You’re interested in playing college baseball, but what are your chances of making it to the next level? While many tout national probability as gospel, it turns out your odds of playing at the next level vary greatly depending on where you live.
If you live in Alabama and are wondering what percentage of high school graduates from your state play at each college level and where they are playing, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we team up with our friends at College Baseball Insights to provide you with state-level overview of your chances to play at the next level.
You can see an overview of our resources, methodology, and limitations on our College Baseball Participation Overview Main Page, as well find overviews on other states and regions.
Alabama by the Numbers
In the table below, you’ll see how many high school players from Alabama are playing at each level of college baseball, the probability of playing at each college level, and how Alabama compares nationally and to other states in the Southeast Region. You can see the complete Southwest breakdown HERE.
Where Are They Playing?
Alabama Players by Division (1,088)
Image and data credit: College Baseball Insights
The Breakdown
It may surprise you to find out that Alabama has the 2nd most high school baseball participants of any state in the region, trailing only Florida. It’s 13,470 high school baseball participants are comparable to New Jersey’s totals, but that’s where the similarities stop. Alabama is below national and regional averages in every college baseball level. Alabama’s JUCO participation percentage (3.15%) is the closest level to matching the national average for that level (3.30%). This is due in large part to having 20 in-state JUCO options, the 6th most among all states. Every other level falls well below average, resulting in a low 8.08% overall college baseball participation rate. Despite 10 in-state D1 programs, Alabama only sends 1.58% of its players to that level. That’s the lowest mark in the region. There are 7 in-state D2 options, but only a 1.52% D2 participation rate. NAIA (1.05%) and D3 (0.62%) are worse off than the previously mentioned levels. With lots of high school participation and 44 in-state college options across all levels, it’s a big surprising how low the state of Alabama ranks.
Want to see additional states and regional breakdowns? Find them HERE.
Limitations
This article was written with data and insights from 3rd party sources, College Baseball Insights and NFHS High School Participation Data. Data and insights are subject to revision and/or change. We’ve attempted to display as accurate a picture as possible with the information that is available. Readers should be aware that college baseball roster data is fluid and changes throughout the year. Every attempt is made to reconcile data and keep up with changes, but this article may not reflect the changes or updates from 3rd parties. Insights cannot account for gap year programs, misreported roster information, or other inaccuracies which may slightly alter the numbers and percentages used in this article. Insights are subject to change and are based on best available information.
