1996 NCAA Division I baseball season Number of teams 275 Champions LSU (3rd title)Runners-up Miami (FL) (15th CWS Appearance) Winning Coach Skip Bertman (3rd title)MOP Pat Burrell (Miami (FL) )
The 1996 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1996. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1996 College World Series . The College World Series, held for the fiftieth time in 1996, consisted of one team from each of eight regional competitions and was held in Omaha, Nebraska at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. LSU claimed the championship for the third time.[1]
Realignment [ ]
The Metro Conference dissolved, with its members moving primarily to Conference USA .
Notre Dame departed the Midwestern Collegiate Conference for the Big East Conference , while Xavier and La Salle moved to the Atlantic 10 Conference .
Fordham and Virginia Tech also joined the Atlantic 10, from the Patriot League and the Metro Conference, respectively.
VCU joined the Colonial Athletic Association from the Metro Conference.
Stephen F. Austin dissolved their baseball program. It would not resume until the 2006 season .
Format changes [ ]
The Trans America Athletic Conference divided into three divisions of four teams each, the Eastern, Southern, and Western.
The Big East divided into two divisions, named National and American.
The Southland Conference divided into two divisions of four teams each, named Louisiana and Texas.
Conference winners [ ]
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1996 season. The NCAA sponsored regional competitions to determine the College World Series participants. Each of the eight regionals consisted of six teams competing in double-elimination tournaments, with the winners advancing to Omaha. In order to provide all conference champions with an automatic bid, 12 conference champions participated in a play-in round. The six winners joined the other 18 conference champions with automatic bids, 24 teams earned at-large selections.[1] [2]
Conference
Regular Season Winner
Conference Tournament
Tournament Venue • City
Tournament Winner
Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State
1996 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament
Durham Bulls Athletic Park • Durham, NC
Virginia
Big East Conference
American - West Virginia National - Villanova
1996 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament
Muzzy Field • Bristol, CT
West Virginia
Big Eight Conference
Missouri
All Sports Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma State
Big Ten Conference
Penn State
1996 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament
• State College, PA
Indiana
Big West Conference
Long Beach State
1996 Big West Conference Baseball Tournament
Titan Field • Fullerton, CA
UNLV
Colonial Athletic Association
Old Dominion /Richmond
1996 Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament
Grainger Stadium • Kinston, NC
Old Dominion
Conference USA
South Florida
1996 Conference USA Baseball Tournament
Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS
Tulane
Ivy League
Gehrig - Princeton Rolfe - Harvard
1996 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series
Bill Clarke Field • Princeton, NJ
Princeton
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northern - Siena Southern - Iona
1996 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
Heritage Park • Colonie, NY
Siena
Mid-American Conference
Kent State
1996 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament
Gene Michael Field • Kent, OH
Akron
Midwestern Collegiate Conference
Butler
Indianapolis, IN
Northern Illinois
Mid-Continent Conference
Troy State
Riddle–Pace Field • Troy, AL
Northeastern Illinois
North Atlantic Conference
Delaware
1996 North Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament
• Orono, ME
Delaware
Northeast Conference
Rider /Monmouth
1996 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament
Ewing Township, NJ
Rider
Pacific-10 Conference
North - Washington South - Southern California
No Tournament
Patriot League
Bucknell
1996 Patriot League Baseball Tournament
Bucknell Field • Lewisburg, PA
Bucknell
Southeastern Conference
Eastern - Florida Western - Alabama
1996 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium • Hoover, AL
Alabama
Southern Conference
Georgia Southern
1996 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
College Park • Charleston, SC
Georgia Southern
Southland Conference
Louisiana - Northeast Louisiana Texas - Southwest Texas State
1996 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, LA
Sam Houston State
Southwest Conference
Texas
1996 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament
Dan Law Field • Lubbock, TX
Rice
Trans America Athletic Conference
Eastern - Georgia State Southern - Stetson Western - Jacksonville State
1996 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
Conrad Park • DeLand, FL
UCF
West Coast Conference
Santa Clara
No tournament
Conference standings [ ]
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:
1996 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 6 Florida State † y
19
–
5
.792
52
–
17
.754
No. 4 Clemson y
17
–
7
.708
51
–
17
.750
No. 18 Georgia Tech y
13
–
11
.542
40
–
24
.625
No. 28 NC State y
13
–
11
.542
42
–
19
.689
No. 19 Virginia ‡ y
11
–
13
.458
44
–
21
.677
North Carolina
11
–
13
.458
33
–
25
.569
Duke
9
–
14
.391
39
–
18
.684
Wake Forest
7
–
16
.304
26
–
32
.448
Maryland
7
–
17
.292
24
–
27
.471
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[3] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Big East Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
American Division
West Virginia x ‡ y
15
–
10
–
0
.600
33
–
25
–
0
.569
Providence x
15
–
10
–
0
.600
32
–
17
–
1
.650
St. John's
14
–
10
–
0
.583
26
–
18
–
0
.591
Connecticut
13
–
12
–
0
.520
24
–
23
–
0
.511
Pittsburgh
9
–
13
–
0
.409
24
–
20
–
2
.543
Boston College
6
–
18
–
0
.250
15
–
27
–
0
.357
National Division
Villanova x
16
–
5
–
0
.762
25
–
20
–
0
.556
Rutgers
15
–
7
–
1
.674
32
–
21
–
1
.602
Notre Dame y
13
–
7
–
0
.650
44
–
18
–
0
.710
Georgetown
6
–
18
–
0
.250
18
–
34
–
0
.346
Seton Hall
5
–
17
–
1
.239
18
–
27
–
1
.402
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[4] [5] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Big Eight Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 29 Missouri † y
20
–
8
.714
39
–
19
.672
No. 8 Oklahoma State ‡ y
17
–
9
.654
45
–
21
.682
Oklahoma
14
–
12
.538
32
–
25
.561
Iowa State
12
–
14
.462
23
–
31
.426
Kansas State
11
–
16
.407
28
–
26
.519
Kansas
11
–
17
.393
26
–
30
.464
Nebraska
8
–
17
.320
27
–
27
.500
† – Conference champion ‡ – champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[6] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Big Ten Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Penn State †
19
–
8
.704
32
–
24
.571
Indiana ‡ y
18
–
8
.692
43
–
18
.705
Illinois
17
–
10
.630
37
–
22
.627
Michigan
17
–
11
.607
24
–
30
.444
Minnesota
15
–
12
.556
30
–
26
.536
Ohio State
15
–
13
.536
36
–
20
.643
Iowa
13
–
13
.500
25
–
22
.532
Northwestern
10
–
18
.357
26
–
29
.473
Purdue
8
–
19
.296
22
–
32
.407
Michigan State
4
–
24
.143
14
–
41
.255
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[7] [8] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Colonial Athletic Association baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Old Dominion † ‡ y
13
–
7
.650
39
–
17
.696
Richmond †
13
–
7
.650
27
–
25
.519
VCU
11
–
7
.611
34
–
22
.607
George Mason
12
–
9
.571
25
–
29
.463
East Carolina
10
–
11
.476
22
–
24
.478
James Madison
9
–
11
.450
34
–
25
.576
UNC Wilmington
9
–
11
.450
28
–
30
.483
William & Mary
2
–
16
.111
23
–
25
.479
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[10] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Conference USA baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
South Florida † y
20
–
4
.833
47
–
19
.712
Tulane ‡ y
18
–
6
.750
43
–
20
.683
Southern Miss
14
–
10
.583
32
–
28
.533
UAB
13
–
11
.542
33
–
25
.569
Charlotte
11
–
13
.458
29
–
30
.492
Memphis
9
–
11
.450
26
–
28
.481
Saint Louis
9
–
12
.429
25
–
24
.510
Louisville
6
–
15
.286
18
–
36
.333
Cincinnati
1
–
19
.050
5
–
34
.128
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[11] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 NCAA Division I baseball independents standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 2 Miami (FL) y
–
–
50
–
14
.781
Oral Roberts
–
–
32
–
24
.571
Hawaii–Hilo
–
–
14
–
31
.311
Wofford
–
–
8
–
35
.186
Colgate
–
–
3
–
20
.130
Southern Utah
–
–
–
–
y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[12] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Ivy League baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Lou Gehrig
Princeton x ‡ y
13
–
7
.650
26
–
21
.553
Penn
13
–
7
.650
25
–
17
.595
Cornell
8
–
12
.400
17
–
27
.386
Columbia
7
–
13
.350
13
–
29
.310
Red Rolfe
Harvard x
14
–
6
.700
23
–
17
.575
Yale
11
–
9
.550
24
–
18
.571
Dartmouth
8
–
12
.400
12
–
25
.324
Brown
6
–
14
.300
12
–
25
.324
x – Division champion ‡ – Championship Series champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[13] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Northern
Siena x ‡ y
14
–
4
.778
28
–
20
.583
Le Moyne
10
–
8
.556
17
–
19
.472
Niagara
7
–
11
.389
14
–
20
.412
Canisius
5
–
13
.278
13
–
22
.371
Southern
Iona x
11
–
7
.611
26
–
21
.553
Saint Peter's
10
–
7
.588
18
–
24
.429
Fairfield
10
–
8
.556
20
–
19
.513
Manhattan
4
–
13
.235
9
–
30
.231
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[14] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Mid-American Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Kent State †
21
–
7
–
0
.750
30
–
20
–
0
.600
Ohio
21
–
11
–
0
.656
34
–
23
–
0
.596
Toledo
18
–
14
–
0
.563
27
–
27
–
0
.500
Akron ‡ y
18
–
14
–
0
.563
37
–
23
–
0
.617
Ball State
16
–
14
–
0
.533
32
–
20
–
1
.613
Central Michigan
16
–
14
–
0
.533
31
–
20
–
0
.608
Eastern Michigan
16
–
16
–
0
.500
26
–
29
–
0
.473
Bowling Green
14
–
17
–
0
.452
28
–
22
–
0
.560
Western Michigan
10
–
21
–
0
.323
17
–
34
–
0
.333
Miami
5
–
27
–
0
.156
12
–
40
–
0
.231
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[15] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Northeast Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Rider † ‡
15
–
6
–
0
.714
28
–
22
–
0
.560
Monmouth †
15
–
6
–
0
.714
25
–
22
–
0
.532
St. Francis
12
–
8
–
0
.600
21
–
20
–
1
.512
Long Island
12
–
9
–
0
.571
21
–
19
–
0
.525
Fairleigh Dickinson
9
–
12
–
0
.429
16
–
23
–
0
.410
Wagner
8
–
12
–
0
.400
14
–
24
–
0
.368
Marist
8
–
13
–
0
.381
16
–
24
–
1
.402
Mount St. Mary's
4
–
17
–
0
.190
6
–
24
–
1
.210
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Patriot League baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Bucknell † ‡ y
14
–
6
–
0
.700
24
–
23
–
0
.511
Lehigh
12
–
8
–
0
.600
18
–
20
–
1
.474
Navy
11
–
9
–
0
.550
24
–
28
–
0
.462
Army
9
–
11
–
0
.450
20
–
21
–
0
.488
Lafayette
9
–
11
–
0
.450
12
–
28
–
0
.300
Holy Cross
5
–
15
–
0
.250
7
–
26
–
0
.212
‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[16] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Eastern Division
No. 3 Florida x †
20
–
10
.667
50
–
18
.735
No. 12 Tennessee
18
–
12
.600
43
–
20
.683
Kentucky
15
–
14
.517
35
–
24
.593
Vanderbilt
14
–
16
.467
29
–
25
.537
South Carolina
13
–
17
.433
25
–
28
.472
Georgia
8
–
21
.276
24
–
30
.444
Western Division
No. 5 Alabama x † ‡
20
–
10
.667
50
–
19
.725
No. 1 LSU x †
20
–
10
.667
52
–
15
.776
No. 27 Mississippi State
17
–
13
.567
38
–
24
.613
Arkansas
15
–
15
.500
39
–
20
.661
Auburn
12
–
18
.400
32
–
24
.571
Ole Miss
7
–
23
.233
24
–
30
.444
x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[17] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Southern Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 14 Georgia Southern †‡y
17
–
3
.850
46
–
14
.767
Western Carolina
17
–
7
.708
32
–
24
.571
Furman
15
–
9
.625
26
–
29
.473
The Citadel
13
–
10
.565
33
–
26
.559
Appalachian State
12
–
10
.545
27
–
19
.587
East Tennessee State
11
–
12
.478
26
–
24
.520
VMI
7
–
16
.304
17
–
29
.370
Davidson
6
–
18
.250
16
–
33
.327
Marshall
4
–
17
.190
7
–
35
.167
† – Conference champion ‡ – SoCon Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[18] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Southland Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Louisiana
Northeast Louisiana x
21
–
9
.700
41
–
19
.683
Northwestern State
14
–
16
.467
34
–
27
.557
Nicholls State
11
–
19
.367
17
–
36
.321
McNeese State
10
–
20
.333
23
–
31
.426
Texas
Southwest Texas State x
19
–
11
.633
27
–
32
.458
Texas–San Antonio
17
–
13
.567
26
–
26
.500
Sam Houston State ‡ y
15
–
15
.500
31
–
29
.517
Texas–Arlington
13
–
17
.433
23
–
35
.397
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[19] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Southwest Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 16 Texas † y
17
–
7
.708
39
–
24
.619
No. 17 Texas Tech y
15
–
9
.625
49
–
15
.766
Texas A&M
12
–
12
.500
37
–
21
.638
Baylor
11
–
13
.458
32
–
27
.542
Texas Christian
11
–
13
.458
34
–
33
.507
Houston
9
–
15
.375
29
–
28
.509
No. 25 Rice ‡ y
9
–
15
.375
42
–
23
.646
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1996 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
South
No. 22 Stetson x † y
12
–
6
.667
42
–
23
.646
UCF ‡ y
9
–
9
.500
43
–
22
.662
Florida Atlantic
9
–
9
.500
39
–
23
.629
FIU
6
–
12
.333
35
–
24
.593
East
Georgia State x †
12
–
6
.667
21
–
32
.396
Campbell
9
–
9
.500
23
–
33
.411
College of Charleston
8
–
10
.444
28
–
23
.549
Mercer
7
–
11
.389
25
–
30
.455
West
Jacksonville State x †
12
–
6
.667
33
–
18
.647
Southeastern Louisiana
11
–
7
.611
34
–
24
.586
Centenary
7
–
11
.389
23
–
34
.404
Samford
6
–
12
.333
22
–
34
.393
x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1996[20] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
College World Series [ ]
Main article: 1996 College World Series
The 1996 season marked the fiftieth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series . The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska . The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with LSU claiming their third championship with a 9–8 win over Miami (FL) in the final.[1]
Bracket [ ]
First Round
Second Round
Semifinals
Finals
1
Alabama
7
8
Oklahoma State
5
1
Alabama
1
5
Miami (FL)
15
4
Clemson
3
5
Miami (FL)
7
5
Miami (FL)
14
—
Bracket One
4
Clemson
5
—
8
Oklahoma State
5
4
Clemson
8 10
1
Alabama
13
4
Clemson
14
5
Miami (FL)
8
6
LSU
9
2
Florida
5
7
Florida State
2
2
Florida
4
6
LSU
9
3
Wichita State
8
6
LSU
9
6
LSU
2
—
Bracket Two
2
Florida
1
—
7
Florida State
8
3
Wichita State
4
2
Florida
6
7
Florida State
3
Award winners [ ]
All-America team [ ]
References [ ]
^ a b c W.C. Madden & Patrick J. Stewart (2004). The College World Series:A Baseball History, 1947-2003 . McFarland & Co. pp. 41–43. ISBN 9780786418428 . Retrieved January 31, 2015 .
^ "NCAA Men's College World Series Records" (PDF) . NCAA. 2009. p. 7. Retrieved January 31, 2015 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1996" . Boyd's World. Retrieved April 11, 2015 .
^ 2012 Big East Baseball Media Guide . Big East Conference. p. 61. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1996" . boydsworld.com. Retrieved January 26, 2013 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1996" . Boyd's World. Retrieved March 23, 2021 .
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