The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), one of the oldest HBCU athletic conferences in the country, has announced that it is bringing its baseball championship back to the league after a seven-year absence. The return of the CIAA Baseball Championship marks a significant moment for HBCU sports, restoring a legacy that stretches back more than a century.
The CIAA last sponsored baseball in 2017, when Winston-Salem State University captured the conference title for the fifth time in seven years. That championship closed a chapter on what had once been a vibrant and competitive sport across HBCU campuses in the CIAA. Over time, however, several member institutions dropped their baseball programs due to budgetary and operational challenges, leaving the league without a sustainable number of teams for an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II tournament.
Four schools currently in the CIAA have baseball: Virginia State University, Claflin University, Lincoln University and Bluefield State University. Other CIAA institutions—such as Bowie State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone, Shaw, and Winston-Salem State—had all discontinued their baseball programs. Claflin is currently in the Peach Belt Conference and Lincoln is currently in the East Coast Conference.
Despite these setbacks, the CIAA’s spring 2025 meetings brought good news for baseball fans and HBCU supporters. The league announced plans to reinstate its baseball championship, signaling a renewed commitment to offering more athletic opportunities and preserving the rich tradition of HBCU baseball.
That tradition includes a long list of past champions, with early dominance by Virginia State (then known as Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute), and later by Norfolk State, which won a remarkable 14 consecutive CIAA titles between 1980 and 1993. Other HBCUs such as Shaw, Saint Augustine’s, and Winston-Salem State also played key roles in shaping CIAA baseball history.
Reintroducing baseball provides a chance for HBCU athletes to shine on the diamond once again and gives schools an opportunity to rebuild or reintroduce programs that connect them to their athletic past. It also reflects the CIAA’s broader effort to strengthen its sports portfolio and enhance student-athlete experiences.
The return of CIAA baseball not only restores a championship event but also reaffirms the central role of HBCUs in developing athletic talent and preserving cultural heritage through sport.