Southland Conference baseball tournament

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
SportBaseball
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Number of teams7
FormatDouble-elimination tournament
Current stadiumJoe Miller Ballpark
Current locationLake Charles, Louisiana
Played1964–1968, 1993–present
Last contest2023
Current championNicholls (2)
Most championshipsSam Houston (6)
TV partner(s)ESPN+
Official websiteSouthland.org Baseball

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. In 2022, all conference members will participate in the tournament (unless banned due to NCAA sanctions). 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.

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 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.[1] 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.

Champions

By year
Southland Conference baseball tournament (1964–1968, 1993–present)
Year School Site MVP
1964 Trinity ACC Field • Abilene, Texas
1965 Trinity Jonesboro, Arkansas
1966 Trinity Turnpike Stadium • Arlington, Texas[2]
1967 Arkansas State Price Daniel Field • Beaumont, Texas[3]
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[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
2021 McNeese[6] Alumni Field • Hammond, Louisiana Clayton Rasbeary, McNeese
2022 Southeastern Louisiana Campus sites Preston Faulkner, Southeastern Louisiana
2023 Nicholls Joe Miller Ballpark, Lake Charles, Louisiana Xane Washington, Nicholls
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 2023 Tournament.[7][8][9]

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 19 26–29 .473 4 1993, 2003, 2019, 2021
Texas State 17 35–28 .556 4 1997, 1999, 2000, 2011 Left conference in 2012.
Lamar 18 33–29 .532 3 2002, 2004, 2010 Left conference in 1987. Returned in 1999. Left conference again in 2021. Returned in 2022.
Trinity 5 12–6 .667 3 1964, 1965, 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 1967, 1968 Left conference in 1987.
Nicholls 8 13–11 .542 2 1998, 2023
Southeastern Louisiana 13 22–24 .478 2 2014, 2022 Joined conference in 1997.
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 Christian 3 10–4 .714 1 2015 Joined conference in 2013.
Louisiana–Monroe 10 16–17 .485 1 1995 Left conference in 2006.
Northwestern State 22 28–41 .406 1 2018
Abilene Christian 6 2–12 .143 0 Left conference in 1973. Returned in 2013. Left conference again in 2021.
New Orleans 4 8–7 .533 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 8 11–15 .423 0 Joined conference in 2006.
  • Italics indicate that the program is no longer a Southland member.

See also

Southland Conference softball tournament

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. "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. 35–44. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. "2021 Southland Baseball Tournament". Southland Conference. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  9. "(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.
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