NCCAA Baseball: All 52 Programs, Real Rules, How to Get In
Updated September 2026. Program list checked against the NCCAA 2026 baseball statistics page and the NCCAA member directory. Division rules from the Division II Official Handbook, 2025-26 edition.
You typed “NCCAA baseball” into Google and got the association’s own site, a FieldLevel list of team names, and a page about the NCAA. None of them told you what the association is, which schools play baseball in it, whether you can get a scholarship, or how a high school player gets on one of those rosters.
This page does all four. It is the only complete list of NCCAA baseball programs on the web, with every school, its state, its division, and a direct path to its coaches.
Here is what you get, in order:
- What the NCCAA is, and how it differs from the NCAA and NAIA
- Division I vs Division II, and which one can give you athletic money
- Every NCCAA baseball program for 2026, by state
- The NCCAA World Series, where and when
- Eligibility, the statement of faith, and what admissions looks like
- How to get recruited by an NCCAA program, step by step
- Whether the level is good, honestly
Key takeaways
- The NCCAA is the National Christian College Athletic Association, founded in 1968. It runs its own championships, including a baseball World Series, for Christian colleges.
- NCCAA Division I schools may give athletic aid and almost all of them also play NAIA, NCAA Division II or NCAA Division III. Division II schools are Bible colleges and give no athletic scholarships by rule.
- Fifty-two programs played NCCAA baseball in 2026. Thirty-one of them are dual members you will also find in the NAIA or NCAA. Twenty play only in the association.
- The 2026 and 2027 NCCAA Division I World Series are hosted by Kansas Christian College at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.
- Every member school signs a statement of faith each year. Players do not sign it, but expect faith to be part of campus life and of the recruiting conversation.
If you are still working out where you fit, start with what college baseball level am I, then come back here. The NCCAA is a real option for a real group of players, and nobody explains it.
What NCCAA baseball is
NCCAA baseball is the baseball championship structure of the National Christian College Athletic Association. The association is a separate governing body from the NCAA. It was founded in 1968 for Christian colleges that wanted to compete against each other under a shared statement of faith, and it is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
The association sponsors championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. Baseball is men only. There are two divisions, each with its own regions, its own postseason and its own World Series.
The important thing to understand up front is that NCCAA membership stacks on top of other memberships. A school like Campbellsville University plays its regular season as an NAIA program and is also an Division I member, so it can qualify for both postseasons. A school like Randall University plays only in the association. Both are on the 2026 list below, and the difference matters when you are asking about scholarships.
NCCAA vs NCAA vs NAIA: the differences that matter to a player
People search “what is NCCAA vs NCAA” more than any other question about the association, so here is the straight comparison.
| Question | NCAA | NAIA | NCCAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can join | Any accredited four-year college | Any accredited four-year college | Accredited Christian four-year colleges that sign a statement of faith |
| Can members also belong elsewhere | Rarely | Yes, often NCCAA | Yes. Most Division I members are also NAIA or NCAA D2 or D3. NCAA Division I members are not allowed in |
| Athletic scholarships | D1 and D2 yes, D3 no | Yes | Division I yes, Division II none by rule |
| Baseball postseason | Regionals then College World Series | Opening Round then NAIA World Series | Regional championships then the NCCAA World Series, Division I and Division II separately |
| Eligibility body | NCAA Eligibility Center | NAIA Eligibility Center | National Eligibility Committee, dual members follow their primary association’s rules |
| Accreditation accepted | Regional | Regional | Regional, ABHE or TRACS |
Two lines in that table decide most recruiting questions. First, a Division I NCCAA school that is also NAIA can give you athletic money under NAIA rules. Second, a Division II NCCAA school cannot give you a dime of athletic aid, and the handbook says so in plain words: Division II institutions shall grant no athletic scholarship to any student-athlete.
For the wider picture of how the associations sit next to each other, read college baseball divisions explained.
Division I vs Division II
The NCCAA split into two divisions in 1975. Bible colleges had been competing well against the liberal arts colleges and asked for their own division, so Division II was built for them. That history still defines the two groups today.
Division I is for four-year Christian liberal arts institutions that offer financial aid specifically for athletes. Nearly every Division I baseball member on the 2026 list also plays in the NAIA, NCAA Division II or NCAA Division III. Think Cedarville, Malone, Campbellsville, Grace College, Bob Jones and Asbury.
Division II is for Bible colleges and Christian institutions that give no athletic scholarships. Members must still be accredited, four-year, and staffed with an athletic director, a faculty athletics representative, an athletic trainer and sports information staff. Think Arlington Baptist, Calvary, Dallas Christian, Ecclesia, Randall and Toccoa Falls.
One quirk worth knowing: on the NCCAA website, the Division II baseball pages sit under a path literally named “jvbaseball”. That is the site’s internal label, not a statement about the level of play. For 2026, the statistics page published one combined baseball list of 52 programs, and the separate Division II page was empty, so the table below treats the 2026 list as the whole association.
Every program in 2026, by state
Fifty-two programs appear on the NCCAA 2026 baseball statistics page. We split them into the 20 schools that play only in the association and the 31 dual members whose primary association is the NAIA or NCAA. Both groups belong on your list if faith-based campus life is part of what you want.
Every school below is in the Uncommitted University coach directory, where the association is its own level filter. Coach names and recruiting questionnaires open with a free account.
The 20 single-membership programs
| School | City | State |
|---|---|---|
| Justice University | Chandler | Arizona |
| Nelson University, Arizona campus | Phoenix | Arizona |
| Champion Christian College | Arkansas | |
| Ecclesia College | Springdale | Arkansas |
| Bethesda University | Anaheim | California |
| Nobel University | Buena Park | California |
| Baptist University of Florida | Graceville | Florida |
| Trinity College of Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Florida |
| University of Fort Lauderdale | Lauderhill | Florida |
| Paine College | Augusta | Georgia |
| University of Toccoa Falls | Toccoa Falls | Georgia |
| Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights | Illinois |
| Oakland City University | Oakland City | Indiana |
| Kansas Christian College | Overland Park | Kansas |
| Grace Christian University | Grand Rapids | Michigan |
| Southeastern Baptist College | Laurel | Mississippi |
| Calvary University | Kansas City | Missouri |
| Randall University | Moore | Oklahoma |
| Arlington Baptist University | Arlington | Texas |
| Dallas Christian College | Dallas | Texas |
The 31 dual members, with their primary association
| School | State | Primary association |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa University, Surprise | Arizona | NAIA |
| Warner University | Florida | NAIA |
| Greenville University | Illinois | NCAA DIII |
| Judson University | Illinois | NAIA |
| Bethel University | Indiana | NAIA |
| Grace College | Indiana | NAIA |
| Hesston College | Kansas | NAIA |
| Sterling College | Kansas | NAIA |
| Alice Lloyd College | Kentucky | NAIA |
| Asbury University | Kentucky | NCAA DIII |
| Campbellsville University | Kentucky | NAIA |
| Kentucky Christian University | Kentucky | NAIA |
| Crown College | Minnesota | NCAA DIII |
| North Central University | Minnesota | NCAA DIII |
| College of the Ozarks | Missouri | NAIA |
| Hannibal-LaGrange University | Missouri | NAIA |
| Mission University | Missouri | NAIA |
| York University | Nebraska | NAIA |
| Houghton University | New York | NCAA DIII |
| Carolina University | North Carolina | NAIA |
| Cedarville University | Ohio | NCAA DII |
| Malone University | Ohio | NCAA DII |
| Ohio Christian University | Ohio | NAIA |
| Mid-America Christian University | Oklahoma | NAIA |
| Southwestern Christian University | Oklahoma | NAIA |
| Lancaster Bible College | Pennsylvania | NCAA DIII |
| Bob Jones University | South Carolina | NCAA DIII |
| Columbia International University | South Carolina | NAIA |
| Nelson University | Texas | NAIA |
| Wayland Baptist University | Texas | NAIA |
| Maranatha Baptist University | Wisconsin | NCAA DIII |
Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma carry the most programs between the two lists. California has two, both in Orange County. If you play in the Northeast, the NCCAA is thin. Houghton and Lancaster Bible are the closest options, and both are NCAA Division III first.
Lists change. Schools join, leave, and rename. Our crawler reads the NCCAA site every two weeks and any change lands in the directory, so the app is the live version of this table.
The World Series
The Division I season ends with regional championships across six regions: Central, Mideast, Midwest, North Central, South and West. Regional winners advance to the NCCAA Division I Baseball World Series. In 2026 and again in 2027 the World Series is hosted by Kansas Christian College at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.
Division II runs its own postseason through its own six regions: Central, Mideast, Midwest, North, South and Southwest. The 2027 Division II Baseball Invitational is hosted by Arlington Baptist University at Lon Goldstein Field in Fort Worth, Texas.
Both events fall in May. That is the month search interest in NCCAA baseball spikes every year, and it is the month a dual member can be playing for two postseasons at once. A school that wins its NAIA conference and its NCCAA region has a real scheduling puzzle, and coaches will tell you which one they prioritise if you ask.
The association’s site posts brackets, live stats, a coaches poll and power ratings for both divisions. We link those rather than copy them. What the site does not post is the list above.
Scholarships, cost and what “no athletic aid” really means
This is the question families ask first, so here it is without hedging.
At a dual member school, athletic money follows the primary association. Campbellsville can offer NAIA athletic scholarships. Cedarville and Malone can offer NCAA Division II athletic aid. Asbury, Bob Jones, Crown, Greenville, Houghton, Lancaster Bible, Maranatha and North Central are NCAA Division III, so no athletic aid there, exactly like every other D3.
At an NCCAA Division II school, there is no athletic scholarship by rule. Aid is academic, need based, church based or institutional, and it must be offered on the same terms to the general student body. Several of these schools are small, and total cost can be far below a private NAIA school even with zero athletic money. Ask for the full cost of attendance, not the sticker price, before you decide a “no scholarship” program is the expensive option.
For the mechanics of stacking academic and athletic aid at any level, see college baseball scholarships explained.
Eligibility, the statement of faith and admissions
Three things separate eligibility here from what you read about the NCAA.
The statement of faith. Every member institution signs the NCCAA statement of faith each year to keep its membership. Players are not asked to sign it, but Bible colleges in particular will ask about your faith in the admissions process, and some require a pastor’s reference or a personal testimony. Treat that as part of the application, not a formality.
Eligibility rules. Dual members apply the eligibility rules of their primary association, so an NAIA dual member uses the NAIA Eligibility Center and an NCAA D2 dual member uses the NCAA Eligibility Center. NCCAA-only schools handle eligibility through the association’s National Eligibility Committee, which reviews every case and appeal. There is no NCCAA clearinghouse to register with as a high school junior.
Accreditation. NCCAA members must be accredited by a regional body, by the Association for Biblical Higher Education, or by TRACS. That matters if you plan to transfer later.
Regional accreditation transfers cleanly. ABHE and TRACS credits transfer to many schools, not all, so ask before you enrol if a later transfer is part of your plan.
If the NCAA path is also on your list, keep the NCAA baseball eligibility guide open alongside this one. The rules do not overlap.
How to get recruited by one of these programs
Recruiting here works like recruiting everywhere, with one advantage. Rosters are small, coaching staffs are two or three people, and inbound email from a player who has done the homework gets read. This is the whole method in five steps.
- Pick five to ten programs from the list above. Filter by state, then by whether faith-based campus life is a fit. Read the school’s admissions page before you email anyone.
- Find the coach and the questionnaire. Every program above is in the coach directory with the association level filter. Fill the recruiting questionnaire first if the school has one, then email.
- Send a short email with a video link. The template and the timing are in how to email a college baseball coach. Sixty seconds of game footage beats a highlight package.
- Ask the two money questions. Is athletic aid available at your school, and what does a player on the roster actually pay. Division II coaches will answer the first with no. Ask the second anyway.
- Visit if you can. Campus life at a Bible college is different from a state school, on purpose. See it before you commit.
Timeline wise, NCCAA-only programs recruit late and fast. Many rosters are still filling in the spring of senior year. A player who was not recruited by anyone in the fall can still land a spot in April, which is why this level belongs on the list of every family that started late.
Our Build My List tool sorts programs by the numbers that matter to you and includes the NCCAA as a level, so you are not copying names out of a table by hand.
Is NCCAA baseball good?
Honest answer: it depends on which school, and the spread is wider than at any NCAA level.
The dual members play NAIA and NCAA D2 schedules. Cedarville, Malone and Campbellsville recruit players who had NCAA Division I interest. Their NCCAA postseason is a second championship on top of a real regular season. Nobody should call that a step down.
The NCCAA-only Division II programs are a different level. Rosters are shorter, schedules include developmental and junior varsity opponents, and a first-year program can lose 30 games while it builds. Two of the newest members, Nobel University and Bethesda University, started baseball in 2024.
That is not a knock. It means a good high school player can start as a freshman, play four years, and get a degree from an accredited Christian college with a low cost of attendance.
Use the same tools you would use anywhere. Compare your numbers to the exit velocity benchmarks by level and the pitching velocity benchmarks by level, and treat the NCCAA-only schools as sitting alongside the NAIA and NCAA D3 developmental tier, not above it.
For a player who wants to keep playing, wants a faith-based campus, and did not get the NCAA offer, the NCCAA is one of the best kept secrets in college baseball. Fifty-two programs. Around 1,700 roster spots. Almost no competition for the coaches’ attention.
What to do next
Open the level filter in the coach directory, pick the schools in your region, and send your first email this week. If you want the whole recruiting process laid out step by step, the college baseball recruiting guide is the home page for it and the recruiting timeline tells you what to do this month.
We update this page every time the NCCAA list changes. Bookmark it, and check the directory for the live version.
Frequently asked questions
Is NCCAA Division 1?
The NCCAA has its own Division I and Division II. Division I is not NCAA Division I. In fact, NCAA Division I schools are not allowed to join the association. Most Division I members are NAIA, NCAA Division II or NCAA Division III programs.
What is the difference between NCCAA and NCAA?
The NCAA is the largest college sports association in the country and is open to any accredited college. The NCCAA is a separate association for Christian colleges that sign a statement of faith. Many schools belong to both, playing their regular season under NCAA or NAIA rules and adding a second postseason.
What division is NCCAA baseball in?
NCCAA baseball has two divisions. Division I is for Christian liberal arts colleges that may offer athletic aid. Division II is for Bible colleges and other Christian institutions that give no athletic scholarships. In 2026 the association published one combined list of 52 baseball programs.
Can NCCAA schools give baseball scholarships?
Division I members can, usually under the rules of their primary association such as the NAIA or NCAA Division II. Division II members cannot give any athletic scholarship. Academic and need-based aid is available at both.
Where is the NCCAA baseball World Series?
The 2026 and 2027 Division I World Series are hosted by Kansas Christian College at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2027 Division II Invitational is hosted by Arlington Baptist University in Fort Worth, Texas.