Illinois is the fifth most-popular state for college baseball, federal data shows.
Colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs report athletics data to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education. The latest data includes more than 2,000 schools reporting participation numbers for 2016.
In the U.S., District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are 58,361 college baseball players. California athletics programs field 5,207 players, followed by Texas (3,541) and New York (3,468).
Illinois has 2,973 players in state college athletics programs.
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Most popular states for college baseball
| State | Players | |
| 1 | California | 5,207 |
| 2 | Texas | 3,541 |
| 3 | New York | 3,468 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 3,334 |
| 5 | Illinois | 2,973 |
| 6 | Ohio | 2,255 |
| 7 | Florida | 1,903 |
| 8 | Missouri | 1,829 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,805 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 1,629 |
| 11 | Kansas | 1,561 |
| 12 | Georgia | 1,537 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 1,528 |
| 14 | Michigan | 1,462 |
| 15 | Alabama | 1,455 |
| 16 | Iowa | 1,399 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 1,370 |
| 18 | Virginia | 1,329 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 1,323 |
| 20 | Indiana | 1,301 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 1,294 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 1,262 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 979 |
| 24 | Washington | 935 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 890 |
| 26 | Mississippi | 879 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 861 |
| 28 | Maryland | 837 |
| 29 | Louisiana | 810 |
| 30 | Oregon | 742 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 712 |
| 32 | West Virginia | 702 |
| 33 | Connecticut | 624 |
| 34 | Arizona | 598 |
| 35 | Colorado | 543 |
| 36 | North Dakota | 388 |
| 37 | Maine | 358 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 348 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 347 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 341 |
| 41 | Puerto Rico | 259 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 251 |
| 43 | Vermont | 212 |
| 44 | Utah | 208 |
| 45 | Delaware | 175 |
| 46 | Idaho | 141 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 128 |
| 48 | Washington D.C. | 121 |
| 49 | Montana | 104 |
| 50 | Nevada | 103 |
| 51 | Alaska | 0 |
| 51 | Wyoming | 0 |
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