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First-Ever College Baseball Conference Report Cards
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CONFERENCE REPORT CARDS
In the 2007 College Preview issue, we ranked the top
programs in college baseball’s modern era (since the
NCAA field expanded to 64 teams and adopted current
bat standards, both starting with the 1999 season),
but we did not expound upon which conferences are the
strongest. So this year, we decided to shift our microscope to
the conferences.
With that goal in mind, we present these Conference Report
Cards for eight top conferences: the six big-money leagues that
compete in college football’s Bowl Championship Series, and
baseball powers Conference USA and the Big West. Just how
dominant are those eight conferences? Since 1999, 72 teams
have been to the College World Series, and 69 of them have
come from these leagues. The three exceptions are Louisiana-
Lafayette (Sun Belt Conference), Missouri State (Missouri
Valley) and San Jose State (Western Athletic).
We graded each of the eight power conferences on the following
criteria and averaged the grades to come up with a GPA
to determine which are the strongest of the 64-team era:
NATIONAL IMPACT. We used a modified version of the point
system we used a year ago to determine which conferences
have the most impact on a national level. As in last year’s
survey, schools in each conference were awarded five points
for each regional appearance since 1999; seven points for
each super-regional appearance; 10 points for each College
World Series appearance; 20 points for each national title; five
points for each first-team All-American; three points for each
second-team All-American; and two points for each third-team
All-American. We also added two new categories, awarding
five points for producing a national Player of the Year and two
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE | GPA: 3.4
NATIONAL IMPACT: B+. With 17 percent
of the league (two out of 12 teams) receiving
“A” grades, the SEC trails the ACC, Pac-10,
Conference USA and the Big 12. And although
just one SEC team has won a national title in
the last nine years (LSU in 2000), eight different
schools have combined to reach the CWS
15 times—both tops among all conferences.
In one respect, those figures speak more
to the SEC’s unparalleled depth, but the
cumulative effect of the league’s depth of
quality teams is a substantial national impact.
In fact, 75 percent of the teams in the SEC
earned “B” grades or better, which essentially
means that three-quarters of the league’s
teams are capable of CWS runs at any time,
even if there is a lack of truly dominant teams
in the league.
COMPETITIVENESS: A. With 92 percent
of the league earning “C” grades or better,
there is not a more complete conference from
top to bottom. And even the lone school that
earns a “D” is clearly on the rise; Kentucky won
the SEC in 2006 and returns a dangerous,
veteran team in 2008. Vanderbilt has even
more momentum, having produced a trio of first-team All-Americans and
earning the No. 1 national seed in the 2007 NCAA tournament. Tim Corbin
returns another top-10 caliber team in 2008, and the Commodores aren’t
Fast-rising Vanderbilt had four All-Americans in
2007, including Player of the Year David Price
points for producing a national Freshman of the Year.
Using those criteria, we divided teams into five tiers, each
separated by significant gaps in the rankings. Teams that scored
above 100 received an “A” for impact (the sweet 16); schools
that scored above the mean score of 64 received a “B” (teams
17-30); schools that scored between 15 and 64 received a “C”
(teams 31-50); schools that scored between 1 and 15 received
a “D”, and schools that did not make a regional or produce an
All-American during the nine-year period of our study did not
score any points and therefore scored an “F”.
For the National Impact category, we considered how many
schools in a conference received A’s, how many received B’s,
how many CWS appearances the conference has made since
1999, and how many national titles it won.
COMPETITIVENESS. This category is intended to measure the
depth of each conference. Leagues were penalized for having a
high percentage of teams that ranked as D’s or F’s (i.e., schools
that ranked outside the top 50).
FANS & FACILITIES. NCAA attendance leaders guided our Fans
grade. The Facilities refers to ballparks in place as well as indoor
facilities (particularly important for Northern programs), and
also reflects a general commitment to the program by athletic
administration.
ACADEMICS. The NCAA has placed a heavy emphasis on
academic performance through the institution of the Academic
Progress Rate. Schools with APR scores below minimum standards
have been penalized with a loss of scholarships, and schools
with high scores have been publicly recognized. We award each
conference a simple grade based on how many schools were
penalized in 2007 and how many were commended.
Text by Aaron Fitt and John Manuel with reporting by Matt Eddy
DAVID STONER
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: South Carolina, Louisiana State
B: Mississippi State, Georgia, Florida, Alabama,
Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee
C: Vanderbilt, Auburn
D: Kentucky
F: None
going away anytime soon. Mississippi and
Arkansas are both knocking on the door of
“elite” status, and recent coaching changes
have infused energy into programs at LSU,
Florida and Tennessee.
FANS: A. FACILITIES: A. Nobody does
it better. The SEC practically invented tailgating
for baseball games, and Mississippi
State showed the rest of the nation that
baseball could be a money maker. The
approach was copied throughout the
league, and the SEC had the nation’s top
five attendance leaders last year. The dozen
league members all cracked the top 36,
with Arkansas ending Louisiana State’s 12year
run atop the standings but keeping it
in the conference. LSU, South Carolina and
Tennessee are in the middle of significant
renovations, though the Gamecocks’ new park has experienced delays.
ACADEMICS: C-. One SEC team (Tennessee) was penalized for a poor
APR in 2007, and no teams were recognized for academic achievement.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE | GPA: 2.94
NATIONAL IMPACT: A-. While no team
competing in the ACC has won a national
championship since Wake Forest in 1955, we
are measuring the strength of the conference
as it is currently constructed, which
means our study credits the league for
Miami and its two titles in 1999 and 2001.
Even beyond the Hurricanes, the ACC makes
a national impact: it leads all conferences
with five teams (42 percent of the conference)
that score A’s in our survey. And the
ACC’s 14 Omaha appearances are second
only to the SEC’s 15 CWS trips. With back-toback
trips to the CWS finals, North Carolina’s
surge into the ranks of the elite has lifted
the ACC’s national impact rating, although
the conference still lacks second-tier powers
capable of making Omaha runs annually like
the SEC can boast. Just 42 percent of the
teams in the ACC rank among the top 30 in
our survey, compared with 55 percent of the
Pac-10 teams and 75 percent of the SEC.
COMPETITIVENESS: C. A full third of
the ACC earns D’s or below, making the
league the most top-heavy power conference.
Duke is making progress under coach Sean McNally, but it still has
a ways to go to become a regional-caliber program. Virginia is on the fast
track to “elite” status if it can ever get out of a regional. The ACC scores a tick
BIG 12 CONFERENCE | GPA: 2.94
NATIONAL IMPACT: B-. The Big 12 trails
the SEC, ACC and Pac-10 in CWS appearances
in the 64-team era, and it trails those leagues
plus Conference USA with 40 percent of its
teams earning “B” grades or higher. Texas,
which topped our more extensive top
programs survey a year ago, checks in at
No. 3 in our revised rankings. The Longhorns
boost the Big 12 immensely with a pair of
national titles and five trips to Omaha in the
last nine years, but Nebraska also qualifies as
an elite program thanks to three CWS trips
and 10 All-Americans. Baylor just missed
an “A” grade, ranking as the No. 17 team in
our survey, and the Bears and Aggies are
both strong programs that continue to rise.
It’s easy to envision all four programs that
earned “C” grades climbing into the nation’s
elite in a few years—particularly Missouri,
one of the fastest-rising programs in the
nation, and Oklahoma State, which reached
super-regionals in 2007.
COMPETITIVENESS: B+. Eighty percent
of the teams in the Big 12 earned “C”
grades or better, a figure that trails only the
SEC’s 92 percent. And both of the lowest-graded programs are improving:
Kansas State has won at least 30 games three years in a row under coach
Brad Hill and was a legitimate NCAA regional bubble team in 2007. In
Kansas coach Ritch Price’s fourth season in 2006, the Jayhawks won 43
Kevin Brown drove in nine runs combined in
Miami’s national title game wins in 1999 and 2001
Under coach Augie Garrido, Texas has carried the
Big 12’s banner in the 64-team NCAA tourney era
below Conference USA in this category
because 44 percent of C-USA teams earn
B’s or better, compared with 42 percent
of the ACC.
FANS: B. FACILITIES: B. Clemson and
Florida State lead the way on both fronts.
They ranked sixth and eighth nationally in
2007 in fans per game, respectively, leading
seven ACC teams in the top 50. At the
other end of the spectrum, Boston College
has to go off-campus for TV games and
has had its field used as a parking lot during
football games. Duke and Virginia Tech
also lag behind despite recent improvements.
N.C. State and Virginia made major
leaps forward in facilities this decade, and
North Carolina figures to do the same
with a $14-$17 million reconstruction of
Boshamer Stadium scheduled to open in 2009.
ACADEMICS: B. No ACC programs were penalized for low APR scores
in 2007, and one (North Carolina) received a public recognition award.
ANDREW WOOLLEY
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia
Tech, North Carolina
B: None
C: Wake Forest, North Carolina State,
Virginia
D: Virginia Tech, Maryland, Boston College
F: Duke
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: Texas, Nebraska
B: Baylor, Texas A&M
C: Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Missouri,
Texas Tech
D: Kansas
F: Kansas State
games, captured their first Big 12 tournament
championship and went to their first
regional since 1994.
FANS: B+. FACILITIES: A-. Six of the
10 Big 12 schools that play baseball factor
into the top 50 in attendance, with
Missouri checking in at 53. Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State have drawn better in the
past when their ballparks were more up
to date and their programs stronger. Texas’
$18 million renovation of iconic Disch-Falk
Field was a necessary step in keeping
up with Baylor and Nebraska, two of the
nation’s consensus top-10 ballparks. No
school in the league can be said to have a
below-average college baseball ballpark.
ACADEMICS: C-. Two schools (Texas
Tech and Kansas) were penalized in 2007
for falling below the APR cutline, and the Red Raiders suffered the stiffest
penalty of any program in the top eight conferences—a full 10 percent
scholarship reduction. But one school (Baylor) earned a public recognition
award. Not coincidentally, Baylor is the lone private school in the Big 12.

PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE | GPA: 2.8
NATIONAL IMPACT: A. Though the
Pac-10 trails the ACC in sheer number of
teams that received “A” grades (five to four)
and number of Omaha appearances (14 to
13), the Pac-10 did slightly better relative
to the number of teams in the league.
Forty-four percent of the Pac-10 teams
earned A’s (compared with 42 percent in
the ACC), and 55 percent earned B’s or
better (again, compared to 42 percent of
the ACC). And Pac-10 teams have averaged
1.44 trips to Omaha during the nine years of
the study, compared with 1.16 in the ACC.
The Pac-10 also gets an edge for recent
history and head-to-head results, as Oregon
State’s back-to-back CWS Finals triumphs
over North Carolina speak loudly.
COMPETITIVENESS: B+. Every school
in the Pac-10 except for Washington State
has produced at least two All-Americans
and reached at least one regional during the
64-team era; the Cougars have done neither.
Seventy-seven percent of the Pac-10 teams
rank among the national top 50 to earn
“C” grades or better, trailing just the Big 12
(80 percent) and the SEC (92 percent). There might not be any program
in the country with more momentum than UCLA, which enters 2008 as
one of the favorites to win the College World Series. Expect the Bruins to
CONFERENCE USA | GPA: 2.66
NATIONAL IMPACT: C+. Like the ACC,
Conference USA benefits from the previous
success of a relative league newcomer. Rice
might have won its national title as a member
of the Western Athletic Conference, but the
Owls are in CUSA now (having joined before
the 2006 season), so CUSA gets credit. And
that’s some serious extra credit, as the Owls
were the nation’s top-ranked program in
our survey, passing Texas and Miami on the
strength of their 2007 run to the College
World Series. Tulane just crept into our
sweet 16 teams that earned “A” grades, while
Houston earned a solid “B” and East Carolina
was the final team in the top 30. Both the
Cougars and Pirates should continue to
climb. Like the Big 12, Conference USA
boasts four teams that earned “B” grades or
better (44 percent of CUSA teams compared
to 40 percent of the Big 12), but CUSA trails
in Omaha appearances (11 to seven) and
national titles (two to one), so give a slight
edge to the Big 12 for national impact.
COMPETITIVENESS: C+. UAB and
Marshall both failed to make a regional or
produce an All-American during the nine years of this study, but the rest of
the league is solid. Memphis received a “D” but has plenty of momentum
under coach Daron Schoenrock, coming off a 2007 regional appearance.
The rest of the league—67 percent—earned “C” grades or better. And
Gritty players like Kevin Gunderson have transformed
Oregon State into another Pac-10 power
Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend
were All-Americans under Rice’s Wayne Graham
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona State,
Southern California
B: Arizona
C: UCLA, Washington
D: California
F: Washington State
continue their rapid ascent under coach
John Savage. And it won’t be long before
Arizona joins the “elite” group as well.
FANS: C. FACILITIES: B-. The Achilles’
heel of Pac-10 baseball is its fan base.
Just three Pac-10 schools—Arizona State,
Oregon State and Stanford—ranked
among the top 50 in attendance last
year, and that’s an improvement with
the Beavers’ recent dominance causing
attendance to spike. The rest of the
league features California (no lights)
and Washington, which has had Husky
Ballpark as a field with temporary bleachers
for a decade, with a promised stadium
construction still undone. Pac-10 athletic
departments generally do not market or
promote baseball as is done in other
power conferences, a pity considering the
league’s amazing talent and track record.
ACADEMICS: C. Like Conference USA, the Pac-10 had no programs
penalized and none recognized in 2007--a solid-average showing.
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: Rice, Tulane
B: Houston, East Carolina
C: Southern Mississippi, Central Florida
D: Memphis
F: Alabama-Birmingham, Marshall
UAB has reason for optimism now that
Brian Shoop is at the helm; Shoop worked
wonders across town at Birmingham-
Southern before that program switched
to Division III.
FANS: A-. FACILITIES: B. A league
that lost its better football and basketball
programs to the Big East has many schools
committed to baseball. Rice and Tulane
lead the way, but five schools—those two
plus East Carolina, Houston and Southern
Mississippi—ranked in the top 22 in pergame
attendance last year. Southern Miss
ranked 14th nationally, out-drawing such
luminaries as Florida, Arizona State and
Cal State Fullerton. That quintet also owns
the league’s best ballparks. Marshall and
Memphis need help on campus but both
can and do often play at nearby minor
league parks.
ACADEMICS: C. Conference USA had no programs penalized for low
APRs and no programs recognized for outstanding achievement, giving it
a solid-average academic grade.

BIG WEST CONFERENCE | GPA: 2.0
NATIONAL IMPACT: C. Sure, the Big
West has just one team that earns an “A”
grade, but luckily for the conference that
one team is Cal State Fullerton, the fourthrated
program in our survey. Fullerton’s six
CWS appearances, one national title and
10 All-Americans give the Big West a major
boost in national impact. Long Beach State
has yet to reach Omaha in the 64-team Jered Weaver
era, but the Dirtbags produce plenty of
top-flight talent, like 2004 Player of the Year Jered Weaver, which also helps
make the Big West more relevant on a national level. Still, just 25 percent of
the Big West earned B’s or above, and just 38 percent earned C’s or better.
COMPETITIVENESS: D+. Sixty-three percent (five out of eight) of the
Big West earned “D” grades or worse (we gave UC Davis an incomplete as it
finishes making the transition to full Big West member). UC Santa Barbara,
Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly are tougher opponents than they’re
given credit for, but the fact remains that they have combined for just
BILL NICHOLS
two regional appearances
and no All-Americans in
the 64-team era. Coming
off a regional appearance
in 2007, UC Riverside
has generated plenty of
momentum under coach
Doug Smith.
BIG EAST CONFERENCE | GPA: 1.88
NATIONAL IMPACT: D. No Big East
team ranked among our sweet 16 and
earned an “A” grade, but Notre Dame
has been a solid program that made an
Omaha run in 2002, helping it secure a
“B”. But with only one team (8 percent
of the league) earning a “B” or better, the
Big East tops only the Big 10 for national
impact during the course of our study. Chris Dominguez
Still, this is clearly a conference on the rise;
the Big East placed three teams in regionals a year ago, led by Louisville,
whose run to Omaha helped earn it a “C”. Under the strong direction of
second-year coach Dan McDonnell, the Cardinals are one of the nation’s
best up-and-coming programs, and it shouldn’t be long before South
Florida joins them under the experienced leadership of Lelo Prado.
COMPETITIVENESS: D. This grade isn’t a fair representation of the Big
East looking forward, but it is an accurate snapshot of the league’s depth
over the past nine years. Two-thirds of the league earned “D” grades or
DENNIS HUBBARD
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: Cal State Fullerton
B: Long Beach State
C: UC Irvine
D: UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Cal
State Northridge, Cal Poly
F: Pacific
Incomplete: UC Davis
FANS: B-. FACILITIES: C. Naturally, Cal State Fullerton leads the way
(22nd nationally at just more than 2,500 per game), but Long Beach State
and Cal Poly also cracked the top 50. UC Irvine should jump this season on
the strength of beautiful Anteater Ballpark and last year’s run to Omaha.
Davis, Riverside and Northridge lag behind while Pacific has made major
changes at Klein Family Field, including lights to be ready for 2008.
ACADEMICS: C. One Big West school was punished for a poor APR
score in 2007, and none were recognized for outstanding achievement.
Cal State Northridge was given a historical penalty (a public notice), but it
was spared a scholarship loss in 2007.
below, better only than the
Big 10 (70 percent of that
league earned D’s or lower),
and a third of the Big East
earned F’s. But every Big
East school except perhaps
Georgetown has made
measurable progress and
BIG 10 CONFERENCE | GPA: 1.82
NATIONAL IMPACT: D-. Of the eight
conferences surveyed, the Big 10 is the only
one that failed to produce a single College
World Series appearance, largely accounting
for its low impact grade. Michigan
nearly ended the drought last year, falling
to Oregon State in super-regionals, and the
Wolverines are positioned to make a run to
Omaha in 2008. Ohio State, Minnesota and Zach Putnam
Michigan are all solid programs, but none
of them are elite, or even above-average according to our indicators. In
addition to Michigan’s 2007 run, Big 10 teams reached super-regionals just
three times—twice by Ohio State and once by Penn State. And the lone
first-team All-American to come out of the Big 10 in the last nine years is
Michigan State outfielder Bobby Malek in 2002.
COMPETITIVENESS: D-. Forty percent of the teams in the Big 10 earned
“F” grades in our impact survey, the highest rate among the eight conferences
surveyed. Worse yet, 70 percent of the league earned “D” or below. Penn State
DAVID STONER
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: None
B: Notre Dame
C: Rutgers, Louisville, St. John’s
D: South Florida, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati
F: Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova,
West Virginia
has a legitimate chance to climb the rankings over the next few years.
FANS: C-. FACILITIES: C. Cincinnati’s new Marge Schott Stadium
would rank highly no matter the conference, but half of the league’s
programs play in facilities that are more “field” than “ballpark.” Louisville,
Rutgers and St. John’s join Cincinnati as the league’s facilities leaders. Only
Notre Dame and Louisville crack the top 50 in attendance. Several Big East
teams are joining a growing number of Northern programs switching to
FieldTurf to make their playing surfaces available in cold, wet weather.
ACADEMICS: A-. No Big East school was penalized for a poor APR, and
two schools (Rutgers and Villanova) received public recognition awards.
seems destined to rise now
that it has moved into its
sparkling new facility, and
Iowa and Purdue have
some hope, but Indiana
and Northwestern are a
IMPACT GRADES BY TEAM
A: None
B: None
C: Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan
D: Penn State, Illinois, Michigan State
F: Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue
long way from being legitimate forces f in i a power conference. f
FANS: C-. FACILITIES: C. Getting two schools in Ohio State and
Penn State into the top 50 in attendance is good work, considering the
conference’s lack of national on-field success in the last 20 years. Michigan
hopes its current renovations on Fischer Stadium bring it in line with the
Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. Penn State’s Medlar Field is a joint venture
with a minor league franchise, and Illinois hopes to follow suit, planning to
play host to an independent team while expanding Illinois Field.
ACADEMICS: A. No Big 10 schools were penalized for low APRs, and
the conference led our survey with four schools receiving recognition
awards: Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State. Overall, the Big 10 tied
the Patriot League with four teams awarded, trailing only the Ivy (seven).
©2007 BASEBALL AMERICA CUSTOM PUBLISHING. PRESIDENT: LEE FOLGER; PUBLISHER: LEE FOLGER; EDITORS: JOHN MANUEL, AARON FITT; DESIGN/PRODUCTION: LINWOOD WEBB. BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

© 2008 Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Louisville, KY. All rights reserved.
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