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Ranking Southern States
The Red Sox-Yankees of College Baseball
Southern College Baseball Support
2.19.09
While college baseball is growing each year in fan support and in media coverage it is still a sport that is very regional. The West Coach and Texas have some great baseball programs, but the sports media rarely covers the sports in those areas. That is why the Southeast is so important to college baseball. Not only do the fans love it, but the media recognizes it and gives it plenty of coverage.
Which state in the southeast is the best? We have combined fan support, media coverage, and tradition to come out with this list.
1. South Carolina- The Palmetto State supports college baseball like no other. The state has always lacked a pro team to support in the spring and typically doesn't have a great college basketball team to cheer for. This has led for plenty of love for its college baseball programs. Whether its the Midlands, the upstate, the beach, or the low state you will find great college baseball everywhere.
South Carolina and Clemson are known nationally for its great programs. Both are typically top 25 teams and usually are contenders for Omaha(In 2002 they played each other in Omaha twice). The 2 schools have combined for a total of 20 College Word Series appearances and over 60 regional appearances. Both have state of the art ballparks and typically finish in the top 10 nationally in attendance. On Feb 13 the Gamecocks had an open house for its new ballpark, four thousand fans attended the 2 hour event.
It's not just the 2 big programs in state that have made national noise. In the early 90s The Citadel made it to Omaha. The Bulldogs also have strong fan support, a regular in the top 25 for attendance. Coastal Carolina has become a regular top 25 program and has hosted a regional and made a super regional. Coastal's baseball programs for years have hosted one of college baseball's top tournaments "Baseball at the Beach", drawing teams all over the country to the Myrtle Beach area.
Winthrop and The College of Charleston have also been 2 of the better baseball programs in the south this decade. The 2 schools have multiple regional appearances. C of C led the nation in homeruns last season. In Spartenburg, SC the Wofford Terriers made the NCAA regionals in 2007 giving the Palmetto State 7 schools making regionals in the last 5 years. Not bad for a state with just over 4 million people
The media also does a great job of supporting the sport in the Palmetto State. In the months of April and May the local sports stations on TV lead with Gamecock or Tiger baseball results, not MLB or NBA results. In Charleston it's certainly not uncommon for The Citadel Bulldogs to get the same attention. The largest sports station in the state, 107.5 FM in Columbia, has been running Gamecock baseball promos for nearly a month now. The State Newspaper, Charleston Post and Courier and the Greenville News(the 3 largest SC newspapers) will have college baseball on page 1 in the sports section nearly every day during college baseball season.
2. Louisiana- It's well known that the most rabid baseball fans in the country are in Baton Rouge, LA. For the past decade the Tigers have finished in the top 2 nationally in attendance every season. The Tiger fans have had plenty to cheer about. 5 CWS titles makes the LSU baseball program the best in the modern era of college baseball.
There is more to know about baseball in this state than the Tigers though. Tulane has consistantly been a college baseball power and Turchin Stadium is one of the nicest facilities in the south. The Green Wave have 2 CWS appearances and led the nation in wins in 2001 with 55. Since 1995 Tulane has 10 seasons of 40+ wins. The Green Wave have won conference titles in the SEC, Metro, and CUSA.
One of the most intimidating and best atmospheres in college baseball is in Lafayette, LA. This rowdy group of Cajuns are known for their great food and even better baseball. The Rajin Cajuns made it all the way to Omaha in 2000 after upsetting the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks in the Super Regionals.
Not to be left out of the conversation are the fans at Louisiana Tech and ULM. Both schools have stadiums most schools in the country would love to have and both have solid programs. Last season New Orleans posted another fine season with a 43-21 season
3. Mississippi- This state has the most intimate settings for college baseball in the nation. The state has no professional teams in any sport so during the spring its all about college baseball.
First you get the huge crowds at tradition rich Mississippi State. As soon as you drive onto the campus at MSU the first thing you notice is the huge baseball stadium. This group of fans have seen great MLB players like Will Clark and Raphael Palmeiro play on their historic field and have seen its Bulldogs make 8 CWS appearances.
In Oxford you get a great setting with fans pitching tents in the outfield, women in their sunday best, and baseball diehards everywhere. Although the Rebs don't match their rival MSU's tradition, the past decade the program has started to catch up.
Not to be out done by the 2 SEC schools, Southern Miss puts together a great baseball tradition of its own. Year in and year out the Golden Eagles are among the top teams in the always tough CUSA. The "Pete" as fans call it seats near 4,000 and the "Right Field Roost" is a popular place to park and cookout.
Unlike football, these 3 baseball powers play each other during the baseball season and have even met in the postseason. Once a season the Bulldogs and Rebels meet in the "Governors Cup" in Pearl, Mississippi's Trustman Park, home of the Mississippi Braves. The game was known as the Mayor's Trophy for many years.
In 2008 MSU, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss all 3 ranked in the top 15 nationally in average attendance. Not bad for a state of only about 3 million.
4. Florida- If we were ranking tradition alone then Florida would likely be number 1 on this list. Miami has multiple national championships, Florida has appeared in the NC game, and FSU is a regular in the CWS. Smaller names like Central Florida, Stetson, Jacksonville, and Florida Atlantic are strong baseball powers as well. The best baseball in the Historically black MEAC is played by Bethune Cookman, a regular in the NCAA regionals. Even second year D-1 Florida Gulf Coast University is putting college baseball on the map in Fort Myers, FL.
The issue with the Sunshine State is that college baseball gets lost in everything happening at the state in the spring. First, you have MLB's spring training. Then you have the NBA's Magic and Heat who get plenty of media play. The state is also filled with college kids on spring break on the sunny beaches.
On any given year you could see as many as 2-3 regional hosts come out of this state and the endless supply of high school recruits makes it a top place for college coaches to go to find new talent. Jacksonville has hosted a few ACC tourneys as of late.
5. Alabama- The 2nd best experience in college baseball(behind Omaha) is the SEC baseball tourney in Hoover. The 5 day event brings together the 8 best teams in the conference for a double elimanation tourney for the SEC's automatic bid. Unless you are a fan of High School Football Reality Series on MTV you would likely known nothing about Hoover if not for this tourney. At this tourney fans gather together to cheer on their teams, tailgate, and experience the park that Michael Jordan once played his minor league ball. The great thing about Hoover is that sometimes you can catch some of college sports best rivalries 2-3 times in a day. In 2002 I was able to enjoy the Ole Miss-MSU rivalry one day and Bama-Auburn the next.
Plainsman Park is as nice of a park as any in the Southeast. The Auburn Tigers home is a mix of Camden Yards and Fenway Park. In Tuscaloosa the fans are proud of the Tide, who have 3 CWS appearances under Jim Wells including a NC game appearance.
The state is also home to some great mid major powers. South Alabama is a power in the Sunbelt and plays host to many early season tourneys. Troy has come on recently with a strong program of its own.
6. North Carolina- In a state known for its basketball, the Tarheel State has come on strong with its baseball. UNC has now made 3 straight CWS appearances that include 2 NC game appearances. The school has shown a commitment to the sport by tearing down an outdated ballpark and building a new one set to open in 2009.
Also in the ACC the NC State Wolfpack for years has played great baseball. The Pack doesn't have the biggest stadium in the South, but the fans are very passionate. Last season a huge step was made as the Wolfpack hosted and won a regional. Earlier this decade Wake Forest was making large strides, but a couple bad seasons have hurt the Deacons recently.
One of the best college baseball fan bases exist with the East Carolina Pirates. The school is always one of the top programs in CUSA and they've made it as far as the Super Regionals. In 2008 the Pirates finished #16 nationally in average attendance.
UNC Charlotte has near 92 wins the past 2 seasons, that ranks among the NCAA's best. The 49'ers are home to one of college baseball's biggest fans, the "Uh Huh" Man. This wild fan carries around signs supporting his team and ends each sentence with the words "Uh Huh"
7. Arkansas- The Natural State would be much higher on the list if more than one school showed serious support for the sport. Still, the Arkansas Razorbacks are loyal enough to rank the state high.
A trip to Baum Stadium is like no other. Not only have several NCAA attendance records been broken here, but those many fans that come make up an amazing atmosphere. Few cheers match the Hog Call and few baseball stadiums offer hot tubs for fans.
The Hogs have 5 CWS appearances and have the 2nd longest postseason streak in the SEC currently. The Razorbacks in 2007 became the first team to average 8,000 fans in attendance for a season.
Plans to expand college baseball are on the way as the Hogs plan to play in Little Rock in 2010 at a minor league facility.
Media coverage of the Hogs for any sports is never a problem as they are the only show in town. With the exception of maybe Nebraska, there isn't a state in the nation that lives and dies with its team like The State of Arkansas.
8. Georgia- The Atlanta Braves get all the baseball attention in this state. The team that dominated the National League for the decade of the 90's are the first love to citizens of this state. Still, you have 2 very strong baseball programs in Georgia Tech and Georgia.
In a league full of baseball powers, some find it hard to believe that LSU and Georgia are the only ones without a national championship. Last season the Dawgs nearly had a 2nd NC when they lost in 3 games to Fresno State in the NC game. The Kudzu Krazies are as wild a bunch of baseball fans as you'll find in the south.
In Atlanta the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have been regulars in regionals for nearly two decades now. Russ Chandler Stadium has a great setting with the Atlanta Skyline in the outfield. This fine ballpark has allowed the Jackets to host multiple regionals over the years.
Georgia Southern also has a proud baseball past and is usually a contender year in and year out in the tough Southern Conference.
9. Tennessee- Vanderbilt and Tennessee have both seen their share of success over the years, but fan support has never really been that high for either program. Last season the Vols ranked 41st nationally in attendance and Vandy 44th. Part of the poor attendance could be due to cold weather in the state during the early part of the season.
The mediocre attendance numbers don't always produce mediocre results on the field though. Tennessee has been to the CWS multiple times and Vandy as of recent has become a top 25 program. 2 seasons ago many believe Vandy was the best team nationally despite the lack of a CWS appearance. The Dores did win the SEC and the SEC Tourney though.
10. Kentucky- Home to the Louisville Slugger and 2 baseball programs just starting to find its place in college baseball
Under John Cohen the UK baseball program was awakened. Cohen led the Cats to a SEC title and multiple NCAA appearances. Still, the program has yet to appear in the CWS. Despite the cold weather, UK was able to finish #25 nationally in attendance.
Louisville made a CWS run 2 seasons ago, but the fan base hasn't caught on to Card baseball as of yet. In 2008 UL finished #50 in attendance.
Cold weather, march madness, and of course Horse Racing will keep the media and fan interest in the Blue Grass State low.
11. Virginia- The final state on our list is here for a reason. Despite some recent good ball clubs at Virginia and some good baseball being played by teams in the Colonial this state just doesn't support college baseball. UVA has hosted a regional, but crowds of less than 1,000 aren't rare. Virginia Tech has struggled in the sport for years.
Possibly the move of the Richmond Braves away from Virginia to Georgia will make room for some college baseball coverage, but more than likely the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles will control this territory for many years.
Matt Barber
dixiefriedsports@gmail.com
