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 Nebraska 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.
Nebraska by the Numbers
In the table below, you’ll see how many high school players from Nebraska are playing at each level of college baseball, the probability of playing at each college level, and how Nebraska compares nationally and to other states in the Midwest Region. You can see the complete Midwest breakdown HERE.
Where Are They Playing?
Image and data credit: College Baseball Insights
The Breakdown
When you think of Nebraska, you likely don’t think of a college baseball pipeline, but the home to the D1 College World Series is exactly that. Overall, the probability of playing college baseball at any level for graduates from Nebraska (20.26%) is the second highest of any state in the country trailing only Hawaii (21.48%). Across all levels of college baseball, Nebraskans are well-represented. In fact, every level of college baseball has representation above both national and Midwest averages, except D3 whose probability of 2.3% trails national (3.1%) and Midwest (2.84%) averages just slightly. NAIA and junior college baseball account for over half of Nebraska’s overall college baseball participation, sending 5.78% and 5.16% of its players to each respective level. The state’s 7 NAIA programs and 4 JUCO programs are substantial for having only 2,735 total high school participants, the 2nd fewest of any Midwest state. Surprisingly, despite only 1 in-state D2 program, Nebraska’s D2 participation is also strong at 3.62% participation. Nebraska’s out-of-state participation is a big reason for it’s success in moving players to the college level. There are nearly as many out-of-state college baseball players in bordering states as there are in-state, which is rare. There is also participation in nearly every state with the exception of the Northeast.
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.
