Division II is the second tier within the NCAA, and it contains the smallest number of baseball programs, compared to the other divisions. There are currently 263 division 2 baseball schools, which are highly concentrated within the east coast. About 60% of these programs are located in the northeast and southeast, leaving only 105 of these institutions in the western portion of the country.

Although it doesn’t have the same level of following and viewership as D1 baseball, D2 still provides a high level of play. Some of the top programs within the division could even have success playing at the Division I level.

DII players compete against other highly recruited individuals, who didn’t project as having D1 talent or who flew under the radar throughout high school. Another piece that keeps Division II baseball highly competitive is that it consists of a variety of former D1 players. These are the players that transfer after they receive limited playing time, get cut, or are dissatisfied with their Division I baseball experience. To avoid sitting out a year due to transfer rules, these players land at D2 baseball schools. We’ve found that Division II has the highest level of incoming transfers on a yearly basis, and this is one of the contributing factors.

Just because you don’t play D1 baseball doesn’t mean you won’t get drafted. Yes, your odds are not as good, but it is still very much a possibility. In 2019, 95 players were drafted from D2 baseball programs. If a player performs well and has the right skill set, there might be an opportunity to play at the next level. We often see late developers in high school attend D2 schools and make a lot of progress during those three or four years. It’s definitely more of an underdog story and a tougher path to getting drafted, but it does happen. There are even a few current players in the MLB who came from D2 baseball programs.