The Southland Conference baseball tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Southland Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
| Southland Conference Baseball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference Baseball Championship | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Format | Double-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Joe Miller Ballpark |
| Current location | Lake Charles, Louisiana |
| Played | 1964–1968, 1993–present |
| Last contest | 2024 |
| Current champion | Nicholls (3) |
| Most championships | Sam Houston (6) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN+ |
| Official website | Southland.org Baseball |
Tournament
editThe Southland Conference Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination tournament held annually at various locations in the Southland Conference region. The tournament field has grown from three teams in 1964 to eight teams prior to 2022. Following the departure of five members in 2021, all remaining conference members participated in the tournament (unless banned due to NCAA sanctions) in 2022. In 2023, the seven highest teams participated in the tournament. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. Other teams have to hope for an at-large bid.[1]
History
editThe Southland Conference tournament began in 1964. The number of annual tournament participants has changed several times over the life of the tournament. From 1964 through 1966 the tournament consisted of three teams. In 1967 and 1968 the tournament expanded to a four-team double-elimination tournament. This was all that constituted conference play for those seasons.
From 1969 until 1992, the Southland Conference did not have a baseball tournament. In some seasons, a championship series was held between division champions.
In 1993, the conference began holding a baseball tournament again. From 1993 through 1995, the tournament was a four team double-elimination tournament.,[2]
In 1996, it expanded to become a six team double-elimination tournament and remained that way until 2007.[3]
In 2008, the tournament once again expanded and became an eight team double-elimination tournament.[4]
In 2012, two brackets of four teams were added in a double-elimination format. The winner of each bracket plays in a championship game.[5] This facilitates a television broadcast of the final.
After five schools left the conference following the 2021 season, the tournament format was changed for 2022. The top two seeds hosted double-elimination tournaments that each involved four teams. The winner from each site will advanced to a best-of-3 final hosted by the top surviving seed.[6]
Starting in 2023, the event moved to Joe Miller Ballpark on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, reportedly as part of a deal that kept McNeese in the Southland after it had been courted by Conference USA and nearly joined the Western Athletic Conference. The agreement with McNeese initially runs for four years, with McNeese having the right of first refusal to continue as host after 2026.[7] The tournament format in 2023 included seven teams beginning with a single-elimination game followed by a 6 team double elimination. Two teams did not qualify for the tournament with the new format.
The baseball tournament venue returned to an annual bidding process for 2024 following the men's and women's basketball tournaments venue extension in Lake Charles. The baseball tournament returned to Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, Louisiana for 2024.[8] In 2024, the tournament returned to two brackets of four teams in a double-elimination format. The winner of each bracket played in the championship game. One team did not qualify for the tournament.
Champions
editBy year
edit| Year | School | Site | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Trinity | ACC Field • Abilene, Texas | |
| 1965 | Trinity | Jonesboro, Arkansas | |
| 1966 | Trinity | Turnpike Stadium • Arlington, Texas[9] | |
| 1967 | Arkansas State | Price Daniel Field • Beaumont, Texas[10] | |
| 1968 | Arkansas State | Arlington, Texas | |
| No tournament held (1969–1992) | |||
| 1993 | McNeese State | Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana | Clint Gould, McNeese State |
| 1994 | UTSA | Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana | Scott Pederson, UT San Antonio |
| 1995 | Louisiana–Monroe | Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana | Stacey Wilcox, Louisiana–Monroe |
| 1996 | Sam Houston State | Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana | Brent Bubela, Sam Houston State |
| 1997 | Texas State | Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana | Jeremy Fikac, Texas State |
| 1998 | Nicholls State | Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana | Jacques Jobert, Nicholls State |
| 1999 | Texas State | Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana | Matt Mize, UT Arlington |
| 2000 | Texas State | Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana | Shane Webb, Louisiana-Monroe |
| 2001 | Texas–Arlington | Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas | K. J. Hendricks, UT Arlington |
| 2002 | Lamar | Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas | Clay Hensley, Lamar |
| 2003 | McNeese State | Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana | Rusty Begnaud, McNeese State |
| 2004 | Lamar | Alumni Field • Hammond, Louisiana | Jordan Foster, Lamar |
| 2005 | UTSA | Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana | Ryan Crew, UT San Antonio |
| 2006 | Texas–Arlington | Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas | Ryan Riddle, UT Arlington |
| 2007 | Sam Houston State | Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana | Luke Prihoda, Sam Houston State |
| 2008 | Sam Houston State | Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, Texas | Bobby Verbick, Sam Houston State |
| 2009 | Sam Houston State | Whataburger Field • Corpus Christi, Texas | Matt Shelton, Sam Houston State |
| 2010 | Lamar | Whataburger Field • Corpus Christi, Texas | Anthony Moore, Lamar |
| 2011 | Texas State | Bobcat Ballpark • San Marcos, Texas | Casey Kalenkosky, Texas State |
| 2012 | Texas–Arlington | Bobcat Ballpark • San Marcos, Texas | Travis Sibley, UT Arlington |
| 2013 | Central Arkansas | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas | Forrestt Allday, Central Arkansas |
| 2014 | Southeastern Louisiana | Bear Stadium • Conway, Arkansas[11] | Tate Scioneaux, Southeastern Louisiana |
| 2015 | Houston Baptist | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas[11] | Curtis Jones, Houston Baptist |
| 2016 | Sam Houston State | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas[11] | Heath Donica, Sam Houston State |
| 2017 | Sam Houston State | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas | Robie Rojas, Sam Houston State |
| 2018 | Northwestern State | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas | David Fry, Northwestern State |
| 2019 | McNeese State[12] | Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas | Aidan Anderson, McNeese State |
| 2020 | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | McNeese[13] | Alumni Field • Hammond, Louisiana | Clayton Rasbeary, McNeese |
| 2022 | Southeastern Louisiana | Campus sites of top two seeds[6] | Preston Faulkner, Southeastern Louisiana |
| 2023 | Nicholls | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, Louisiana | Xane Washington, Nicholls |
| 2024 | Nicholls | Alumni Field • Hammond, Louisiana[8] | Basiel Williams, Nicholls |
- McNeese dropped "State" from its athletic branding after the 2019 season.
- Nicholls dropped "State" from its athletic branding after the 2018 season.
By school
editUpdated through 2024 Tournament.[14][15][16]
| School | Appearances | W-L | Pct | Tourney Titles | Title Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston | 17 | 39–23 | .629 | 6 | 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017 | Left conference in 2021. |
| McNeese | 20 | 29–31 | .483 | 4 | 1993, 2003, 2019, 2021 | |
| Texas State | 17 | 35–28 | .556 | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2011 | Left conference in 2012. |
| Lamar | 20 | 36–34 | .514 | 3 | 2002, 2004, 2010 | Left conference in 1987. Returned in 1999. Left conference again in 2021. Returned in 2022. |
| Nicholls | 9 | 17–11 | .607 | 3 | 1998, 2023, 2024 | |
| Texas–Arlington | 15 | 28–26 | .519 | 3 | 2001, 2006, 2012 | Left conference in 2012. |
| Trinity | 5 | 12–6 | .667 | 3 | 1964, 1965, 1966 | Left conference in 1972. |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 14 | 24–26 | .480 | 2 | 2014, 2022 | Joined conference in 1997. |
| UTSA | 12 | 19–20 | .487 | 2 | 1994, 2005 | Left conference in 2012. |
| Arkansas State | 5 | 11–6 | .647 | 2 | 1967, 1968 | Left conference in 1987. |
| Northwestern State | 23 | 28–43 | .394 | 1 | 2018 | |
| Houston Christian | 3 | 10–4 | .714 | 1 | 2015 | Joined conference in 2013. |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 10 | 16–17 | .485 | 1 | 1995 | Left conference in 2006. |
| Central Arkansas | 6 | 13–10 | .565 | 1 | 2013 | Joined conference in 2006. Left conference in 2021. |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 9 | 13–17 | .433 | 0 | Joined conference in 2006. | |
| Stephen F. Austin | 7 | 7–14 | .333 | 0 | Left conference in 2021; returning in 2024. | |
| New Orleans | 5 | 9–9 | .500 | 0 | Joined conference in 2014. | |
| UIW | 4 | 5-8 | .385 | 0 | Joined conference in 2013. | |
| Abilene Christian | 6 | 2–12 | .143 | 0 | Left conference in 1973. Returned in 2013. Left conference again in 2021. | |
| Oral Roberts | 1 | 2–2 | .500 | 0 | Conference member from 2012–2014. |
- Italics indicate that the program is no longer a Southland member, as of the next NCAA baseball season in 2025.
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ "Southland Baseball" (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 35–39. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Southland Baseball - Year-by-Year Tournament Results" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 36.
- ^ "Southland Baseball - Year-by-Year Tournament Results" (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 36–37.
- ^ "Southland Baseball - Year-by-Year Tournament Results" (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 37–39.
- ^ "Southland Baseball - Year-by-Year Tournament Results" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 38.
- ^ a b Courtney Archer (May 14, 2022). "McNeese, Southeastern to host first week of Southland Conference Baseball Tournament". Crescent City Sports Enterprises LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Gazzolo, Jim (November 9, 2021). "McNeese sticks with Southland in move that will bring millions in for SW La. tourism". American Press. Lake Charles, LA. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Southland Conference Baseball and Softball Championships Return to SLU in 2024". Southeastern Louisiana Athletics. August 29, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Tiger Netters, Baseball Team Favored To Keep Southland Conference Titles". San Antonio Express. May 12, 1966. p. 3D.
- ^ "Sports Festival Set Here May 11–13". John and Mary Gray Library – Lamar University (Digital Collection). The Redbird. May 5, 1967. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
The conference track meet will start at 2 p.m. Friday and the baseball tourney will get underway Thursday at 10 a.m. at Price Daniel Field
- ^ a b c "Southland Baseball Tournament Returns to Sugar Land". Southland Conference. August 22, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Richard Dean (May 25, 2019). "McNeese State wins Southland baseball tournament". Hearst Newspapers, LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "McNeese Claims Second-Straight Southland Baseball Tournament Title" (Press release). Southland Conference. May 29, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Southland Baseball (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 35–44. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Southland Baseball Tournament". Southland Conference. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ "(1) Nicholls wins first Southland Baseball Championship title since 1998 with 6-3 victory over (4) New Orleans". Southland Conference. May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.