C-USA Tournament: Breaking down the 8 teams in Biloxi

There are eight teams taking part in this week's Conference USA baseball tournament at MGM Park in Biloxi and he's a brief breakdown of each squad:

1. Southern Miss (44-12)

How they got here: Aside from a series loss to ODU, the Golden Eagles dominated C-USA with a record of 25-5 to tie the conference mark for most league wins. The Eagles are the prohibitive favorite to win Sunday's 1 p.m. title game.

Best bat: There's a long list to choose from, but senior first baseman Dylan Burdeaux leads the nation in hits with 97. He is batting .372 with 11 homers and a conference-leading 66 RBIs.

Top arm: Junior Kirk McCarty is the most steady starter with a 9-2 record, 2.99 ERA in 14 starts.

Impressive stat: Southern Miss hit 78 homers this season to rank fifth in the nation.

2. Old Dominion (36-19)

How they got here: The Monarchs lost four of their last six games, but they deserve the title of second-best team in the conference. The series win in Hattiesburg in April is an impressive note on their postseason resume.

Best bat: Junior Jared Young leads the way with with seven homers, 34 RBIs and 54 runs scored.

Top arm: Lefty Adam Bainbridge's ERA has taken a hit lately, but he was one of the best starters in the conference for much of the season. He is 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 14 starts.

Impressive stat: Junior infielder Zach Rutherford led Conference USA with a total of 25 doubles this season.

3. Florida Atlantic (33-19-1)

How they got here: The Owls appeared to be limping into the C-USA tournament a week ago, but they picked up a nice mid-week win over UCF and took two-of-three from ODU to close out the regular season.

Best bat: Junior outfielder David Miranda is one of the league's better sluggers, hitting .320 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs.

Top arm: Right-hander Drew Peden has been very active in the FAU bullpen this season with a 2.97 ERA in 26 appearances.

Impressive stat: The Owls rank second in the conference with 64 homers this season.

4. Charlotte (32-22)

How they got here: The first half of May was ugly, but the 49ers have won their last four entering the tournament.

Best bat: T.J. Nichting ranked second in C-USA in batting this season with a .378 average. He has five homers and 45 RBIs.

Top arm: Six-foot-8 right-hander Colton Laws is 6-2 with a 2.06 ERA in 14 starts.

Impressive stat: Charlotte leads C-USA with a team fielding percentage of .979.

5. Louisiana Tech (36-18)

How they got here: The Bulldogs had a 2-7 start to the C-USA slate, but recovered to win 15 of their last 21 games in league play.

Best bat: Raphael Gladu led C-USA with a batting average of .381. He also has eight homers and 54 RBIs.

Top arm: Senior right-hander Nate Harris was named the C-USA Pitcher of the Year with a 9-0 record, 1.75 ERA in 21 appearances.

Impressive stat: The Bulldogs ranked second in the league in batting average at .307.

6. Rice (27-29)

How they got here: Rice appeared out of the hunt for a tournament bid when it began the league slate 4-11, but recovered to win 12 of their last 15 games.

Best bat: Sophomore catcher Dominic DiCaprio is batting .369 with five homers and 42 RBIs.

Top arm: It's been a struggle on the mound for Rice, but Zach Esquivel is 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 21 appearances.

Impressive stat: Rice pounded out 22 hits to beat UAB 26-17 on Friday.

7. Florida International (31-25)

How they got here: The Panthers won four out of their last five conference games to solidify a spot in this week's tournament.

Best bat: Senior J.C. Escarra is batting .309 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs.

Top arm: Freshman right-hander Nick MacDonald is 7-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 14 games.

Impressive stat: Jack Schaaf is perfect on 11 stolen base attempts this season.

8. UTSA (28-26)

How they got here: The Roadrunners picked up impressive series wins over Louisiana Tech and FAU.

Best bat: Sophomore Bryan Arias is batting .336 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs.

Top arm: Junior Karl Craigie is 7-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 24 appearances out of the bullpen.

Impressive stat: Arias has a team-leading 20 doubles to go with his 11 homers.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "C-USA Tournament: Breaking down the 8 teams in Biloxi."