Fall ball is in full swing so time to get ready for baseball season. Here's a few discussion items:

CUSA will look different this year with Dallas Baptist joining and USM, ODU & Marshall leaving. I look at it like this. DBU will take USM's spot and the benefit of Marshall no longer being in the conference will cancel out losing a good team like ODU. So things will be about the same.

Sounds like we will still play 10 conference weekends, with everyone playing each other and every team having 1 H&H series to get the extra weekend.

Conference Tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Rice in Houston.

A few new HCs in the conference at:
- FIU
- WKU
- MTSU



D1 Baseball has been listing their Top 100 programs and we have 5 teams listed:

27 Dallas Baptist
47 LaTech
52 Florida Atlantic
74 Charlotte
80 Rice

https://d1baseball.com/analysis/2022-top...e-numbers/

Also, since my post was deleted by someone, did everyone see that the state of West Virginia taxpayers were going to pay $13.9 million to build Marshall a baseball stadium?

clt says it is absurd that the baseball tourney is being held in a stadium of a school on the way out of cusa

With DBU coming on board it will be Rice’s first season since 2001 to have a baseball conference mate in the DFW metroplex.

(10-06-2022 05:28 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  clt says it is absurd that the baseball tourney is being held in a stadium of a school on the way out of cusa

AGREED! It is just not right. I'm sure La Tech with the new stadium would have been happy to host. AND would have had better crowds.

(10-06-2022 10:01 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  

(10-06-2022 05:28 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  clt says it is absurd that the baseball tourney is being held in a stadium of a school on the way out of cusa

AGREED! It is just not right. I'm sure La Tech with the new stadium would have been happy to host. AND would have had better crowds.

Id rather not go to Ruston again, but you're right. The crowds would certainly be better there. Rice hasn't qualified for the tournament for the past 2 seasons, so there is a chance that they will be hosting, but not participating. I'm guessing we will have the same format with only the Top 8 making it.

Really looking forward to jumping into C-USA baseball and softball.

(10-07-2022 01:31 PM)Mr. Bojangles Wrote:  

(10-06-2022 10:01 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  

(10-06-2022 05:28 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  clt says it is absurd that the baseball tourney is being held in a stadium of a school on the way out of cusa

AGREED! It is just not right. I'm sure La Tech with the new stadium would have been happy to host. AND would have had better crowds.

Id rather not go to Ruston again, but you're right. The crowds would certainly be better there. Rice hasn't qualified for the tournament for the past 2 seasons, so there is a chance that they will be hosting, but not participating. I'm guessing we will have the same format with only the Top 8 making it.

You are right about the format, it will still be a top 8 format.
You are wrong about Rice… there’s no chance we don’t qualify this year (!)

(10-06-2022 05:28 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  clt says it is absurd that the baseball tourney is being held in a stadium of a school on the way out of cusa

Well I guess that's fair when I complained about USM and ODU hosting baseball and tennis tournaments last spring.

Only 9 teams are in the conference for baseball. I doubt they keep someone home. They'll probably have everyone play, and 8-9 will play a single elimination game right away?

That's the only fair way (getting all 9 teams in) if someone has to play the #1 team twice, and someone else gets the #9 team twice.

eta - never mind - it's 10 teams (with DBU). So then maybe you could have 7-10 and 8-9 playing a single elimination game right away? I still don't think it's fair to keep teams home when the schedules could be lopsided.

FBO, I don’t care how “lopsided” the schedules might be, if you can’t make top 8 in the standings of a ten team conference you don’t deserve an invite to the tourney.

They’ve already announced it would be a 8 team tournament again for 2023.

How is the schedule lopsided? Everyone will play each other now. You will play 1 other team H & H to get to 10 weekend series..

I'll guess:
FIU-FAU
WKU- MTSU
LT-DBU
RICE-UTSA
CLT- UAB

Let's say for the sake of argument that FAU challenges for 1st place this year in baseball, and FIU is in the running for last. If FAU gets to play 6 games against FIU, that's not fair to the other teams in the mix for a regular season title.

Using your 5 predictions for H&H series, that's potentially a much tougher 6 games for Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist. It might help their RPI a bit if those are among the top 2 or 3 teams in the league, but again it's going to give 1 or both of those teams a few more losses as a result.

(10-06-2022 09:27 AM)Mr. Bojangles Wrote:  D1 Baseball has been listing their Top 100 programs and we have 5 teams listed:

27 Dallas Baptist
47 LaTech
52 Florida Atlantic
74 Charlotte
80 Rice

https://d1baseball.com/analysis/2022-top...e-numbers/

C-USA 4.0 has 2 additions from the D1 Baseball top 100 with:
#72 Sam Houston
#50 Liberty

It seems C USA will continue to be a solid Mid Major Baseball conference.

(10-11-2022 07:15 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Let's say for the sake of argument that FAU challenges for 1st place this year in baseball, and FIU is in the running for last. If FAU gets to play 6 games against FIU, that's not fair to the other teams in the mix for a regular season title.

Using your 5 predictions for H&H series, that's potentially a much tougher 6 games for Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist. It might help their RPI a bit if those are among the top 2 or 3 teams in the league, but again it's going to give 1 or both of those teams a few more losses as a result.

To be clear, it would only be a 3 game difference since everyone plays everyone for 3 games. FAU would get 3 additional games vs FIU. etc. That's 3 out of 30 games. So maybe slightly uneven but if we are talking about an 8 seed vs not making the tournament, I don't think it matters.

Teams at the top of the league with at-large aspirations would rather have the RPI bump anyways, like you said.

(10-11-2022 10:27 AM)Mr. Bojangles Wrote:  How is the schedule lopsided?

I was wondering how this will look with 11, but I guess the answer is just that you play everyone (instead of one team twice). So that's actually an improvement (from the competitive side, if not the financial one).

Edit: it'll be ten, just like this season.

clt says Charlotte should be preseason one

Kennesaw St is also a great baseball add

(10-11-2022 10:27 AM)Mr. Bojangles Wrote:  How is the schedule lopsided? Everyone will play each other now. You will play 1 other team H & H to get to 10 weekend series..

I'll guess:
FIU-FAU
WKU- MTSU
LT-DBU
RICE-UTSA
CLT- UAB

Rice announced its 2023 schedule today - UTSA is indeed the team Rice plays twice.

WKU Baseball is on the rise! NEW and additional facilities on the way. We already have most of these but they will be replaced by NEW:

-- Clubhouse

-- Hitting facility with most modern machines

-- proposed baseball dedicated weight room

-- seating will be replaced

-- Booster "Diamond Club" restarting

-- and more-- Spring 2023

(10-13-2022 11:06 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-11-2022 10:27 AM)Mr. Bojangles Wrote:  How is the schedule lopsided?

I was wondering how this will look with 11, but I guess the answer is just that you play everyone (instead of one team twice). So that's actually an improvement (from the competitive side, if not the financial one).

Edit: it'll be ten, just like this season.

In 2024 we will have nine for baseball which gives everyone a weekend off during the season. I guess we'll play two teams twice that season to get 30 games. In 2025 we'll be back to ten with Kennesaw joining.

Not a fan of the concept of a baseball affiliate but DBU is a solid program and they help balance UTEP not sponsoring the sport so can have an even number.