1997 NCAA Division I baseball season Number of teams 273 Champions LSU (4th title)Runners-up Alabama (10th CWS Appearance) Winning Coach Skip Bertman (4th title)MOP Brandon Larson (LSU )
The 1997 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 1997. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1997 College World Series . The College World Series, held for the fifty first time in 1997, 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 fourth time.[1]
Realignment [ ]
The Big Eight Conference merged with four members of the Southwest Conference, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech to form the Big 12 Conference.
Format changes [ ]
The Big West Conference divided into two divisions of four, called Northern and Southern.
Conference winners [ ]
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1997 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, 10 conference champions participated in a play-in round. The five winners joined the other 19 conference champions with automatic bids, 24 teams earned at-large selections.[1] [2]
Conference
Regular Season Winner
Conference Tournament
Tournament Venue • City
Tournament Winner
America East Conference
Delaware
1997 America East Conference Baseball Tournament
Frawley Stadium • Wilmington, DE
Northeastern
Atlantic Coast Conference
Georgia Tech
1997 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament
Florida Power Park •
Florida State
Big 12 Conference
Texas Tech
1997 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
All Sports Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma
Big East Conference
American - West Virginia National - Notre Dame
1997 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament
Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium • Norwich, CT
St. John's
Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro
1997 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament
Knights Stadium • Fort Mill, SC
UNC Greensboro
Big Ten Conference
Michigan
1997 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament
Ray Fisher Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
Ohio State
Big West Conference
Northern - Nevada Southern - Long Beach State
1997 Big West Conference Baseball Tournament
Blair Field • Long Beach, CA
Cal State Fullerton
Colonial Athletic Association
VCU
1997 Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament
Grainger Stadium • Kinston, NC
Richmond
Conference USA
Tulane
1997 Conference USA Baseball Tournament
Turchin Stadium • New Orleans, LA
Houston
Ivy League
Gehrig - Princeton Rolfe - Harvard
1997 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series
Joseph J. O'Donnell Field • Cambridge, MA
Harvard
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northern - Niagara Southern - Fairfield
1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
Heritage Park • Colonie, NY
Siena
Mid-American Conference
Ohio
1997 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament
• Athens, OH
Ohio
Midwestern Collegiate Conference
Wright State
Dayton, OH
Detroit
Mid-Continent Conference
Eastern - Troy State Western - Northeastern Illinois
Les Miller Field • Chicago, IL
Troy State
Northeast Conference
Marist /Fairleigh Dickinson
1997 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament
Sussex, NJ
Marist
Pacific-10 Conference
North - Washington South - Stanford
No Tournament
Patriot League
Army
1997 Patriot League Baseball Tournament
Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field • West Point, NY
Army
Southeastern Conference
Eastern - Florida Western - LSU
1997 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament
Golden Park • Columbus, GA
Alabama
Southern Conference
Western Carolina Georgia Southern
1997 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park • Charleston, SC
Western Carolina
Southland Conference
Louisiana - Northwestern State Texas - Southwest Texas State
1997 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
Warhawk Field • Monroe, LA
Southwest Texas State
Trans America Athletic Conference
Eastern - Mercer Southern - Stetson Western - Jacksonville State
1997 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:
1997 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 10 Georgia Tech † y
19
–
4
.826
46
–
15
.754
No. 9 Florida State ‡ y
18
–
6
.750
50
–
17
.746
No. 23 NC State y
15
–
8
.652
43
–
20
.683
Clemson y
13
–
10
.565
41
–
23
.641
Wake Forest
10
–
13
.435
37
–
20
.649
Virginia
10
–
13
.435
32
–
22
.593
Duke
9
–
14
.391
33
–
25
.569
North Carolina
6
–
18
.250
29
–
31
.483
Maryland
5
–
19
.208
22
–
32
.407
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[3] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Big 12 Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Texas Tech † y
23
–
7
.767
46
–
14
.767
No. 12 Oklahoma State y
21
–
9
.700
46
–
19
.708
No. 26 Texas A&M y
19
–
11
.633
39
–
22
.639
No. 17 Oklahoma ‡ y
18
–
11
.621
39
–
20
.661
Baylor
18
–
12
.600
32
–
23
.582
Missouri
15
–
16
.484
31
–
27
.534
Texas
12
–
15
.444
29
–
22
.569
Kansas
12
–
18
.400
31
–
25
.554
Kansas State
10
–
20
.333
32
–
24
.571
Nebraska
7
–
23
.233
27
–
35
.435
Iowa State
6
–
21
.222
12
–
31
.279
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[4] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Big East Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
American Division
West Virginia x
17
–
7
–
0
.708
36
–
19
–
0
.655
St. John's ‡ y
16
–
7
–
0
.696
35
–
17
–
0
.673
Connecticut
11
–
13
–
0
.458
27
–
20
–
0
.574
Providence
10
–
15
–
0
.400
26
–
23
–
1
.530
Boston College
8
–
17
–
0
.320
20
–
23
–
0
.465
Pittsburgh
8
–
17
–
0
.320
19
–
26
–
0
.422
National Division
Notre Dame
15
–
6
–
0
.714
41
–
19
–
0
.683
Rutgers
13
–
11
–
0
.542
28
–
24
–
0
.538
Seton Hall
13
–
11
–
0
.542
32
–
22
–
0
.593
Villanova
12
–
12
–
0
.500
29
–
27
–
0
.518
Georgetown
8
–
15
–
0
.348
19
–
37
–
1
.342
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[5] [6] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Big South Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
No. 28 UNC Greensboro † ‡ y
18
–
3
–
0
.857
45
–
17
–
0
.726
Winthrop
14
–
7
–
0
.667
27
–
29
–
1
.482
Charleston Southern
12
–
8
–
0
.600
21
–
36
–
0
.368
Liberty
11
–
10
–
0
.524
25
–
32
–
0
.439
UNC Asheville
9
–
11
–
0
.450
20
–
33
–
0
.377
Radford
9
–
12
–
0
.429
26
–
28
–
0
.481
UMBC
5
–
16
–
0
.238
12
–
35
–
0
.255
Coastal Carolina
5
–
16
–
0
.238
23
–
31
–
0
.426
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[7] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Big Ten Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Michigan †
17
–
9
.654
36
–
22
.621
No. 30 Ohio State ‡ y
18
–
10
.643
42
–
18
.700
Purdue
17
–
11
.607
30
–
25
.545
Illinois
17
–
11
.607
32
–
27
.542
Minnesota
15
–
10
.600
30
–
24
.556
Penn State
12
–
14
.462
29
–
24
.547
Michigan State
12
–
16
.429
26
–
28
.481
Indiana
8
–
16
.333
33
–
22
.600
Northwestern
9
–
19
.321
20
–
35
.364
Iowa
7
–
16
.304
17
–
30
.362
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[8] [9] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Colonial Athletic Association baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
VCU †
15
–
4
.789
32
–
23
.582
Old Dominion
12
–
8
.600
34
–
20
.630
James Madison
10
–
10
.500
31
–
26
.544
George Mason
10
–
11
.476
29
–
24
.547
East Carolina
10
–
11
.476
29
–
27
.518
William & Mary
8
–
12
.400
30
–
24
.556
Richmond ‡ y
8
–
12
.400
34
–
26
.567
UNC Wilmington
7
–
12
.368
28
–
29
.491
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[11] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Conference USA baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Tulane †
19
–
7
.731
40
–
21
.656
Houston ‡ y
19
–
8
.704
40
–
23
.635
South Florida y
18
–
8
.692
39
–
24
.619
Southern Miss
16
–
10
.615
34
–
23
.596
Charlotte
14
–
12
.538
30
–
26
.536
UAB
14
–
13
.519
31
–
29
.517
Louisville
11
–
15
.423
23
–
32
.418
Memphis
9
–
17
.346
20
–
31
.392
Saint Louis
8
–
19
.296
21
–
30
.412
Cincinnati
4
–
23
.148
12
–
46
.207
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[12] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 NCAA Division I baseball independents standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 3 Miami (FL) y
–
–
51
–
18
.739
Cal State Northridge
–
–
42
–
20
.677
Oral Roberts
–
–
26
–
30
.464
Hawaii–Hilo
–
–
13
–
34
.277
Wofford
–
–
13
–
34
.277
Southern Utah
–
–
8
–
37
.178
y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[13] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Ivy League baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Lou Gehrig
Princeton x ‡ y
10
–
10
–
0
.500
20
–
25
–
0
.444
Penn x
10
–
10
–
0
.500
19
–
21
–
0
.475
Cornell
7
–
13
–
0
.350
13
–
26
–
0
.333
Columbia
6
–
14
–
0
.300
12
–
25
–
1
.329
Red Rolfe
Harvard x
18
–
2
–
0
.900
34
–
16
–
0
.680
Yale
16
–
4
–
0
.800
24
–
19
–
0
.558
Dartmouth
11
–
9
–
0
.550
22
–
16
–
0
.579
Brown
2
–
18
–
0
.100
5
–
37
–
0
.119
x – Division champion ‡ – Championship Series champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[14] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Northern
Niagara x
11
–
7
.611
17
–
21
.447
Siena ‡ y
10
–
8
.556
21
–
34
.382
Le Moyne
10
–
8
.556
16
–
23
.410
Canisius
5
–
13
.278
18
–
19
.486
Southern
Fairfield x
13
–
5
.722
20
–
25
.444
Iona
10
–
8
.556
19
–
27
.413
Saint Peter's
7
–
11
.389
10
–
27
.270
Manhattan
6
–
12
.333
11
–
28
.282
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[15] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Mid-American Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Ohio † ‡ y
22
–
9
.710
43
–
18
.705
Ball State
21
–
10
.677
40
–
19
.678
Kent State
18
–
13
.581
29
–
28
.509
Miami
17
–
13
.567
27
–
28
.491
Eastern Michigan
17
–
14
.548
29
–
25
.537
Central Michigan
14
–
14
.500
29
–
20
.592
Akron
31
–
23
.574
14
–
16
.467
Bowling Green
13
–
17
.433
24
–
27
.471
Toledo
9
–
20
.310
18
–
33
.353
Western Michigan
6
–
24
.200
14
–
39
.264
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[16] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Northeast Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Marist † ‡ y
14
–
7
–
0
.667
32
–
19
–
0
.627
Fairleigh Dickinson †
14
–
7
–
0
.667
23
–
24
–
1
.490
Wagner
12
–
9
–
0
.571
17
–
29
–
2
.375
Rider
12
–
9
–
0
.571
20
–
29
–
0
.408
Monmouth
11
–
10
–
0
.524
23
–
25
–
0
.479
Long Island
10
–
11
–
0
.476
17
–
21
–
0
.447
St. Francis
6
–
15
–
0
.286
15
–
24
–
0
.385
Mount St. Mary's
5
–
16
–
0
.238
10
–
23
–
1
.309
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Pacific-10 Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Northern
No. 15 Washington x y
20
–
4
.833
46
–
20
.697
Oregon State
18
–
6
.750
38
–
12
.760
Washington State
7
–
17
.292
13
–
42
.236
Portland State
3
–
21
.125
10
–
43
.189
Southern
No. 4 Stanford x y
21
–
9
.700
45
–
20
.692
No. 8 UCLA y
19
–
11
.633
45
–
21
.682
No. 13 Southern California y
17
–
13
.567
42
–
20
.677
No. 14 Arizona State y
16
–
14
.533
39
–
22
.639
Arizona
13
–
17
.433
32
–
26
.552
California
4
–
26
.133
21
–
38
.356
x – Division champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[17] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Patriot League baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
Army † ‡
15
–
5
–
0
.750
26
–
20
–
1
.564
Navy
12
–
6
–
0
.667
19
–
27
–
0
.413
Bucknell
10
–
10
–
0
.500
25
–
24
–
1
.510
Lehigh
9
–
11
–
0
.450
18
–
24
–
1
.430
Lafayette
7
–
12
–
0
.368
11
–
26
–
0
.297
Holy Cross
5
–
14
–
0
.263
11
–
25
–
0
.306
‡ – Tournament champion As of June 30, 1997[18] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Eastern
No. 16 Florida x
17
–
13
.567
40
–
24
.625
No. 25 Tennessee x
17
–
13
.567
42
–
19
.689
Vanderbilt
14
–
16
.467
31
–
24
.564
South Carolina
13
–
17
.433
33
–
24
.579
Kentucky
10
–
20
.333
20
–
34
.370
Georgia
8
–
22
.267
28
–
27
.509
Western
No. 1 LSU x †
22
–
7
.759
57
–
13
.814
No. 2 Alabama ‡
20
–
9
.690
56
–
14
.800
No. 7 Mississippi State
19
–
11
.633
47
–
21
.691
No. 6 Auburn
17
–
12
.586
50
–
17
.746
Arkansas
15
–
14
.517
36
–
20
.643
Ole Miss
6
–
24
.200
22
–
31
.415
x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion Rankings from Baseball America
1997 Southern Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Western Carolina † ‡ y
18
–
6
.750
42
–
20
.677
Georgia Southern †
18
–
6
.750
34
–
26
.567
The Citadel
16
–
7
.696
37
–
21
.638
Furman
13
–
11
.542
29
–
23
.558
East Tennessee State
11
–
11
.500
21
–
24
.467
Davidson
8
–
15
.348
18
–
34
.346
Appalachian State
8
–
16
.333
16
–
32
.333
VMI
6
–
13
.316
13
–
35
.271
Marshall
4
–
17
.190
7
–
39
.152
† – Conference champion ‡ – SoCon Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[19] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Southland Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Louisiana
Northwestern State x
19
–
9
–
0
.679
35
–
22
–
0
.614
Northeast Louisianae
17
–
11
–
0
.607
33
–
21
–
0
.611
McNeese State
11
–
19
–
0
.367
19
–
31
–
1
.382
Nicholls State
9
–
19
–
0
.321
19
–
35
–
0
.352
Texas
Southwest Texas State x ‡ y
18
–
11
–
0
.621
38
–
26
–
0
.594
Sam Houston State
17
–
11
–
0
.607
36
–
27
–
0
.571
Texas–Arlington
12
–
17
–
0
.414
22
–
35
–
0
.386
Texas–San Antonio
12
–
18
–
0
.400
20
–
36
–
0
.357
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[20] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1997 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
PCT
W
L
T
PCT
South
Stetson x y
10
–
8
–
0
.556
37
–
26
–
1
.586
FIU x y
10
–
8
–
0
.556
42
–
21
–
0
.667
Florida Atlantic
8
–
9
–
0
.471
32
–
24
–
0
.571
UCF ‡ y
7
–
10
–
0
.412
40
–
24
–
0
.625
East
Mercer x
12
–
6
–
0
.667
36
–
23
–
0
.610
Georgia State
10
–
8
–
0
.556
23
–
30
–
0
.434
Campbell
7
–
11
–
0
.389
17
–
40
–
0
.298
College of Charleston
7
–
11
–
0
.389
25
–
29
–
1
.464
West
Jacksonville State x †
14
–
4
–
0
.778
39
–
13
–
0
.750
Southeastern Louisiana
11
–
7
–
0
.611
34
–
24
–
0
.586
Samford
8
–
10
–
0
.444
31
–
29
–
0
.517
Centenary
3
–
15
–
0
.167
11
–
39
–
0
.220
x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1997[21] ; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
College World Series [ ]
Main article: 1997 College World Series
The 1997 season marked the fifty first 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 fourth championship with a 13–6 win over Alabama in the final.[1]
Bracket [ ]
First round
Second round
Semifinals
Finals
1
Alabama
3
8
Mississippi State
2
1
Alabama
1
5
Miami (FL)
6
4
UCLA
3
5
Miami (FL)
7
5
Miami (FL)
6
2
1
Alabama
8
8
8
Mississippi State
7
4
UCLA
5
1
Alabama
9
8
Mississippi State
5
1
Alabama
6
2
LSU
13
2
LSU
5
7
Rice
4
2
LSU
10
3
Stanford
5
3
Stanford
8
6
Auburn
3
2
LSU
13
—
3
Stanford
9
—
7
Rice
1
6
Auburn
10
3
Stanford
11
6
Auburn
4
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 -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved April 25, 2015 .
^ 2013 Big 12 Baseball Media Guide (PDF) . Big 12 Conference. p. 54. Retrieved May 17, 2013 .
^ 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 -- 1997" . boydsworld.com. Retrieved January 26, 2013 .
^ "2019 Baseball Record Book" (PDF) . BigSouthSports.com. p. 5. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
^ 2012 Big Ten Baseball Record Book (PDF) . Big Ten Conference. p. 101. Retrieved March 23, 2013 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved March 23, 2013 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boydsworld.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013 .
^ 2020 Baseball Record Book (PDF) . Colonial Athletic Association. p. 17. Retrieved January 27, 2021 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved April 25, 2015 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved March 13, 2021 .
^ "2018 Baseball Record Book" (PDF) . Ivy League. Retrieved June 8, 2018 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved March 17, 2018 .
^ "All-time Standings" (PDF) . Mid-American Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2013 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boydsworld.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014 .
^ 2018 Patriot League Baseball Record Book (PDF) . Patriot League. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2018 .
^ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1997" . Boyd's World. Retrieved April 25, 2015 .
^ "2018 Southland Conference Baseball" (PDF) . Southland Conference . p. 15. Retrieved January 2, 2019 .
^ Atlantic Sun Baseball Record Book (PDF) . Atlantic Sun Conference. p. 5. Retrieved July 17, 2019 .