College baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education . In comparison to football and basketball , college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional players , as baseball ' s professional minor leagues are more extensive . Unlike football and basketball , players do not have to go to college to turn professional . However , if they enroll at a four - year college , they must complete three years to regain eligibility , unless they reach age 21 before starting their third year of attendance . Players who enroll at junior colleges ( i . e . , two - year institutions ) regain eligibility after one year at that level , Bryce Harper being a notable example . In 2013 , there are 298 NCAA Division I teams in the United States . As with other U . S . intercollegiate sports , most college baseball is played under the auspices of the NCAA or the NAIA . College and university baseball teams that are club teams are organized under the National Club Baseball Association . The NCAA writes the rules of play , while each sanctioning body supervises season - ending tournament s . 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 , Nebraska 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 ) . The 16 winners advance to the Super Regionals at eight sites , played head - to - head 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 2012 , the winner of the College World Series was the Arizona Wildcats . History . 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 an earlier version of the game known as " Massachusetts rules " , which prevailed in New England until the " Knickerbocker Rules " ( or " New York Rules " ) developed in the 1840s gradually became accepted . The first ever nine - man team college baseball game under the Knickerbocker Rules still in use today was played in New York on November 3 , 1859 between the " Fordham Rose Hill Baseball Club " of St . John ' s College ( now Fordham University ) against The College of St . Francis Xavier , now known as Xavier High School . Recent growth . 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 coaches 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 family of networks greatly increased television coverage of the NCAA playoffs and the College World Series . After losing its license for Major League Baseball , EA Sports released " MVP 06 NCAA Baseball " , the first college baseball video game . A second game , " " , was also released before the series was discontinued due to low sales . Soon , in many warm - weather regions , baseball came to be considered a major sport , 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 climates . Oregon State won back - to - back national championships in 2006 & 2007 ; at that time , archrival Oregon had been without baseball for a quarter - century , having dropped its program in 1981 . Many credit the Beavers ' success as being a primary factor in UO ' s later decision to revive baseball in 2009 . Minnesota has taken advantage of the use of the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome to play the majority of their games , including hosting a prestigious preseason tournament , and with the 2010 departure of the MLB Minnesota Twins for the new Target Field , hope to use the Metrodome for future Big Ten tournaments and bids on the NCAA tournament . Along with that , many smaller conferences ( not in Division I ) will play games at the Metrodome during February in order to keep up with schools in warm - weather locations . For 2008 and succeeding seasons , the NCAA has mandated the first ever start date for Division I baseball . This day is exactly thirteen weeks before the selection of the NCAA tournament field , which takes place on Memorial Day . For 2010 , this date was March 1 . Many feel this date will give schools outside of warm - weather areas more parity in college baseball and help continue to make the sport a major one nationally . Collegiate rules . The rules of college baseball are similar to the Official Baseball Rules . Exceptions include the following : Metal versus wood bat . Though a wood bat is legal in NCAA competition , players overwhelmingly prefer and use a metal bat . The metal bat was implemented into college baseball in 1975 . Use of a metal bat is somewhat controversial amongst baseball aficionados . Supporters of an aluminum or composite bat note how it can increase offensive performance , as the speed of a ball off a metal bat is generally faster than off a wood bat . Those against metal , and for wood , would argue how a metal bat is not safe to use , and that a metal bat doesn ' t prepare players for the next level , as pro baseball uses a wood bat exclusively . In the 2011 season the NCAA changed the requirements for a metal bat , reducing the maximum allowed exit speed in a way that is said to produce a feeling more like a wood bat . As a result in 2011 there were fewer overall " long " drives or home runs than in the past . Draft process . A college player at a four year school is eligible for the draft after they are done with at least three years of school . They must either compete up to their junior year or be twenty one years of age to enter the First - Year Players Draft . A player is not able to enter the draft before this unless they attend a junior college , in which case , they are eligible to leave whenever they choose to do so . There are forty rounds in the Rule IV Major League Draft for eligible college and high school players to be selected . Despite MLB ' s draft being considerably longer than that of the NFL or NBA , only about 9 . 1 % of all NCAA senior baseball players are drafted by an MLB team . One of the biggest controversies with the draft and these amateur athletes is the use of agents . There have been many cases of college athletes consulting or hiring an agent prematurely in direct violation of NCAA rules . The NCAA came up with the “ no agent rule ” as a result of this for what they say was to benefit their amateur athletes . This law stated that a college player is unable to hire an agent or even a lawyer in order to assist them in negotiating a contract with a professional team . The rule states that “ [ a ] n individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she has agreed ( orally or in writing ) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport ” . Representation of an agent is considered to be any direct contact with the professional team during the contract negotiations . This contact can be made many different ways , whether through direct conversation , via mail or through the telephone . This rule is strongly enforced by the NCAA and has harsh consequences if broken . Recruitment process . The recruitment process is similar to that of the Major League Draft in that a high school athlete is taking the next step in his career . The NCAA places restrictions on the coaches that are trying to convince athletes to come play for them and attend their university . College Baseball programs are only allowed to offer a limited number of scholarships each year , so the process of earning a scholarship is quite competitive . Baseball is classified by the NCAA as an " equivalency " sport , meaning that limits on athletic financial aid are set to the equivalent of a fixed number of full scholarships . Division I schools are allowed the equivalent of 11 . 7 full scholarships ; Division II schools , only 9 . 0 . Schools generally choose to award multiple partial scholarships rather than exclusively full scholarships . In Division I , the NCAA also limits the total number of players receiving baseball - related financial aid to 27 , and also requires that each of these players receive athletic aid equal to at least 25 % of a full scholarship . Before September 1 of a potential college player ’ s 11th grade year , it is illegal for a college program to give any kind of recruiting materials to the prospect . A phone call is not even permitted to the prospect until July 1 of his 11th grade year . Once the player is committed to the school of his choice , he must sign his letter of intent during one of several signing periods . The early signing period for a Division I baseball player is between November 8 and 15 ; the late signing period dates for these players are April 11 to August 1 . Substance policies . The substance policies for college baseball are very strict and set by the NCAA . There is a set list of the forbidden substances a college baseball player is allowed to put in their body , and there is a very strict punishment for those that defy it , whether it be intentional or unintentional . There is a very long list of these substances , including alcohol , marijuana , anabolic steroids , heroin to name a few of many . These substances fit into categories such as stimulants , anabolic steroids , diuretics , street drugs , hormones , anti - estrogens , and more . Failure to pass scheduled or random drug tests can result in ineligibility . Attendance records . Top college baseball crowds of all - time . < tr > Top 25 on - campus college baseball crowds of all - time . < tr > Longest game in college baseball history . The longest college baseball game was played between Texas and Boston College on May 30 , 2009 , during the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship regional tournament at Austin , Texas . Texas – which was designated the visiting team despite playing on its home field – won the game , 3 – 2 , in 25 innings . The game lasted seven hours three minutes .