Image credit:
Will Smith (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
When the final out settles into a glove and champagne starts to sting the eyes, a World Series title becomes a forever thing. Trophies are etched, banners are raised, legacies are cemented.
But inside clubhouses, behind the highlights and headlines, thereâ€s a quieter ritual that speaks to baseballâ€s soul. Organizations pause to consider everyone who touched the season, every locker that cycled through, every inning eaten in May, every pinch runner who stole a bag in July, every emergency callup who survived a weekend in The Show and appeared in a game.
Rings donâ€t just belong to the stars who celebrate on the field in October. Theyâ€re meant for the ones who contributed one pitch, one swing or one defensive replacement that nudged a team toward the summit.
Baseball America has followed the college fingerprints on this World Series journey from opening day to the final out:
- There were 204 schools represented on MLB rosters when the season began.
- By the end of the regular season that number ballooned to 293 schools with at least one former player reaching the big leagues.
- When the postseason opened, 118 colleges had a stake in October.
Now, as the Dodgers and Blue Jays stand alone after a marathon of attrition, 55 schools—from powerhouse Division I programs to junior colleges—can claim a piece of the 2025 World Series stage.
Schoolnumber of alumniLouisville4LSU3UC Santa Barbara3Arizona State2Connecticut2Creighton2Liberty2Oklahoma State2Sacramento State2Southern Missippi2Stanford2Virginia2Akron1Alabama1Albright College1Ball State1Baylor1Boston College1Cal Poly1Cal State East Bay1Chipola JC1Concordia1Duke1East Tennessee State1Eastern Illinois1Florida Gulf Coast1Howard JC1Illinois State1Iowa1Iowa Western JC1Kennesaw State1Kent State1Lenoir-Rhyne1Mississippi State1Missouri1New Haven1Oregon State1Pepperdine1San Diego State1San Jacinto1Santa Clara1Slippery Rock (PA)1South Dakota State1St. John’s River JC1St. Mary’s1State JC of Florida1UCF1UCLA1UNC Wilmington1Utah Valley1Washington University (St. Louis)1Westmont College1Wisconsin-Milwaukee1Wisconsin-Stevens Point1Yavapai College1
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