In baseball's early years, almost no professional players attended college and by the early 20th century college-educated players were still a novelty. By the 1890s more college players began to join the professional ranks. When the Western League became the second major league as the renamed American League in 1900-1901, the move was viewed with favor because the league included a number of former college players. This cleaner image of the sport was further enhanced by the success of Christy Mathewson (Bucknell) with the New York Giants in the early 1900s, helping make baseball as a profession more palatable to the middle- and upper-classes. By the end of the Roaring Twenties one third of all starters in the major leagues had played some college ball.

In addition to Mathewson, other former college athletes made their mark on the dead-ball era. Fred Tenney (Brown) was one of the first collegians to enter major league baseball, breaking in with the Boston Beaneaters (later known as the Braves) in 1894. When taunted about his college background by an opposing pitcher, Tenney calmly loosed a stream of tobacco juice at his abuser's feet, thus silencing any questions about his toughness. Tenney had a fine major league career with Boston and the New York Giants, developing a reputation as a sure-handed first baseman and consistent .300 hitter. Eddie Grant was graduated from Harvard in 1905 and become a dependable third baseman and clutch hitter with the Phillies, Reds and Giants. Grant was the first professional baseball player killed in action during World War I. A monument to his memory stood for many years in deep center field at the Polo Grounds. Eddie Collins (Columbia) enjoyed a remarkably long career in baseball as one of the finest second baseman in history. Nicknamed "Cocky" for his endless self-confidence, Collins became the lynchpin of Connie Mack's famous $100,000 infield of 1909-1914. Collins is perhaps best known today for being one of the few "Clean Sox" on Charles Comiskey's infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox team. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939. Collins' double-play partner, Jack Barry (Holy Cross), was yet another of Mack's college finds, joining pitchers Jack Coombs (Colby) and Eddie Plank (Gettysburg) on the great Philadelphia Athletics teams of the early 20th century. Boston Red Sox outfielder Harry Hooper, a 1907 graduate of St. Mary's College in California, teamed with Tris Speaker and Duffy Lewis to form the Bosox's formidable "Million Dollar Outfield." He later coached at Princeton.

Richard B. Russell entered the University of Georgia in September of 1915 and studied law until June of 1918. He brought with him a penchant for both baseball and football. He was a loyal fan of the Red and Black teams throughout his school career and his life, and was even mentioned in an April 1916 Red and Black school newspaper article for his cheerleading efforts at a baseball game against the Mercer Baptists. College baseball at the time differed from professional ball - few players made the transition to the major leagues. Most college players were in the game only for the duration of their college careers. Professional baseball was still considered by most middle class Americans as a diversion for the lower classes and therefore not a respectable career path for their sons. Since most university students came from upper and middle class backgrounds few considered professional baseball as a suitable career path. Some, like Georgia sports all star Bob McWhorter, entertained the possibility of a professional baseball career. Talking with and working out with the Cincinnati Reds, eventually McWhorter chose a law career instead, serving four years as Athens mayor. The game was played in a style very much like that of the professional game, although probably without the underhanded tactics more common in the Major leagues. "Dead ball" was the name of the game, and professional players would often lend some coaching aid to college teams in the off-season.

Baseball was the major sport of the time at the University of Georgia. The war in Europe disrupted the football season and there was no football team at Georgia in 1917 and 1918. Baseball continued, however. The teams were successful in this time period, posting winning records and winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship in 1917. A season was not truly deemed successful unless the Red and Black defeated state rivals Georgia Tech. The team was filled with All-Southern players despite several dropping from the team to help the war effort.