1). TRADITION: Over the last twenty-seven years, Delta State baseball teams have won ball games for an average of 38 wins per season. During that span, teams have won conference championships 7 times, appeared in 17 regional tournaments, and six trips to the Division II World Series. Over the past four seasons, Delta State has 174 wins under their belt for an average of 44 wins per season.
2). GRADUATION RATE: Delta State baseball players are graduating at the rate of 81%, which is 20% higher than the overall student body.
3). FACILITY: Ferriss Field on the campus of Delta State, with a seating capacity of 1,500 is considered to be one of the finest facilities in Division II baseball. Dimensions include 330 foot foul lines, with 355 foot alleys, and 400 feet in center field with a 20-foot hitters background. A newly installed 8 foot cypress fence adds to the beauty of the park. A brand new lighting system has been installed to allow night games. A system has been installed to allow night games. A double wide 72 foot batting tunnel covered with Astro Turf makes it possible to hit even when the field is too wet to practice on.
4). CAMPUS: Delta State is a small campus as universities go. We have approximately 4,100 students, with about half that number living on campus. Cleveland, Mississippi, where Delta State is located, is midway between Memphis, TN, and Vicksbury, MS, about 120 miles from each. Cleveland is surrounded by some of the richest farmland in the world, with the three main crops being cotton, rice, and soybeans. Our well-maintained campus is a source of pride to student and faculty, with its 275 acres of tree shaded, beautifullly landscaped grounds. The 45 major buildings successfully combine the relaxed, friendly nature of the South with modern, comfortable settings.
5). EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Delta State offers undergraduate degrees in business, commercial aviation, accounting, fine arts, music, biology, chemistry, computers, environmental science, fashion merchandising, speech pathology, art, english, history, political science, psychology, spanish, finance, insurance, real estate, management, marketing, medical technology, criminal justice, elementary education, health, physical education and recreation, special education, economics, geography, paralegal studies, philosophy, sociology, nursing, social work, and a pre-professional curriculum in dental hygiene, medical records, occupational therapy, physical therapy, dentistry, engineering, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and repiratory therapy. Delta State also offers graduate studies in business administration, accounting, education, music education, natural sciences, and nursing. Doctoral programs are available in education.
6). COACHING STAFF: Delta State, being a NCAA Division II school, has no restrictions on the number of coaches allowed to coach baseball. A liberal graduate assistant program on campus allows the baseball program to have four graduate assistant coaches. With a student-assistant, the staff totals six coaches! You will be well coached at Delta State.
7). SIGNEES: Delta State has 34 professional signees with pitchers Jim Miles, Stewart Cliburn, and catchers, Barry Lyons and Scooter Tucker, playing in the Big Leagues. Pitcher Joe Difabio was the No. 1 selection taken by the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Eleven pro signings have occured in the last four years.
8). COMPETITION: Delta State plays in the Gulf South Conference, considered by many to be the toughest Division II conference in the nation. Scheduling philosophy is to play the toughest non-conference schedule possible. Non-conference opponents have included Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Jackson State, Southwestern Lousiana, Central Oklahoma, and William Carey College.
9). FAN SUPPORT: According to NCAA statistics, Delta State finished second in the nation in Division II baseball for total attendance last spring with 9,088 fans for 21 home dates averaging 433 fans per date.
10). GIRLS: 61% of the student body at Delta State are women students! 30 lovely young ladies serve as Diamond Girls for the Delta State baseball team.
11). COST: Delta State is one of the least expensive four-year institutions in the nation. Room, 7-day meal plan, tuition, and yes, even your laundry done once a week will cost only $2,367 per semester. Out-of-state tuition is an additional $1,297 per semester. Tell me where you can go to any four-year university in the USA for that price?
12). FUN: Baseball and academics are demanding at Delta State, but players are placed in an environment where they can mature physically, mentally, academically, and spiritually. All non-married players will live together in Carpenter Hall with a baseball roommate. Every effort is made to place players with a compatible roommate. Anytime you see a baseball player on campus, you will see two, three, or four players together. Having fun at Delta means being successful, and baseball teams at DSU have had a lot of fun over the last quarter century winning 65% of their games. It means something special to be an athlete at Delta State. It means you are an individual, not just another number on a program. It means you will be challenged to do your best. Winning is important, but we want our athletes to do more than win, we want them to develop and succeed as individuals as well. And finally, it means you will have the opportunity to be part of a first class baseball program that is known and respected throughout the country.
