Here is what to watch for — and who to watch — at the Conference USA baseball tourney
There’s likely never been a Conference USA baseball tournament with as much on the line for its participants as the one that takes place this week at Louisiana Tech.
Eight teams gather in Ruston, with four that appear to be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament and a fifth, Florida Atlantic, hoping to make a case for an at-large bid.
Southern Miss, Charlotte and Louisiana Tech are among the 20 teams vying nationally to be one of the 16 programs to host regional sites. They made the cut earlier this month when the NCAA released a list of squads in contention to host regionals on the first weekend of June. The final 16 regional sites will be set on May 30.
None of the teams can be fully confident they’ve done enough so far to assure themselves of a host site. A run to the C-USA tournament championship may be the only thing that would put any of the three teams over the top when it comes to hosting a regional.
While it’s not completely out of the question that C-USA could have two teams hosting regionals, it seems unlikely.
Charlotte (39-17, 24-8 in C-USA) seems to be in the best position of the three to host after finishing the regular season with the best mark in Conference USA play and an RPI ranking of No. 18.
Still, the 49ers could easily be surpassed in the chase for a host site by either Southern Miss or La. Tech (36-16, 22-8) during the conference tournament.
USM (35-17, 22-8) and Tech have more resume-boosting victories than the 49ers do, and they also have bids to host on-campus. Charlotte would have to host games in Gastonia, North Carolina, if awarded a regional.
Old Dominion has locked up a spot in the postseason, but it is not under consideration to host a regional site. The Monarchs (38-14, 22-10) are the highest ranked RPI squad in the conference at No. 12.
Where do Southern Miss and La. Tech stand?
Tech hurt its chances of hosting a regional by losing both games to Old Dominion in Ruston last week.
The Bulldogs’ pitching staff is suddenly scuffling at the worst point of the season, and the team has developed a reputation for falling apart in the C-USA tournament in recent years. They’ve only won one game over the past three tournaments — all seasons in which they were considered one of the favorites to win the tourney.
La. Tech has the advantage of playing on its home field, but it will have to get over recent struggles to reach Sunday’s 1 p.m. title game.
Southern Miss is a team that appears to be built for this week’s tournament, with the best pitching rotation in the conference, but the Eagles have battled inconsistency at the plate off and on all season.
Likely the only path to hosting a regional for USM is winning the C-USA tournament. Even then, it’s not a certainty.
The Golden Eagles need to win in impressive fashion, and they have a shot of taking Tech out of the hosting picture since the Bulldogs are in their four-team side of the bracket.
USM rolls in with an RPI ranking of No. 25 while Tech is at No. 29.
The closer either team gets to the top 16 in RPI, the better shot they have of hosting a regional on the first weekend of June.
FAU hopes to make a case
Florida Atlantic (30-23, 18-14) is currently flirting with consideration for an at-large bid with an RPI ranking of No. 60.
The Owls have a nice shot to boost their case with a Day 1 battle against Old Dominion and a potential match-up against Charlotte on Thursday.
The closer FAU gets to No. 50 in the RPI rankings, the better shot they have of being a No. 3 seed somewhere next week.
C-USA bats to watch
Reed Trimble, Southern Miss freshman center fielder — The second-year freshman is as hot as anyone entering the tournament with four homers and 10 RBI over the last three games. Trimble ranks second in C-USA with 14 homers with a .330 batting average and 57 RBI., but he’ll need some help from the rest of the USM lineup.
Hunter Wells, Louisiana Tech senior third baseman — With a league-best .380 batting average, Wells and the rest of the talented Tech lineup will have to be at their best if they want to make it through a tough C-USA field.
Austin Knight, Charlotte sophomore third baseman — His 28 doubles this season lead the rest of the nation by a significant margin. He’s also hitting .355 with 56 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
Carter Trice, ODU freshman second baseman — With a .364 batting average and 12 homers, Trice has joined Knight in being named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.
C-USA pitchers to watch
Hunter Stanley, Southern Miss senior right-hander — He leads the conference in ERA at 2.54 and ranks second in strikeouts at 105 in 85 innings. Stanley anchors a pitching staff that will need to be at their best in Ruston.
Hunter Gregory, Old Dominion junior right-hander — The preseason all-conference selection has delivered a 7-2 record and a 3.00 ERA for the Monarchs.
Walker Powell, USM senior right-hander — If USM and La. Tech win on Day 1, USM will turn to the 6-foot-8 Powell, who has thrown a no-hitter this month. He is 9-2 with a 2.56 ERA and five complete games in 12 starts.
Jonathan Fincher, La. Tech junior left-hander — One of the best lefties in the conference, he is 7-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 14 starts.
TV info for C-USA tournament
Games over the first four days will be shown on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. The championship game will be shown at 1 p.m. on Sunday on CBS Sports Network.
Day 1 C-USA schedule
Wednesday’s games
Game 1 — No. 4 ODU vs. No. 5 FAU, 9 a.m.
Game 2 — No. 1 Charlotte vs. No. 8 Middle Tennessee, 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 — No. 2 La. Tech vs. No. 7 UTSA, 4 p.m.
Game 4 — No. 3 USM vs. No. 6 WKU, 7:30 p.m.
