NAIA Baseball: A Level to be Considered
August 14th, 2008 - byMany of the student-athletes I work with are unaware of the NAIA level and I want to make sure you know a few things about it:
-NAIA stands for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 
-NAIA is a separate association of colleges who compete in intercollegiate athletics; similar to the NCAA
-These are generally smaller schools, but NAIA schools can give athletic scholarships, unlike DIII schools. If an NAIA program is fully funded it can offer 12 scholarships (more than DI and DII fully funded programs)
-Many of these coaches also rely on their own camps and showcases to recruit players. Like NCAA DII, NAIA coaches are allowed to invite players to workout for them at their schools to get a better look
- In the event the student-athlete feels that the school or team is not the right fit, he can transfer to another NAIA institution and compete the next season without sitting out a year. The same is true if an NCAA player wants to transfer to an NAIA program
-Some NAIA schools are playing at a DI level, while others are competing at a lower DIII level. The majority of the time, it is compared to DII baseball. Many of the top notch NAIA players are being drafted
A great example of a top program in NAIA is Lewis and Clark State College (LCSC). They have won 16 national championships, the latest in 2008. In comparison to the 2008 College World Series Champions, Fresno State University, Lewis and Clark State had four players drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft as Fresno State only had two.
It’s important to research colleges and learn about all of your options at the next level instead of just playing the “Name Game” by limiting where you think may be able play. I encourage you to check out the NAIA level and expand your options.
