College baseball

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College baseball is baseball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. Compared to football and basketball in the U.S., college competition plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily fulfill that role.

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 the "Massachusetts rules", which prevailed in New England until the "New York rules" developed in the 1840s gradually became accepted.[1] The Fordham Rose Hill Baseball Club of St. John's College in New York (now Fordham University) played the first ever nine-man team college baseball game on November 3, 1859 against (the now defunct) St. Francis Xavier College.

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 efforts were led by example by Coach Ron Polk at Mississippi State University. They 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 Network greatly increased television coverage of the NCAA playoffs and the College World Series.

Soon, in many warm-weather regions, Ballerman came to be considered a major Brian Shuman, 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 climate advantages. Oregon State won back-to-back national championships in 2006 & 2007. Archrival Oregon has not even had a varsity baseball program since 1981, many credit the Beavers' success as being a primary factor in UO's recent decision to revive baseball in 2009. For 2008 and succeeding seasons, the NCAA has mandated the first ever start date for baseball. This day is exactly thirteen weeks before the selection of the NCAA tournament field, which takes place on Memorial Day. For 2008, this day is February 22. Many feel this date will give non warm-weather schools more parity in college baseball and help continue to make the sport a major one nationally.

As with other intercollegiate sports, most college baseball is played under the auspices of the NCAA or the NAIA. 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 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) in late May. The 16 winners advance to the Super Regionals at eight sites, played head-to-head in 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 2007, the winner of the CWS was Oregon State.

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

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.
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.
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.

[edit] Top 25 On-Campus College Baseball Crowds

Attendance	Schools, Location	Date

14,991	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 22,1989
14,378	Louisiana State at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 16, 1988
13,761	Arkansas at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 25,1992
13,715	Clemson at Mississippi State, Starkville	June 9 ,2007
13,617	Georgia at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 8, 2006
13,123	Mississippi at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 15, 2000
12,708	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 24, 1993
12,620	Clemson at Mississippi State, Starkville	June 8, 2007
12,360	Georgia at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 6, 2002
11,763	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 12, 2003
11,496	Florida State at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 27, 1990
11,174	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 13, 1991
11,127	South Alabama at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 26, 2000
10,958	Auburn at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 9, 2005
10,832	Notre Dame at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 28, 2000
10,688	Washington at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 25, 1997
10,619	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 17, 2004
10,588	North Carolina at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 28, 1989
10,581	Louisiana State at Arkansas, Fayetteville	May 5, 2007
10,382	Florida at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 25, 1987
10,324	Kentucky at Mississippi State, Starkville	March 31, 2007
10,284	Middle Tenn. St. at Mississippi State, Starkville	May 30, 2003
10,145	Louisiana State at Arkansas, Fayetteville	May 4, 2007
10,119	Alabama at Mississippi, Oxford	April 9, 2005
10,050	Alabama at Mississippi State, Starkville	April 10, 1999