We have hit the quarter of a century mark in the ‘Super Regional’ Era, which began in 1999. Super Regional era was the birth of the 4-team regionals and 3 game series for supers. In 2018, there was an important tweak, the seeding of the Top 16 teams, to allow the #1 national seed to play at best the 16th seeded team in the Field of 64 in Super Regionals instead of relying purely on geographical luck. Before we head into 2024, the beginning of another 25 years of college baseball, we wanted to look back at the best overall programs and best no-title programs that need to win their first one. Keep in mind, 2020 season was a wash so there were 24 postseasons.
Since 1999, LSU and Oregon State lead the way with 3 national titles, with the most recent one coming in 2023 for LSU. Vanderbilt, Miami, Texas and South Carolina are all tied for 2nd with 2 apiece. When you think 2000s, you think nostalgia as these are the most memorable and magical moments at Rosenblatt so it's always a good excuse to travel down memory lane and relive these teams.
Top 10 most successful programs from 1999-2023:
(National Titles, CWS app., Regional app.):
National Champions: 2000, 2009, 2023
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2006, 2007, 2018
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 16 times
National Champions: 2002, 2005
CWS: 11 times
Regionals: 20 times
National Champions: 1999, 2001
CWS: 8 times
Regionals: 22 times
National Champions: 2010, 2011
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 19 times
National Champions: 2014, 2019
CWS: 5 times
Regionals: 18 times
National Champions: 2017
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2004
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2015
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 17 times
National Champions: 2021
CWS: 5 times
Regionals: 17 times
Of the Top 10 programs, Miami, Texas and Cal State Fullerton were continuing their 90s dominance into the early part of the 2000s. Those 3 programs have not won since 2005, but continued to return to Omaha in the 2010s so the younger generation college baseball viewers probably don't remember how damn good they were.
You're probably wondering where the hell is Rice? Among one national title teams, it came down to Mississippi State and Rice for the final spot. Mississippi State just kept the success going a little bit longer after Rice's last appearance in the postseason in 2017. Factor in a little bit of recency bias as the Rice program has gone down the shitter, while Mississippi State is also currently in the shitter, but still drawing some of the biggest crowds in college baseball. But don't get it twisted, if this was a 2000-2010 thing, the Rice Owls are Top 5. Cal State Fullerton would move into Top 5 as well. The smaller schools just couldn't keep up with the modern day NCAA landscape.
As we head into a new quarter century, WHO needs a national title badly? Aka which blue blood programs are in a tormentous drought and need to hoist the trophy? One way to make 2024 exciting is to get a first time national title winner.
We are going to do this by ranking the Top 25 blue blood programs without a title (since 1999) using the following criteria:
CWS Appearance: 5 points
Super Regional Appearance: 3 points
Regional Appearance: 1 point
Florida State, Stanford, Arkansas and North Carolina all might be cursed. To spare these fanbases, we won't mention the specifics, but they all have been close quite a few times. North Carolina lost the national championship series in back to back years, to the same damn team, Oregon State. Can't script it any worse. TCU was one of the best teams in the 2010s, showing up in Omaha five times. Oral Roberts gets a near free ticket to the postseason every year playing in the Summit League, but you have to respect 20 postseason appearances including College World Series in 2023. It's time for programs like Georgia Tech, Arizona State, Georgia, Nebraska to get their shit together and build something. Clemson is on their way back, looking for their first Super Regional since 2010.
To the next 25 years, College Baseball. We need a first time winner in 2024.
We have hit the quarter of a century mark in the ‘Super Regional’ Era, which began in 1999. Super Regional era was the birth of the 4-team regionals and 3 game series for supers. In 2018, there was an important tweak, the seeding of the Top 16 teams, to allow the #1 national seed to play at best the 16th seeded team in the Field of 64 in Super Regionals instead of relying purely on geographical luck. Before we head into 2024, the beginning of another 25 years of college baseball, we wanted to look back at the best overall programs and best no-title programs that need to win their first one. Keep in mind, 2020 season was a wash so there were 24 postseasons.
Since 1999, LSU and Oregon State lead the way with 3 national titles, with the most recent one coming in 2023 for LSU. Vanderbilt, Miami, Texas and South Carolina are all tied for 2nd with 2 apiece. When you think 2000s, you think nostalgia as these are the most memorable and magical moments at Rosenblatt so it's always a good excuse to travel down memory lane and relive these teams.
Top 10 most successful programs from 1999-2023:
(National Titles, CWS app., Regional app.):
National Champions: 2000, 2009, 2023
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2006, 2007, 2018
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 16 times
National Champions: 2002, 2005
CWS: 11 times
Regionals: 20 times
National Champions: 1999, 2001
CWS: 8 times
Regionals: 22 times
National Champions: 2010, 2011
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 19 times
National Champions: 2014, 2019
CWS: 5 times
Regionals: 18 times
National Champions: 2017
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2004
CWS: 9 times
Regionals: 21 times
National Champions: 2015
CWS: 6 times
Regionals: 17 times
National Champions: 2021
CWS: 5 times
Regionals: 17 times
Of the Top 10 programs, Miami, Texas and Cal State Fullerton were continuing their 90s dominance into the early part of the 2000s. Those 3 programs have not won since 2005, but continued to return to Omaha in the 2010s so the younger generation college baseball viewers probably don't remember how damn good they were.
You're probably wondering where the hell is Rice? Among one national title teams, it came down to Mississippi State and Rice for the final spot. Mississippi State just kept the success going a little bit longer after Rice's last appearance in the postseason in 2017. Factor in a little bit of recency bias as the Rice program has gone down the shitter, while Mississippi State is also currently in the shitter, but still drawing some of the biggest crowds in college baseball. But don't get it twisted, if this was a 2000-2010 thing, the Rice Owls are Top 5. Cal State Fullerton would move into Top 5 as well. The smaller schools just couldn't keep up with the modern day NCAA landscape.
As we head into a new quarter century, WHO needs a national title badly? Aka which blue blood programs are in a tormentous drought and need to hoist the trophy? One way to make 2024 exciting is to get a first time national title winner.
We are going to do this by ranking the Top 25 blue blood programs without a title (since 1999) using the following criteria:
CWS Appearance: 5 points
Super Regional Appearance: 3 points
Regional Appearance: 1 point
Florida State, Stanford, Arkansas and North Carolina all might be cursed. To spare these fanbases, we won't mention the specifics, but they all have been close quite a few times. North Carolina lost the national championship series in back to back years, to the same damn team, Oregon State. Can't script it any worse. TCU was one of the best teams in the 2010s, showing up in Omaha five times. Oral Roberts gets a near free ticket to the postseason every year playing in the Summit League, but you have to respect 20 postseason appearances including College World Series in 2023. It's time for programs like Georgia Tech, Arizona State, Georgia, Nebraska to get their shit together and build something. Clemson is on their way back, looking for their first Super Regional since 2010.
To the next 25 years, College Baseball. We need a first time winner in 2024.
