University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Baseball Set to Be No. 3 Seed in Air Force Reserve Conference Championship
5/16/2021 8:01:00 PM | Baseball
DALLAS – Southern Miss, who finished second in the West Division with a 22-9 league record, will be the No. 3 seed at the 2021 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Baseball Championship at the new J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston, La., May 26-30.
C-USA currently boasts three teams in the Top 25 rankings with No. 1 seed Charlotte (20), No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech (14) and the Golden Eagles (19) rounding out the representation. In addition, No. 4 seed Old Dominion and No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic also made appearances in the Top 25 this season, showcasing the depth of this year's tournament field.
Along with the Championship pairings, C-USA also announced Sunday that Air Force Reserve will serve as title sponsor of the 2021 C-USA Baseball Championship.
"We are excited to welcome Air Force Reserve as the title sponsor for this premier event," said Conference USA's Chief Revenue Officer, Drew Mitchell. "We are proud to continue our partnership with Air Force Reserve and look forward to helping promote their mission along with educating our student-athletes, alumni and college sports fans on opportunities they have to serve our great country with a career in the Air Force Reserve."
The Championship will feature the top eight teams in regular-season league play. The format is two double-elimination brackets with four teams each, with the winners of each bracket meeting in a single-elimination championship game. Southern Miss is the defending champion and winner of three of the last four tournaments. The 2020 C-USA Baseball Championship was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 26, when No. 4 seed Old Dominion battles No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic at 12:30 p.m. CT. Each squad entered the national top-25 rankings at one point during the season and face each other for the second time this spring. The Monarchs took 3-of-4 from the Owls in Boca Raton in early April.
The second game will feature No. 1 seed Charlotte versus No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee. Charlotte, which closed the regular season with six wins in its final eight games, will face a Blue Raiders squad that clawed its way into the tournament field in the final weekend with a pair of wins over FIU.
No. 2 seed and West Division Champion Louisiana Tech will play the 4 p.m. CT game in front of its home crowd, matching up with No. 7 seed UTSA. These teams concluded their regular-season series today, with the 14th-ranked Bulldogs taking 3-of-4 from the Roadrunners in Ruston.
Opening day action will conclude with No. 3 seed Southern Miss taking on No. 6 seed WKU. The 19th-ranked Golden Eagles won the season series with the Hilltoppers behind three victories in Hattiesburg in late April.
The 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Championship will be played at a member home site for the first time since 2016 (Pete Taylor Park) and the 17th time in league history. The 2021 season marks the debut of the Bulldogs' new facility, J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, after it suffered catastrophic damage from an EF-3 tornado in April, 2019. The venue was completely rebuilt in its same location and will host the league's 25th championship. The Championship Game on Sunday, May 28, will be nationally-televised by CBS Sports Network, while all other games will be available on ESPN+.
Game Schedule
Wednesday, May 26 (available on ESPN+)
Game 1 - (4) Old Dominion vs. (5) Florida Atlantic - 9:00a
Game 2 - (1) Charlotte vs. (8) Middle Tennessee - 12:30p
Game 3 - (2) Louisiana Tech vs. (7) UTSA - 4:00p
Game 4 - (3) Southern Miss vs. (6) WKU - 7:30p
Thursday, May 27 (available on ESPN+)
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 9:00a
Game 6 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 12:30p
Game 7 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 4:00p
Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 7:30p
Friday, May 28 (available on ESPN+)
Game 9 - Winner Game 5 vs. Loser game 6 - 3:00p
Game 10 - Winner Game 7 vs. Loser game 8 - 6:30p
Saturday, May 29 (available on ESPN+)
Game 11 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner game 9 - 9:00a
Game 12 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner game 10 - 12:30p
Game 13 - Same teams as Game 11 - 4:00p (if necessary)
Game 14 - Same teams as Game 12 - 7:30p (if necessary)
Sunday, May 30 (televised by CBS Sports Network)
Championship Game - 1:00p
All Times Central
ABOUT AIR FORCE RESERVE
Air Force Reserve is a proud Joint Force Partner in America's defense. A variety of part-time jobs are available with full-time benefits, including low-cost health insurance, a non-contributory retirement plan, tuition assistance and other educational programs. There are many exciting part-time jobs in the Air Force Reserve, which can lead to a supplementary financial retirement. This flexibility allows Citizen Airmen to advance their civilian careers or education while serving close to home. Signing bonuses up to $20,000 are available for specific jobs. Visit www.AFReserve.com for more information on how you can Start Your Adventure with the Air Force Reserve.
ABOUT CONFERENCE USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I athletic conference based in Irving, Texas, that services 14 institutions of higher education – Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA and WKU. Now in its third decade, Conference USA has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics with an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity and leadership in competition, academics and community.
C-USA currently boasts three teams in the Top 25 rankings with No. 1 seed Charlotte (20), No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech (14) and the Golden Eagles (19) rounding out the representation. In addition, No. 4 seed Old Dominion and No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic also made appearances in the Top 25 this season, showcasing the depth of this year's tournament field.
Along with the Championship pairings, C-USA also announced Sunday that Air Force Reserve will serve as title sponsor of the 2021 C-USA Baseball Championship.
"We are excited to welcome Air Force Reserve as the title sponsor for this premier event," said Conference USA's Chief Revenue Officer, Drew Mitchell. "We are proud to continue our partnership with Air Force Reserve and look forward to helping promote their mission along with educating our student-athletes, alumni and college sports fans on opportunities they have to serve our great country with a career in the Air Force Reserve."
The Championship will feature the top eight teams in regular-season league play. The format is two double-elimination brackets with four teams each, with the winners of each bracket meeting in a single-elimination championship game. Southern Miss is the defending champion and winner of three of the last four tournaments. The 2020 C-USA Baseball Championship was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 26, when No. 4 seed Old Dominion battles No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic at 12:30 p.m. CT. Each squad entered the national top-25 rankings at one point during the season and face each other for the second time this spring. The Monarchs took 3-of-4 from the Owls in Boca Raton in early April.
The second game will feature No. 1 seed Charlotte versus No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee. Charlotte, which closed the regular season with six wins in its final eight games, will face a Blue Raiders squad that clawed its way into the tournament field in the final weekend with a pair of wins over FIU.
No. 2 seed and West Division Champion Louisiana Tech will play the 4 p.m. CT game in front of its home crowd, matching up with No. 7 seed UTSA. These teams concluded their regular-season series today, with the 14th-ranked Bulldogs taking 3-of-4 from the Roadrunners in Ruston.
Opening day action will conclude with No. 3 seed Southern Miss taking on No. 6 seed WKU. The 19th-ranked Golden Eagles won the season series with the Hilltoppers behind three victories in Hattiesburg in late April.
The 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Championship will be played at a member home site for the first time since 2016 (Pete Taylor Park) and the 17th time in league history. The 2021 season marks the debut of the Bulldogs' new facility, J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, after it suffered catastrophic damage from an EF-3 tornado in April, 2019. The venue was completely rebuilt in its same location and will host the league's 25th championship. The Championship Game on Sunday, May 28, will be nationally-televised by CBS Sports Network, while all other games will be available on ESPN+.
Game Schedule
Wednesday, May 26 (available on ESPN+)
Game 1 - (4) Old Dominion vs. (5) Florida Atlantic - 9:00a
Game 2 - (1) Charlotte vs. (8) Middle Tennessee - 12:30p
Game 3 - (2) Louisiana Tech vs. (7) UTSA - 4:00p
Game 4 - (3) Southern Miss vs. (6) WKU - 7:30p
Thursday, May 27 (available on ESPN+)
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 9:00a
Game 6 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 12:30p
Game 7 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 4:00p
Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 7:30p
Friday, May 28 (available on ESPN+)
Game 9 - Winner Game 5 vs. Loser game 6 - 3:00p
Game 10 - Winner Game 7 vs. Loser game 8 - 6:30p
Saturday, May 29 (available on ESPN+)
Game 11 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner game 9 - 9:00a
Game 12 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner game 10 - 12:30p
Game 13 - Same teams as Game 11 - 4:00p (if necessary)
Game 14 - Same teams as Game 12 - 7:30p (if necessary)
Sunday, May 30 (televised by CBS Sports Network)
Championship Game - 1:00p
All Times Central
ABOUT AIR FORCE RESERVE
Air Force Reserve is a proud Joint Force Partner in America's defense. A variety of part-time jobs are available with full-time benefits, including low-cost health insurance, a non-contributory retirement plan, tuition assistance and other educational programs. There are many exciting part-time jobs in the Air Force Reserve, which can lead to a supplementary financial retirement. This flexibility allows Citizen Airmen to advance their civilian careers or education while serving close to home. Signing bonuses up to $20,000 are available for specific jobs. Visit www.AFReserve.com for more information on how you can Start Your Adventure with the Air Force Reserve.
ABOUT CONFERENCE USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I athletic conference based in Irving, Texas, that services 14 institutions of higher education – Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA and WKU. Now in its third decade, Conference USA has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics with an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity and leadership in competition, academics and community.
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