Let’s explore the top 10 home run hitters in college baseball history, based on the NCAA record book.
Career Home Run Leaders in College Baseball:
| Rank | Player | College | Years | Games | Home Runs | HR/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Incaviglia | Oklahoma State | 1983-1985 | 213 | 100 | 0.47 |
| 2 | Jeff Ledbetter | Florida State | 1979-1982 | 262 | 97 | 0.37 |
| 3 | Todd Greene | Georgia Southern | 1990-1993 | 240 | 88 | 0.37 |
| 4 | Eddy Furniss | LSU | 1995-1998 | 265 | 80 | 0.30 |
| 5 | Frank Fazzini | Florida State | 1983-1985 | 234 | 79 | 0.34 |
| 6 | Brad Cresse | LSU | 1997-2000 | 236 | 78 | 0.33 |
| 7 | George Canale | Virginia Tech | 1984-1986 | 180 | 76 | 0.42 |
| 8 | Chad Sutter | Tulane | 1996-1999 | 244 | 75 | 0.31 |
| 9 | Jac Caglianone | Florida | 2022-2024 | 165 | 75 | 0.45 |
| 10 | Matt LaPorta | Florida | 2004-2007 | 215 | 74 | 0.34 |
Incaviglia’s senior season stands out as one for the record books, as he hit 48 home runs and achieved a 1.140 slugging percentage in 1985, both still standing as NCAA records. Only four players have hit more than 40 home runs in a season, with Incaviglia and Ledbetter being part of this elite group. Other notable players in this remarkable category include Rice’s Lance Berkman (41 home runs in 1997) and Brandon Larson (40 home runs in 1997).
Incaviglia eclipsed the previous NCAA record, which was held by Jeff Ledbetter. Ledbetter set the game record for home runs in a single outing with four in 1982, a record later surpassed by six in 1999. His career mark of 346 runs batted in remains unbeatable, with Incaviglia trailing him by 22.
MORE DINGERS: Northern Kentucky’s Griffin Doersching wins the 2019 College Home Run Derby
Furniss and Cresse were key players during the famed Geauxrilla Ball era at LSU. They both participated in the 1997 MCWS champion team that belted out 188 home runs, an NCAA record. Both players contributed to this achievement by hitting at least one home run in every game played that season. Furniss concluded his time in college as the SEC’s all-time leader in home runs, RBI, and hits, a record that was only broken in 2019 by Mississippi State’s Jake Mangum. Cresse finished just two home runs shy of tying Furniss’s SEC record.
HISTORY: Coaches with most wins | Most titles | Most appearances | Conferences most represented
One player who raises the question of “what could have been” is George Canale from Virginia Tech. He averaged 0.42 home runs per game, placing him just below Incaviglia (0.47) and Florida’s Jac Caglianone (0.45). It leaves fans speculating how many home runs Canale could have hit if he had played in as many games as Incaviglia. He never hit fewer than 21 home runs in any of his three seasons, with a career-best of 29 home runs.
Caglianone has recently become part of this exclusive list, entering it during the final games of his college career. As a standout two-way player for the Gators, he notched 35 home runs in 2024 and 33 in 2023, hitting the milestone of 75 home runs in the shortest number of games compared to anyone else in the top 10. His impressive total broke the program record for home runs in a single season, surpassing none other than Matt LaPorta during the team’s MCWS matchup against Kentucky.
To illustrate his dominance, Caglianone tied the NCAA record for consecutive games with a home run (nine) and set a new program record for hitting streak (30 games).
