| Sun Belt Baseball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference Baseball Championship | |
| Sun Belt Conference Logo | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Format | Double-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Warhawks Stadium |
| Current location | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Played | 1978-present |
| Current champion | FIU Golden Panthers |
| Most championships | South Alabama Jaguars (11) |
| TV partner(s) | Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) |
| Official website | SunBeltSports.org Baseball |
| Sponsors | |
| Golden Flake | |
The Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Sun Belt Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.
Contents |
The Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament is an eight team double-elimination tournament held annually at various sites in the Sun Belt Conference region. The eight teams with the best conference record at the end of the regular season earn berths in the tournament. The winner automatically receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.
The tournament started in 1978 as a four team double-elimination tournament.
In 1979 the tournament expanded to include six teams but still remained double-elimination.
The tournament expanded again in 1980 and included seven teams.
In 1981 the conference was divided into divisions and the top two teams in each division made the tournament, returning it to a four team double-elimination format. It remained that way through 1985.
In 1986 the conference retained the division format but expanded the tournament to include the top four teams in each division, making the tournament an eight team double-elimination tournament.
In 1987, the conference returned to the a four team double-elimination format.
The tournament format was changed again in 1988 when it expanded to include the top three teams in each division, now making it a six team double-elimination tournament. In 1995, the conference dropped the division format but kept the tournament format as a six team double-elimination tournament through 1998.
In 1999, the tournament expanded to an eight team double-elimination format and it remains that way today.
| Year | School | Site | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | New Orleans | Mobile, AL | Roy Weimer, New Orleans |
| 1979 | New Orleans | Tampa, FL | Mike Quade, New Orleans |
| 1980 | South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Pete Otero, South Alabama |
| 1981 | South Alabama | Birmingham, AL | Randy Wilson, South Florida |
| 1982 | South Florida | Tampa, FL | Randy Wilson, South Florida |
| 1983 | South Alabama | Norfolk, VA | Dennis Johnston, South Alabama |
| 1984 | South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Pete Coachman, South Alabama |
| 1985 | Old Dominion | Norfolk, VA | Rob Tomberlin, Western Kentucky |
| 1986 | South Florida | Tampa, FL | Todd Azar, Old Dominion |
| 1987 | South Alabama | Norfolk, VA | Mike Maksudian, South Alabama |
| 1988 | Virginia Commonwealth | Bowling Green, KY | Tim Barker, Virginia Commonwealth |
| 1989 | Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FL | Rene Francisco, Jacksonville |
| 1990 | South Florida | Mobile, AL | Ricky Ware, South Florida |
| 1991 | Alabama-Birmingham | Jacksonville, FL | Stephen Johnson, Alabama-Birmingham |
| 1992 | South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Papo Ramos, Southwestern Louisiana |
| 1993 | Lamar | Beaumont, TX | Phil Brassington, Lamar |
| 1994 | Arkansas State | Mobile, AL | Keith Horn, Arkansas State |
| 1995 | Lamar | Jacksonville, FL | Will Cook, Lamar |
| 1996 | South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Seth Taylor, South Alabama |
| 1997 | South Alabama | Lafayette, LA | Joey Choron, South Alabama |
| 1998 | Southwestern Louisiana | Mobile, AL | B.J. Ryan, Southwestern Louisiana |
| 1999 | FIU | Metairie, LA | Barry Paulk, FIU |
| 2000 | South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Tim Merritt, South Alabama |
| 2001 | South Alabama | Lafayette, LA | Ryan Mulhern, South Alabama |
| 2002 | New Mexico State | Mobile, AL | Hal Bisnett, New Mexico State |
| 2003 | Middle Tennessee | Lafayette, LA | Chuck Akers, Middle Tennessee |
| 2004 | Western Kentucky | Mobile, AL | Grady Hinchman, Western Kentucky |
| 2005 | South Alabama | Miami, FL | Josh Morgan, South Alabama |
| 2006 | Troy | Bowling Green, KY | Blake Green, Troy |
| 2007 | New Orleans | Mobile, AL | Johnny Giavotella, New Orleans |
| 2008 | Western Kentucky | Lafayette, LA | Jake Wells, Western Kentucky |
| 2009 | Middle Tennessee | Troy, AL | Kenneth Roberts, Middle Tennessee |
| 2010 | FIU | Murfreesboro, TN | Jeremy Patton, FIU |
| School | Tourney Titles | Title Years |
|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | 11 | 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005 |
| New Orleans | 3 | 1978, 1979, 2007 |
| South Florida | 3 | 1982, 1986, 1990 |
| FIU | 2 | 1999, 2010 |
| Lamar | 2 | 1993, 1995 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | 2003, 2009 |
| Western Kentucky | 2 | 2004, 2008 |
| Alabama-Birmingham | 1 | 1991 |
| Arkansas State | 1 | 1994 |
| Jacksonville | 1 | 1989 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 1 | 1998 |
| New Mexico State | 1 | 2002 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 1985 |
| Troy | 1 | 2006 |
| Virginia Commonwealth | 1 | 1988 |
|
|||||