Southland Conference Baseball Tournament

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Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
Conference Baseball Championship
SportBaseball
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Number of teams8
FormatDouble-elimination tournament
Current stadiumCampus sites
Played1964–1968, 1993–present
Last contest
Current championMcNeese (4)
Most championshipsSam Houston (6)
Official websiteSouthland.org Baseball

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.

Tournament[]

The Southland Conference Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination tournament held annually at various locations in the Southland Conference region. Before the departure of five members following the 2021 season, the eight teams with the best conference record at the end of the regular season earned berths in the tournament. Starting in 2022, all conference members will participate in the tournament (unless banned due to NCAA sanctions). The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Other teams have to hope for an at-large bid.

History[]

The Southland Conference tournament began in 1964. 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.

In 1996, it expanded to become a six team double-elimination tournament and remained that way until 2007.

In 2008, the tournament once again expanded and became an eight team double-elimination tournament.

In 2012, two brackets of four teams were added in a double-elimination format. The winner of each bracket plays in a championship game. 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 will host double-elimination tournaments that each involve four teams. The winner from each site will advance to a best-of-3 final hosted by the top surviving seed.

Starting in 2023, the event will move 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. The future tournament format has not yet been announced.[1]

Champions[]

By year[]

Southland Conference Baseball Tournament (1964–1968, 1993–present)
Year School Site MVP
1964 Trinity ACC Field • Abilene, Texas
Trinity Jonesboro, Arkansas
1966 Trinity Turnpike StadiumArlington, Texas[2]
Arkansas State Price Daniel Field • Beaumont, Texas[3]
1968 Arkansas State Arlington, Texas
No tournament held (1969–1992)
1993 McNeese State Brown–Stroud FieldNatchitoches, Louisiana , McNeese State
1994 UTSA Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana , UT San Antonio
1995 Louisiana–Monroe Fair Grounds FieldShreveport, Louisiana , Louisiana–Monroe
1996 Sam Houston State Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana , Sam Houston State
1997 Texas State Warhawk FieldMonroe, Louisiana Jeremy Fikac, Texas State
1998 Nicholls State Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana , Nicholls State
1999 Texas State Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana , UT Arlington
2000 Texas State Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana Shane Webb, Louisiana-Monroe
2001 Texas–Arlington Vincent–Beck StadiumBeaumont, Texas , UT Arlington
2002 Lamar Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas Clay Hensley, Lamar
2003 McNeese State Warhawk Field • Monroe, Louisiana , McNeese State
2004 Lamar Alumni FieldHammond, Louisiana , Lamar
2005 UTSA Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana , UT San Antonio
2006 Texas–Arlington Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas , UT Arlington
2007 Sam Houston State Brown–Stroud Field • Natchitoches, Louisiana , Sam Houston State
2008 Sam Houston State Don Sanders StadiumHuntsville, Texas , Sam Houston State
2009 Sam Houston State Whataburger FieldCorpus Christi, Texas , Sam Houston State
2010 Lamar Whataburger Field • Corpus Christi, Texas Anthony Moore, Lamar
2011 Texas State Bobcat BallparkSan Marcos, Texas Casey Kalenkosky, Texas State
2012 Texas–Arlington Bobcat Ballpark • San Marcos, Texas , UT Arlington
2013 Central Arkansas Constellation FieldSugar Land, Texas Forrestt Allday, Central Arkansas
2014 Southeastern Louisiana Bear StadiumConway, Arkansas[4] Tate Scioneaux, Southeastern Louisiana
2015 Houston Baptist Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas[4] Curtis Jones, Houston Baptist
2016 Sam Houston State Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas[4] 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[5] Constellation Field • Sugar Land, Texas Aidan Anderson, McNeese State
2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
McNeese[6] Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, Louisiana Clayton Rasbeary, McNeese
2022 Campus sites
2023 Joe Miller Ballpark, Lake Charles, Louisiana
2024 Joe Miller Ballpark, Lake Charles, Louisiana
2025 Joe Miller Ballpark, Lake Charles, Louisiana
2026 Joe Miller Ballpark, Lake Charles, Louisiana
  • McNeese dropped "State" from its athletic branding after the 2019 season.
  • Nicholls dropped "State" from its athletic branding after the 2018 season.

By school[]

Updated through 2021 Tournament.[7][8]

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 18 24–27 .471 4 1993, 2003, 2019,
Texas State 17 35–28 .556 4 1997, 1999, 2000, 2011 Left conference in 2012.
Lamar 17 33–27 .550 3 2002, 2004, 2010 Left conference in 1987. Returned in 1999. Left conference again in 2021.
Trinity 5 12–6 .667 3 1964, , 1966 Left conference in 1972.
Texas–Arlington 15 28–26 .519 3 2001, 2006, 2012 Left conference in 2012.
Arkansas State 5 11–6 .647 2 , 1968 Left conference in 1987.
UTSA 12 19–20 .487 2 1994, 2005 Left conference in 2012.
Central Arkansas 6 13–10 .565 1 2013 Joined conference in 2006. Left conference in 2021.
Houston Baptist 3 10–4 .714 1 2015 Joined conference in 2013.
Louisiana–Monroe 10 16–17 .485 1 1995 Left conference in 2006.
Nicholls 7 9–11 .450 1 1998
Northwestern State 21 26–39 .400 1 2018
Southeastern Louisiana 13 22–24 .478 1 2014 Joined conference in 1997.
Abilene Christian 6 2–12 .143 0 Left conference in 1973. Returned in 2013. Left conference again in 2021.
New Orleans 3 5–5 .500 0 Joined conference in 2014.
Oral Roberts 1 2–2 .500 0 Conference member from 2012–2014.
Stephen F. Austin 7 7–14 .333 0 Left conference in 2021.
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 7 11–14 .440 0 Joined conference in 2006.
  • Italics indicate that the program is no longer a Southland member.

See also[]

Southland Conference Softball Tournament

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Tiger Netters, Baseball Team Favored To Keep Southland Conference Titles". San Antonio Express. May 12, 1966. p. 3D.
  3. ^ "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
  4. ^ a b c "Southland Baseball Tournament Returns to Sugar Land". Southland Conference. August 22, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  5. ^ Richard Dean (May 25, 2019). "McNeese State wins Southland baseball tournament". Hearst Newspapers, LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "McNeese Claims Second-Straight Southland Baseball Tournament Title" (Press release). Southland Conference. May 29, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Southland Baseball (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 29–33. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  8. ^ "2021 Southland Baseball Tournament". Southland Conference. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
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