College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional players, as baseball's professional minor leagues are more extensive, with a greater history of supplying players to the top professional league. Moving directly from high school to the professional level is more common in baseball than in football or basketball. However, if players do opt to enroll at a four-year college to play baseball, they must complete three years to regain professional eligibility, unless they reach age 21 before starting their third year of college. Players who enroll at junior colleges regain eligibility after one year at that level. In the most recently completed 2017 season, there were 298 NCAA Division I teams in the United States.
Catherine Leigh "Cat" Osterman-Ashley is an American, former collegiate 4-time All-American and 2-time medal winning Olympian, retired 6-time pro All-Star, left-handed softball pitcher and softball Assistant Coach originally from Houston, Texas. She completed her college eligibility in 2006 at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a starting pitcher for the Longhorns since 2002. Osterman pitched on the USA Women's Softball Team which won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the silver medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Osterman holds the Big 12 pitching Triple Crown for leading in career wins, ERA, strikeouts, as well as shutouts and no-hitters, additionally claiming the NCAA Division I records for strikeout ratio (14.34), WHIP and perfect games (7). In the National Pro Fastpitch, Osterman is the career leader in strikeout ratio (10.90) and no-hitters (6). She owns numerous other records for the Longhorns and within the NCAA Division I, where she is also one of five pitchers to strikeout 1,000 batters with 100 wins, an ERA of under 1.00, and averaging double digit strikeouts. Osterman was also named #3 Greatest College Softball Player.
The 2014 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at University of Tampa Baseball Stadium in Tampa, FL from May 23 to May 29. The fourteenth tournament's champion was Utah State University. This was Utah State's second title in the last three seasons.
The 2014 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, KY from May 16 to May 20. The seventh tournament's champion was the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
The 2013 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at University of Tampa Baseball Stadium in Tampa, FL from May 24 to May 30. The thirteenth tournament's champion was Penn State University. The Most Valuable Player was Kyle Gilbert of Penn State University.
The 2004 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series was played at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL from May 26 to May 31. The fourth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. The co-MVP's were Andrew Abell and Thomas Ahrens, both of Colorado State University.
The 2005 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series was played at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL from May 25 to May 30. The fifth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. This was Colorado State's second consecutive title as they became the first team in NCBA history to repeat as national champions. The Most Valuable Player was Brooks Purdy of Colorado State University.
The 2008 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, FL from May 23 to May 29. The eighth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. This was Colorado State's fourth title in the last five years. The Most Valuable Player was Brian Dilley of Colorado State University.
The 2009 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, FL from May 22 to May 28. The ninth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. This was Colorado State's fifth title in the last six years and second in a row. The Most Valuable Player was Bobby Moller of Colorado State University.
The 2010 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, FL from May 28 to June 3. The tenth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. This was Colorado State's sixth title in the last seven years and third in a row. The Most Valuable Player was Tommy Johnson of Colorado State University.
The 2013 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was played at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, KY from May 17 to May 21. The sixth tournament's champion was Kennesaw State University. The Most Valuable Player was Aaron Moore of Kennesaw State University.
The 2011 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at Golden Park in Columbus, GA from May 27 to June 2. The eleventh tournament's champion was East Carolina University. The Most Valuable Player of the tournament was Maurice Mackey of East Carolina University.
The 2008 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was played at League Stadium in Huntingburg, IN from May 16 to May 20. This was the first time that the NCBA had offered a Division II World Series for club baseball teams.
The 2009 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was played at Pullman Park in Butler, PA from May 15 to May 19. The second tournament's champion was the University of Kentucky, who won their second consecutive Division II title.
The 2010 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was held at Point Stadium in Johnstown, PA from May 21 to May 25. The third tournament's champion was Northeastern University.
The 2012 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division I World Series was played at Golden Park in Columbus, GA from May 25 to May 31. The twelfth tournament's champion was Utah State University.
The 2007 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series was played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, FL from May 24 to May 30. The eighth tournament's champion was the University of North Carolina.
The 2012 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was played at Golden Park in Columbus, GA from May 18 to May 22. The fifth tournament's champion was Hofstra University.
The 2011 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Division II World Series was played at Point Stadium in Johnstown, PA from May 20 to May 24. The fourth tournament's champion was Penn State University.
The 1982 AIAW Women's College World Series was held from May 20 through May 25 in Norman, Oklahoma. The final two games were postponed by rain for two days. Twelve Division I college softball teams met in what was to become the last AIAW softball tournament of that organization's history. After playing their way through the regular season and regional tournaments, the 12 advancing teams met for the AIAW Division I college softball championship. Days later, Oklahoma State went on to participate also in the NCAA WCWS tournament in Omaha. In 1982, the Division I softball tournaments of both the AIAW and the NCAA were called "Women's College World Series." That moniker has been used for the annual topmost-level collegiate women's softball tournaments since the first one in 1969. Historian Bill Plummer III wrote, "With their 77-8 season record, Texas A&M could have been a contender in Omaha − maybe even the top seed − against perennial softball powers like UCLA and Fresno State. The Aggies had been invited to the NCAA's first national tournament, but chose not to go. A&M coach Bob Brock had high respect for the eleven-year-old AIAW, even as the NCAA began to overshadow it. Out of a sense of loyalty to the AIAW, Brock said, his school chose the 1982 Norman championship over the NCAA's first in Omaha."
