# 1986 NCAA Division I baseball season

The 1986 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1986. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1986 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the fortieth time in 1986, consisted of one team from each of eight regional competitions and was held in Omaha, Nebraska, at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. Arizona claimed the championship for the third time.

## Realignment and format changes

* The Big South Conference was granted NCAA Division I status, joining after one season in the NAIA. The members were Armstrong State, Augusta State, Baptist, Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Radford, UNC Asheville, and Winthrop.
* The Colonial Athletic Association began sponsoring baseball, with American, East Carolina, George Mason, James Madison, Richmond, UNC Wilmington, and William & Mary composing the seven team league.
* The Southeastern Conference dissolved its two division format, playing as a single conference with all teams playing a three-game series against every other conference member.
* Stetson joined the Trans America Athletic Conference. They had previously played as an independent.

## Conference winners

This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1986 season. The NCAA sponsored regional competitions to determine the College World Series participants. Four regionals of four teams and four of six each competed in double-elimination tournaments, with the winners advancing to Omaha. 25 teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship while 15 teams earned at-large selections.
| Conference | Regular season Winner | Conference tournament | Tournament venue • city | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | NC State | 1986 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament | Durham Athletic Park • Durham, NC | Georgia Tech |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | East - Rutgers West - West Virginia | 1986 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament | Piscataway, New Jersey | Rutgers |
| Big East Conference | North - Providence/St. John's South - Seton Hall | 1986 Big East Conference baseball tournament | Muzzy Field • Bristol, CT | St. John's |
| Big Eight Conference | Oklahoma State | 1986 Big Eight Conference baseball tournament | All Sports Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | Oklahoma State |
| Big South Conference | East - Campbell West - Augusta State | 1986 Big South Conference baseball tournament | Augusta, GA | Coastal Carolina |
| Big Ten Conference | East - Michigan West - Minnesota | 1986 Big Ten Conference baseball tournament | Siebert Field • Minneapolis, MN | Michigan |
| Colonial Athletic Association | East Carolina/James Madison | 1986 Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament | Harrington Stadium • Greenville, NC | Richmond |
| EIBL | Navy | No tournament | No tournament | No tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Central Michigan | No tournament | No tournament | No tournament |
| Midwestern Collegiate Conference | North - Detroit South - Oral Roberts | 1986 Midwestern City Conference baseball tournament | Detroit, MI | Oral Roberts |
| Metro Conference | Florida State | 1986 Metro Conference baseball tournament | Seminole Stadium • Tallahassee, FL | Florida State |
| Mid-Continent | Blue - Cleveland State Gray - Southwest Missouri State | 1986 Association of Mid-Continent Universities baseball tournament | Chicago, IL | Southwest Missouri State |
| Pacific-10 Conference | North - Oregon State South - UCLA | No tournament | No tournament | No tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | UC Santa Barbara | No tournament | No tournament | No tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | LSU | 1986 Southeastern Conference baseball tournament | Alex Box Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | LSU |
| Southern Conference | North - Appalachian State South - Western Carolina | 1986 Southern Conference baseball tournament | Hennon Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina |
| Southwest Conference | Texas/Texas A&M | 1986 Southwest Conference baseball tournament | Olsen Field • College Station, TX | Texas A&M |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | East - Georgia Southern West - Hardin–Simmons | 1986 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Hunter Field • Abilene, TX | Georgia Southern |

## Conference standings

The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:
1986 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings :
| 1986 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 29 NC State ‍†‍‍$^y$ 11–2 .84635–15 .700 No. 17 Georgia Tech ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 10–4 .71445–23 .662 Clemson ‍‍‍ 9–4 .69242–21 .667 North Carolina ‍‍‍ 7–7 .50033–22 .600 Virginia ‍‍‍ 6–7 .46227–22 .551 Wake Forest ‍‍‍ 6–8 .42929–21 .580 Maryland ‍‍‍ 3–10 .23118–28 .391 Duke ‍‍‍ 2–12 .14325–17 .595 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT East Rutgers $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 9–2–0 .81828–18–0 .609 Temple ‍‍‍ 8–3–0 .72730–17–1 .635 Rhode Island ‍‍‍ 4–7–1 .37514–15–1 .483 UMass ‍‍‍ 4–7–0 .36416–24–0 .400 Saint Joseph's ‍‍‍ 2–8–1 .2276–26–1 .197 West West Virginia $^x$‍‍‍ 9–2–0 .81824–14–1 .628 George Washington ‍‍‍ 8–2–0 .80028–13–1 .679 Penn State ‍‍‍ 7–4–0 .63629–19–0 .604 St. Bonaventure ‍‍‍ 2–9–0 .18213–26–0 .333 Duquesne ‍‍‍ 1–10–0 .09121–10–0 .677 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Big East Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT North Division Providence $^x$‍‍‍ 11–7–0 .61128–23–0 .549 No. 30 St. John's $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 11–7–0 .61135–15–1 .696 Connecticut ‍‍‍ 10–8–0 .55618–21–0 .462 Boston College ‍‍‍ 4–14–0 .22214–23–0 .378 South Division Seton Hall $^x$‍‍‍ 13–5–0 .72232–26–0 .552 Georgetown ‍‍‍ 12–6–0 .66723–22–0 .511 Villanova ‍‍‍ 8–10–0 .44421–20–1 .512 Pittsburgh ‍‍‍ 3–15–0 .16710–22–0 .313 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1986 Big South Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Campbell $^x$‍‍‍ 14–3 .82431–20 .608 Winthrop ‍‍‍ 11–4 .73337–10 .787 UNC Asheville ‍‍‍ 6–11 .35317–32 .347 Radford ‍‍‍ 1–14 .06714–22 .389 West Augusta State $^x$‍‍‍ 12–6 .66736–23 .610 Coastal Carolina ‍‍‡‍ 9–9 .50031–19 .620 Baptist ‍‍‍ 8–10 .44432–19 .627 Armstrong State ‍‍‍ 7–11 .38937–20 .649 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Big Ten Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East No. 28 Michigan $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 13–3 .81342–17 .712 Purdue ‍‍‍ 9–7 .56337–27 .578 Indiana ‍‍‍ 7–9 .43843–17 .717 Michigan State ‍‍‍ 7–9 .43828–26 .519 Ohio State ‍‍‍ 4–12 .25021–27 .438 West Minnesota $^x$‍‍‍ 10–5 .66740–19 .678 Wisconsin ‍‍‍ 10–6 .62535–22 .614 Northwestern ‍‍‍ 9–7 .56339–14 .736 Illinois ‍‍‍ 8–8 .50034–19 .642 Iowa ‍‍‍ 2–13 .13329–27 .518 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Colonial Athletic Association baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT East Carolina ‍†‍‍ 13–5–0 .72240–10–0 .800 James Madison ‍†‍‍ 13–5–0 .72235–14–0 .714 Richmond ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 12–6–0 .66724–31–0 .436 UNC Wilmington ‍‍‍ 10–8–0 .55629–28–0 .509 George Mason ‍‍‍ 8–10–0 .44427–20–1 .573 William & Mary ‍‍‍ 4–14–0 .2227–38–0 .156 American ‍‍‍ 3–15–0 .1678–26–0 .235 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1986 NCAA Division I baseball independents standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UCF ‍‍‍ – –46–13 .780 No. 12 Tulane ‍‍‍$^y$ – –49–15 .766 No. 3 Miami (FL) ‍‍‍$^y$ – –49–17 .742 FIU ‍‍‍ – –41–18 .695 No. 25 Texas–Pan American ‍‍‍$^y$ – –42–19 .689 Liberty ‍‍‍ – –26–14 .650 Pace ‍‍‍ – –24–15 .615 West Chester ‍‍‍ – –23–15 .605 Southwestern Louisiana ‍‍‍ – –33–26 .559 New Orleans ‍‍‍ – –29–30 .492 United States International ‍‍‍ – –28–32 .467 New Mexico State ‍‍‍ – –20–26 .435 Northern Colorado ‍‍‍ – –18–24 .429 Tennessee State ‍‍‍ – –17–25 .405 Dayton ‍‍‍ – –16–25 .390 Manhattan ‍‍‍ – –9–17 .346 Puget Sound ‍‍‍ – –12–24 .333 Florida A&M ‍‍‍ – –15–30 .333 Boston University ‍‍‍ – –5–30 .143 y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Metro Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Florida State ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 15–3 .83361–13 .824 Memphis State ‍‍‍ 11–5 .68840–16 .714 South Carolina ‍‍‍$^y$ 11–6 .64743–23 .652 Virginia Tech ‍‍‍ 11–6 .64738–21 .644 Cincinnati ‍‍‍ 9–9 .50026–28 .481 Southern Miss ‍‍‍ 4–13 .23531–30 .508 Louisville ‍‍‍ 3–13 .18818–33 .353 † – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Association of Mid-Continent Universities baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT Blue Division Cleveland State $^x$‍‍‍ 7–4–0 .63623–24–0 .489 UIC ‍‍‍ 6–6–0 .50026–26–0 .500 Valparaiso ‍‍‍ 4–7–0 .36422–25–1 .469 Gray Division Southwest Missouri State $^x$‍‍‡‍ 11–1–0 .91747–14–0 .770 Western Illinois ‍‍‍ 6–6–0 .50019–22–0 .463 Eastern Illinois ‍‍‍ 4–7–0 .36429–22–1 .567 Northern Iowa ‍‍‍ 2–9–0 .18225–18–1 .580 ‡ – Tournament champion As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1986 Pacific-10 Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern No. 23 Oregon State $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 18–5 .78339–15 .722 Gonzaga ‍‍‍ 13–10 .56530–21 .588 Portland State ‍‍‍ 12–11 .52239–23 .629 Washington State ‍‍‍ 11–12 .47835–24 .593 Portland ‍‍‍ 10–13 .43524–26 .480 Washington ‍‍‍ 9–14 .39125–23 .521 Eastern Washington ‍‍‍ 8–16 .33322–28 .440 Southern No. 13 UCLA $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 21–9 .70039–23 .629 No. 1 Arizona ‍‍‍$^y$ 18–12 .60049–19 .721 No. 15 Stanford ‍‍‍$^y$ 18–12 .60038–23 .623 Southern California ‍‍‍ 12–18 .40026–29 .473 Arizona State ‍‍‍ 11–19 .36734–28 .548 California ‍‍‍ 10–20 .33332–25 .561 x – Division champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Southeastern Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 LSU ‍†‍‡‍$^y$ 22–5 .81555–14 .797 No. 21 Alabama ‍‍‍$^y$ 18–9 .66743–20 .683 Auburn ‍‍‍ 15–12 .55631–24 .564 Ole Miss ‍‍‍ 14–13 .51938–17 .691 Georgia ‍‍‍ 14–13 .51935–24 .593 Florida ‍‍‍ 14–13 .51927–26 .509 Mississippi State ‍‍‍ 12–15 .44434–21 .618 Tennessee ‍‍‍ 10–17 .37027–23 .540 Vanderbilt ‍‍‍ 9–18 .33325–29 .463 Kentucky ‍‍‍ 7–20 .25925–28 .472 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1986 Southern Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern Appalachian State $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 15–2 .88240–13 .755 East Tennessee State ‍‍‍ 9–9 .50021–21 .500 VMI ‍‍‍ 7–11 .38915–25 .375 Marshall ‍‍‍ 4–13 .23515–18 .455 Southern Western Carolina $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 12–5 .70633–28 .541 Davidson ‍‍‍ 10–8 .55621–20 .512 The Citadel ‍‍‍ 9–9 .50029–20 .592 Furman ‍‍‍ 4–13 .23515–24 .385 x – Division champion ‡ – SoCon Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1986 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Georgia Southern $^x$‍‍‡‍ 12–6 .66736–23 .610 Mercer ‍‍‍ 8–10 .44425–24 .510 Georgia State ‍‍‍ 8–10 .44423–29 .442 Samford ‍‍‍ 8–10 .44414–37 .275 West Hardin–Simmons $^x$‍†‍‍ 12–4 .75038–25 .603 Centenary ‍‍‍ 8–7 .53327–28 .491 Arkansas–Little Rock ‍‍‍ 3–12 .20011–35 .239 Stetson ‍‍‍ – –36–22 .621 x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1986 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |

## College World Series

The 1986 season marked the fortieth NCAA baseball tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Arizona claiming their third championship with a 10–2 win over Florida State in the final.
| Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Upper final | Upper final | Upper final | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Final | Final | Final |
| Loyola Marymount | Loyola Marymount | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| LSU | LSU | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| LSU | LSU | 3 | Loyola Marymount | Loyola Marymount | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Arizona | Arizona | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arizona | Arizona | 8 | Arizona | Arizona | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maine | Maine | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maine | Maine | 7 | | | | Arizona | Arizona | 9 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Florida State | Florida State | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 6 | | | | Florida State | Florida State | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 6 | | | | | | | Arizona | Arizona | 2 | | | | | | |
| Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | 2 | | | | | | | Arizona | Arizona | 2 | | | | | | |
| Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | 2 | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 2 | | | | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | Florida State | Florida State | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Florida State | Florida State | 5 | Florida State | Florida State | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana State | Indiana State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Arizona | Arizona | 10 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 3 | Florida State | Florida State | 2 |
| | | | Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | | | | | Florida State | Florida State | 4 | | | |
| | | | | | | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | | | | | | 4 | | | | | |
| | | | LSU | LSU | 8 | LSU | LSU | | | | | | 3 | | | | | |
| | | | LSU | LSU | 8 | LSU | LSU | | Florida State | Florida State | 6 | | 3 | | | | | |
| | | | Maine | Maine | 4 | | | | Florida State | Florida State | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Maine | Maine | 4 | | | | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | 5 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Loyola Marymount | Loyola Marymount | | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | 5 | 5 | | | | | | |
| | | | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | 4 | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | | | | | 11 | | | | | | |
| | | | Indiana State | Indiana State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |