2011 NCAA Division I baseball season


The 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I level, began on February 18, 2011. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and 2011 College World Series. The College World Series consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament. Although it was held in its annual location of Omaha, Nebraska, it was played at the newly constructed TD Ameritrade Park for the first time. It concluded on June 29, 2011, with the final game of the best of three championship series. South Carolina defeated Florida two games to none to claim their second championship.

Realignment

Dropped programs

dropped its varsity baseball program following the 2010 season.

Conference changes

left the Sun Belt Conference to become a Division I independent.

Preseason

The South Carolina Gamecocks entered the season as defending World Series champions. Among the four major baseball polls there were three different teams ranked preseason #1: the Florida Gators, TCU Horned Frogs, and UCLA Bruins.

Conference standings

Conference winners and tournaments

Of the 31 conferences that sponsored Division I baseball in 2011, 28 sponsored conference tournaments or championship series. With the exception of the Great West Conference, a provisional member of Division I, the winners of these tournaments received their conference's automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. Programs qualified for the conference tournaments based on their regular season against conference opponents, and tournament formats included double elimination, single elimination, and round robin.

College World Series

The 2011 College World Series began on June 18, 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the first College World Series in 61 years not played at Rosenblatt Stadium; games were played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.

Award winners

All-American teams

Major player of the year awards