What are some of the best D1 Baseball schools around? If you have a passion for sports, it’s natural to want to find the best schools for that sport! And if you’re passionate about baseball, you may be interested in finding the best schools for college baseball teams.
But, with so many D1 baseball schools out there — and with every school touting their new facilities, how do you know which schools are best and which programs will benefit your chances of getting a professional contract? Some of the biggest names in MLB have a history with one of these schools.
The best D1 baseball schools have a reputation for producing professional players at a high rate. It’s no surprise that the top D1 schools for baseball are also among the most prestigious and selective colleges in the country. Many schools have great baseball programs. These programs recruit high-caliber talent and give us some of MLB’s best players.
Many different schools offer excellent baseball programs. The best D1 school for baseball will depend on what type of player you are and your goals. If you want to be drafted and play professionally, there are some key factors you need to consider when choosing the right school. With that said, if you’re considering pursuing baseball at the next level, then it might be worth your time to look into some of these colleges.
1. Ole Miss, University of Mississippi
There are game records dating back to 1893 that the University of Mississippi has kept. The year 1947 is generally accepted as the beginning of the period that is referred to as the “modern era.”
Twenty people have held the head coach position for the Ole Miss baseball team throughout its history; however, only six have kept it recently. In June of 1764, Mike Bianco was hired to take over as the head coach of the baseball team for the Ole Miss Rebels.
The Rebel baseball team had not been in postseason play since 1977, even though by the middle of the 1990s, they were routinely winning thirty games in a season.
The dedication to baseball, on the other hand, remained unwavering. After Jake Gibbs announced his retirement in 1990, Don Kessinger, another former Rebel All-American, and major league standout, took over as team manager.
His 1995 club broke the team’s postseason winless streak with 40 victories and a spot in the playoffs. The Rebels, who All-Americans David Delucci and Jamey Price led, made it to the final game of the regional tournament for the 1995 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament but ultimately lost to the host school, Florida State.
They have won four championships in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference, the most recent of which came in 2018. The Rebels men’s basketball team has been in the NCAA Tournament 23 times and has won seven titles in the Southeastern Conference tournament.
In addition, they have made it to the College World Series six times, the most recent of which was in the year 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. It is not uncommon for Ole Miss to bring in more than 10,000 supporters for a single game.
Ole Miss recorded the first attendance of more than 10,000 people (10,323) on June 6, 2009, when Ole miss played the Super Regional match vs. Virginia. On April 13, 2013, a regular season game versus Alabama drew a crowd of 11,729 spectators, making it the first time that number has been exceeded.
On February 17, 2017, the first crowd to reach 12,000 (12,117) jammed Swayze Stadium for a game versus East Carolina on the first day of the season. The current record stood at 12,151 and was established on April 28, 2018, when LSU was the opponent.
Record: 42-23
Founded: 1893
NCAA Division: Division I, SEC-Western Division
Colors: Cardinal red and navy blue
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma has a rich history in college baseball, including seven College World Series titles. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are the most dominant team in the state, winning 12 national championships. They have won 11 of their titles under head coach Gary Ward, who has been at the helm since 1981.
The Cowboys play at the O’Brate Stadium, which opened in 2021 and seats 3,500 fans. The O’Brate Stadium features a grass field with a sprinkler system and lights for night games. The stadium is located just west of downtown Oklahoma City near the Chesapeake Energy Arena and Cox Convention Center.
By the completion of the 2021 season, Oklahoma State had amassed a total of 25 conference tournament victories in addition to their 24 regular season conference titles. In addition, the Cowboys have received 46 invitations to the NCAA Tournament and have participated in 20 College World Series. Between 1981 and 1987, the Cowboys set an NCAA record by appearing in seven consecutive CWS tournaments in a row.
Record: 45-24
Founded: 1909
NCAA division: Division I
Colors: Orange and black
3. Texas A&M, Texas A&M University
The Texas A&M Aggie baseball team competes in NCAA Division I collegiate baseball as the representative team for Texas A&M University. Since 2013, Texas A&M University’s Aggies have been members of the Southeastern Conference. Olsen Field is the venue for the Aggies’ home games. Jim Schlossnagle is serving as the head coach.
Through the 2014 season, the record for the Texas A&M baseball program is 2550-1427-42, which equates to a winning percentage of.634. Twenty different conference titles have been taken home by the Aggies. In addition, there have been 33 occasions that Texas A&M has competed in the NCAA tournament, and they have made it to the College World Series seven times: in 1951, 1964, 1993, 1999, 2011, 2017, and 2023.
Olsen Field in Blue Bell Park, named in honor of C. Olsen, is where the Aggies play their home games. E. “Pat” Olsen was a professional baseball player who had played for the New York Yankees farm system. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1923. The stadium was opened in 1978 and had a significant makeover following the season in 2011. In 2011, each game had an average attendance of little than 4,000 people.
Record: 44-20
Founded: 1894
NCAA Division: Division I
Colors: Maroon and white
4. Arkansas Razorbacks, University of Arkansas
Between 1897 and 1930, Arkansas was home to its first baseball club. The year 1947 marked the beginning of the modern era of Razorbacks baseball, led by Deke Brackett. Between 1950 and 1965, Bill Ferrell was the team captain, while Wayne Robbins was in charge from 1966 to 1969.
In 1970, Cole recruited Norm DeBriyn, then 28 years old, after another man had taken the position but quit after just one day on the job. The documentation for the team was all stuffed into a single manila folder when DeBriyn acquired it, and the stadium it played in was falling apart. The stadium was located at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Almost immediately, he began the process of enhancing the software.
After three years under his leadership, the Razorbacks qualified for the NCAA tournament for the very first time in the institution’s history. After that, he successfully convinced the athletic director, Frank Broyles, to construct a new stadium on campus. The Razorbacks captured the regular season conference championship and ended with a record of 50–13 overall and 22–8 in the SEC.
The Razorbacks went on to become champions of the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament in 2021 as well. They were the number one seed when they entered the NCAA Tournament. They qualified for the Super Regionals by winning the Fayetteville Regional at home with a 3-1. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks’ season ended with a defeat at the hands of NC State in the Fayetteville Super Regional that they had hosted.
Dave Van Horn is the head coach of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team, competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member. The program’s first game was played in 1897 and will celebrate its 100th season of competition (75th consecutive) in 2023.
Record: 46–21
Founded: 1897
NCAA Division: Division I
Colors: Cardinal and white
5. Stanford Cardinal Baseball, Stanford University
The Stanford Cardinal baseball team competes in NCAA Division I collegiate baseball as the representative team representing Stanford University. Most of Stanford’s other sports teams, including the baseball club, compete in the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12). The Cardinal are now coached by David Esquer and play their home games on campus at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond. Klein Field is located at the Sunken Diamond.
There have been 31 occasions that the Cardinal have competed in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, and they have made 16 appearances in the College World Series. In addition, they have two National Championships to their name, one from the College World Series in 1987 and another from 1988.
Sam Fuld, who would play in the big leagues, holds the record for most career hits with 24, surpassing Keith Moreland’s previous mark of 23 set during the 1973–1975 College World Series.
Record: 47-18
Founded: 1892
NCAA Division: Division I
Colors: Cardinal and white
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Baseball, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
The baseball program of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, is known as the Fighting Irish, and it competes in college baseball. In the NCAA Division 1 collegiate baseball league, Notre Dame participates as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This league represents the highest level of competition.
Shawn Stiffler now leads the club, and the Frank Eck Baseball Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 1,825, serves as the venue for the team’s home games. In addition to its six conference championships, this university has competed in the College World Series on three separate occasions (1957, 2023, and 2023).
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended the 2021 season with a record of 33-11 (25-10), which was enough to win the ACC Atlantic Division. For the first time since 2004, Notre Dame has been allowed to host regionals. The University of Connecticut, the University of Michigan, and Central Michigan were all assigned to compete with Notre Dame in the South Bend regional.
The Irish finished the regional tournament with a perfect record of three wins and zero losses. The Irish won their game against UCONN in the second round of the regional tournament on June 5, 2021, with a score of 26–3. It was a new high for the number of runs scored in a single postseason game in the program’s history. The Irish made it to the Starkville Super Regional, but they were defeated by Mississippi State, who went on to win the baseball national championship for 2021.
Record: NA
Founded: 1892
NCAA Division: Division I
Colors: Blue and gold
7. Auburn Tigers, Auburn University
Auburn Baseball has competed in a total of 22 NCAA Regionals, won six SEC titles and three SEC Tournament championships, participated in the College World Series (CWS) six times, and won three of those championships.
Hal Baird stepped down from his position as head coach at the end of the 2000 season. Baird led the Auburn baseball team for 16 years and finished with a fantastic record of 634-328-0 during his tenure as head coach.
It was announced on September 1, 1999, that Steve Renfroe would succeed Hal Baird as the head baseball coach at Auburn University, effective after the 2000 season. Renfroe began his coaching career at Auburn in 1981 as an assistant and remained in that capacity until 1995 when he was appointed assistant head coach.
Before being promoted to head coach at Auburn, Renfroe served as an assistant coach for a significant amount of time. Renfroe was immediately fired from his position as head baseball coach at Auburn on June 7, 2004.
During his time as head coach, he had an overall record of 145–92, including a perfect record in the SEC (60–60). The first three Auburn teams that Renfroe coached made it to the NCAA Baseball Tournaments. They made it as far as Tallahassee, Florida in 2001, Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2002, and Auburn, Alabama in 2003, when they hosted a Regional.
Record: 43–22
Founded: 1895
NCAA Division: Division I – Southeastern Conference, Western Division
Colors: Burnt orange and navy blue
8. Texas Longhorns Baseball, University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin has a men’s baseball team called the Texas Longhorns that competes in the NCAA Division I intercollegiate baseball tournament for men. The Big 12 Conference is where you can now find the Longhorns competing.
In 1894, the University of Texas was the first school in the United States to hold varsity intercollegiate play in baseball. With an all-time won-loss record of 3696–1396–32 (.724) as of the completion of the 2023 season, Texas is the winningest NCAA Division I college baseball program of all time in terms of win percentage. This includes a 3526–1248–28 (.737) record against other collegiate teams.
The Longhorns are now in second place all-time in terms of victories, behind only the Fordham Rams. In the sport of baseball, Texas has compiled a record of 79 regular-season conference titles as well as 16 conference tournament championships.
Roger Clemens, Calvin Schiraldi, Burt Hooton, Keith Moreland, Spike Owen, Mark Petkovsek, Greg Swindell, Brandon Belt, and Huston Street are some of the former Longhorns who have found success in Major League Baseball after playing for the University of Texas.
Record: 47-22
Founded: 1894
NCAA Division: Division I, Big 12 Conference
Colors: Burnt orange and white
9. Tennessee Volunteers Baseball, University of Tennessee
In the highest level of college baseball competition, the NCAA Division I, the University of Tennessee, is represented by the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team. The University of Tennessee’s baseball team and most of the university’s other varsity sports programs compete in the Eastern division of the Southeastern Conference. Lindsey Nelson Stadium is the site of all the Volunteers’ home contests on campus.
The NCAA Regional championship game between Oklahoma State University and Lindsey Nelson Stadium on May 28, 1995, had a total attendance of 5,086 people. This was a record for the stadium.
Record: 57-9
Founded: 1794
NCAA Division: Division I, SEC- Eastern Division
Colors: Orange and white
10. Oregon State Beavers, Oregon State University
The Oregon State University baseball program competes at the highest level of college baseball competition, NCAA Division I, as the Oregon State Beavers. The Pac-12 Conference is the league that the club competes.
They presently have Mitch Canham as their head coach, while Ryan Gipson, Darwin Barney, and Rich Dorman are helping him out as assistants. Goss Stadium, located on Coleman Field, is where they play their home games.
As a result of their victories in the College World Series in 2006, 2007, and 2018, the Oregon State Beavers baseball team became the most successful college baseball program in the history of the Super Regionals. In addition, the team has taken home 26 conference titles, competed in a combined 21 NCAA tournaments, and made seven appearances in the College World Series.
Record: 48-18
Founded: 1907
NCAA Division: Division I-Pac-12 Conference
Colors: Orange and black
And there you have it. Even if your school isn’t mentioned in the article, don’t fret — a quality education can be found in many places. For example, the Association of American Universities lists almost 40 schools that send a minimum of 50% of their student-athletes to the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) from baseball alone. And looking at recent national champions and NCAA tournament appearances, there’s no shortage of talent at the college level.
