Though the men's and women's Final Four tournaments will determine the NCAA basketball champs, all seven schools involved also have notable histories in baseball.
UCLA, Arizona, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, South Carolina and UConn each has produced multiple MLB All-Stars and postseason heroes, and a few of the schools have produced Hall of Famers from among their drafted and undrafted players.
But which of the schools can claim the best output of baseball talent? Though one stands well above the rest, all have plenty of reason to brag. Here's a look at how they rank.
UCLA Bruins
Women's Final Four
423.1 total bWAR from drafted players
UCLA is an undisputed giant in terms of producing baseball talent, and it easily leads the way in terms of MLB standouts among the Final Four schools. As of April 1, 2026, there have been 76 players to attend UCLA, get drafted and later play in the Majors, including multiple All-Stars, postseason stars and Cy Young winners.
By WAR, the most notable player drafted from the program is former Phillies great and six-time All-Star Chase Utley (64.6 bWAR), followed by current Yankees righty and 2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole (43.1 bWAR). Other notables include former Angels slugger Troy Glaus (38.1 bWAR), former Giants standout Brandon Crawford (29.4 bWAR) and 1976 ALCS hero Chris Chambliss (27.5 bWAR).
And this doesn't even include Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who wasn't drafted (because the Draft didn't exist yet) but produced 63.9 bWAR during his big league career.
University of Texas Longhorns
Women's Final Four
364.9 total bWAR from drafted players
Texas has had a whopping 325 players drafted by big league teams, and 77 of them have reached the Majors. The talent tally: 34 All-Star appearances, seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP and seven ERA titles. However, honesty compels us to report that almost all of that belongs to Roger Clemens.
Clemens (139.2 bWAR) was an 11-time All-Star and seven-time Cy Young winner on his way to 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts. In 1986, the year he won his first Cy Young Award, Clemens also was named AL MVP after a 24-4 season in which he also led the league with a 2.48 ERA and helped the Red Sox win the AL pennant.
There have been other standouts to emerge from the Longhorns program, however. They include former All-Star pitcher and 1981 NLCS MVP Burt Hooton (36.4 bWAR), former All-Star lefty Greg Swindell (30.5 bWAR) and former Giants All-Star Brandon Belt (29.9 bWAR).
University of Michigan Wolverines
Men's Final Four
276.2 total bWAR from drafted players
Michigan has produced 49 All-Stars from among its former attendees, along with two MVPs and three Hall of Famers. But only two players checked all three of those categories: Charlie Gehringer and Barry Larkin.
Gehringer (84.8 bWAR) was a six-time All-Star and the 1937 AL MVP, a season in which he also won the AL batting title with a .371 average. He was also a member of Detroit's 1935 World Series championship team, contributing a .375 average and a .923 OPS during the Fall Classic.
Larkin (70.5 bWAR) was a 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner and the 1995 NL MVP. Like Gehringer, he also won a World Series, the title coming in 1990 with the Reds. And, like Gehringer, he had a big Fall Classic, hitting .353 with a .950 OPS as Cincinnati swept the A's.
Rounding out the list of Wolverines with a plaque in Cooperstown is catcher Ted Simmons (50.4 bWAR), who played 21 seasons in the Majors.
University of Arizona Wildcats
Men's Final Four
203.5 total bWAR from drafted players
The Wildcats have produced well north of 100 MLB players over the decades, including Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman (28.0 bWAR) and six-time All-Star Kenny Lofton (68.4 bWAR).
In all, Arizona attendees have played in more than 26,000 MLB games and have a collective .711 OPS. On the mound, they've tossed more than 12,000 innings and have a collective 4.08 ERA -- and, of course, this includes Hoffman's NL-record 601 saves.
Other notables to attend the school include closer and four-time All-Star Mark Melancon (13.3 bWAR), former 20-game winner and 1991 World Series champ Scott Erickson (24.8 bWAR), six-time Gold Glove winner J.T. Snow (11.0 bWAR) and longtime catcher Ron Hassey (14.7 bWAR), who caught two perfect games and won a World Series with the 1989 A's.
University of South Carolina Gamecocks
Women's Final Four
175.1 total bWAR from drafted players
The Gamecocks have a rich baseball tradition, having produced at least one All-Star or World Series champion in every decade since the '80s.
In total, former South Carolina players have combined for 175.1 career bWAR since 1975. Among those who have contributed is Astros first baseman and three-time Gold Glove winner Christian Walker, who had compiled 15.2 bWAR entering 2026.
Other standouts by bWAR include two-time Orioles All-Star Brian Roberts (29.5 bWAR), former Mets standout and 1986 World Series champ Mookie Wilson (22.4 bWAR) and former Phillies All-Star Dave Hollins (17.8 bWAR).
Meanwhile, the recently retired Whit Merrifield (17.7 bWAR) leads South Carolina attendees with three All-Star appearances.
UConn Huskies
Men's and Women's Final Four
88.8 total bWAR from drafted players
Though dozens of MLB players have come from UConn, the school is on the baseball map mostly for two guys: George Springer and Charles Nagy. With seven All-Star appearances and 67 bWAR between them, they're the clear standouts.
Springer (42.2 bWAR) has been a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and World Series MVP during his 13 seasons with the Astros and Blue Jays. Nagy (24.8 bWAR), a former starter with Cleveland and San Diego, was a three-time All-Star who won 15 or more games six times.
Other Huskies to reach the big leagues include two-time All-Star reliever Roberto Hernandez (18.5 bWAR) and 12-year vet and two-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed (11.1 bWAR).
University of Illinois Fighting Illini
Men's Final Four
50.3 total bWAR from drafted players
Illinois may not match the baseball pedigree of some of the other Final Four schools, but it has produced 15 All-Stars and a Hall of Famer. All but one of those All-Star appearances came between 1940 and 1973, with the one selection since then belonging to Expos catcher Darrin Fletcher in 1994.
Among those drafted out of the school, two-time All-Star pitcher Ken Holtzman -- who also tossed two no-hitters -- leads the way with 27.3 bWAR, followed by utilityman and two-time World Series champ Scott Spiezio (8.8 bWAR), and Fletcher (7.7 bWAR).
But among all players to attend the school, Hall of Fame shortstop Lou Boudreau stands above everyone, with 63.1 bWAR. Boudreau was a seven-time All-Star and the 1948 AL MVP. That season, he hit .355 with 18 homers, 106 RBIs and a .987 OPS to help lead Cleveland to a World Series title.