by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 9 schools for Men’s Baseball (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Catawba College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Baseball (Division II). Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,831 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,089 per participant. The school awards about $9,164 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Olive, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,007, compared with $12,975 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball (Division II). This private not-for-profit school is set in Hickory, NC. Team revenue averages $10,772 per participant, against $10,772 in expenses. The school awards about $7,094 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wingate University is one of the top schools for Men's Baseball (Division II), at #4. Located in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $24,485 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,194 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,748.
Barton College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball (Division II). Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,388 per participant, against $7,388 in expenses. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mars Hill University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mars Hill, NC. The program generates about $11,767 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,767 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,311 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Pembroke, NC, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,258 per participant, with expenses of about $8,243 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,165.
Belmont Abbey College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Belmont Abbey College is a private not-for-profit school based in Belmont, NC. Team revenue averages $9,080 per participant, compared with $9,080 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,908.
Chowan University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Chowan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Murfreesboro, NC. Team revenue averages $8,770 per participant, against $8,770 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,571 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.