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 West Virginia 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.
West Virginia by the Numbers
In the table below, you’ll see how many high school players from West Virginia are playing at each level of college baseball, the probability of playing at each college level, and how West Virginia compares nationally and to other states in the Mid-Atlantic Region. You can see the complete Mid-Atlantic breakdown HERE.
Where Are They Playing?
West Virginia Players by Division (275)
Image and data credit: College Baseball Insights
The Breakdown
West Virginia is the only state in the Mid-Atlantic whose overall college baseball participation rate (11.34%) is below the national average (12.58%). Even so, West Virginia holds its own for a state with remote stretches, difficult weather, and less than 3,000 high school baseball participants. West Virginia high school players benefit from 12 in-state D2 baseball programs, a huge number compared to the participation totals. With lots of options, it’s no surprise that West Virginia’s 6.17% D2 participation rate blows the national (2.05%) and regional (2.38%) averages away. West Virginia leads the region and country as a D2 pipeline by a huge margin. Georgia boasts the second-best D2 participation rate at 4.3%, showing just how strong West Virginia is at this level. At the NAIA level, West Virginia’s 1.53% participation rate is just about even with the national average of 1.54% and well above the 0.35% Mid-Atlantic region average, in spite only 1 in-state NAIA option. At the D1 (0.87%), D3 (0.95%), and JUCO (1.66%) levels, West Virginia is last in regional ranking and well below national averages for each level. A close look at the in-state options for these levels (2 D1, 1 D3, and 1 JUCO) helps explain these low totals.
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.
