Top All Time NCAA College Baseball Programs

College baseball has been around as long as anyone can remember. Although it does not get the press it deserves, true fans know how compelling the game is and can track the dominance of certain historic programs. So, with that in mind, we wanted to make a list of the top college baseball programs of all time. Take a look:

1. University of Southern California
USC may be known to most of America for its illustrious college football program but the school’s baseball program is the most decorated in the history of the sport. The program has fallen on hard times recently and has only one NCAA baseball tournament appearance since 2002 (2005) but it remains the most dominant in the history of college baseball. From 1942-1986, the USC Trojans were coached by legend Rod Deadeaux and he led them to eleven College World Series titles in that span: 1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, and five straight from 1970-1974. The Trojans were never the same after his departure but USC remained a top program through the 1990s and won another title in 1998. If the program can revive to its former greatness, that could help the sport emerge from the doldrums and interest the sports-watching American public.

2. University of Texas
Like USC, the Longhorns are also known for football but the school’s baseball program is actually the most accomplished at the university. Texas is the winningest program in college baseball history and ranks second in win percentage. Moreover, the team has won six College World Series championships (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, and 2005). The Longhorns have also been the most dominant program in college baseball over the last ten years; under all time NCAA winningest coach Augie Garrido they have racked up historic win totals and won the national title in 2002 and 2005.

University of Texas Longhorns players file out of the dugout to congratulate University of Texas (UT) Longhorns Sophomore Pitcher Taylor Jungmann (26).

3. Louisiana State University
The LSU Tigers have fielded one of baseball’s elite programs for two decades. Currently coached by Paul Mainieri, the Tigers won the 2009 title to bring the program’s all time total to six (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2009). Moreover, LSU just opened a new stadium and, since the team remains elite and just won the College World Series two years ago, it should remain packed for years to come. The only thing stopping the Tigers from ranking higher on this list is that the program did not become nationally prominent until the late 1980s; it would be like ranking Florida State over Notre Dame on an all time college football programs list. However, if LSU continues to dominate for years and USC continues to slump, they could move up the All Time list.

4. Arizona State University
The Arizona State baseball program is historically great but has only been “good” over the last decade. The programs heyday came in the 1960s-1980s when the Sun Devils won five titles in 1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, and 1981. However, the program has not won a College World Series in thirty years. With that said, the Sun Devils have not fallen off the map either; they made an appearance in the College World Series in 2007, 2009, and 2010 and should remain a (nearly) elite program for years to come.

5. Stanford University
An elite academic institution, Stanford has also made its presence felt on the college baseball diamond. The program won two College World Series championships in 1987 and 1988 and appeared in the College World Series as recently as 2008. Currently coached by Mark Marquess, the Cardinal is looking for a resurgence and could become an elite program again sooner rather than later.

That completes our list of the top NCAA baseball programs in history. Submit your own list or thoughts on the Forum and get the discussion going!

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