I think I've made it relatively clear where I stand on the return of inflated offensive numbers college baseball over the last couple of years, and that the real solution to any problem is to limit the fix to where offense is truly suffering (the postseason parks). To the extent that there's an argument for bring offense "back" to the game -- which is really just a way for old coaches who don't want to learn new ways to win to keep doing things the same way -- it's that failing to do so will somehow kill the growing interest in the game.
And so:
Good news for college baseball at ABCA Division I business meeting: ESPN ratings for postseason up 19% and CWS net revenues up 3% ($10.8m).
— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) January 3, 2026
Overall, the #CollegeBaseball championship had revenues of $8.8 million, up 9-percent year over year. More good news. @ABCA1945
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogersD1) January 3, 2026
Heeke points out 3 options if flat-seam ball does not help offense/HRs, options are (a) change bats (b) core of ball (c) move CWS fences in
— John Manuel (@johnmanuelba) January 3, 2026
Note that moving the fences in -- the most expensive option, at least from the NCAA's perspective -- seems to be an afterthought.
So let's just assume that the sport beginning to resemble actual baseball over the last few years has nothing to do with the growing popularity, and undo all the changes that we've made in the last few years. Sounds like a great idea.