At the intersection of financial strain and roster management, mid- and low-major college baseball coaches are grappling with a new reality that feels like a game of survival.
Between the NCAA’s decision to cap regular-season rosters at 34 players and the recently agreed-upon proposal that could pave the path to 38-man fall rosters starting in the 2025-26 academic year, many programs fear their futures are in jeopardy. For these schools, the new rules represent more than just a logistical challenge—they’re a potential financial death knell for some and destabilizing force for many more.
Coaches across all levels of Division I baseball have expressed concerns that expanded fall rosters requiring Dec. 1 cuts would inevitably lead to legal battles, a mid-year transfer window or both, which mid- and low-major coaches fear could harm their programs beyond repair.
The ABCA presented the following table to Division I coaches who attended the Jan. 2 rules meeting regarding the potential fallout from Dec. 1 roster cuts.
Note that college baseball players cannot currently transfer mid-year and be eligible in the spring.
However, coaches at the mid- and low-major levels are also cognizant of the challenges associated with capping fall rosters at just 34 players, a total that could render teams undermanned in the event of fall injuries or unexpected academic ineligibilities.
Baseball America interviewed and polled 37 mid- and low-major head coaches and assistants at the annual American Baseball Coaches Association convention in Washington, D.C. about those impending roster limitations to gain a better understanding of how they feel they might be impacted.
What Do You View As The Ideal Number Of Players To Carry On Your Fall Roster?
| 34 | 16.9% |
| 36 | 10.8% |
| 38 | 59.5% |
| 40 | 8.1% |
| Unlimited | 0% |
| Undecided or other | 4.7% |
Why Did You Pick The Number That You Did (Preferred Number)?
Low-major head coach No. 1 (34): “We’re going to 34-man rosters in the season, which is going to force thousands of kids out of the DI level. We live in a world right now where if you don’t get to play an extra year at the D1 level because you went to JUCO, you sue. You don’t like your situation? You sue. The big teams are going to be just fine with having roster limits for the fall that are going to make them cut kids but the low-major levels are going to get the short end of the stick. This is going to end in court and we’re going to suffer for it. We should start at 34 and end there, to…