College baseball

College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily fulfill that role. Unlike football and basketball, players do not have to go to college to turn professional, but if they do they must complete three years to regain eligibility. There are over 280 NCAA Division I teams alone throughout the country (College). All of these teams face the same rules, obstacles, restrictions, and more throughout the year.

File:A college baseball player.jpg

A college baseball player.

As with other US intercollegiate sports, most college baseball is played under the auspices of the NCAA or the NAIA. College and university baseball teams that are club teams are organized under the National Club Baseball Association. The NCAA writes the rules of play, while each sanctioning body supervises season-ending tournaments. The final rounds of the NCAA tournaments are known as the College World Series; one is held on each of the three levels of competition sanctioned by the NCAA. The College World Series for Division I takes place in Omaha, Nebraska in June, following the regular season. The playoff bracket for Division I consists of 64 teams, with four teams playing at each of 16 regional sites (in a double-elimination format). The 16 winners advance to the Super Regionals at eight sites, played head-to-head in a best-of-three series. The eight winners then advance to the College World Series, a double elimination tournament (actually two separate four-team brackets) to determine the two national finalists. The finalists play a best-of-three series to determine the Division I national champion. In 2010, the winner of the College World Series was the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Metal versus wood bats

Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field at the University of Miami.

The argument for wood vs. metal bats has gone on for a very long time in college baseball. Currently, the NCAA is predominantly metal bats. They were implemented into the college baseball world in 1975. Supporters of these aluminum bats may say how it increases performance and how it brings in many sponsors for the collegiate teams. Those against metal and for wood would argue how metal bats are no longer safe to use and that it doesn’t prepare the players for the next level as pro baseball which is all wood. The biggest argument is, as expected, the safety issue. Studies have shown how a ball comes off a metal bat much harder, therefore decreasing the reaction time to the fielders. There was one study done involving nineteen players of different skill and playing levels. These players were given various metal and wood bats to swing with, in total recording five hundred and thirty eight hits. The researched proved the dangers and effectiveness of metal bats by coming up with the average difference of the speed of the ball off the bats to be approximately three miles per hour. The higher the skill level of the players, the higher the ball speed off the bat was as well. Although metal bats are acceptable at many little league and high school, college hitters are much stronger and more skilled. Because of this increase, the dangers of struck baseballs becomes all the more dangerous to the opposing fielding players. In 1998, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) implemented metal bat regulations. There have been numerous examples of the dangers of these aluminum bats being used, especially by these collegiate hitters. One of these is Andrew Sanchez, who was struck by a ball estimated to be going as fast as one hundred and seven miles per hour in the head. This shot gave Sanchez a cracked skull. The incident occurred while his California State University team was playing the University of Southern California on April 2, 1999. Although evidence may show the metal bats do lessen the reaction time of the fielders and increase the speed of the ball off of the bat, no change has been made for the NCAA, and switch to wood bats may still be a while away. Although the argument hasn’t made the progress it has intended to so far, it is still a widely discussed and argued controversy that will not be dropped in the near future.

Draft process

A college player at a four year school is eligible for the draft after they are done with at least three years of school. They must either compete up to their junior year or be twenty one years of age to enter the First-Year Players Draft. A player is not able to enter the draft before this unless they attend a junior college, in which case, they are eligible to leave whenever they choose to do so. There are fifty rounds in the Rule IV Major League Draft for eligible college and high school players to be selected. Despite MLB's draft being considerably longer than that of the NFL or NBA, only about 9.1% of all NCAA senior baseball players are drafted by an MLB team.

One of the biggest controversies with the draft and these amateur athletes is the use of agents. There have been many cases of college athletes consulting or hiring an agent prematurely in direct violation of NCAA rules. The NCAA came up with the “no agent rule” as a result of this for what they say was to benefit their amateur athletes. This law stated that a college player is unable to hire an agent or even a lawyer in order to assist them in negotiating a contract with a professional team. The rule states that “[a]n individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she has agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport”. Representation of an agent is considered to be any direct contact with the professional team during the contract negotiations. This contact can be made many different ways, whether through direct conversation, via mail or through the telephone. This rule is strongly enforced by the NCAA and has harsh consequences if broken.

Recruitment process

The recruitment process is similar to the previous section of the Major League Draft in that it is a high school athlete taking the next step in his career. It is like the draft and moving up to a higher level, except it is on a smaller scale and there are differences in the regulations. There as restrictions for this process as well, they are put forth towards the coaches that are trying to convince the athletes to come play for them and attend their university. College Baseball programs are only allowed to offer a limited number of scholarships a year, so receiving one of them is very competitive. Division I schools are given 11.78 scholarships and division II only 9. With this small number, schools have figured a way around it by offering a bigger number of partial baseball scholarships.

With such a limited number of scholarships to offer, college baseball programs are eager to try and get the greatest prospects they possibly can to go play at their school and for their team. There are regulations however for contacting these players just like agents during the Major League Baseball Draft. Before September 1st of a potential college player’s junior year, it is illegal for a college program to give any kind of recruiting materials to the prospect. A phone call is not even permitted to the prospect until July 1st of his junior year. These rules are very important for a coach to follow and failure to do so could result in a very harsh penalty to their program. Once the player is committed to the school of their choice, there is a time range to sign their letter of intent. The early signing period for a division baseball player is between November 8th and November 15th. The late signing period dates for these players are April 11 to August 1. The recruiting process can be a very exciting and complicated process, filled with many possibilities and tough choices that will greatly affect the future of its participants. Handling this the right way is extremely important for the coaches, universities, and players involved.

Substance policies

The substance policies for college baseball are very strict and set by the NCAA. There is a set list of the forbidden substances a college baseball player is allowed to put in their body, and there is a very strict punishment for those that defy it, whether it be intentional or unintentional. There is a very long list of these substances, including alcohol, marijuana, anabolic steroids, heroin to name a few of many. These substances fit into categories such as stimulants, anabolic steroids, diuretics, street drugs, hormones, anti-estrogens, and more. Failure to comply with this set list results in penalties.

Student-Athletes are able to be tested year round, as well as before the big series, such as the College World Series. Random drug testing is also permitted by the NCAA at any time throughout the year. If caught, this could result in ineligibility for the guilty athlete. This athlete is given a loss for one whole season for the first offense, and has to also test negative before permitted to once again join his team to compete. With each offense the penalties can also get worse, until the athlete can even be kicked off the team and banned to compete.

A study was conducted to see the patterns of these collegiate athletes use of alcohol, drugs, etc. The participants used in this experiment were male and female collegiate participants in thirty different sports for nine hundred and ninety one schools, including division I, II, and III. The results were staggering, showing that 80.5% of the 13,914 athletes use alcohol while 28.4% use marijuana. Smokeless tobacco was also found to be used by 22.5% of student athletes. These statistics are just a few examples of these surprising results, which also included use of anabolic steroids. These results clearly show that these drugs are still used within college sports, including baseball. Although the risk is huge for these athletes, it is still extremely popular within the college world.

History

The first known intercollegiate baseball game took place in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on July 1, 1859, between squads representing Amherst College and Williams College. Amherst won, 73-32. This game was one of the last played under an earlier version of the game known as "Massachusetts rules", which prevailed in New England until the "Knickerbocker Rules" (or "New York Rules") developed in the 1840s gradually became accepted. The first ever nine-man team college baseball game under the Knikerbocker Rules still in use today was played in New York on November 3, 1859 between the Fordham Rose Hill Baseball Club of St. John's College (now Fordham University) against (the now defunct) St. Francis Xavier College.

Recent growth

A map of all NCAA Division I baseball teams.

College baseball has grown phenomenally in popularity since the 1980s. Traditionally, it has been played in the early part of the year, with a relatively short schedule and during a time when cold (and/or rainy) weather hinders the ability for games to be played, particularly in the northern and midwestern parts of the U.S. These and other factors have historically led colleges and universities across the nation to effectively consider baseball a minor sport, both in scholarships as well as money and other points of emphasis. During the 1980s, coaches and athletic directors in warm-weather regions of the nation began to recognize the unrealized potential appeal of the sport. These coaches went out and aggressively recruited the sport to potential athletes, as well as made various upgrades to their programs; such as bigger and better stadiums, more money for staff and support salaries, and promotions. As these efforts resulted in better players and overall programs, more television and print media coverage began to emerge. The ESPN family of networks greatly increased television coverage of the NCAA playoffs and the College World Series.

Soon, in many warm-weather regions, baseball came to be considered a major sport, approaching the level of football and basketball. And even non-warm weather schools started to recognize baseball's potential and began to put considerably more emphasis on it. Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Oregon State are three notable examples of cold (or rainy) weather schools with very successful programs. The first two made the College World Series when warm-weather schools placed major emphasis on baseball as well as had the advantage of playing earlier and more games because of favorable climates. Oregon State won back-to-back national championships in 2006 & 2007; at that time, archrival Oregon had been without baseball for a quarter-century, having dropped its program in 1981. Many credit the Beavers' success as being a primary factor in UO's later decision to revive baseball in 2009. Minnesota has taken advantage of the use of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to play the majority of their games, including hosting a prestigious preseason tournament, and with the 2010 departure of the MLB Minnesota Twins for the new Target Field, hope to use the Metrodome for future Big Ten tournaments and bids on the NCAA tournament. Along with that, many smaller conferences (not in Division I) will play games at the Metrodome during February in order to keep up with schools in warm-weather locations. For 2008 and succeeding seasons, the NCAA has mandated the first ever start date for Division I baseball. This day is exactly thirteen weeks before the selection of the NCAA tournament field, which takes place on Memorial Day. For 2010, this date was March 1. Many feel this date will give schools outside of warm-weather areas more parity in college baseball and help continue to make the sport a major one nationally.

EA Sports released MVP 06 NCAA Baseball, the first college baseball video game ever released. It included Division I schools. A sequel, MVP 07: NCAA Baseball, was also released.

Collegiate rules

The rules of college baseball are similar to the Official Baseball Rules. Exceptions include the following:

• The bat may be made of wood or of aluminum or a metal or composite material that meets NCAA standards. Note: The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel adopted a proposal by the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, and ordered an immediate and indefinite moratorium on composite bats. NCAA research indicated bats, either through doctoring or normal use, can and do exceed limits of BESR (Bat Exit Speed Ratio, the speed at which the ball leaves the bat). Further research was called for to provide a means to assure the NCAA that composite bats remain within standards. NCAA press release dated August 24, 2009.
• The designated hitter rule is used. In addition, a player may serve as both pitcher and DH at the same time and may remain in one position when removed in the other.
• One or both ends of a doubleheader are sometimes seven innings in length. However, the NCAA has recently tightened the interpretation of what constitutes a regulation game, encouraging schools to play as many nine-inning games as possible. Seven-inning games may be played on the final day of a conference series, or if the two teams in a non-conference match will play two games in one day, often to make up a game that cannot be played earlier in the year because of inclement weather.
• A mercy rule may be in use, which terminates play when one team is ahead by 10 or more runs after seven innings (6½ innings if the home team is winning). In games that are scheduled for seven innings the rule takes effect in the fifth. This rule is not used in NCAA tournament games. Several conferences institute this rule only on Sundays or the final day of a conference series so that the visiting team can travel on time. In some conferences, the mercy rule may also be used to end such games in order to start the next tournament game on time as possible.
• There is an automatic ejection for maliciously running into a defender who is trying to tag a runner or a force out. An automatic double play may also be called if a player slides into a base in an attempt to take out the defensive player who is trying to throw the ball to continue a double play.
  • In televised games and in tournament games, instant replay may be used in tournament games to determine if a slide was malicious.

Attendance records

Top college baseball crowds of all-time

Attendance	Schools	Ballpark and Location	Date
40,106	Houston at San Diego State	Petco Park, San Diego, CA	March 11, 2004
36,056	Louisiana Tech at Minnesota	Target Field, Minneapolis, MN	March 27, 2010
28,836	Georgia Tech at Georgia	Turner Field, Atlanta, GA	May 11, 2004
27,673	LSU at Tulane	Superdome, New Orleans, LA	April 22, 2002

Top 25 on-campus college baseball crowds of all-time

Rank	Attendance	Schools, Location	Date
1	14,991	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 22, 1989
2	14,556	LSU at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 16, 1988
3	13,761	Arkansas at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 25, 1992
4	13,715	Clemson at Mississippi State, Starkville	June 9, 2007
5	13,617	Georgia at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 8, 2006
6	13,123	Ole Miss at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 15, 2000
7	12,708	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 24, 1993
8	12,620	Clemson at Mississippi State, Starkville	June 8, 2007
9	12,360	Georgia at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 6, 2002
10	12,313	Alabama at LSU, Baton Rouge	April 17, 2010
11	11,763	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 12, 2003
12	11,588	Centenary at LSU, Baton Rouge	February 19, 2010
13	11,496	Florida State at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 27, 1990
14	11,332	Alabama at LSU, Baton Rouge	April 16, 2010
15	11,225	Arkansas at LSU, Baton Rouge	March 19, 2010
16	11,220	Pepperdine at LSU, Baton Rouge	March 6, 2010
17	11,174	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 13, 1991
18	11,157	Kansas at LSU, Baton Rouge	March 12, 2010
19	11,127	South Alabama at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 26, 2000
20	11,126	Centenary at LSU, Baton Rouge	February 20, 2010
21	11,089	Tennessee at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 17, 2010
22	11,074	Kansas at LSU, Baton Rouge	March 14, 2010
23	11,014	Arizona State at Arkansas, Fayetteville	April 8, 2009
24	11,010	Georgia at LSU, Baton Rouge	April 2, 2010
25	10,958	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 9, 2005

Longest game in college baseball history

See also: Extra innings

The longest college baseball game was played between Texas and Boston College on May 30, 2009, during the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship regional tournament at Austin, Texas. Texas — which was designated the visiting team despite playing on its home field — won the game, 3-2, in 25 innings. The game lasted seven hours three minutes.

See also

• 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season
• NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
• College World Series championship (NCAA Division I)
• NCAA Division II championship
• NCAA Division III championship
• NAIA Baseball World Series championship
• NCBA World Series division D1 championship
• NCBA World Series division D2 championship
• USA Baseball (national team is made up of the top freshmen and sophomore players in U.S. college baseball)
• Amateur baseball in the United States
• College baseball standings
• National College Baseball Hall of Fame
• Baseball awards#U.S. college baseball
• List of college baseball awards
• List of college baseball career home run leaders
• List of collegiate summer baseball leagues
• List of Division I colleges that do not sponsor baseball
• World University Baseball Championship
• College athletics
• College rivalries

References

General

• Arkell, Thomas J. “Agent Interference With College Athletics: What Agents Can and Cannot Do and What Institutions Should Do In Response.” 4 Sports Law. J. (1997): 147-180. Web. 21 July 2010.
• “College Baseball Teams.” The Baseball Cube. n.p. n.d. Web. 20 July 2010.
• Green, Gary A., Frank D. Uryasz, Todd A. Petr, Corey D. Bray. “NCAA Study of Substance Use and Abuse Habits of College Student-Athletes” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 11.1 (January 2001): P.51-56. Web. 21 July 2010.
• Greenwald, Richard M., Lori H. Penna, and Joseph J. Crisco. “Differences in Batted Ball Speeds With Wood and Aluminum Baseball Bats: A Batting Cage Study.” Journal of Applied Biomechanics 17 (2001): 241-252. Web. 20 July 2010.
• Karcher, Richard T. “The NCAA’s Regulations Related to the Use of Agents in the Sport of Baseball: Are the Rules Detrimental to the Best Interest of the Amateur Athlete?” 7 Vand. J. Ent. L. & Prac. (2004-2005): 215-232. Web. 21 July 2010.
• Newlin, Clint. “Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the High School Interscholastic Level.” National Interscholastic Athletic Association. n.p. April 20 2010. Web. 22 July 2010.
• Schlegel, John. "Texas wins NCAA record 25-inning game", MLB.com (MLB Advanced Media, L.P.), May 31, 2009.
• Traub, James. “Take Me Out to the Picket Line.” WALL ST. J., A12. 21 July 2010.
• "2009 NCAA Div. I Baseball College World Series Bracket" (in column 1 (Regionals), click on Austin box; then click on Texas–BC box), NCAA.com (NCAA).
• A night to remember San Diego Union-Tribune (March 12, 2008)
• BaseballAmerica.com: College
• Minnesota-Louisiana Tech Boxscore Minnesota Athletic Communications (March 27, 2010)
• NCAA Baseball History. Historical Facts And Information Relating To College Baseball
• Record Crowd Watches No. 15 Georgia Tech Top No. 12 Georgia, 12-5 Georgia Tech Sports Information (May 11, 2004)

Specific

External links

• NCAA Sports.com - Baseball
• NCAA.org - home page
• National (Collegiate) Club Baseball Association
• College Baseball Daily
• CSTV.com - College baseball polls