Over the past decade, the SEC and ACC have been the frontrunners in college baseball.
The two conferences have combined for 159 NCAA Regional appearances in the last ten years, and the SEC is riding back-t0-back seasons with ten postseason teams.
In just the past five years, the SEC and ACC boast three National Champions (Florida and Vanderbilt from the SEC; Virginia from the ACC). Six of this year's College World Series participants were from the SEC and ACC (Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi St, and Auburn from the SEC; Louisville and Florida State from the ACC).
The modern landscape of college baseball has been strongly shaped by the ACC and SEC.
In terms of progress, the Big Ten and American Conference are leagues on the rise. Changes to the RPI calculation which now helps benefit cold weather schools who must travel for the first several weeks of the season have boosted representation from the Big Ten. Between 2010 and 2014, the Big Ten averaged 1.6 Regional teams per year. The next following five years saw that average increase to 4.4 teams per year.
After the American Conference spent its first season in NCAA Baseball as a single-bid league, the AAC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament every year since. The American has quickly established itself as one of the elite college baseball conferences.
The Big XII and Pac 12 have both been models of consistency over the past decade. The Big XII's performance is particularly noteworthy, as they currently only have nine schools that field a baseball team.
The college baseball landscape continues to change as more schools invest in their facilities and teams. The traditional powerhouses in college baseball are seeing more and more challengers from the mid-major ranks.
Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!
Comments