Baseball Scholarships
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in America, at both, the player and spectator level. In some states, baseball might be even be bigger than American football and basketball. As a result the exceptional number of athletes trying for scholarship places, leads to intense competition amongst potential candidates. This makes baseball scholarships a little tricky to attain. However, with the right contacts and by knowing the coaches from the different universities, there are indeed scholarship opportunities available for talented players from around the world.
What route should I choose?
A favourable route into college baseball for many foreign baseball players may well be through the NJCAA, the organization which runs athletic championships at junior college level. Precisely because of its popularity, the number of scholarships per team available in junior college baseball is by far the highest among all sports.
Junior College teams are allowed to award 24 scholarships per year and since most teams consist of about 30 players, the percentage of scholarship players on every team is likely to be very high. Two years of junior college might be exactly what an overseas baseball player with less experience might need to develop his game before transferring on to a 4-year university, where he will finish his degree and play his last two years of college baseball.
Just as in American Football, many baseball coaches actually look for foreign players, who although less experienced, might have this one special talent that can then be developed into a real asset over in America. Speed, a strong arm, or simply having great power with the bat are just a few attributes that an American college coach might be looking for. College Sports America gets calls from coaches all the time, asking for talented foreign players, so if you have always dreamed of playing baseball in America, do not hesitate to give it a try. It should be well worth it!
Here are some more important facts about college baseball and baseball scholarships:
- Number of NCAA Div 1 baseball teams: 299
- Number of NCAA Div 2 baseball teams: 269
- Total Number of baseball teams (all divisions): 1673
- Total number of college baseball players: Men c. 57000
- Scholarship limit per team: D1: 11.7, D2: 9, NAIA: 12, NJCAA: 24
- Former college baseball players: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley, Buster Posey, Nomar Garciaparra