The Little Giants are headed for the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row, facing off against Coe on Friday at Trine. Wabash defeated Wooster for the tournament championship for the third season in the row, and this year was the most comfortable win of the bunch. Whether that means Wabash is better, Wooster is worse, or a combination of both, I suppose we'll see. In this first round matchup, Wabash and Coe have only faced each other once, and Coe won. But that was just before Christmas, 1974. I don't think I would put too much stock into this. As mentioned, this three-peat is a rare feat for Wabash basketball. The D3 tournament was first played in 1975,* and I am told that Wabash's only other run of three entries was in 1980, 81, and 82. And if you know Wabash sports, you probably know what happened in 1982. We can only hope things work out as well this time around. Other than that, (and this going off memory), Wabash made the tournament in 1997 and 1998. And that is it outside of this current run. *Per Wikipedia, The NCAA had no divisions before 1957. After that, schools were divided into University and College Divisions. The current three-division setup was voted on in 1973. I have tried and tried to find brackets for those 90's tournaments and had come up empty for years, but it looks like somebody did some good work on Wikipedia and filled in some big blanks for me. So, now, I can finally give a full report of Wabash's time in the tournament. 1980: Lost in first round (Wittenberg 76-68 Wabash) 1981: Lost in first round (Otterbein 81-69 Wabash) 1982: National Champions (R1: 81-61 over Ohio Northern, R2: 82-70 over Hope, E8: 54-51 over Augustana, F4: 68-64 over Stanislaus St., Final: 83-62 over Potsdam St.) 1997: Lost in Second Round (R1: Wabash 69-63 Lawrence, R2: Chicago 78-70 Wabash) 1998: Lost in Second Round (R1: Wabash 87-80 Aurora, R2: Chicago 67-62 Wabash) 2022: Final Four (R1: Wabash 91-79 Berry, R2: Wabash 87-86 Emory, S16: Wabash 73-59 Williams, E8: Wabash 81-75 Illinois Wesleyan, F4: Elmhurst 90-68 Wabash) 2023: Lost in first round (Wisconsin-Whitewater 90-83 Wabash) It should be noted that Wabash led at halftime of their tournament game last year, and UWW managed to get all the way to the Final Four, so that first round exit is better than your normal one-and-done. With all that out of the way, let's look at Wabash's first weekend this year. And, yes, these are the best pictures I could find on these school's sites. Coe College KohawksLocation: Cedar Rapids, IA Arena: Kohawk Arena Capacity: 1600 Built: 2017 American Rivers Conference Championships: 3 (2006, 2012, 2024) ARC Tournament Championships: 1 (2023) National Titles: 0 23-24 Record: 21-5 Fontbonne University GriffinsLocation: St. Louis, MO Arena: Mabee Gymnasium Capacity: 1500 Built: 1993 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships: 6 (1994, 1995, 2009, 2022, 2023, 2024) SLIAC Tournament Championships: 7 (1994, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2023, 2024) National Titles: 0 23-24 Record: 20-7 Trine University ThunderLocation: Angola, IN Arena: MTI Center Capacity: 3500 Built: 2016 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Championships: 3 (2019, 2022, 204) MIAA Tournament Championships: 1 (2021) National Titles: 0 23-24 Record: 23-4 Wabash College Little GiantsLocation: Crawfordsville, IN
Arena: Chadwick Court Capacity: 1900 Built: 1917 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships: 2 (2022, 2024) NCAC Tournament Championships: 3 (2022, 2023, 2024) National Titles: 1 (1982) 23-24 Record: 20-8
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Like many others, I miss McDonald's Snack Wraps. I ordered them quite a lot when I was trying to eat healthier and maintain a good weight. I really liked the barbeque ones the best, though I would eat any of them. Surprisingly, the honey mustard one was probably my least favorite, but that is only because McDonald's honey mustard is really weird to me. Or, at least, it used to be. I haven't had it probably since the Snack Wrap went away.* I also preferred my chicken grilled back then. The breaded ones seemed like too much when paired with a tortilla. And I could go on. A lot of people have a lot of nostalgia for the Snack Wrap, but there seem to be no plans to bring it back. Even though it is apparently still going strong in the UK and Canada. *Maybe I should give it another try, because I actually really like McDonald's hot mustard. That is my go-to chicken nugget sauce these days. Since McDonald's refuses to do their duty, Burger King has stepped up to try to fill the void. They are offering classic, spicy, and honey mustard versions of the wraps, as pictured above. As I am writing this, I have all three wraps sitting in front of me, definitely not wrapped like they are in the picture. Let's see how they taste. Fist, I should note that they are all breaded. If there was a grilled option, I didn't see it. I ordered these via the BK App, as I got 25% off that way. The classic wrap comes dressed with lettuce, tomato, and ranch. When I saw a white sauce, I expected to be mayo, but came to a very unpleasant surprise when I bit into it. Once I recalibrated my expectations, it wasn't bad, but I don't know that I would order it again. I've talked about my thoughts about ranch on non-salads before. It's a bit like pickles. It just turns into an overwhelming flavor and then you taste little else. Now, there isn't a lot else going on in this wrap, so it wasn't quite as bad as it was on Arby's burger. But, I still would have preferred some kind of mayo or aioli. Is aioli too much to ask for of Burger King? Probably, but, you know. Just throwing it out there. Moving on to the spicy wrap, it is dressed similarly, but instead of the ranch, there is some kind of Buffalo sauce on it as well. Is it spicy? No, but you probably didn't expect a BK item to have that much kick to it. Once I ate the entire wrap, there was just the slightest hint of burn left behind on my tongue and throat, but it was easily washed away. That said, the flavor wasn't bad. I definitely got that distinctive vinegar taste that mark a good Buffalo sauce. So, despite wishing it to have a bit more kick, I would say I liked this one and would order it again. Would I make a special trip back to Burger King for it? Probably not, but I do live less than two miles away. It's not exactly braving the great unknown to get there. So that leaves the honey mustard. I'll admit that I was a bit full by this point, but I made a commitment, so onward we go. Again the wrap was dressed with lettuce and tomato, but (obviously) this time with honey mustard, or at least a honey mustard sauce. Slight distinction, I know, but there is a distinction. I would tend toward calling it the latter, as it was a bit thin, but that probably worked better in this case. At first I thought my wrap was a bit light on sauce, but it turned out that most of it was at the bottom. Is this the fault of sloppy work on the BK crew, or because that wrap had more time to sit? Hard to say. Either way, it would have been better with evenly distributed sauce, but you can hardly fault the chain for that. In the spots where the sauce was in the Goldilocks zone, the wrap was actually pretty good. With a little tweaking, that one could have made the menu at a "real" restaurant. That probably isn't the kindest thing to say about Burger King, but know that I meant it in the absolute best light. All in all, did it replace the McDonald's snack wraps? No, not quite. But they were absolutely fine. A pretty good option to have if you're going through the drive-thru to grab something quick. A little bonus material! We have looked all that D1 conferences, that is true. But there is one baseball independent this season. The Hartford Hawks are playing their last season of Division I sports. They will be reclassifying all the way down to D3 next season. You may possibly remember New Orleans seriously pondered such a move after Katrina, but ultimately decided to stay D1 and seem to have bounced back pretty nicely. Hartford didn't have a major hurricane wreck their school, so they can't blame God for this move. I couldn't really find an article about Hartford's reasons for this move, outside of "better aligning" with their mission and other meaningless corporate-speak like that. I'd imagine it's a cost-cutting measure, but I can't find definitive proof of that. You're not going to hear me maligning D3 sports, obviously, but I get why this decision upset a lot of people. I suppose I should also note that Hartford won the America East regular season and tournament titles in 2018 before they become independent. Anyway, here's Hartford's baseball stadium. Stadium: Fiondella Field
Capacity: 1000 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 325 LF, 400 CF, 325 RF Surface: FieldTurf Here it is. We've finally reached the end of the D1 alphabet. It feels like quite the accomplishment, if I'm being honest. So let's finish strong and look at the last conference in this series. The WCC is a 10-team league, and all of it's members play baseball. That's a nice touch to end this project. This is also not the WCC logo I remember. I'm not sure when they switched to this one, but I think it looks more like a wrestling logo than a college conference. Something WCW would have used, when WCW was a thing. Anyway, let's not mess around any more and get to the stadiums. BYU CougarsStadium: Miller Field Capacity: 2204 Opened: 2001 Dimensions: 347 LF, 402 CF, 343 RF Surface: Synthetic Turf WCC Championships: 3 (2016, 2017, 2019) WCC Tournament Championships: 1 (2017) National Titles: 0 Gonzaga BulldogsStadium: Washington Trust Field Capacity: 1300 Opened: 2007 Dimensions: 328 LF, 400 CF, 328 RF Surface: Grass WCC Championships: 6 (2009, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022) WCC Tournament Championships: 2 (2009, 2018) National Titles: 0 Loyola Marymount LionsStadium: Page Stadium Capacity: 600 Opened: 1983 Dimensions: 326 LF, 406 CF, 326 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass WCC Championships: 7 (1973, 1986, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2017) WCC Tournament Championships: 3 (1999, 2000, 2019) National Titles: 0 Pacific TigersStadium: Klein Field Capacity: 2500 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 317 LF, 405 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass WCC Championships: 0 WCC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Pepperdine WavesStadium: Field Stadium Capacity: 1800 Opened: 1973 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass WCC Championships: 18 (1974, 1975, 1976, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2014) WCC Tournament Championships: 2 (2014, 2015) National Titles: 1 (1992) Portland PilotsStadium: Etzel Field Capacity: 1300 Opened: 1988 Dimensions: 325 LF, 388 CF, 325 RF Surface: AstroTurf WCC Championships: 0 WCC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 St. Mary's GaelsStadium: Guisto Field Capacity: 1500 Opened: 2012 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass WCC Championships: 0 WCC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 San Diego TorerosStadium: Fowler Park Capacity: 1700 Opened: 2013 Dimensions: 312 LF, 391 CF, 327 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass WCC Championships: 3 (2007, 2008, 2010) WCC Tournament Championships: 6 (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2022) National Titles: 0 San Francisco DonsStadium: Benedetti Diamond Capacity: 150 Opened: 2015 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 300 RF Surface: AstroTurf WCC Championships: 2 (2006, 2011) WCC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Santa Clara BroncosStadium: Schott Stadium
Capacity: 1500 Opened: 2005 Dimensions: 340 LF, 402 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass (with FieldTurf foul ground) WCC Championships: 11 (1962, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1978. 1982, 1994, 1996, 1997) WCC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 We're getting near the end now. Today, we've got a look at the WAC. The league currently stands at 13 teams, but New Mexico St. and Sam Houston St. will be going to Conference USA after this season. Additionally, Southern Utah dropped their baseball team in 2013. The WAC makes up for this, though, by adopting Sacramento St. as an affiliate member for baseball. So, for this season, we're still at 13 stadiums to look at. So let's get to it! Abilene Christian WildcatsStadium: Crutcher Scott Field Capacity: 4000 Opened: 1991 Dimensions: 334 LF, 400 CF, 334 RF Surface: FieldTurf WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Cal Baptist LancersStadium: Totman Field Capacity: 800 Opened: 1991 Dimensions: 332 LF, 405 CF, 315 RF Surface: Grass (with artificial turf in foul ground) WAC Championships: 2 (2019, 2021) WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Grand Canyon AntelopesStadium: Brazell Field Capacity: 3500 Opened: 1962 Dimensions: 320 LF, 385 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass (with artificial turf in infield foul ground) WAC Championships: 5 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) WAC Tournament Championships: 1 (2021) National Titles: 0 New Mexico St. AggiesStadium: Presley Askew Field Capacity: 1000 Opened: 1981 Dimensions: 345 LF, 400 CF, 345 RF Surface: FieldTurf WAC Championships: 2 (2012, 2019) WAC Tournament Championships: 2 (2018, 2022) National Titles: 0 Sacramento St. HornetsStadium: John Smith Field Capacity: 1200 Opened: 1953 Dimensions: 333 LF, 400 CF, 333 RF Surface: Grass WAC Championships: 2 (2012, 2014) WAC Tournament Championships: 3 (2014, 2017, 2019) National Titles: 0 Sam Houston St. BearkatsStadium: Sanders Stadium Capacity: 2500 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: AstroTurf WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Seattle RedhawksStadium: Bannerwood Park Capacity: 300 Opened: Unsure Dimensions: 325 LF, 391 CF, 333 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Synthetic infield, Grass outfield WAC Championships: 1 (2016) WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Stephen F. Austin LumberjacksStadium: Jaycees Field Capacity: 1000 Opened: Unsure, but renovated in 2009 Dimensions: 320 LF, 390 CF, 320 RF Surface: Grass WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Tarleton TexansStadium: Barlow Baseball Complex Capacity: 550 Opened: 1988 Dimensions: 320 LF, 400 CF, 320 RF Surface: Synthetic Turf WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Utah Tech TrailblazersStadium: Hurst Field Capacity: 2500 Opened: 1994 Dimensions: 325 LF, 400 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Utah Valley WolverinesStadium: UCCU Stadium Capacity: 2500 Opened: 2005 Dimensions: 305 LF, 408 CF, 312 RF Surface: FieldTurf WAC Championships: 0 WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 UT-Arlington MavericksStadium: Gould Ballpark Capacity: 1600 Opened: 1974 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass WAC Championships: 1 (2013) WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 UT-Rio Grande Valley VaquerosStadium: UTRGV Stadium
Capacity: 4000 Opened: 2001 Dimensions: 335 LF, 410 CF, 335 RF Surface: Grass WAC Championships: 1 (2019) WAC Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Today, we've come to the SWAC. I don't think I need to go on too much about this conference. It is one of the most important and historically-rich conferences in the nation, especially outside the Power 5. Despite some recent economic struggles at some of these schools, I'm also happy to report they have all kept their baseball teams. So let's not beat around all this and let's get to the stadiums. Well, actually, I do have one note here to add before we go on. I unfortunately could not find the SWAC record book anywhere online. That means that I didn't really have any way of differentiating regular season and tournament championships, so there is only one line here for championships. And, unfortunately, I couldn't really tell you for sure whether it represents a season title or a tournament one. It wasn't for a lack of trying! Alabama A&M BulldogsStadium: Bulldog Field Capacity: 500 Opened: 1997 Dimensions: 330 LF, 402 CF, 318 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Alabama St. HornetsStadium: Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex Capacity: 500 Opened: 2011 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass SWAC Championships: 2 (2016, 2022) National Titles: 0 Alcorn St. BravesStadium: McGowan Stadium Capacity: 500 Opened: Unsure Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 334 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 1 (2011) National Titles: 0 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden LionsStadium: Hunter Baseball Complex Capacity: 1000 Opened: 2011 Dimensions: 331 LF, 401 CF, 331 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Bethune-Cookman WildcatsStadium: Jackie Robinson Ballpark Capacity: 4200 Opened: 1914 Dimensions: 317 LF, 400 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Florida A&M RattlersStadium: Moore-Kittles Field Capacity: 500 Opened: 1983 Dimensions: 335 LF, 410 CF, 335 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Grambling St. TigersStadium: RWE Jones Park Capacity: 1100 Opened: Unsure Dimensions: 312 LF, 388 CF, 335 RF (measured on Google Maps) Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 9 (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2010) National Titles: 0 Jackson St. TigersStadium: Braddy Field Capacity: 800 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 325 LF, 400 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 16 (1968, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2014) National Titles: 0 Mississippi Valley St. Delta DevilsStadium: Magnolia Field Capacity: 120 Opened: 1950 Dimensions: 313 LF, 394 CF, 315 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Prairie View A&M PanthersStadium: Tankersley Field Capacity: 512 Opened: 2014 Dimensions: 330 LF, 404 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 4 (1925, 2006, 2007, 2012) National Titles: 0 Southern JaguarsStadium: Lee-Hines Field Capacity: 1500 Opened: 1992 Dimensions: 358 LF, 384 CF, 321 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 34 (1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2019, 2021) National Titles: 0 Texas Southern TigersStadium: MacGregor Park
Capacity: Unsure Opened: 1925 Dimensions: 320 LF, 385 CF, 320 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass SWAC Championships: 5 (2004, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2018) National Titles: 0 Note: The Houston Astros just announced in February that they will foot the bill to build TSU new baseball and softball stadiums on campus, so this is the twilight of these stadium as a college field. One quick note. As of the time of writing, St. Francis in Brooklyn just announced that it is cutting its athletics department. While that wouldn't have affected this current season anyway, it also does not affect this series going forward. As you'll see back in the NEC post, that St. Francis had dropped baseball in 2006 anyway. As for today, we're going to look at the Sun Belt. Being a southern conference, it's probably not a big surprise that they take baseball relatively seriously. There are fourteen schools in this conference, and they all play baseball. I should note here that Marshall is building a new baseball stadium, so the stadium listed here is their temporary home. I'm not sure when the new stadium is opening, but just know that this will be out of date soon, and we just have to be okay with that. Appalachian St. MountaineersStadium: Beaver Field Capacity: 1000 Opened: 2007 Dimensions: 338 LF, 415 CF, 333 RF Surface: AstroTurf Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Arkansas St. Red WolvesStadium: Tomlinson Stadium Capacity: 1200 Opened: 1993 Dimensions: 335 LF, 400 CF, 335 RF Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 1 (1994) National Titles: 0 Coastal Carolina ChanticleersStadium: Springs Brooks Stadium Capacity: 2500 Opened: 2015 Dimensions: 316 LF, 386 CF, 318 RF (measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 2 (2017, 2018) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 2 (2018, 2019) National Titles: 1 (2016) Georgia Southern EaglesStadium: Clements Stadium Capacity: 3500 Opened: 2005 Dimensions: 330 LF, 385 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Georgia St. PanthersStadium: GSU Baseball Complex Capacity: 1092 Opened: 1986 Dimensions: 334 LF, 385 CF, 338 RF Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 2 (1996, 1998) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 1 (2009) National Titles: 0 James Madison DukesStadium: Eagle Field Capacity: 1200 Opened: 2010 Dimensions: 340 LF, 400 CF, 320 RF Surface: AstroTurf Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Louisiana Ragin' CajunsStadium: The Tigue Capacity: 6033 Opened: 1978 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: ProGrass Sun Belt Championships: 6 (1997, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 5 (1998, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022) National Titles: 0 Louisiana-Monroe WarhawksStadium: Warhawk Field Capacity: 1800 Opened: 1983 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass Sun Belt Championships: 1 (2008) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 1 (2012) National Titles: 0 Marshall Thundering HerdStadium: GoMart Ballpark Capacity: 4500 Opened: 2005 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 320 RF Surface: FieldTurf Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Old Dominion MonarchsStadium: Metheny Baseball Complex Capacity: 2500 Opened: 1983 Dimensions: 325 LF, 395 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 1 (1985) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 1 (1985) National Titles: 0 South Alabama JaguarsStadium: Stanky Field Capacity: 3775 Opened: 1980 Dimensions: 335 LF, 400 CF, 335 RF Surface: Grass Sun Belt Championships: 17 (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 13 (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2017, 2021) National Titles: 0 Southern Miss Golden EaglesStadium: Taylor Park Capacity: 4300 Opened: 1985 Dimensions: 340 LF, 400 CF, 340 RF Surface: Synthetic turf Sun Belt Championships: 0 Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Texas St. BobcatsStadium: Bobcat Ballpark Capacity: 2400 Opened: 2009 Dimensions: 330 LF, 404 CF, 330 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass Sun Belt Championships: 2 (2019, 2022) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Troy TrojansStadium: Riddle-Pace Field
Capacity: 2000 Opened: 1931 Dimensions: 340 LF, 400 CF, 310 RF Surface: ProGrass Sun Belt Championships: 3 (2006, 2011, 2013) Sun Belt Tournament Championships: 1 (2006) National Titles: 0 I had been going in alphabetical order, but I messed up and accidentally overlooked the Southland Conference. But, we're going to make up for that right now! Nine teams out of ten play varsity baseball in this league. Texas A&M-Commerce is the only exception, and I'm not sure if they ever had baseball. The only other note I have here is that Houston Christian was called Houston Baptist until last September, so that name could possibly throw you off. I probably could have read more into that name change, but to be honest, I didn't find it all that interesting to dig into. So, here are the stadiums! Houston Christian HuskiesStadium: Husky Field Capacity: 500 Opened: 1993 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass Southland Championships: 0 Southland Tournament Championships: 1 (2015) National Titles: 0 Incarnate Word CardinalsStadium: Sullivan Field Capacity: 1000 Opened: 1989 Dimensions: 335 LF, 407 CF, 335 RF Surface: AstroTurf infield, Grass outfield Southland Championships: 0 Southland Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Lamar CardinalsStadium: Vincent-Beck Stadium Capacity: 3500 Opened: 1969 Dimensions: 325 LF, 380 CF, 325 RF Surface: Hellas Fusion Triple Play Southland Championships: 10 (1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 2003, 2004) Southland Tournament Championships: 3 (2002, 2004, 2010) National Titles: 0 McNeese St. CowboysStadium: Joe Miller Ballpark Capacity: 2000 Opened: 1965 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Artificial Turf Southland Championships: 5 (1988, 2000, 2006, 2017, 2022) Southland Tournament Championships: 4 (1993, 2003, 2019, 2022) National Titles: 0 New Orleans PrivateersStadium: Maestri Field Capacity: 2900 Opened: 1979 Dimensions: 330 LF, 405 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass Southland Championships: 0 Southland Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Nicholls St. ColonelsStadium: Didier Field Capacity: 2100 Opened: 1960 Dimensions: 331 LF, 300 CF, 331 RF Surface: GeoSurface infield, Grass outfield Southland Championships: 0 Southland Tournament Championships: 1 (1998) National Titles: 0 Northwestern St. DemonsStadium: Brown-Stroud Field Capacity: 1200 Opened: 1939 Dimensions: 330 LF, 405 CF, 330 RF Surface: Artificial Turf infield, Grass outfield Southland Championships: 10 (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2018) Southland Tournament Championships: 1 (2018) National Titles: 0 Southeastern Louisiana LionsStadium: Alumni Field Capacity: 2500 Opened: 1996 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: ProGrass Turf infield, Bermuda Grass outfield Southland Championships: 1 (2015) Southland Tournament Championships: 2 (2014, 2022) National Titles: 0 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi IslandersStadium: Chapman Field
Capacity: 750 Opened: 2002 Dimensions: 330 LF, 404 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass Southland Championships: 0 Southland Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Note: The Islanders also play some games at Whataburger Field, which is also home to the Corpus Christi Hooks, a AA-team of the Texas League. Today we're going to look at the Summit League. This is a ten-member league, but four of these schools don't play varsity baseball. They do get one of those teams back in the form of Northern Coloardo, who plays baseball in this league as an associate member. This is also the D1 home of St. Thomas in Minnesota. If you don't know that history, St. Thomas had spent it's entire athletic history in D3, as part of the MIAC. Then, in 2019, St. Thomas was voted out of the league because of "competitive advantages." Instead of trying to find a new D3 home, St. Thomas instead asked the NCAA if they could move straight to D1, skipping the normal D2 step entirely. The NCAA said that was fine if they could find a D1 conference to take them. And the Summit League took them in with open arms. So, in 2021, St. Thomas became a full D1 school. For whatever it's worth, Wabash football only played St. Thomas once, in the regional final of the 2015 playoffs. Wabash lost that game 38-7, which is not good, clearly. I remember watching that game and thinking St. Thomas was pretty classless, though. It felt like they were running up the score, which absolutely needless in a playoff situation. So if that was any indication, I was just fine with the MIAC doing what they did. To bring this back to baseball, the Summit schools that do not sponsor baseball are Denver (1998), UMKC* (unsure if they ever had baseball), North Dakota (2016), and South Dakota (2004). Now let's look at the fields of the teams who do play ball. *I think they actually like to just go by Kansas City now, but I just couldn't get myself to do it. Another note: Alphabetically, this post should have been the Southland Conference. I just totally overlooked the folder and already had this one written, so the Southland will have to be the next post. Nebraska-Omaha MavericksStadium: Tal Anderson Field Capacity: 1500 Opened: 2021 Dimensions: 320 LF, 465 CF, 320 RF Surface: Synthetic Summit Championships: 3 (2013, 2014, 2019) Summit Tournament Championships: 1 (2019) National Titles: 0 North Dakota St. BisonStadium: Newman Outdoor Field Capacity: 4172 Opened: 1996 Dimensions: 318 LF, 408 CF, 314 RF Surface: Grass Summit Championships: 1 (2022) Summit Tournament Championships: 2 (2014, 2021) National Titles: 0 Northern Colorado BearsStadium: Jackson Field Capacity: 1500 Opened: 1952 Dimensions: 349 LF, 416 CF, 356 RF Surface: Grass Summit Championships: 0 Summit Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Oral Roberts Golden EaglesStadium: Johnson Stadium Capacity: 2418 Opened: 1978 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: AstroTurf infield, Grass outfield Summit Championships: 19 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) Summit Tournament Championships: 20 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022) National Titles: 0 St. Thomas TommiesStadium: Koch Diamond Capacity: 250 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 320 LF, 465 CF, 320 RF Surface: AstroTurf infield, Grass outfield Summit Championships: 0 Summit Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 South Dakota St. JackrabbitsStadium: Huether Field Capacity: 600 Opened: 2008 Dimensions: 330 LF, 395 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass Summit Championships: 1 (2010) Summit Tournament Championships: 1 (2013) National Titles: 0 Western Illinois LeathernecksStadium: Boyer Stadium
Capacity: 500 Opened: 2006 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 330 RF Surface: Grass Summit Championships: 0 Summit Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 While there probably is a good article or book to be written about Southern baseball in general, that's not what we're doing today. We're looking at the Southern Conference, or SoCon for short. There are two schools here that don't sponsor varsity baseball. Furman, which was just recently in the news for their big win over Virginia, dropped baseball in 2020. A victim of the pandemic, I suppose. Chattanooga hasn't had baseball since 1980, so I have less hope they will be making a comeback. That leaves us with eight teams playing baseball in the SoCon, and here they are. Citadel BulldogsStadium: Riley Park Capacity: 6000 Opened: 1997 Dimensions: 305 LF, 398 CF, 337 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass SoCon Championships: 13 (1960, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2010) SoCon Tournament Championships: 8 (1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2010) National Titles: 0 East Tennessee St. BuccaneersStadium: Thomas Stadium Capacity: 1000 Opened: 2012 Dimensions: 325 LF, 400 CF, 325 RF Surface: FieldTurf SoCon Championships: 2 (1980, 1981) SoCon Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Mercer BearsStadium: OrthoGeorgia Park Capacity: 1500 Opened: 1962 Dimensions: 330 LF, 400 CF, 320 RF Surface: Grass SoCon Championships: 0 SoCon Tournament Championships: 1 (2015) National Titles: 0 Samford BulldogsStadium: Griffin Field Capacity: 1000 Opened: 1958 Dimensions: 338 LF, 385 CF, 335 RF (Measured in Google Maps) Surface: Grass SoCon Championships: 1 (2019) SoCon Tournament Championships: 3 (2012, 2018, 2021) National Titles: 0 UNC-Greensboro SpartansStadium: UNCG Baseball Stadium Capacity: 889 Opened: 1999 Dimensions: 340 LF, 405 CF, 340 RF Surface: Grass SoCon Championships: 2 (1998, 2018) SoCon Tournament Championships: 2 (2017, 2022) National Titles: 0 VMI KeydetsStadium: Gray-Minor Stadium Capacity: 1400 Opened: 2007 Dimensions: 325 LF, 380 CF, 333 RF (Measured in Google Maps) SoCon Championships: 1 (1988) SoCon Tournament Championships: 0 National Titles: 0 Western Carolina CatamountsStadium: Hennon Stadium Capacity: 1500 Opened: 1978 Dimensions: 325 LF, 390 CF, 325 RF Surface: Bermuda Grass SoCon Championships: 13 (1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2013, 2014) SoCon Tournament Championships: 10 (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2016) National Titles: 0 Wofford TerriersStadium: King Field
Capacity: 833 Opened: 2004 Dimensions: 325 LF, 390 CF, 325 RF Surface: Grass SoCon Championships: 2 (2021, 2022) SoCon Tournament Championships: 1 (2007) National Titles: 0 |
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March 2022
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