Final Louisiana 7, Southern Miss 11 SBC Baseball Championship

[gonegolfin]

I’m not sure being a 2 seed is a good thing. I read today (and maybe the person who wrote it was mistaken), but the top 32 (hosts and 2 seeds) will all be seeded and placed accordingly. The 3 and 4 seeds will be assigned to regionals based on whatever criteria they normally use.

The reason I say being a 3 may be better is because if the Cajuns are a 2, they will likely be either the 31st or 32nd seed…which means being placed in either UCLA’s or Georgia Tech’s regional.

Not exactly how it works. While they are seeding 17 -> 32, 32 does not mean you are assigned to #1. They are trying to work the middle by providing competitive balance while also taking into account geography. Basically, a dual mandate that results in something that is not optimal. They group the #2 seeds into four pods of four teams ... and assign the pods based on competitive balance. So ... the last pod of #2 seeds would get assigned to the top four #1 seeds ... and so on ... hoping that conference alignment does not screw them ... and if it does, then they fudge the seeings. Yes, dual mandates do not work in all cases. But this is what they have chosen to do.

My thinking was that the Cajuns (with a win) would have been a #2 seed that was not in the last pod ... and therefore could have gotten assigned to a place like Texas ... or one of the lower Top 8 national seeds (because of geography). Short of that, I am fine with being a #3 seed.

And yes, #3 vs. #2 (by itself, does make a difference). You are facing a weaker team in the opening round and are the home team.

Brian

[cajundiehard]

Don't understand the SBC's attraction to Montgomery for the baseball tourney. Why not try going to Pensacola instead. There's a nice AA ballpark there.

I vote for Biloxi right across from the Beau Rivage.

[Cajunjudo]

From Chiefsfan on the conference message board:

“Otherwise, the SBC is happy in Montgomery. School leadership loves the setup out there. They've got full backing from the City of Montgomery, who owns the park. We pay very little out in rent, and in exchange Montgomery keeps all ticket sales and we guarantee a certain percentage of hotel rooms sold.

Its not leaving Montgomery any time soon. You want to know why we're not trying to sell tickets or bring fans in? Because we pay and receive the same amount if 25 people attend or 25,000

If you want to move the tournament, some other city is going to have to come in and basically let the SBC host for free.“

[CajunFun]

Is UL the only Louisiana team going to a regional?

[cajundiehard]

Is UL the only Louisiana team going to a regional?

I think so... So I'm sure all the purple and yellow Tigger fans will support the Cajuns, representing the Great State of Louisiana!

[CajunChuck]

Is UL the only Louisiana team going to a regional?

YES

[NewsCopy]

The Golden Eagles won twice Sunday to reclaim the league tournament title and solidify their postseason position.

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[sportsfanatic21]

Not exactly how it works. While they are seeding 17 -> 32, 32 does not mean you are assigned to #1. They are trying to work the middle by providing competitive balance while also taking into account geography. Basically, a dual mandate that results in something that is not optimal. They group the #2 seeds into four pods of four teams ... and assign the pods based on competitive balance. So ... the last pod of #2 seeds would get assigned to the top four #1 seeds ... and so on ... hoping that conference alignment does not screw them ... and if it does, then they fudge the seeings. Yes, dual mandates do not work in all cases. But this is what they have chosen to do.

My thinking was that the Cajuns (with a win) would have been a #2 seed that was not in the last pod ... and therefore could have gotten assigned to a place like Texas ... or one of the lower Top 8 national seeds (because of geography). Short of that, I am fine with being a #3 seed.

And yes, #3 vs. #2 (by itself, does make a difference). You are facing a weaker team in the opening round and are the home team.

Brian

I just was watching the D1 Baseball “nerd cast” and saw the 4 team “pod” thing with the 2 seeds (they actually had UL as the last 2 seed). And that makes sense due to not having teams from the same conference in a regional.

As for the 2 vs 3 thing, I just don’t think there’s much of a difference. One 3 may not be as good overall, but may have a stud ace pitcher. Another may have a really good offense, but aren’t great on the mound. Most of the lower (not as good) 2 seeds are basically the same as most of the better half of the 3s.

I also think being the designated “home” or “away” team doesn’t matter much at all. Both teams get the same # of times at bat. And if you are the away team, you know what the urgency is when on defense, ie…do you play the infield in with 2nd and 3rd and less than 2 outs, etc. You have to be aware, as the home team, to not give up multiple runs in that situation, which makes the decision more difficult. But that’s just me. One of the JMU games this season was a perfect example of this.

I think the single most important thing is being in a regional with the most beatable host.

And for this Cajun team in particular, a site that has turf would also be ideal. The defense on the grass/dirt in Montgomery wasn’t as good as the defense has been all year (and in the games at Troy this week) that were played on turf.

[NewsCopy]

It was Louisiana baseball vs Southern Miss in the 2026 Sun Belt Conference championship. Here's final score and highlights from the title game.

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[moorecajun]

Don't understand the SBC's attraction to Montgomery for the baseball tourney. Why not try going to Pensacola instead. There's a nice AA ballpark there.

I will reply to this as I had the same feelings, especially after we played there a few years ago, when covid made its presence known. The sunbelt has a 5-year (I believe) agreement in place with Montgomery to host. The sunbelt receives bids for each period and awards the contract based on their criteria (I don't know what it is). Pensacola has been reached out to in the past but have been unwilling to make the dates available for our tournament. So, until that changes, they aren't even in the conversation.

After repeatedly seeing the huge number of empty seats for these games, I wouldn't mind seeing the games go back to a member site.

[CajunRed]

I think so... So I'm sure all the purple and yellow Tigger fans will support the Cajuns, representing the Great State of Louisiana!

Yeah… right.