1951 NCAA baseball season
{{Short description|Baseball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox College baseball season
| title = 1951 NCAA baseball season
| duration =
| no_of_games =
| no_of_teams =
| preseason1 =
| DefendingChampions =
| attendance =
| average_attendance =
| TV =
| tournament_link =
| tournament =
| TourneyDuration =
| ConferenceBids =
| CWSDuration = June 13–17, 1951
| WorldSeries_link = 1951 College World Series
| WorldSeries = College World Series
| WorldSeries_champ = Oklahoma
| WorldSeries_titlecount = 1st
| WorldSeries_runner-up = Tennessee
| WorldSeries_count = 1st
| WorldSeries_coach = Jack Baer
| WorldSeries_coachcount = 1st
| WorldSeries_MOP = Sidney Hatfield
| MOPTeam = Tennessee
| prevseason_year = 1950
| nextseason_year = 1952
}}
The 1951 NCAA baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1951. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1951 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the fifth time in 1951, consisted of one team from each of eight geographical districts and was held in Omaha, Nebraska at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. Oklahoma claimed the championship.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ox665PJnDXQC|title=The College World Series:A Baseball History, 1947-2003|author=W.C. Madden|author2=Patrick J. Stewart|name-list-style=amp|publisher=McFarland & Co.|year=2004|pages=21–25|isbn=9780786418428|access-date=April 19, 2013}}
Conference winners
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1951 season. Each of the eight geographical districts chose, by various methods, the team that would represent them in the NCAA Tournament. Conference champions had to be chosen, unless all conference champions declined the bid.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Conference !Regular season winner !Conference tournament !Tournament city !Tournament winner | ||||
| Big Seven | Oklahoma | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| Big Ten | Ohio State | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| CIBA | Southern California | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| EIBL | Princeton | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| Missouri Valley | {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Houston Cougars|title=Houston}} | 1951 Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament | Tulsa, OK | Houston |
| Pacific Coast Conference North | {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Oregon State Beavers|title=Oregon State}} | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| Southeastern Conference | Tennessee | colspan=3| No conference tournament | ||
| Southern Conference | North - {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Maryland Terrapins|title=Maryland}} South - {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Clemson Tigers|title=Clemson}} | 1951 Southern Conference baseball tournament | Greensboro, NC | {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Duke Blue Devils|title=Duke}} |
| Southwest Conference | {{CBSB link|year=1951|team=Texas Longhorns|title=Texas}}/Texas A&M | colspan=3| No conference tournament |
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1951 Big Seven Conference baseball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1951 Big Ten Conference baseball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1951 Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League baseball standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1951 Missouri Valley Conference baseball standings}}
|valigh="top" width=25em|{{1951 Pacific Coast Conference baseball standings}} |valigh="top" width=25em|{{1951 Southeastern Conference baseball standings}} |
| valigh="top" width=25em|{{1951 Southwest Conference baseball standings}} |
College World Series
{{Main article|1951 College World Series}}
The 1951 season marked the fifth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which consisted of the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska, which set a record for attendance of 27,789. Districts used a variety of selection methods to the event, from playoffs to a selection committee. District playoffs were not considered part of the NCAA Tournament, and the expansion to eight teams resulted in the end of regionals as they existed from 1947 through 1949. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Oklahoma claiming their first championship with a 3–2 win over Tennessee in the final.
{{:1951 College World Series}}
Award winners
=All-America team=
{{main article|1951 College Baseball All-America Team}}