FROM NCAA PRESS RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA media coordination and statistics staff released statistical trends for NCAA Division I Baseball comparing 2014 with 2015 through the last weekend of March.
The trends compared the use of the raised seamed baseball that was used by institutions in 2014 to the flat-seamed baseball used in 2015. The biggest statistical change from 2014 to 2015 is an increase in home runs that is up more than 39 percent from 0.36 per game in 2014 to 0.50 per game in 2015.
“The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee is encouraged by the statistical trends using the new baseball in 2015,” said chair Dave Heeke, Associate VP/Director of Athletics at Central Michigan. “The committee looks forward to studying the results the rest of the year and into the championship.”
As of March 29, runs scored in a game are up five percent, and the batting average is basically flat from .268 in 2014 to .269 in 2015. However, this season, strikeouts have risen from 6.64 per nine innings in 2014 to 7.34 per nine innings in 2015, an increase of 10.5 percent.
The complete trends report is below.
| ≈ | THROUGH MARCH 30, 2014 | THROUGH MARCH 29, 2015 | FINAL 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEAMS | +296 | +295 | +296 |
| Average Number of Games | 24.84 | 24.63 | 54.8 |
| BATTING | |||
| Batting Average | .268 | .269 | .270 |
| Runs Per Game | 5.14 | 5.40 | 5.08 |
| Home Runs Per Game | 0.36 | 0.50 | #0.39 |
| Slugging Percentage | .360 | .377 | .364 |
| Stolen Bases Per Game | 1.05 | 1.07 | 1.02 |
| Sacrifice Hits Per Game | 0.74 | 0.66 | 0.76 |
| Sacrifice Flies Per Game | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.40 |
| Percentage RBIs from Sac Flies | 8.81% | 7.82% | 8.74% |
| PITCHING | |||
| Earned-Run Average | 4.21 | 4.47 | 4.22 |
| Strikeouts Per Nine Innings | 6.64 | 7.34 | 6.48 |
| Shutouts | 464 | 419 | 1034 |
| DI shutouts per DI games pitched | 6.31% | 5.77% | 6.37% |
| FIELDING | |||
| Fielding Percentage | .965 | .964 | *.966 |
| Averages are per game and per team. * Record high for completed season. # Record low for completed season. + Stats do not include 6 reclassifying members. | |||
