The 2023 Southern Conference baseball season was the baseball season for the Southern Conference as part of the 2023 NCAA Division I baseball season. Wofford was predicted to win the conference in the preseason poll.[1] The conference tournament is scheduled for May 24–28 at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina.[2]
| 2023 Southern Conference baseball season | |
|---|---|
| League | Southern Conference |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Samford |
| Season MVP | Ryan Galanie (Wofford) |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Samford |
| Runners-up | Wofford |
| Finals MVP | Heath Clevenger (Samford) |
Regular Season
editThe Southern Conference began conference play on March 24. Each team was scheduled to play 21 conference games.[3]
Standings
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | CW | CL | CPCT | GB | W | L | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samford (C, T) | 54 | 15 | 6 | .714 | — | 32 | 22 | .593 | Qualification for the third round & NCAA tournament |
| 2 | Mercer | 55 | 13 | 8 | .619 | 2 | 32 | 23 | .582 | Qualification for the third round |
| 3 | Wofford | 54 | 12 | 9 | .571 | 3 | 37 | 17 | .685 | Qualification for the second round |
| 4 | East Tennessee State | 52 | 10 | 11 | .476 | 5 | 25 | 27 | .481 | |
| 5 | VMI | 54 | 9 | 11 | .450 | 5.5 | 26 | 28 | .481 | Qualification for the play-in round |
| 6 | UNC Greensboro | 54 | 9 | 12 | .429 | 6 | 22 | 32 | .407 | |
| 7 | Western Carolina | 53 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 6.5 | 21 | 32 | .396 | |
| 8 | The Citadel | 51 | 7 | 14 | .333 | 8 | 22 | 29 | .431 |
Conference Game Results
editTournament
edit| Teams | 8 |
|---|---|
| Format | Single-elimination play-in, then six-team double-elimination tournament with championship game |
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Samford (4th title) |
| Winning coach | Tony David (1st title) |
| MVP | Heath Clevenger (Samford) |
| Television | ESPN+ |
The 2023 Southern Conference baseball tournament was held on May 24 through May 27 at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. The winner of the conference tournament received an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
All eight SoCon baseball teams participated in the tournament, with the bottom four seeds having played a single-elimination play-in round. The remaining teams then played a six-team double-elimination tournament, with the top two seeds receiving byes into the third round, and the third and fourth placed teams playing the play-in round winners in the second round.[6] The UNC Greensboro Spartans were the defending champions, but were eliminated by the Samford Bulldogs in the loser's bracket final. Wofford came out as the only team to not go through the loser's bracket, but lost two games to Samford, giving the Bulldogs their fourth SoCon baseball tournament title. Samford's Heath Clevenger was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player.[7]
Bracket
edit| Play-in round | Second round | Third round | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 3 | 1 | Samford | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 1 | 4 | East Tennessee State | 127 | 4 | East Tennessee State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Game 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | VMI | 2 | 8 | The Citadel | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Samford | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | The Citadel | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Wofford | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 4 | 2 | Mercer | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 2 | 3 | Wofford | 6 | 3 | Wofford | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UNC Greensboro | 4 | 6 | UNC Greensboro | 1 | Games 12 and 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Western Carolina | 3 | 3 | Wofford | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Samford | 7 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lower third round | Lower semifinal | Lower final | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Game 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UNC Greensboro | 4 | Game 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | East Tennessee State | 2 | Game 10 | 1 | Samford | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UNC Greensboro | 9 | 6 | UNC Greensboro | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Game 8 | 2 | Mercer | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | The Citadel | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mercer | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
edit| Game | Time* | Matchup# | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (Wednesday, May 24)[8] | ||||
| 1 | 3:00 p.m. | #5 VMI vs. #8 The Citadel | 2-5[9] | |
| 2 | 7:00 p.m. | #6 UNC Greensboro vs. #7 Western Carolina | 4-3[9] | |
| Day 2 (Thursday, May 25)[8] | ||||
| 3 | 9:00 a.m. | #8 The Citadel vs. #4 East Tennessee State | 0-127[10] | |
| 4 | 12:30 p.m. | #6 UNC Greensboro vs. #3 Wofford | 1-6[10] | |
| 5 | 4:00 p.m. | #4 East Tennessee State vs. #1 Samford | 1-2[11] | |
| 6 | 7:30 p.m. | #3 Wofford vs. #2 Mercer | 16-14[11] | |
| Day 3 (Friday, May 26)[8] | ||||
| 7 | 9:00 a.m. | #6 UNC Greensboro vs. #4 East Tennessee State | 4-2[12] | |
| 8 | 12:30 p.m. | #8 The Citadel vs. #2 Mercer | 1-8[12] | |
| 9 | 4:00 p.m. | #1 Samford vs. #3 Wofford | 6-7[13] | |
| 10 | 7:30 p.m. | #6 UNC Greensboro vs. #2 Mercer | 9-5[13] | |
| Day 4 (Saturday, May 27)[14] | ||||
| 11 | 8:00 a.m. | #1 Samford vs. #6 UNC Greensboro | 9-5[15] | |
| 12 | 10:30 a.m. | #3 Wofford vs. #1 Samford | 2-7[15] | |
| 13 | 1:00 p.m. | #3 Wofford vs. #1 Samford | 2-5[7] | |
| *Game times are in EDT. # – Rankings denote tournament seed. | ||||
Conference leaders
edit
|
|
Conference leaders statistics include all regular season and SoCon tournament games.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Wofford predicted to win 2023 SoCon baseball title". soconsports.com. Spartanburg, South Carolina. February 9, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 Championships schedule". soconsports.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Hooker, Daniel (December 16, 2023). "Alan Beck, Catamount Baseball Unveil 2023 Schedule". Western Carolina University. Cullowhee, North Carolina. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "The Automated ScoreBook - Standings & Leaders". southernconf_ftp.sidearmsports.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- ^ "Baseball - Composite Schedule". soconsports.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Samford wins 2023 SoCon Baseball Championship". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c "SoCon Baseball Championship schedule altered". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Citadel, UNCG advance at SoCon Baseball Championship". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "ETSU, Wofford win at SoCon Baseball Championship". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ a b "Samford, Wofford advance at SoCon Baseball Championship". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ a b "UNCG, Mercer stay alive at SoCon Baseball Championship". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wofford tops Samford to reach SoCon title tilt". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "SoCon Baseball Championship schedule changes announced". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Samford forces winner-takes-all SoCon title game". Southern Conference. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Automated ScoreBook - Individual Statistics". southernconf_ftp.sidearmsports.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.