The big news this off-season was the change in scholarship allotment for NCAA Division I baseball. Previously, the maximum allowed for Division I was 11.7 per team. (How did they get that number? If everyone on a roster of 35 gets a 1/3 scholarship, then it comes out to 11.7).

Starting in the fall of 2025, each team will have a roster limit of 34 players. Each player will be allowed to have a full or partial scholarship, thus, the new scholarship maximum is 34.

This certainly does not mean every school will use this allotment. Division I scholarship totals range from 0 (the Ivy League follows this model), to the maximum. Each institution will determine how they many they will offer.

The big conflict is when the roster limit is put in place. The Dec. 1 cut deadline has begged more questions than answers: If a player gets injured in January, will schools be allowed to replace him? Will a non-roster practice squad be allowed? What are red-shirt players allowed to do?

While these questions remain unanswered, ramifications have already started taking place. By reducing the Covid-inspired roster limit of 40, some committed high school players from the class of 2025 did not have roster spots anymore, so there was a flood of decommitments in the fall. Those players will still find a home somewhere, yet there will be a trickle-down effect where some players on lower-level teams will not have a spot. Divisions and teams that don’t have roster limits could possibly just increase roster sizes, but regardless, the floor of college baseball skill certainly has improved with this change.