1988 NCAA Division I baseball season

The 1988 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 1988. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1988 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the forty second time in 1988, 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. Stanford claimed the championship for the second time.[1]

1988 NCAA Division I baseball season
Number of teams	270
NCAA Tournament
College World Series
Champions	Stanford (2nd title)
Runners-up	Arizona State (15th CWS Appearance)
Winning Coach	George Wolfman (1st title)
MOP	Lee Plemel (Stanford)
Seasons

Realignment and format changes

• Armstrong State moved its athletic program back to NCAA Division II. The Big South Conference dissolved its two division format and played as a single conference of seven members.
• The Big Ten Conference dissolved its two division format, playing as a single conference of ten members.

Conference winners

This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1988 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. 27 teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship while 21 teams earned at-large selections.[1][2]

Conference	Regular Season Winner	Conference Tournament	Tournament Venue • City	Tournament Winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	Clemson	1988 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament	Greenville Municipal Stadium • Greenville, SC	Georgia Tech
Atlantic 10 Conference	East - Rutgers West Virginia	1988 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament	Bear Stadium • Boyertown, PA	Rutgers
Big East Conference	North - Providence South - Villanova	1988 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament	Muzzy Field • Bristol, CT	St. John's
Big Eight Conference	Oklahoma State	1988 Big Eight Conference Baseball Tournament	All Sports Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	Oklahoma State
Big South Conference	Coastal Carolina	1988 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament	Taylor Field • Buies Creek, NC	Campbell
Big Ten Conference	Michigan	1988 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament	Ray Fisher Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	Minnesota
Colonial Athletic Association	James Madison	1988 Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament	The Diamond • Richmond, VA	George Mason
EIBL	Penn	No Tournament
Mid-American Conference	Central Michigan	No Tournament
Midwestern Collegiate Conference	North - Notre Dame South - Evansville	1988 Midwestern City Conference Baseball Tournament	South Bend, IN	Evansville
Metro Conference	South Carolina	1988 Metro Conference Baseball Tournament	Seminole Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	Florida State
Mid-Continent Conference	Blue - Valparaiso Gray - Southwest Missouri State	1988 Mid-Continent Conference Baseball Tournament	Chicago, IL	Southwest Missouri State
Pacific-10 Conference	North - Washington State South - Arizona State	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	Fresno State	No Tournament
Southeastern Conference	Florida	1988 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament	Dudy Noble Field • Starkville, MS	Florida
Southern Conference	North - VMI South - Western Carolina	1988 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament	Asheville, NC	Western Carolina
Southwest Conference	Texas	1988 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament	George Cole Field • Fayetteville, AR	Texas
Trans America Athletic Conference	East - Georgia Southern West - Centenary	1988 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament	Centenary Park • Shreveport, LA	Stetson

Conference standings

The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:

1988 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT No. 21 Clemson  ‍†‍‍^y 18 – 2   .900     54 – 14   .794 No. 27 NC State  ‍‍‍^y 13 – 6   .684     45 – 16   .738 No. 29 Georgia Tech  ‍‍‡‍^y 12 – 8   .600     45 – 24   .652 Virginia  ‍‍‍ 11 – 10   .524     32 – 19   .627 North Carolina  ‍‍‍ 10 – 11   .476     34 – 27   .557 Wake Forest  ‍‍‍ 7 – 12   .368     32 – 26   .552 Maryland  ‍‍‍ 5 – 14   .263     20 – 24   .455 Duke  ‍‍‍ 3 – 16   .158     10 – 35   .222 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[3]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T   PCT     W   L   T   PCT East Rutgers  ^x‍‍‡‍^y 14 – 2 – 0   .875     38 – 21 – 1   .642 UMass  ‍‍‍ 9 – 7 – 0   .563     36 – 16 – 0   .692 Temple  ‍‍‍ 8 – 8 – 0   .500     27 – 27 – 0   .500 Rhode Island  ‍‍‍ 5 – 11 – 0   .313     10 – 28 – 0   .263 Saint Joseph's  ‍‍‍ 4 – 12 – 0   .250     16 – 23 – 1   .413 West West Virginia  ^x‍‍‍ 12 – 4 – 0   .750     33 – 17 – 1   .657 George Washington  ‍‍‍ 11 – 5 – 0   .688     30 – 26 – 1   .535 Penn State  ‍‍‍ 8 – 8 – 0   .500     24 – 26 – 0   .480 St. Bonaventure  ‍‍‍ 7 – 9 – 0   .438     26 – 21 – 0   .553 Duquesne  ‍‍‍ 2 – 14 – 0   .125     13 – 16 – 0   .448 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Big East Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T   PCT     W   L   T   PCT North Division Providence  ^x‍‍‍ 12 – 6 – 0   .667     22 – 29 – 0   .431 St. John's  ‍‍‡‍^y 9 – 9 – 0   .500     29 – 21 – 1   .578 Boston College  ‍‍‍ 8 – 10 – 0   .444     15 – 16 – 0   .484 Connecticut  ‍‍‍ 7 – 11 – 0   .389     24 – 18 – 0   .571 South Division Villanova  ^x‍‍‍ 16 – 2 – 0   .889     32 – 22 – 0   .593 Seton Hall  ‍‍‍ 12 – 6 – 0   .667     39 – 16 – 0   .709 Georgetown  ‍‍‍ 4 – 13 – 0   .235     12 – 31 – 0   .279 Pittsburgh  ‍‍‍ 3 – 14 – 0   .176     9 – 20 – 0   .310 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[4][5]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1988 Big South Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT Coastal Carolina  ‍†‍‍ 15 – 0   1.000     35 – 12   .745 Baptist  ‍‍‍ 12 – 7   .632     27 – 16   .628 Campbell  ‍‍‡‍ 10 – 8   .556     32 – 16   .667 Winthrop  ‍‍‍ 8 – 8   .500     22 – 15   .595 Augusta State  ‍‍‍ 8 – 10   .444     16 – 27   .372 Radford  ‍‍‍ 4 – 10   .286     13 – 26   .333 UNC Asheville  ‍‍‍ 1 – 15   .063     9 – 32   .220 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion As of June 30, 1988[6]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Big Ten Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT No. 19 Michigan  ‍†‍‍^y 20 – 8   .714     48 – 19   .716 Minnesota  ‍‍‡‍^y 17 – 11   .607     38 – 28   .576 Michigan State  ‍‍‍ 16 – 12   .571     41 – 20   .672 Ohio State  ‍‍‍ 16 – 12   .571     32 – 28   .533 Wisconsin  ‍‍‍ 15 – 13   .536     28 – 27   .509 Iowa  ‍‍‍ 14 – 14   .500     29 – 25   .537 Illinois  ‍‍‍ 12 – 16   .429     26 – 20   .565 Indiana  ‍‍‍ 11 – 17   .393     39 – 29   .574 Northwestern  ‍‍‍ 11 – 17   .393     28 – 28   .500 Purdue  ‍‍‍ 8 – 20   .286     26 – 34   .433 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[7][8]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Colonial Athletic Association baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T   PCT     W   L   T   PCT James Madison  ‍†‍‍^y 13 – 1 – 0   .929     43 – 11 – 2   .786 George Mason  ‍‍‡‍^y 8 – 6 – 0   .571     34 – 27 – 1   .556 East Carolina  ‍‍‍ 8 – 6 – 0   .571     33 – 14 – 0   .702 William & Mary  ‍‍‍ 5 – 9 – 0   .357     17 – 28 – 0   .378 UNC Wilmington  ‍‍‍ 4 – 10 – 0   .286     11 – 42 – 0   .208 Richmond  ‍‍‍ 4 – 10 – 0   .286     26 – 33 – 0   .441 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[9]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1988 Pacific-10 Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT Northern No. 16 Washington State  ^x‍‍‍^y 18 – 4   .818     52 – 14   .788 Oregon State  ‍‍‍ 14 – 10   .583     30 – 19   .612 Portland State  ‍‍‍ 12 – 9   .571     33 – 25   .569 Gonzaga  ‍‍‍ 12 – 11   .522     28 – 28   .500 Portland  ‍‍‍ 11 – 13   .458     28 – 27   .509 Washington  ‍‍‍ 8 – 16   .333     17 – 28   .378 Eastern Washington  ‍‍‍ 6 – 18   .250     25 – 34   .424 Southern No. 2 Arizona State  ^x‍‍‍^y 21 – 9   .700     60 – 13   .822 No. 1 Stanford  ‍‍‍^y 18 – 12   .600     46 – 23   .667 No. 8 California  ‍‍‍^y 16 – 14   .533     40 – 25   .615 No. 13 Southern California  ‍‍‍^y 13 – 17   .433     36 – 26   .581 UCLA  ‍‍‍ 12 – 18   .400     31 – 28   .525 Arizona  ‍‍‍ 10 – 20   .333     33 – 26   .559 x – Division champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[10]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Southeastern Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT No. 6 Florida  ‍†‍‡‍^y 21 – 6   .778     48 – 19   .716 No. 14 Kentucky  ‍‍‍^y 18 – 9   .667     38 – 25   .603 No. 23 Mississippi State  ‍‍‍^y 17 – 10   .630     44 – 20   .688 Auburn  ‍‍‍ 16 – 10   .615     39 – 16   .709 LSU  ‍‍‍ 16 – 11   .593     39 – 21   .650 Georgia  ‍‍‍ 11 – 16   .407     29 – 28   .509 Vanderbilt  ‍‍‍ 11 – 16   .407     30 – 23   .566 Alabama  ‍‍‍ 9 – 17   .346     27 – 26   .509 Tennessee  ‍‍‍ 9 – 18   .333     21 – 29   .420 Ole Miss  ‍‍‍ 6 – 21   .222     24 – 29   .453 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[11]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball	1988 Southern Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT Northern VMI  ^x‍‍‍ 11 – 7   .611     20 – 20   .500 Appalachian State  ‍‍‍ 9 – 7   .563     29 – 17   .630 Marshall  ‍‍‍ 7 – 9   .438     23 – 17   .575 East Tennessee State  ‍‍‍ 7 – 11   .389     16 – 35   .314 Southern Western Carolina  ^x‍‍‡‍^y 14 – 3   .824     38 – 24   .613 The Citadel  ‍‍‍ 12 – 6   .667     33 – 20   .623 Davidson  ‍‍‍ 7 – 11   .389     28 – 26   .519 Furman  ‍‍‍ 2 – 15   .118     8 – 29   .216 x – Division champion ‡ – SoCon Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[12]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball
1988 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT East Georgia Southern ^x‍†‍‍ 13 – 4   .765     30 – 27   .526 No. 20 Stetson ‍‍‡‍^y 9 – 8   .529     35 – 25   .583 Mercer ‍‍‍ 7 – 10   .412     24 – 25   .490 Samford ‍‍‍ 5 – 12   .294     8 – 49   .140 West Centenary ^x‍‍‍ 11 – 5   .688     30 – 20   .600 Arkansas–Little Rock ‍‍‍ 8 – 8   .500     27 – 29   .482 Hardin–Simmons ‍‍‍ 5 – 11   .313     30 – 30   .500 x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 30, 1988[13]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

College World Series

The 1988 season marked the forty second 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 Stanford claiming their second championship with a 9–4 win over Arizona State in the final.[1]

	First round					Second round					Semifinals						Finals
	1	Arizona State	4
	8	California	2
						1	Arizona State	4
						4	Wichita State	7
	4	Wichita State	5
	5	Florida	4
											4	Wichita State	3	1
										1	Arizona State	4^10	19
	8	California	5
	5	Florida	6
						1	Arizona State	10
						5	Florida	1
																1	Arizona State	4
																7	Stanford	9
	7	Stanford	10
	2	Fresno State	3
						7	Stanford	3
						6	Cal State Fullerton	5
	6	Cal State Fullerton	9
	3	Miami (FL)	3
											6	Cal State Fullerton	1	5
										7	Stanford	3	9
	2	Fresno State	4
	3	Miami (FL)	8^12
						7	Stanford	2
						3	Miami (FL)	1

Award winners

All-America team

References

1. W.C. Madden & Patrick J. Stewart (2004). The College World Series:A Baseball History, 1947-2003. McFarland & Co. pp. 41–43. ISBN 9780786418428. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
2. "NCAA Men's College World Series Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. p. 7. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
3. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". Boyd's World. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
4. 2012 Big East Baseball Media Guide. Big East Conference. p. 62. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
5. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". boydsworld.com. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
6. "2019 Baseball Record Book" (PDF). BigSouthSports.com. p. 4. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
7. 2012 Big Ten Baseball Record Book (PDF). Big Ten Conference. p. 101. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
8. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". Boyd's World. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
9. 2020 Baseball Record Book (PDF). Colonial Athletic Association. p. 17. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
10. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". Boydsworld.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
11. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". Boydsworld.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
12. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1988". Boyd's World. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
13. Atlantic Sun Baseball Record Book (PDF). Atlantic Sun Conference. p. 5. Retrieved July 17, 2019.