The Surge Of Conference USA
Conference USA is on the verge of potentially making a historic run to the NCAA postseason, and it has Florida Atlantic to thank for a strong first impression way back in February.
While many were focused on other, bigger, series around the country, the Owls traveled to Starkville, Miss., and took a pair of games from Mississippi State, outscoring the Bulldogs — who are now a virtual lock for a national seed – 14-6 to only get their season started on a positive note, but also giving C-USA a much-needed shot in the arm.
You see, while C-USA hasn’t been bad over the years, it had a tough stretch the past few seasons. The league had Conference RPIs of eight in 2015 and ’14, while also finishing 2013 with an RPI of 10. In those seasons, the conference got three bids last season and would’ve only been two had Florida International not win the automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. No one hosted. In 2014, the league recorded just two bids from Old Dominion and Rice, and the Owls hosted. Then, in 2013, C-USA was just a one-bid league with surprise, surprise, Rice getting the lone nod. Of course, the league got four bids in 2012 and 2011, but that was in a different era with teams such as East Carolina and UCF – now in the American Athletic Conference – still in the league.
With some newer faces in the league now, this season’s success presents the conference with a boost that could have long-lasting ramifications. The league got four bids to the NCAA postseason the last time it had a top five Conference RPI. And this year? C-USA sits at five and has five teams that would be on the Division I Baseball Selection Committee’s big board of teams to consider if the season ended today.
“Everyone has beaten someone in this league this year,” FAU coach John McCormack said. “We beat Mississippi State, WKU has beaten some teams, Rice has done it, Southern Miss has done it, and even Marshall has taken care of business. There are some teams in the league that are struggling, but for the most part, it’s teams that have proven something.”
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Goff Works Magic At La Tech
When Greg Goff took over as Campbell’s head coach in 2008, the Camels went 21-37. It took him five years to turn Campbell into one of the best programs in the Big South, winning 40-plus games three years in a row from 2012-14.
Then he left to take on another tough building project closer to home at Louisiana Tech. He inherited a program that had won 15 games in 2014, and he led it to a 25-27 record in his first season last year. But Goff wasn’t content to wait five years to contend like he did at Campbell. He wanted to win fast — so he overhauled the roster with 19 junior-college transfers in the fall.
“I’m just not a patient guy — ‘Hey, in four years we’re gonna be good.’ I want to win now,” Goff said. “I mean, this is how I support my family. I’ve got four daughters — that like to spend money.”
Goff’s daughters can rest easy, because he’s got the Bulldogs rolling much faster than anyone could have anticipated. Two years after going 15-35, Louisiana Tech heads into the final weekend of the regular season with a nearly inverted record — 34-16. The Bulldogs are 16-11 in Conference USA (the No. 5 RPI league) and 47th in the RPI. Simply put, if they can win two out of three at home from C-USA powerhouse Rice this weekend, they’re almost a lock to make their first regional since 1987. And even if they lose two out of three this weekend, they’ve got a real chance.
“I’m telling you, it’s a miracle,” Goff said. “I thought we’d be pretty good, we signed some good players. But our league is so good. I couldn’t believe we kept beating people — I mean, we won six series in a row. Without our No. 1 guy.”
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Conference USA baseball getting some nice pub
Conference USA baseball getting some nice pub 
