How often do college baseball teams play double headers?
Does it depend on the Div and conference?
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Yes, has been the routine for many D3, NAIA and D2 conferences at least one day of most weekend series. It seems to be an occasional occurrence with many D1's. Number of innings played per game varies (a 9 and a 7, two 7's, etc.). You can just look at team website schedule archives. Not all will state DH specifically but games on same date is your tell.
I believe there is talk among at least some D1 conferences about incorporating more DH games to limit travel days this coming season due to Covid concerns as well as related budget issues.
I just looked at one D2 in 2019 that played a double header on 60% of their game dates.
The most recent norm in the D2 Peachbelt Conference has been 3 game weekend series. The visiting team would have the option to play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday or Friday and two on Saturday. I guess that is all about money and budgets and how many nights and meals they want to pay for. Sometimes it was determined that DHs would be played because of weather forecasts. Past that, there were few or no DHs scheduled
In the SCIAC (D3), they play a 3 game series. 1 game on Friday and DH on Saturday. It works out well, players dont miss a lot of class and parents can see games on Sat.
Here in Florida, the D2s play Friday, DH on Saturday. I really liked that a lot as it allows a free day off, but is tough on the arms.
I believe some D1 conferences are considering 4 game weekend series, no weekdays.
@SoCal OG posted:In the SCIAC (D3), they play a 3 game series. 1 game on Friday and DH on Saturday. It works out well, players dont miss a lot of class and parents can see games on Sat.
They also often have a non-conference Sunday game and/or a midweek game, especially early in the season. You need a lot of pitching!
D2 and D3 as noted it is standard for Saturdays to be a DH. As seasoned veteran of these games I can assure you that you will see some long ugly contests. You have teams that are deep into the staff and hitters who are getting lots of AB's so they are locked in.
Even well played games can be 3.5 hours it is a long long day for parents and players. They kids are at the field 1.5 hours or so before game time, roughly 7 hours of baseball with 30 minutes in-between games... 9 hours is about standard (not really long) and then jump on the bus to head home. The parents have travel both ways and "only" 7 plus hours at the field. You will sleep good at night I promise you that.
Spring Break DH's in Florida can be worse...I have seen 9 hours plus of baseball for 2, 9 inning games in a day...and they play 7 or 8 games in about 6 days while down there typically.
Don’t Ivies play DHers on Saturday and Sunday if it works geographically? For example Harvard would play a DH against Princeton on Saturday and a DH against Penn on Sunday. Princeton and Penn are only 45 miles apart.
Cornell is the only Ivy that isn’t anywhere near another. Dartmouth is 125 miles from Harvard. But Brown and Harvard are a better weekend trip. They’re only 45 miles part.
@RJM posted:Don’t Ivies play DHers on Saturday and Sunday if it works geographically? For example Harvard would play a DH against Princeton on Saturday and a DH against Penn on Sunday. Princeton and Penn are only 45 miles apart.
Cornell is the only Ivy that isn’t anywhere near another. Dartmouth is 125 miles from Harvard. But Brown and Harvard are a better weekend trip. They’re only 45 miles part.
Almost, but not quite right. Through 2017, the Ivy played four game conference weekends. DH Saturday, DH Sunday. One 9, one 7 inning game on both days. They also had two divisions. Out of division they would often split weekend venues. In 2018 they eliminated the divisions and went to a three game weekend format, one day being a DH, usually Saturday. You play one team per weekend, you wouldn't typically play one place on Saturday and a different place on Sunday. Same place all weekend.
@9and7dad posted:Almost, but not quite right. Through 2017, the Ivy played four game conference weekends. DH Saturday, DH Sunday. One 9, one 7 inning game on both days. They also had two divisions. Out of division they would often split weekend venues. In 2018 they eliminated the divisions and went to a three game weekend format, one day being a DH, usually Saturday. You play one team per weekend, you wouldn't typically play one place on Saturday and a different place on Sunday. Same place all weekend.
@RJM posted:Don’t Ivies play DHers on Saturday and Sunday if it works geographically? For example Harvard would play a DH against Princeton on Saturday and a DH against Penn on Sunday. Princeton and Penn are only 45 miles apart.
Cornell is the only Ivy that isn’t anywhere near another. Dartmouth is 125 miles from Harvard. But Brown and Harvard are a better weekend trip. They’re only 45 miles part.
Depending on the host school, the Ivy league also played DHs during their spring trip to the "warm weather site." Sometimes that would be via a mini Round robin tournament (which may involve a DH against two different teams on Saturday). Other schools would offer a 4 game set to an Ivy early in the season which appeals to many of the Ivies. (New Mexico State comes to mind).
Been a while, however the NCAC used to play DH's on both Saturday and Sunday. It was two seven inning games. If your Saturday starter could not go 7, you were often in trouble. Then they changed to a 9 inning then a 7. They did this because some of the schools in the conference did not want players missing classes. In fact schools like Kenyon used to play all there out of conference games during a 2 week spring break. Then when confernce baseball started they only played on the weekends.
This has all changed there is still at least one DH a week, however they are playing some weekday games as well.
@Francis7 posted:How often do college baseball teams play double headers?
Does it depend on the Div and conference?
As others have posted double headers are very common in college ball. Son played two years JuCO and one year D2. Son's last season was 2015 so it's been a while and my memory is a little hazy.
For a typical series at the JuCo it was two 9 inning games on Saturday and a single 7 inning game on Sunday. These were usually conference games. Made for a long day. First game usually started at noon with the 2nd game starting around 3:30-4 pm. If it was a home series son was usually at the field by 9-10 am for field prep and warm ups. After both games were completed there was another hour of cleanup and field maintenance. Non-conference series was usually two 7 inning games mid-week.
At the D2 if it was a conference series it was a double header on Saturday (two 7 inning games) and a double header on Sunday (two 7 inning games). Non-conference tended to be two 9 inning games on Saturday or mid-week. Interesting note - in the CIAA conference series had to be at least 27 innings. They could either have four 7 inning games or three 9 inning games. They usually opted for four games for a additional chance to get a win. Conference games were the primary factor in who would make post-season playoffs.
Midwest Conference (D3) plays Doubleheaders for almost all their Saturday and Sunday games