2017 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament explained

Year:2017
Conference:Sun Belt Conference
Teams:10
Format:Single-elimination
Ballpark:J. I. Clements Stadium
City:Statesboro, Georgia
Champions:South Alabama
Titlecount:12th
Coach:Mark Calvi
Coachcount:1st
Mvp:Brendan Donovan
Mvpteam:South Alabama
Television:ESPN3

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament was held at J. I. Clements Stadium on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, from May 24 to May 28, 2017, using a double-elimination format. The winner of the tournament earned the Sun Belt Conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.[1] [2]

Seeding

In a change from previous years, the seeding for the tournament was modified with the re-introduction of division play. The #1 seed would be the division winner with the best record, and the other division winner would be the #2 seed. This would reward each division winner for winning their division. Once the #1 seed is determined, the other division winner is automatically granted the #2 seed, even if that team's overall conference record isn't the second best. Seeds 3–10 are then assigned regardless of division based on conference winning percentage, with the bottom four seeds competing in a play-in round. The remaining eight teams will then play a two bracket, double-elimination tournament. The winner of each bracket will play a championship final.[3]

Team W–L Pct Seed
East Division
22–7–1 1
22–8 3
18–12 5
Troy16–14 6
10–20 10
8–22
Team W–L Pct Seed
West Division
20–10 2
19–10–1 4
13–16 7
13–17 8
11–18 9
6–24

Schedule

Due to poor field conditions and the threat of further inclement weather the first round of the tournament was postponed. Alternative sites and make-up schedules are being examined.[4] On May 24 the Sun Belt announced that the tournament would move to a single elimination format.[5]

GameTime*Matchup#TelevisionAttendance
Thursday, May 25
13:00pmNo. 10 Georgia State vs. No. 7 Arkansas StateESPN3
26:30pmNo. 9 Little Rock vs. No. 8 Texas State
Friday, May 26
39:00amNo. 6 Troy vs. No. 3 South AlabamaESPN3
412:30pmNo. 7 Arkansas State vs. No. 2 Texas-Arlington
54:00pmWinner Game 2 vs. No. 1 Coastal Carolina
67:30pmNo. 5 Georgia Southern vs. No. 4 Louisiana-Lafayette
Semifinals – Saturday, May 27
73:00pmWinner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4ESPN3
86:30pmWinner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Championship – Sunday, May 28
91:00pmWinner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8ESPN3
  • Game times in EDT. # – Rankings denote tournament seed.

Bracket

Play-in round

The first two matchups of the tournament were single-elimination and were held on Thursday May 25, 2017.

Single-elimination round

Coastal Carolina faced the team that won on the day before with the lowest seed with the other winner against Texas-Arlington. The tournament was originally scheduled to be a double elimination tournament. Due to weather and poor field conditions they had to make the tournament single elimination.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016-17 Championships Schedule . Sun Belt Conference. January 13, 2017.
  2. Web site: 2017 Division I baseball conference tournaments, automatic qualifiers. NCAA. May 28, 2017. September 2, 2017.
  3. Web site: Sun Belt Announces Changes to Baseball Regular Season, Championship Format; Future Championship Sites Named. Sun Belt Conference. November 11, 2016. January 15, 2016.
  4. Web site: Poor field conditions cancel Tuesday's First Round at the Sun Belt baseball championship . Sun Belt Conference. May 23, 2017.
  5. Web site: Updated Schedule for the Sun Belt Baseball Championship . Sun Belt Conference. May 24, 2017.