Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Baseball: 2014–2015 Through 2018–2019

Abstract

Context The National Collegiate Athletic Association has supported men's baseball championships since 1947. Since its inception, the number of participating teams and athletes has considerably expanded. Background Frequently conducting injury surveillance of collegiate baseball athletes is essential for identifying developing temporal patterns. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics; injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 3.16 per 1000 athlete-exposures. The preseason injury rate was significantly higher than the regular season injury rate. The most commonly injured body parts were shoulder (16.1%), arm or elbow (16%), and hand or wrist (13.9%). The most reported specific injury was hamstring tear (7.9%). Conclusions The findings of this study aligned with previous studies—most injuries were due to noncontact and overuse mechanisms, less than one-half of injuries were related to upper extremity body parts, and one-third of all injuries were reported among pitchers.