CIAA Votes to Reinstate Baseball Championship After Eight-Year Hiatus
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation’s oldest and most historic HBCU athletic conference, has officially voted to bring back baseball as a championship sport following an eight-year absence. The announcement was made during the CIAA Board of Directors meeting held recently in Charlotte, North Carolina. Baseball was last sponsored by the conference in 2017 but was dropped due to financial challenges and shifting institutional priorities that forced some member schools to either compete independently or join other conferences for the sport.
The return of baseball to the CIAA is a significant development for the conference, its member schools, and the broader HBCU community. Baseball has deep roots in the CIAA’s history, playing a pivotal role not only in athletics but also culturally during the civil rights era. The sport helped forge community pride and provided opportunities for Black student-athletes to showcase their talents at a time when segregation limited their exposure in other arenas. Alumni, former players, coaches, and fans have long advocated for the sport’s reinstatement, seeing it as an essential part of preserving the legacy and enhancing the future of HBCU athletics.
The executive vote signals an intentional move by the CIAA to re-energize campus life and expand athletic opportunities for student-athletes. While not all member institutions currently sponsor baseball—schools such as Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine’s, Shaw, Virginia Union, and Winston-Salem State are among those without programs—there is optimism that renewed conference support will encourage these schools to restart or start baseball programs in the near future. The addition of Bluefield State University as a full CIAA member in 2023, which already has a strong baseball presence, further strengthens the path toward a sustainable and competitive baseball league within the conference.
In recent years, the absence of baseball from the CIAA calendar left a void for athletes wanting to compete under the conference banner. Many talented players were forced to seek opportunities as independents or in other leagues, diluting the historic rivalries and fan engagement that baseball once commanded in the region. A former pitching coach at Saint Augustine’s University, reflecting on the program’s past, remarked that baseball was not only a sport but a vital part of community and institutional identity. The reintroduction of baseball is expected to revitalize those connections and create new ones that blend athletic excellence with cultural tradition.
The CIAA’s strategic plan underscores baseball as a component of a broader vision for growth and stability. This move aligns with expanding media exposure, sponsorships, and engagement opportunities, which have increasingly become critical in college athletics. As HBCUs continue to navigate the evolving college sports landscape—with the impact of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights, transfer portal dynamics, and media rights deals—bringing back baseball adds a valuable dimension to the CIAA’s athletic portfolio and its appeal to prospective student-athletes seeking a diverse range of sports.
Upcoming developments include efforts to coordinate a composite baseball schedule for the 2026 season, establish championship tournaments, and leverage partnerships to support facilities and scholarships. Coaches and athletic directors across the conference are expected to collaborate closely to build competitive teams while fostering student-athlete development on and off the field.
This reinstatement is not just about filling a gap in the sports lineup; it is a reaffirmation of the CIAA’s commitment to honoring its historical legacy while adapting to contemporary opportunities. Baseball once symbolized a powerful platform for Black excellence, community engagement, and social progress at HBCUs. Its return will resonate deeply with alumni who remember the great players and coaches who blazed trails and with a new generation of athletes ready to contribute to the CIAA’s storied tradition.
The CIAA’s baseball revival promises an exciting chapter ahead, bolstering the conference’s position as a powerhouse in HBCU sports and reaffirming the critical role these institutions play in American sports culture and history.