TeamFacts 2020 Best D1 Baseball Schools

We’re happy to announce the best D1 baseball schools of 2020. Our list is backed by data, so you can rest assured that it is not solely based on subjective rankings. At TeamFacts, we’ve compiled a thorough database of college baseball program information. Prospective student-athletes across the country use this data to assist with their college baseball search and recruitment. We also use this data to formally rank college baseball programs. While most rankings on the market rely solely on team performance and conference strength, we took it a step further.

Rankings should go beyond how well the team performed the previous year. Our ranking factors in other key pieces, which assess the experience as a baseball player at the institution. By doing so, prospective student-athletes can get a feel for the programs that would provide the best overall experience.

We use freshman retention, incoming transfer, and redshirt data in the ranking process, in addition to program performance and conference strength.

Freshman Retention Rate

As a recruit, it’s helpful to know if current players at a college baseball program are generally satisfied with their experience. We’ve found that the best way of gauging this is to see if players have been staying with the program, which is what we refer to as player retention. We typically see the highest level of volatility with freshman, so we use this class as the key identifier for player retention and overall satisfaction with the program.

Incoming Transfers

Programs with lower numbers of incoming transfers are generally more committed to the development of their freshman. As a prospective college baseball player, this is a positive indicator. The program is not only betting on its eye for talent at the high school level, but also the coaching staff’s ability to properly develop these players to become significant contributors. If you are considering a program that has a high number of incoming transfers, you need to understand that more-developed, game-ready players will be added to the program on a yearly basis.

Redshirts

It’s also important to get a feel for a program’s redshirt tendencies. We know that redshirts can come about from unplanned circumstances, but recognizing patterns can give you some insight about a program. If you come across a college baseball program with a lot of redshirts, it might be worth digging a little deeper. It would be helpful to know how many of those redshirts were medical, athletic, or academic related.

Best D1 Baseball Schools

When pulling these rankings together, we take multiple years into consideration, which provides for a more accurate read out. This ranking is strictly baseball focused, so it does not factor in academics, student life, tuition, or other non-baseball components.

1. Duke University
2. Stanford University
3. Vanderbilt University
4. University of Florida
5. University of Louisville
6. University of Notre Dame
7. Missouri State University
8. University of Virginia
9. Clemson University
10. Wake Forest University
11. University of California Berkeley
12. University of Miami
13. University of North Carolina
14. University of Michigan
15. Seton Hall University