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Conference USA Baseball 2022: Mid-May Roundup

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There’s been a lot going on in Conference USA Baseball. Here’s the latest from the teams on the diamond this week.

Team Last Weekend Record Up Next
Southern Miss vs ODU (L, 1-2) 36-13 (18-6) vs UTSA
UTSA vs Marshall (W, 2-1) 32-16 (16-8) at USM
FAU at LA Tech (W, 2-1) 30-19 (15-9) vs Charlotte
LA Tech vs FAU (L, 1-2) 33-17 (15-9) vs WKU
MTSU at FIU (W, 2-1) 26-20 (14-10) at Rice
Charlotte vs Rice (W, 3-0) 31-17 (14-10) at FAU
ODU at USM (W, 2-1) 31-15 (13-11) vs Marshall
UAB at WKU (L, 1-2) 27-19 (11-13) vs FIU
Marshall at UTSA (L, 1-2) 20-27-1 (9-15) at ODU
WKU vs UAB (W, 2-1) 17-30 (7-17) at LA Tech
Rice at Charlotte (L, 3-0) 13-36 (6-18) vs MTSU
FIU vs MTSU (L, 1-2) 14-30 (6-18) at UAB
Standings as of 5/12/2022

Conference Tournament Positioning

How it works

The tournament will consist of the top eight teams in regular season play based on winning percentage. Entering the final weekend only three teams (Southern Miss, UTSA and Louisiana Tech) have officially clinched spots in the tournament. (Even if the Bulldogs dropped their remaining games, they’d hold the tiebreaker over Marshall). No team has been eliminated, although several are hanging on by a thread.

The West

Southern Miss, UTSA and Louisiana Tech have distanced themselves fairly comfortably from the rest of the division. Louisiana Tech holds a six-game advantage over the current first-team out, Marshall.

The East

The race in East is much tighter with the gap between Florida Atlantic and Old Dominion (currently seeded No. 3 and No. 7) sitting at only two games. The next two weekends could see a fair amount of movement on the seeding line.

Spot 8

As it stands currently, UAB is the last team in. They have a two-game cushion over Marshall and the tiebreaker, which means they’re realistically in if they can split their remaining games against FIU and UTSA.  Things would get interesting if the Blazers struggle, opening the door for the teams on the outside to make a move, although Western Kentucky, Rice and FIU need to win out to have a chance.

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Conference USA Football: NFL Draft and UDFA Tracker

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There were six former Conference USA football players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Many others signed with teams as undrafted free agents.

Conference USA football was well represented in the 2022 NFL Draft, earning six selections through seven rounds. Once the draft ended, many other players latched on with NFL teams, signing as undrafted free agents. Those players will report to training camp and compete for a spot on rosters just the same.

2022 Conference USA Football NFL  Draft Picks

3rd Round (No. 78) – DE Alex Wright, UAB – Browns
3rd Round (No. 82) – EDGE DeAngelo Malone, WKU – Falcons
4th Round (No. 134) – OL Spencer Burford, UTSA – 49ers
4th Round (No. 147) – QB Bailey Zappe, WKU – Patriots
5th Round (No. 153) – CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA – Seahawks
7th Round (No. 259) – S Nazeeh Johnson, Marshall – Chiefs

Undrafted Free Agents

Charlotte

  • SAF Jonathan Alexander – Bears

FIU

  • P Tommy Heatherly – Dolphins
  • RB D’Vonte Price – Colts
  • SAF Josh Valentine-Turner – Seahawks

FAU

  • TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden – Browns
  • LB Caliph Brice – Packers
  • WR John Mitchell – Seahawks
  • OL Desmond Noel – Bengals
  • CB Zyon Gilbert – Giants

Louisiana Tech

  • DB Elijah Hamilton – Dolphins

Marshall

  • OL Alex Mollette, Marshall – Colts

Middle Tennessee

  • LB DQ Thomas – Jets
  • SAF Reed Blankenship – Eagles

North Texas

  • RB DeAndre Torrey – Jets
  • DT Dion Novil – Rams

Old Dominion

  • LB Jordan Young – Bucs

Rice

  • DT Elijah Garcia – Rams

Southern Miss

  • TE Grayson Gunter –  Jaguars

UAB

  • TE Gerrit Price – Jaguars

UTEP

n/a

UTSA

  • LB Charles Wiley – Ravens
  • LB Clarence Hicks – Bengals
  • RB Sincere McCormick – Raiders

Old Dominion

  • TE Stone Smart – Chargers
  • LB Jordan Young – Bucs
  • OL Isaac Weaver – Chargers

Western Kentucky

  • WR Jerreth Sterns– Bucs

Additional signings could continue to trickle in over the next few days. Training camps are still weeks away. For now, it’s safe to say there will be a new crop of Conference USA football players off to make their mark on the league. Soon it will be time to find out who will stick.

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Conference USA: Marshall, ODU and So. Miss to part ways

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Conference USA is down to 11 schools following a joint statement announcing the departure of Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.

Months of legal battles came to an unceremonious halt on Tuesday afternoon when Conference USA released two statements. The first was a joint announcement from the conference and the three (now officially) departing programs: Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.

“Conference USA, Marshall University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Southern Mississippi have reached a resolution that allows the schools to withdraw as members at the end of the academic year. Conference USA will move forward into the 2022-23 academic year with 11 members. The Universities will compete as members of the Sun Belt Conference,” the statement read.

Fifteen minutes later, before any of the proverbial dust had settled, the league issue a second announcement, attempting to move the focus from the outgoing schools back to the conference itself.

“Conference USA is excited about the future with our 11 institutions in the 2022-23 academic year, and is committed to the long-term growth of the league as we usher in new members in the coming years,” the conference said. “As we begin this new era of Conference USA, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our student-athletes while engaging in the broader national conversation and process around changing the overall model. The landscape of college athletics has shifted expansively and we will continue to be a substantial part of that evolution.”

What does this mean?

In short, not very much. This separation between the conference and these three schools has always seemed like it was coming in a matter of time. Although specific terms are reportedly not expected to be made public, reaching some middle ground financially was always thought to be the end game to this months-long saga.

What’s next for Conference USA?

The conference announced the addition of Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston, effective July 1, 2023. That’s a year away, though, meaning the current 11 schools will play through one academic calendar before those new additions arrive. That will take some creativity, but it’s doable.

The real questions start when the next wave of programs leave Conference USA for the American conference. It’s conceivable the conference might need to consider further expansion at that time. And if additional reporting is to be believed, the last domino probably hasn’t fallen just yet.

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Conference USA Baseball 2022: Midseason Roundup

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There’s been a lot going on in Conference USA Baseball. Here’s the latest from the teams on the diamond this week.

Team Weekend Result Record Next Weekend
Charlotte at ODU (L, 2-1) 16-7 (4-2) at UTSA
FAU vs UTSA (W, 2-1) 16-9 (3-3) at Rice
FIU at LA Tech (L, 3-0) 9-15 (2-4) vs ODU
LA Tech vs FIU (W, 3-0) 18-6 (5-1) at USM
Marshall vs Rice (L, 2-1) 12-11-1 (2-4) at UAB
MTSU at UAB (W, 2-1) 10-13 (3-3) vs WKU
Old Dominion vs Char (W, 2-1) 18-4 (3-3) at FIU
Rice at Marsh (W, 2-1) 8-17 (3-3) vs FAU
Southern Miss at WKU (W, 3-0) 17-7 (5-1) vs LA Tech
UAB vs MTSU (L, 2-1) 15-7 (3-3) vs Marsh
UTSA at FAU (L, 2-1) 13-10 (2-4) vs Char
WKU vs USM (L, 3-0) 9-14 (1-5) at MTSU
Standings as of 3/27/2022

League Roundup

Heavyweight matchup looms

Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech were projected to finish first and second place, respectively, in the Conference USA Baseball Preseason Poll. Roughly halfway through the season and a few weeks into conference play, little has been done to dispel that notion. Each program boats a sterling 5-1 record in league play heading into what could be a pivotal matchup this coming weekend in Hattiesburg.

Louisiana Tech has won nine of its last ten games, including a midweek 12-inning victory over No. 21 LSU. Southern Miss has won seven of its last eight with its most recent marquee win coming against Alabama on March 15.

Is Rice baseball legit?

Things got off on the wrong foot for Rice baseball and new head coach Jose Cruz Jr. After a 3-14 start which includes sweeps by No. 1 Texas and No. 15 Texas Tech, Rice has gone 5-4 in their last nine games including their first series win of the season last time out against Marshall.

Can Rice rebound? The prominent in-state juggernauts no longer remain on the schedule and the Owls have seemingly found their offense after struggling early. This upcoming home series against Florida Atlantic should provide some clues.

The opposite of hot

On the opposite end of things,  Western Kentucky and FIU have entered the make-or-break portion of their midseason schedules. Both programs have lost eight of their last 10 games and sit far under .500 (FIU is 9-15. WKU is 9-14).

If they’re going to have any shot of making the Conference USA Baseball Tournament at the end of the regular season they can’t afford to fall much further behind. Without winning a weekend series soon, even a late-season run will be too little, too late.

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Conference USA Basketball 2022: Early February Roundup

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Conference USA Basketball is one month away from March and the conference tournament. Here’s where each team stands.

Team NET  KenPom Record
Charlotte 182 211 12-9 (5-4)
FAU 122 124 14-9 (7-3)
FIU 242 238 13-10 (3-7)
LA Tech 97 95 17-6 (8-3)
Marshall 249 243 8-15 (1-9)
MTSU 115 120 14-7 (5-3)
North Texas 51 61 16-4 (9-1)
Old Dominion 217 213 9-13 (4-5)
Rice 180 191 13-6 (6-5)
Southern Miss 331 334 6-16 (1-8)
UAB 39 38 18-5 (8-2)
UTEP 159 172 14-8 (7-3)
UTSA 338 329 8-16 (1-10)
WKU 127 110 12-11 (4-6)
Kenpom, NET, and standings reflect games as of 2/5/2022

Key Storylines

Anybody’s… conference

The East was always somewhat of a mixed bag, but there was a time in the not-so-distant past where it seemed like a foregone conclusion one of UAB or Louisiana Tech would win the West. Meanwhile WKU, an early favorite to win the East, is nowhere near the top of the standings on their side of the conference. No matter what happens down the stretch, every game will be meaningful.

Owls’ right the ship

FAU hit a rough patch at the beginning of the year, losing three of four games, a streak that began with a road loss to High Point. Since then the Owls have been on a roll. They’ve won six of seven and have surged back to the top of the East standings. There’s still a month to go, so they’re not out of the woods just yet, but to be back in the picture is a restatement to this team’s tremendous perseverance.

The leftovers

The gap separating those within striking distance of a conference tournament bye and the middle of the pack can is minuscule. A string of good (or bad) games can and probably will probably cause quite the tumult in the standings.

That won’t be the case at the bottom. Marshall, Southern Miss and UTSA all leave the first full weekend of February more than four games removed from first place and have yet to win double-digit games. We might not know who will finish first and second, but we can probably start to ink in the bottom three.

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