Crunching Numbers

• According to the official scholarship legislation provided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, baseball teams are allowed 11.78 scholarships at the Division I level. There are typically more than 30 players on a college baseball roster, so there will be a good majority of scholarships that are partial. Full rides are very rare; top-of-the-line players, and Major League Baseball draft prospects, might only receive 75 percent scholarships. Role players on good teams will be looking at 50 percent or 25 percent scholarships.
  
  

Depth of Programs

• As of January 2011, there were 287 Division I universities scheduled to compete in college baseball. With the average roster size at 30 players, there are approximately 8,600 potential roster spots available for players. Top baseball programs in the Pacific-10, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference will be fully funded programs. That means these programs have the full allotment of scholarships to give out. Other programs are not so fortunate. Researching potential programs helps find the right scholarship fit.
  
  

Competition and Academics

• With many schools in a crunch for scholarship money, they still will look to obtain the top available talent. According to Ron Polk, a noted high school baseball coach, Mississippi State University sent out 1,500 prospect questionnaires for a recruiting class of 10 to 12 athletes. Many of these players will earn partial scholarships. This brings academics into the equation. Schools will look to obtain scholarship money from their academic budget before tapping into athletic program resources.
  
  

Scholarship Information

• All NCAA athletic scholarships, regardless of sport, are one-year renewable awards. This is a common misconception, as the general public views scholarships as four- or five-year deals. A player can have a baseball scholarship rescinded if he is not meeting the prescribed qualifications discussed by the coach, player and his family. This might include substandard performance in the classroom or a lack of attendance at practice or team meetings. Scholarships can not be rescinded because of poor athletic performance.