In 1970, the Jacksonville University baseball team won their first NCAA Division II National Championship. The team was coached by Dusty Rhodes, who had also played for the Jacksonville Dolphins baseball team in the 1950s. The team finished the season with a record of 36-5 and qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament as the top-ranked team in the South. They won their regional tournament to advance to the College World Series, where they defeated the University of Southern California in the championship game to claim the national title. The team was led by pitcher Terry Taylor, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the College World Series. The 1970 championship was the first of three national championships won by the Jacksonville University baseball team, with the others coming in 1971 and 1976.