulldogs, but those are specifically prohibited. The NCAA Super Regional rulebook says, “Artificial noisemakers, air horns, cowbells, electronic instruments, etc. are not permissible. Stadium management is responsible for removing such instruments from the stadium.”

Earlier this season, Mississippi State announced via Twitter an official ban of cowbells at its newly renovated baseball stadium, but not all fans followed the rule. This weekend, the Super Regional rule book says cowbells "shall be removed upon discovery."

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No walk-up songs or House of Pain

When Vanderbilt scores a run in the regular season, it is celebrated with the House of Pain song, “Jump Around,” as fans stand, bob their heads and hands and flash the Star-V sign. But such partisan music is not allowed in a Super Regional, as the playlist must be neutral.

That also means Vanderbilt batters are not accompanied by their individual walk-up songs because Mississippi State batters are not given the same treatment. There will also not be any playful jabs over the stadium speakers like ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” when a Mississippi State batter strikes out.

Keep your signs small, in good taste

Want to get on ESPN with a clever sign? Just make sure it’s not too big and not too snarky. The rulebook says the only signs, flags and banners allowed “can be held by one individual, reflect good sportsmanship and do not block the view of other ticket patrons.” If it’s not in good taste, tournament officials are directed to confiscate the sign.

How Mississippi State fans got tickets

It may be a Vanderbilt home game, but the NCAA requires that a minimum 600 tickets must be made available to the visiting team’s fans, and not in the cheap sets. Every Mississippi State ticket, through the primary ticket-buying source, must be located between first and third bases. But if Bulldog fans don’t buy them all by 10 a.m. Friday, they become available to Vanderbilt fans. For now, Vanderbilt is not accepting anymore ticket orders.

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Drink everything in Powerade bottles

Players can drink water, Gatorade or whatever hydrating beverage they want, as long as it’s in a bottle or cup branded with Powerade or Dasani, which are both brands of Coca-Cola, an NCAA corporate sponsor. That shouldn’t be a problem for Vanderbilt because it has the same corporate sponsorship. But even if it didn’t, the NCAA supplies each team with 432 Dasani water bottles, 168 Powerade bottles, 12 Powerade drink packets, 2,000 Powerade cups and 24 coolers.

Umpires call long-distance on instant replays

No cell phones are allowed in the dugout. However, a landline phone with long-distance capabilities is required for umpires to call an NCAA off-site national instant replay command center, where two unnamed individuals make the call.

So the on-field umpires that fans boo actually don’t reverse or uphold calls on replay. Two people far away from the ballpark do that. However, the Super Regional rulebook requires the host school to provide extra security for the umpire crew chief and the umpire who made the disputed call.

Keep the mascots off the field

Vanderbilt mascot Mr. Commodore is a regular at Hawkins Field, and he can be at postseason games, too. However, he must remain in fan areas like the stands and concourse because mascots are never allowed on the field during a Super Regional.

And if you thought Mr. Commodore would need to be near the mound to celebrate a ceremonial first pitch, those are also not permitted before Super Regional games.

By the way, live mascots like Mississippi State’s Bully, an English bulldog, are also permissible in fan areas, but they can't be on the field either.

NCAA ships lots of baseballs to Super Regional

Vanderbilt will receive a shipment of 180 Rawlings FSR1NCAA baseballs from the NCAA to use in games. If supplies run low, Vanderbilt can purchase identical balls to finish the series and charge them to the NCAA as a game expense.

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But before any baseballs are used, the host school must provide “rubbing mud” to umpires so they can remove all glossiness from the balls.

P.A. announcer can't raise voice too much

And, finally, in the spirit of neutrality, the NCAA requires that the host school refrain from showing partiality through the stadium public address announcer or video board. That means the announcer can have no special voice inflection when Vanderbilt hits a home run or makes an eye-popping defensive play like in the regular season.

Video board messages also cannot be used “to encourage” Vanderbilt players or “attempt to intimidate” Mississippi State players, according to the Super Regional rulebook. That may seem stale in an otherwise championship atmosphere, but it’s part of the strict guidelines schools must follow for the privilege of hosting a series that sends a team to the College World Series.

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks

SUPER REGIONAL

VANDERBILT VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE

When (time, TV): Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2), Saturday (8:30 p.m., ESPN), Sunday (if necessary, 5 p.m., ESPN2)

Where: Hawkins Field

Radio: 560 AM, 95.9 FM