With its defeat of Johns Hopkins in the 2023 championship round, Lynchburg joined the club of programs to stand tall at the end of the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs. 

Debuting in 1976, the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs bring together the top teams from around the nation in a postseason pursuit of No. 1. Get to know more about the tournament and its history with the following primer. 

How Many Teams Qualify for the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs? 

In its current incarnation, the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs feature 56 teams spread across eight regions. The eight regions are Central, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, New England, New York, South and West. 

The Playoffs have expanded to more than double the initial size, with the 1976 inaugural edition featuring 22 teams. By 1978, it grew to 24 teams; it didn't expand again until going to 32 teams in 1991. 

In 1998, the tournament grew to 40 teams then 42 in 2000. The biggest single jump came with a 53-team field in 2006 and 2012 marked the first 56-team tournament. However, in 2022, 60 teams qualified. 

How Do Teams Qualify for the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs? 

The NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs primarily feature automatic qualifiers from 41 conferences. The remaining bids include at-large selections chosen by the selection committee.

Where Are The National Finals Held? 

Beginning in 2024, the NCAA Div. III finals move to Eastlake, Ohio, after spending the previous four seasons in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Grand Chute, Wisconsin, hosted from 2000 through 2018, surpassing the first host city — Marietta, Ohio — for the longest tenure. 

What Programs Have Won The NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs? 

Lynchburg in 2023 became the 26th different program to win the NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs. The first-time winner Hornets followed the second-most decorated program in Div. III history, Eastern Connecticut State, claiming its fifth all-time title. 

Eastern Connecticut State trails only Marietta, with six national championships. The Ohio-based program won its sixth NCAA Div. III Baseball Playoffs in 2012. Remarkably, 2011 and 2012 are the only repeat titles Marietta claimed among its six. 

Here's the complete rundown of national champions: 

6: Marietta    

5: Eastern Connecticut State    

3:  Montclair State    

Two: 

• Chapman   
• Ithaca 
• North Carolina Wesleyan 
• Rowan 
• Southern Maine 
• Stanislaus State 
• St. Thomas (Minn.) 
• William Paterson 
• Wisconsin–Oshkosh 
• Wisconsin–Whitewater

One: 

• Cal Lutheran    
• Cortland 
• George Fox
•  Illinois Wesleyan 
• Kean 
• La Verne
•  Linfield 
• Lynchburg 
• Ramapo 
• Salisbury 
• Trinity (Conn.) 
• Trinity (Texas) 
• UT Tyler