I found an older article in which SSU made application to the MEAC, but was also interested in the A-Sun if they were denied by the MEAC.

SSU has a pretty strong baseball program, has there been any updated news on this?

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satell...1785043492

SSU is the worst program in Division 1...and the way the ASUN has been adding teams lately, they seem like a perfect fit.

Eh, why not add them, maybe then we'll have a 12 team league, two divisions and maybe then we'll be able to schedule closer OOC games, and more of them (i.e. App, Western, Wofford, Furman)

GaStPanthers, good to hear from you ol' UCFRivals buddy!!

The article said the MEAC would make a decision on them in December or January. I hope they take them. If not, the Big South might be more likely than the A-Sun since SSU has football and the Big South needs football schools. The MEAC really should take them, though.

I assume the A-Sun will look for a replacement for G-W. Might be interesting to see how the new commisioner will approach this. Longwood is still out there.

I heard the MEAC was excited and more than happy to add Sav St...yes the ASUN was interested and rightly so. Few would argue that their baseball program is up and coming.

As for the ETSU fan comments, I don't know when that crowd will learn that the ASUN is a baseball conference.

KingofStetson

HisMajesty ... I'm already fired up for baseball season. Those 2 one-run-wins by Stetson in the post season have not been forgotten!

OrangeCamel Wrote:GaStPanthers, good to hear from you ol' UCFRivals buddy!!

The article said the MEAC would make a decision on them in December or January. I hope they take them. If not, the Big South might be more likely than the A-Sun since SSU has football and the Big South needs football schools. The MEAC really should take them, though.

I assume the A-Sun will look for a replacement for G-W. Might be interesting to see how the new commisioner will approach this. Longwood is still out there.

Its good hearing from you as well OrangeCamel, I hope all is well with Campbell and the A-Sun this year. ;-)

KingofStetson it's not that we don't know that it is a baseball conference. It's just that baseball isn't what our school is focused on.

This is a school that once had a tremendous amount of pride in it's football and basketball programs. Now that we no longer have football and basketball is in a state of decline the fans are disappointed in our move down to the A-Sun.

I'm not really sure you could say that the A-Sun is on the way up with the addition of several DII schools.

I've always said that the A-Sun is a good conference for schools like- well- Savannah State which is trying to move up in the world.

However, ETSU was not at a Division II level, or a bad independent, to move up from.

Now wait a minute. When this move was made for ETSU three years ago, we were sold a bill of goods that this was a lateral move in conferences for basketball with UCF, Troy, Ga. State and FAU here. Low and behold, they are all gone, being replaced with SC Upstate, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida and Kennesaw State, with another to be named later once Gardner Webb is gone. I would hope you guys would understand our frustrations is going from playing UT-C, Furman, Appalachian, College of Charleston and Davidson every year to this. On that note, ETSU didn't necessarily have a bad baseball season last year, five players drafted, a winning season and they made it to the final day of the tournament. I mean in all honesty the A-Sun has helped our other sports, volleyball, women's basketball, women's golf and women's tennis are much improved, baseball got better, men's golf is still doing its' thing, and let's be honest, this ETSU basketball team is not very good yet they are 5-4 right now.

HisMajestyKingofStetson Wrote:I heard the MEAC was excited and more than happy to add Sav St...yes the ASUN was interested and rightly so. Few would argue that their baseball program is up and coming.

As for the ETSU fan comments, I don't know when that crowd will learn that the ASUN is a baseball conference.

KingofStetson

FROM ASUN Web Site:
[quote]MACON, Ga.

Nick M Wrote:[quote="HisMajestyKingofStetson"]I heard the MEAC was excited and more than happy to add Sav St...yes the ASUN was interested and rightly so. Few would argue that their baseball program is up and coming.

As for the ETSU fan comments, I don't know when that crowd will learn that the ASUN is a baseball conference.

KingofStetson

FROM ASUN Web Site:
[quote]MACON, Ga.

OK. I keep hearing ASun is a baseball conference. Frankly, I've paid no attention to this, so I have no idea how good the ASun is in baseball. How many of our teams made it to the college world series last year? How many ended the year in the top 25 nationally?

I can remember when ETSU was a t top 10 baseball school, but that was back in the 70s.

One thing the ASun has done for ETSU is guarantee basketball wins. We now have the worst team, by far, we've ever had. I doubt you could find any ETSU fan who would disagree with this. We'll still end up near/or at the top of the ASun at the end of the season.

A mere eight teams go to the College World Series each year, so that is obviously not a fair way to judge the strength of a conference.

Many times the ASUN sent three teams to the NCAA tournament and the league has produced a plethora of All-American baseball players, year in and year out. As for Stetson, we have produced two first-round draft choices in the last decade (Kevin Nicholson and Brian Snyder), 16 All Americans in the last 12 seasons, and gone to the NCAA tournament 14 times in the last 27 years and 6 out of the last 7. In 2001, Stetson was ranked as high as #7 in the country with UCF ranked as high as #8 that same year. In addition, Stetson has had over 60 players drafted in the Major League draft since Coach Dunn took over in 1979-80. When you consider that we have one of the lowest (if not the very lowest) budget in Division 1, this is quite an extraordinary feat. Granted, you will never see Stetson men's basketball near the top of the ASUN, but you will always see the Hatters among the league's leaders on the diamond.

When did ETSU ever achieve this level of success in basketball?

Baseball is the only sport where professional scouts flock to watch ASUN games and will continue to be the only one for many years to come.

ETSU was ranked #10 in the nation in basketball in 1991...we had an All American...

My intention is not to denigrade ETSU, but the constant diatribes against our league are unwarranted. the simple truth is that Stetson has produced far more All Americans in baseball that ETSU in football (now deceased), basketball and baseball combined.

Incidentally, I thought you guys fielded a solid team last year and am looking forward to playing the Bucs on the diamond soon.

Instead of bashing the Atlantic Sun Conference, concentrate upon improving your basketball program and become our flagship.

Did I miss something? Did Central Florida rejoin the ASun?

And don't forget, ETSU has made it to the final 16 in the NCAA tournament. I believe we've had 7 teams appear in the NCAA (basketball) and I've forgotten the number of wins. But there have been a few.

Yes, ETSU has enjoyed a quality basketball program...no argument here. You are the one who called into question the quality level of the ASUN in baseball to which I responded by providing you with some history of the league's accomplishments on the diamond.

If you are implying that the absence of UCF, FAU, and Troy will hurt the quality of the league, you will get no argument from me. However, the level of baseball played in the ASUN will still be far higher than it is in basketball.

My point is simple. With all your bravado and as good as your team has been over the eyars, I would not trade your team's success on the basketball court for our team's success year in and year out on the baseball field in a million years.

To each his own, I suppose.