The 2008 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began on February 22, 2008. The season was the first to have a uniform start date for both southern and northern teams. The change from previous seasons, in which weather allowed southern teams to begin play weeks before northern teams, was an attempt to improve parity between warm-weather and cold-weather teams.[1][2] The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and 2008 College World Series. The College World Series, which consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, was held in its annual location of Omaha, Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium. It concluded on June 25, 2008, with the final game of the best of three championship series. Fresno State defeated Georgia two games to one to claim their first championship. Fresno State was the first team seeded fourth in its regional tournament to win a national championship since the NCAA Tournament adopted the current 64-team format in 1999.[3]
Realignment
New programs
Five new programs joined Division I baseball for the 2008 season, four from the NCAA Division II. Florida Gulf Coast, previously a Division II independent; North Carolina Central, previously of the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Presbyterian, previously of the Division II South Atlantic Conference; and South Carolina Upstate, previously of the Division II Peach Belt Conference, all made the transition to Division I.[4][5][6][7] The fifth new program, Houston Baptist, joined Division I from the NAIA.[8]
Conference changes
Entering the 2008 baseball season, the Mid-Continent Conference was renamed The Summit League.[9] The renamed conference was one of several conferences to make membership changes.
Both the renamed Summit League and the Atlantic Sun Conference added multiple members. The Summit added three schools, IPFW, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State, all previously Division I independents.[10] The Atlantic Sun added two schools, Florida Gulf Coast and South Carolina Upstate, both from Division II.[11]
Both the Big West Conference, which added UC Davis from the Division I independent ranks, and the Horizon League, which added Valparaiso from the Mid-Continent, added a single member.[10][12]
Three schools joined the Division I independent ranks. Le Moyne left the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to become an independent, and both North Carolina Central and Presbyterian became independents after their transitions from Division II.[5][6][13]
Conference standings
| Team won the conference tournament and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament |
| Conference does not have conference tournament, so team won the autobid for finishing in first |
| Team received at-large bid to NCAA Tournament |
|
College World Series
The 2008 season marked the sixty second NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Fresno State claiming their first championship with a two games to one series win over Georgia in the final.
Bracket
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First round |
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Second round |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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1 |
Miami |
4 |
|
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8 |
Georgia |
7 |
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|
|
8 |
Georgia |
4 |
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Stanford |
3 |
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Stanford |
16 |
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|
4 |
Florida State |
5 |
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|
|
8 |
Georgia |
10 |
-- |
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Stanford |
8 |
-- |
|
|
1 |
Miami |
7 |
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|
|
4 |
Florida State |
5 |
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|
|
1 |
Miami |
3 |
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Stanford |
8 |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Georgia |
7 |
10 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
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Fresno State |
6 |
19 |
6 |
|
2 |
North Carolina |
8 |
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7 |
LSU |
4 |
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2 |
North Carolina |
3 |
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Fresno State |
5 |
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Fresno State |
17 |
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|
6 |
Rice |
5 |
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Fresno State |
3 |
6 |
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2 |
North Carolina |
4 |
1 |
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7 |
LSU |
6 |
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6 |
Rice |
5 |
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7 |
LSU |
3 |
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2 |
North Carolina |
7 |
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|
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Award winners
All-America team
References
- ↑ Kimmey, Will (11 January 2006). "NCAA Approves Uniform Start Date for 2008". BaseballAmerica.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ↑ "College Baseball Plays Waiting Game with Uniform Start Date". USAToday.com. The Associated Press. 15 February 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
The new NCAA uniform starting date for Division I baseball was established with the intent to create competitive balance among northern and southern teams.
- ↑ Gardiner, Andy (10 July 2008). "Fresno State Overpowers Georgia for First National Title". USAToday.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ↑ "Florida Gulf Coast University Football Feasibility Study" (PDF). FGCU.edu. Carr Sports Associates, Inc. 18 January 2011. p. I-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
Responding to scheduling and conference membership limitations in NCAA Division II (Division II), FGCU strategically applied for membership in NCAA Division I in January, 2006, and was soon accepted into the Atlantic Sun Conference, effective 2007-2008.
- 1 2 "NCCU Gains Full NCAA Division I Membership". NCCU.edu. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
The Eagles captured eight conference team titles in their final two seasons as a Division II member in the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) before competing as an independent without conference affiliation starting in the fall of 2007.
- 1 2 Peloquin, Matt (31 March 2006). "Presbyterian College Upgrades to Division I". CollegeSportsInfo.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ↑ "NCAA Grants USC Upstate Full Division I Certification". News.USCUpstate.com. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
During the department's first year of Division I play in 2007-08, ... the baseball team posted a 17-16 record in conference play.
- ↑ "Huskies Finish First Season Back in Division I with Rout of UT-Pan Am". HBUHuskies.com. Houston Baptist Sports Information. 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ↑ Brown, Mike (5 January 2012). "ORU in Last Year Before Move to Southland Conference". TulsaWorld.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
May 2007: Mid-Con changes its name to the Summit League, ...
- 1 2 Barnette, Drew (14 October 2007). "BX Summit League Preview and Notes". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
This league was formerly known as the Mid Continental Conference. Valparaiso jumped ship and joined the Horizon League, and they were replaced by IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.
- ↑ Wilder, Stephen (8 December 2011). "It's Official: NKU Is Going Division I". TheNortherner.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
The addition is the first expansion for the Atlantic Sun since 2007 when the University of South Carolina Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast University joined the league.
- ↑ "UC Davis Steps Up, Joins D-1's Big West". The Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 12 March 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ↑ Harrigan, Matthew (2 April 2011). "Le Moyne Baseball in Season of Transition from Division I to D-II". Syracuse.com. The Post-Standard. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
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