Cody Grauberger

In baseball, batting last is considered a home team advantage, but in reality it is not. At the beginning of the game, both teams are aware of who will be batting last, leaving them all eight innings prior to reach an appropriate level. If a lead is not reached, it is due to the ability of the team, not a home team advantage.

For instance, the Emporia State baseball team has started off their season playing eight away games to hold a current record of 6-2. They recently played four away games against the Colorado School of Mines. The Hornets defeated Colorado in all four games 11-0, 18-4, 6-1 and 19-2. Colorado batted last in all four of these games and still ended in deficit regardless of their batting advantage.

The topic of home team advantage has become an issue in college baseball. Outside of any tournament play, college baseball allows the home team to bat last, leaving ample time for them to get a few extra points before the game ends. Some have associated this type of play as an unfair team advantage.

A study by sports analysts Courneya and Carron (1992), states that this theory is true, however not fully. The home team advantage theory is affected by numerous factors such as batting last, the crowd, travel, familiarity and rules that might favor the home team.

In the same study, Courneya and Carron studied the results of over 260 seasons of various home game competitions. Of those, 53.3 percent of baseball home games resulted in a win. Meaning that every time a game is played, the home team has just over 50 percent chance of walking away victorious.

With those factors applied, this is the second time the Hornets have competed against Colorado, so travel and familiarity combined with batting last, the Hornets statistically had over fifty percent chance of loosing each game. This year, Emporia’s fiscal budget was cut by nearly $420,000. In an effort to save money, the Hornets have taken to new methods of sporting transportation. By placing away games against teams back to back rather than traveling more than once, it places the Hornets at a familiarity disadvantage.

However, statistics can not dispute a team’s playing abilities. Last year, the Hornets ended their regular season as MIAA Champions, holding a record of 50-10.

Because baseball is reliant on physical abilities, quick reactions and team contribution, these all play a significant role in winning a game and are affected by home team advantages.

The theory of the home team advantage may be recognized as unfair, and in some aspects may be slightly off set. But the only way to have an equally fair game is for both teams to play on a foreign field.

In most cases, an equally fair game will not happen because any games outside of tournament play are either played home or away. Schools merely cannot afford to be constantly renting public facilities to create an equivalent playing environment.

Cody Grauberger/The Bulletin

Send article as PDF to