| Conference USA baseball tournament | |
| Optional Subheader: | Conference baseball championship |
| Sport: | Baseball |
| Conference: | Conference USA |
| Number Of Teams: | 8 |
| Format: | Double Elimination |
| Current Stadium: | J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park |
| Current Location: | Ruston, Louisiana |
| Years: | 1996–present |
| Most Recent: | 2024 |
| Current Champion: | Dallas Baptist (1) |
| Most Championships: | Rice (7) |
| Television: | ESPN+/CBS Sports Network |
| Website: | ConferenceUSA.com Baseball |
| All Stadiums: | J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (2021, 2024) MGM Park (2017–19) Pete Taylor Park (1996, 2005, 2009, 2014–16, 2022) Reckling Park (2006, 2013, 2023) Trustmark Park (2011–12) Cougar Field (2004, 2010) Turchin Stadium (1997, 2003, 2008) Clark-LeClair Stadium (2007) Grainger Stadium (2002) Zephyr Field (1998, 2001) Florida Power Park (2000) USA Stadium (1999) |
| All Locations: | Ruston, LA (2021, 2024) Biloxi, MS (2017–19) Hattiesburg, MS (1996, 2005, 2009, 2014–16, 2022) Pearl, MS (2011–12) Houston, TX (2004, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2023) New Orleans, LA (1997–98, 2001, 2003, 2008) Greenville, NC (2007) Kinston, NC (2002) St. Petersburg, FL (2000) Millington, TN (1999) |
The Conference USA baseball tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for Conference USA (C-USA). The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The tournament format, which has changed several times, currently consists of an eight-team double-elimination tournament format, in which the winners of two four-team brackets play in a single-game final. Rice, which has won the tournament seven times, is the most successful team in the tournament's history.
The tournament was first held in 1996, the first season after Conference USA was formed from the merger of the Metro Conference and the Great Midwest Conference.[1]
From 1996 to 1999, the tournament format consisted of an eight-team double-elimination tournament preceded by a single-game play-in round. The play-in round determined which of the lowest seeds (by regular season conference record) would qualify for the eight-team bracket. In 1996, when the league had nine baseball-sponsoring schools, the play-in round included the 8th and 9th seeds. When Houston joined from the Southwest Conference prior to the 1997 season, the play-in round featured the 7th–10th seeds. The eight-team double-elimination tournament consisted of two four-team double-elimination brackets, the winners of which met in a single-game final.[2]
In the 2000 tournament, the play-in round was eliminated, and the top eight seeds qualified for the eight-team double-elimination tournament automatically. The eight-team bracket followed the same format as it had from 1996 to 1999.
In 2010, the tournament format was changed from double-elimination to round robin. The top six regular season finishers qualified for the tournament field, which consisted of two three-team "pods." Pod 1 included the 1st, 4th, and 5th seeds, and Pod 2 included the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th seeds. Each team played three preliminary games, two against its podmates and one against a team from the opposite group. The cross-group games matched up the seeds as follows: 1st vs. 6th, 2nd vs. 5th, and 3rd vs. 4th. The winner of each round robin pod advanced to a single-game final.
In 2011, the round robin format was expanded to the top eight regular season finishers. The tournament field consisted of two four-team pods. Pod 1 included the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 8th seeds, and Pod 2 included the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th seeds. Each team played three preliminary games, one against each member of its pod. The winner of each pod advanced to a single game.
Beginning in 2014, the format returned to the eight team double-elimination format used from 1996 through 2009.[3]
| Year | School | Site | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Jason Fitzgerald (Tulane) | ||
| 1997 | Turchin Stadium • New Orleans, LA | Scottie Scott (Houston) | ||
| 1998 | Zephyr Field • New Orleans, LA | Brian Hughes (Tulane) | ||
| 1999 | USA Stadium • Millington, TN | Mickey McKee (Tulane) | ||
| 2000 | Houston | Florida Power Park • St. Petersburg, FL | Jarrod Bitter (Houston) | |
| 2001 | Zephyr Field • New Orleans, LA | Barth Melius (Tulane) | ||
| 2002 | Grainger Stadium • Kinston, NC | Darryl Lawhorn (East Carolina) | ||
| 2003 | Turchin Stadium • New Orleans, LA | Clint King (Southern Miss) | ||
| 2004 | Cougar Field • Houston, TX | Austin Adams (TCU) | ||
| 2005 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Nathan Southard (Tulane) | ||
| 2006 | Reckling Park • Houston, TX | Joe Savery (Rice) | ||
| 2007 | Clark-LeClair Stadium • Greenville, NC | Aaron Luna (Rice) | ||
| 2008 | Turchin Stadium • New Orleans, LA | Bryan Pounds (Houston) | ||
| 2009 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Anthony Rendon (Rice) | ||
| 2010 | Cougar Field • Houston, TX | Scott Copeland (Southern Miss) | ||
| 2011 | Trustmark Park • Pearl, MS | Tyler Duffey (Rice) | ||
| 2012 | Trustmark Park • Pearl, MS | Michael Busby (UAB) | ||
| 2013 | Reckling Park • Houston, TX | Christian Stringer (Rice) | ||
| 2014 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Michael Aquino (Rice) | ||
| 2015 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Josh Anderson (FIU) | ||
| 2016 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Daniel Keating (Southern Miss) | ||
| 2017 | MGM Park • Biloxi, MS | Glenn Otto (Rice) | ||
| 2018 | MGM Park • Biloxi, MS | Mason Strickland (Southern Miss) | ||
| 2019 | MGM Park • Biloxi, MS | Matt Wallner (Southern Miss) | ||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Old Dominion | J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, LA | Tommy Bell (Old Dominion) | |
| 2022 | Pete Taylor Park • Hattiesburg, MS | Taylor Young (Louisiana Tech) | ||
| 2023 | Charlotte | Reckling Park • Houston, TX | Cam Fisher (Charlotte) | |
| 2024 | Dallas Baptist | J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, LA | Alex Pendergast (Dallas Baptist) |
End of the 2024 tournament, updated.
| School | Appearances | W-L | Pct | Tourney Titles | Title Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 15 | 38–18 | 7 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 | ||
| Tulane | 17 | 39–23 | 5 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005 | ||
| Southern Miss | 26 | 60–42 | 5 | 2003, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2019 | ||
| Houston | 17 | 36–28 | 3 | 1997, 2000, 2008 | ||
| TCU | 4 | 9–5 | 2 | 2004, 2005 | ||
| Louisiana Tech | 8 | 17–15 | 1 | 2022 | ||
| Charlotte | 13 | 22–23 | 1 | 2023 | ||
| Old Dominion | 7 | 11–12 | 1 | 2021 | ||
| East Carolina | 13 | 20–22 | 1 | 2002 | ||
| Dallas Baptist | 2 | 7–1 | 1 | 2024 | ||
| FIU | 6 | 6–10 | 1 | 2015 | ||
| UAB | 18 | 19–33 | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Sam Houston | 1 | 1-2 | ||||
| New Mexico State | 1 | 0-2 | ||||
| Florida Atlantic | 8 | 16–15 | ||||
| South Florida | 9 | 15–17 | ||||
| UTSA | 8 | 11–13 | ||||
| Memphis | 12 | 15–22 | ||||
| Marshall | 6 | 8–12 | ||||
| Saint Louis | 5 | 6–10 | ||||
| Middle Tennessee | 6 | 6–12 | ||||
| Liberty | 1 | 2-2 | ||||
| Cincinnati | 6 | 5–9 | ||||
| Western Kentucky | 4 | 6–8 | ||||
| UCF | 6 | 5–11 | ||||
| Louisville | 10 | 8–19 |