Southern Conference baseball tournament
The Southern Conference baseball tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Southern Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The event is scheduled for the Tuesday through Saturday before Memorial Day each year, five days prior to the NCAA Regionals.[1]
| Southern Conference baseball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference baseball championship | |
 Southern Conference logo | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Format | Double-elimination |
| Current stadium | Fluor Field |
| Current location | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Played | 1950–1953, 1984–present |
| Last contest | 2023 |
| Current champion | Samford (4) |
| Most championships | Western Carolina (10) |
| Official website | SoConSports.com Baseball |
Tournament
editThe Southern Conference Baseball Tournament is held annually. Beginning in 2009, the top eight teams (eleven teams sponsor baseball in the conference) participated in a two-bracketed double-elimination tournament. The previous format included ten teams participating in the tournament with the lowest four seeds (#7–#10) competing in a single elimination first round. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament while the other teams must rely on an at-large bid.
History
editThe Southern Conference first held a baseball tournament in 1950.[2] Maryland and Virginia Tech from the North division, and Clemson and Wake Forest from the South played the inaugural year in Greensboro, North Carolina,[3] with Wake Forest defeating Maryland for the title. In 1951, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, and West Virginia met, with Duke defeating Clemson in the final.[4] Duke repeated their title in 1952, over N.C. State, George Washington, and Richmond.[5] Duke, George Washington, Maryland, and North Carolina participated in 1953, with Duke again the winner.[6][7]
The tournament was renewed in 1984 as a four-team tournament. The tournament was held at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1997 to 2008, and again in 2010 and 2011.
Champions
editBy year
edit| Year[8] | Champion | Site | MVP[9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Wake Forest | Greensboro, North Carolina | |
| 1951 | Duke | Greensboro, North Carolina | Bob Davis, Duke |
| 1952 | Duke | Devereux Meadow • Raleigh, North Carolina | Red Smith, Duke |
| 1953 | Duke | Devereux Meadow • Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| 1984 | Appalachian State | Hennon Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina | Rusty Weaver, Appalachian State |
| 1985 | Western Carolina | Boone, North Carolina | Mike Carson, Western Carolina |
| 1986 | Western Carolina | Hennon Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina | David Hyatt, Western Carolina |
| 1987 | Western Carolina | Asheville, North Carolina | Clint Fairey, Western Carolina |
| 1988 | Western Carolina | Asheville, North Carolina | Keith LeClair, Western Carolina |
| 1989 | Western Carolina | Asheville, North Carolina | Paul Menhart, Western Carolina |
| 1990 | The Citadel | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Billy Baker, The Citadel |
| 1991 | Furman | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Brent Williams, Furman |
| 1992 | Western Carolina | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Joey Cox, Western Carolina |
| 1993 | Western Carolina | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Phillip Grundy, Western Carolina |
| 1994 | The Citadel | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Jermaine Shuler, The Citadel |
| 1995 | The Citadel | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Donald Morillo, The Citadel |
| 1996 | Georgia Southern | College Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Mark Hamlin, Georgia Southern |
| 1997 | Western Carolina | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | J. P. Burwell, Western Carolina |
| 1998 | The Citadel | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Brian Rogers, The Citadel |
| 1999 | The Citadel | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Rodney Hancock, The Citadel |
| 2000 | Georgia Southern | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Matt Easterday, Georgia Southern |
| 2001 | The Citadel | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Randy Corn, The Citadel |
| 2002 | Georgia Southern | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Brett Lewis, Georgia Southern |
| 2003 | Western Carolina | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Brian Sigmon, Western Carolina |
| 2004 | The Citadel | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Jonathan Ellis, The Citadel |
| 2005 | Furman | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Nick Hollstegge, Furman |
| 2006 | College of Charleston | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Nick Chigges & Jess Easterling, College of Charleston |
| 2007 | Wofford | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Brandon Waring, Wofford |
| 2008 | Elon | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Cory Harrilchak, Elon |
| 2009 | Georgia Southern | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Kyle Blackburn, Georgia Southern |
| 2010 | The Citadel | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Justin Mackert, The Citadel |
| 2011 | Georgia Southern | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Chris Beck, Georgia Southern |
| 2012 | Samford | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Josh Martin, Samford |
| 2013 | Elon | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Joe Jackson, The Citadel |
| 2014 | Georgia Southern | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Jason Richman, Georgia Southern |
| 2015 | Mercer | Riley Park • Charleston, South Carolina | Eric Nyquist, Mercer |
| 2016 | Western Carolina | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Matt Smith, Western Carolina |
| 2017 | UNC Greensboro | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Tripp Shelton, UNC Greensboro |
| 2018 | Samford | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Brooks Carlson, Samford |
| 2019 | Mercer | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Trevor Austin, Mercer |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Samford | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Towns King, Samford |
| 2022 | UNC Greensboro | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | |
| 2023 | Samford | Fluor Field • Greenville, South Carolina | Heath Clevenger, Samford |
By school
edit| School | Tournament Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina | 10 | 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2016 |
| The Citadel | 8 | 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2010 |
| Georgia Southern | 6 | 1996, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2011, 2014 |
| Samford | 4 | 2012, 2018, 2021, 2023 |
| Duke | 3 | 1951, 1952, 1953 |
| UNC Greensboro | 2 | 2017, 2022 |
| Mercer | 2 | 2015, 2019 |
| Elon | 2 | 2008, 2013 |
| Furman | 2 | 1991, 2005 |
| Wake Forest | 1 | 1950 |
| Appalachian State | 1 | 1984 |
| College of Charleston[a] | 1 | 2006 |
| Wofford | 1 | 2007 |
- Italics indicate the school no longer sponsors baseball in the SoCon.
- ^ Now athletically branded as Charleston.
Composite Records
editCurrent schools only, 1984 through 2015[10][11]
| Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel | 72 | 37 | .661 |
| East Tennessee State | 14 | 34 | .286 |
| Furman | 39 | 41 | .488 |
| Mercer | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Samford | 14 | 8 | .636 |
| UNC Greensboro | 19 | 27 | .413 |
| VMI | 14 | 29 | .326 |
| Western Carolina | 67 | 48 | .583 |
| Wofford | 12 | 10 | .545 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Southern Conference Championship Sites and Dates" (PDF). soconsports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
- ^ "Southern Champs To Be Crowned At Greensboro Meet". The Robesonian. Lumberton, N.C. AP. May 19, 1950. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Maryland To Play In Diamond Series". The Baltimore Sun. May 22, 1950. p. 14.
Virginia Tech and Maryland from the North and Wake Forest and Clemson from the South will meet to determine the Southern Conference baseball championship.
- ^ "Clemson Meets Duke For Southern League Title". The Dispatch. Lexington, N.C. May 21, 1951. p. 6. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Duke Nine Cops Conference Championship". The News and Courier. Charleston, S.C. May 19, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Maryland Nine Whips W. & M. In Double-Header". The Baltimore Sun. May 12, 1953. p. 19.
George Washington will join Maryland as the Northern division's other representative against the two top teams in the southern branch of the league.
- ^ "Rain-Check Team Emerging As Top Quality In Playoff". The Robesonian. Lumberton, N.C. May 19, 1953. p. 8. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Championship Results" (PDF). 2007 Southern Conference Baseball. Southern Conference. 2007. pp. 43–47. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
- ^ "SoCon Tournament MVPs" (PDF). 2006 Southern Conference Baseball. Southern Conference. 2006. p. 16. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
- ^ 2014 SoCon Baseball media Guide. Southern Conference. 14 February 2014. p. 48. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ https://admin.xosn.com/fls/4000//socon/Championships/2013-14/Baseball/14%20bb%20tny%20bracket.pdf?&DB_OEM_ID=4000 [bare URL PDF]