If you've turned on the TV or been on social media in the past 10 months, you know exactly why this year was tough on so many people worldwide. So we're not going to reiterate everything you already know. Instead, let's take a look back at everything that happened in college baseball in 2020.
In chronological order...
January 1
We launched a new logo and a revamped website :)
January 26
John Altobelli, Orange Coast College head coach and 2019 National Coach of the Year, was killed in Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash along with his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa. John was described by colleagues as the "Kobe of the junior college baseball world".
February 14
Opening Day for the D1 college baseball season.
February 21
Bryce Jarvis of Duke throws a perfect game against Cornell.
February 29
UC Davis defeats LMU by a score of 4-3 in a 24-inning game. This was the second longest game in NCAA history.
March 6
Navy walks off on Penn State without recording a single hit.
March 11
Ivy League announces the cancellation of all spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 12
The Patriot League and MAAC join the Ivy League in cancelling their 2020 season. Dozens of D2, D3, and NAIA schools also cancel their spring sports.
At 4:16PM EST, the NCAA announces that the 2020 College World Series has been cancelled.
March 13
90% of schools and conferences in the NCAA announce the permanent cancellation of their 2020 spring season.
At 2:30PM EST, the NCAA announced that all spring sport athletes would be given another year of eligibility.
March 16
NAIA announces the cancellation of their spring season. All players receive another year of eligibility.
For a detailed breakdown of this chaotic week, click here.
March 31
NCAA announces that returning seniors will not count against roster size in 2021.
April 7-16
We launched a voting tournament on Instagram for fans to decide who they think would've won the 2020 College World Series. Fans vote Ole Miss as the honorary College World Series champion for 2020.
May 8
MLB announces that the 2020 MLB Draft has been shortened to 5 rounds. Undrafted players can sign for up to $20,000.
May 16
Bowling Green State cuts their baseball program.
May 18
Furman cuts their baseball program.
May 21
Pac-12 announces that they will begin hosting a conference tournament in 2021.
June 3
Bowling Green State brings back baseball program after alumni raise $1.5 million.
June 10-13
2020 MLB Draft - 70.6% of all players taken are from college.
June 23
Chicago State cuts their baseball program.
June 30
Arizona State alum Spencer Torkelson breaks the MLB signing bonus record after being selected first overall.
July 1
Bellarmine, UC San Diego, Dixie State, and Tarleton State all officially reclassify to Division 1.
July 2
Boise State cuts their baseball program.
July 28
Former Army baseball captain, Shane Kimbrough, named commander on SpaceX Crew-2 mission.
July 30
NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approves social justice patches on uniforms for 2021.
August 7
Mike Fox retires from coaching after 22 seasons with North Carolina.
September 15
15 University of Florida baseball players test positive for COVID-19. The team is forced to pause all athletic activity to follow quarantine guidelines.
September 25
We introduce a new feature to our website, MLB Players Database. This allows users to see where MLB players went to college or where they were committed to college if they were drafted straight out of high school. Click here to check it out!
MLB also announces that the 2021 MLB Draft has been moved to the All-Star Game festivities in July.
September 29
La Salle announces that they will cut their baseball program after the 2021 season.
October 9
NCAA announces that Washington will serve a 1 year probation for recruiting violations.
October 23
NJCAA announces that 2021 season will not count toward eligibility.
November 9
Former Golden Spikes Award winner, Kyle Lewis, wins AL Rookie of the Year.
November 11
Shane Bieber (UC Santa Barbara alum) and Trevor Bauer (UCLA alum), win Cy Young Awards.
November 15
Big Ten announces that they will not play out of conference games in 2021.
December 3
The CCAA (D2) announces that they have cancelled their 2021 season.
December 22
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper releases their 2021 Pre-Season rankings.
December 24
Ole Miss is named the winner of our 4th annual D1 Uniform Tournament. Click here for more information.
And there it is, all of the most notable college baseball moments that happened in 2020. We want to take a moment to say thank you to the college baseball community for staying engaged with our content all year long. It was definitely a challenge working around a shortened season, but your enthusiasm for the sport has kept us going.
We hope that everyone has a safe, healthy, and COLLEGE BASEBALL FILLED 2021!