You'd think that NCAA baseball players would be nationally recognized figures, what with the whole "national sport" thing and all that exposure in the spring when red-blooded Americans look longingly at the baseball diamond. You'd think that. In fact, most baseball players toil away in anonymity, and only get a shot at name recognition when and if they hit the pros.

The best chance for getting noticed is in the College World Series, which takes place every June in Omaha, Nebraska (just in time to dust off that mortarboard for graduation afterwards). ESPN and other big broadcasters cover the games and give national exposure to the players, to maybe set the stage for something bigger.

There used to be the Olympics, too, but the IOC removed baseball as an Olympic sport in 2012. (Besides, they'd probably start using pros sooner or later, and what fun is that?)

No, if you want to be a big shot on campus, you probably shouldn't play baseball. You've got to do it for love of the game, and save the Sports Illustrated cover shots for turning pro.