Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship

2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, May 23
G1 (5) Louisiana-Monroe vs. (4) South Alabama, Noon
G2 (7) Middle Tennessee vs. (2) Arkansas State,  4 p.m.
G3 (8) Western Kentucky vs. (1) Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m.
(3 and 6 are off)
 
Thursday, May 24
G4 (6) Troy vs. (3) FIU, Noon
G5 (1) Florida Atlantic vs. (5) Louisiana-Monroe, 4 p.m.
G6 (4) South Alabama vs. (8) Western Kentucky, 8 p.m.
(2 and 7 are off)
 
Friday, May 25
G7 (3) FIU vs. (7) Middle Tennessee, Noon
G8 (2) Arkansas State vs. (6) Troy, 4 p.m.
G9 (1) Florida Atlantic vs. (4) South Alabama, 8 p.m.
(5 and 8 are off)
 
Saturday, May 26
G10 (6) Troy vs. (7) Middle Tennessee,  Noon
G11 (2) Arkansas State vs. (3) FIU, 4 p.m.
G12 (5) Louisiana-Monroe vs. (8) Western Kentucky, 8 p.m.
(1 and 4 are off)
 
Championship Sunday, May 27
G13 Pool A Champion vs. Pool B Champion, 2 p.m.
 
Each game of the championship, excluding the championship on Sunday, will be streamed live on SunBeltSports.org. The championship game on Sunday, May 27 will be televised live by the Sun Belt Network, beginning at 1 p.m. CDT. The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Seeds (Season Record)
1. Florida Atlantic (31-20, 19-8 SBC) - A
2. Arkansas State (32-12, 19-9 SBC) - B
3. FIU (31-23, 15-14 SBC) - B
4. South Alabama (21-33, 15-15 SBC) - A
5. Louisiana-Monroe (28-27, 15-15 SBC) - A
6. Troy (26-29, 14-16 SBC) - B
7. Middle Tennessee (29-27, 14-16 SBC) - B
8. Western Kentucky (24-31, 13-17) - A

What do you think the Owls' chances are for winning the Sun Belt Tournament?

The team seems to be getting hot at the right time, so I like our chances this week.

My question is, what if we don't win it?

Do we have a chance at an NCAA Tournament bid?

 In most college tourneys it comes down to pitching.If the starters can go 6-7 and leave in contention, you have a chance to win. We have 3 solid starters and Coach M  knows how to use the relievers. I think we have a better chance this year than ever before. Four games in five days ( I think). Ryan Garton will again be a huge factor.

I think it will be close on an at-large bid.

It was sort of a down-year for the Sun Belt and we didn't have a big out-of-conference win (sweeping Alabama was nice to start the season, but they ended uo being awful)

Would have been nice to win one game against Miami, Florida or UCF.

The announcement of the All-Sun Belt Conference team should be coming out very soon.

I would think the candidates for All-Sun Belt team are second baseman Mike Albaladejo, pitcher Ryan Garton and, of course, closer R.J. Alvarez, who has an outside shot at Pitcher of the Year although relievers rarely win the award.

Also, FAU coach John McCormack will garner some votes for Coach of the Year, but Arkansas State's Tommy Raffo also may have some support.

BTW,

Here is an excellent blog by ULL play-by-play man Jay Walker breaking down his possible All-Sun Belt Conference team and showing some love for the Owls.

Ryan Garton, Mike Albaldejo and RJ Alvarez  1st team

Spano 2ndTeam

Congrats guys! Now bring home the tourney trophy to go with the regualr-season one and let's get to a Regional!!!

McCormack not the coach of the year? What a joke. The Sun Belt coaches should be embarrassed.

Chuck...I agree 100%...just cause your team was picked to be terrible and they finish second, shouldn't outweigh what Mac did w/ a team whose premier closer never pitched, lost another starter, had one on the shelf for weeks, Hudak out for so long, Pittman w/ bad hamstring, not to mention having the guts to move the league's best catcher to 2b to get Spano's bat in there each day! 

 (and don't forget the portapotties)

i know how Mac must feel...back in the ASun, the coaches decided that the league champ's coach would automatically be voted COY...in 2003, we dominated the league but the Belmont coach got the award cause his team made the tournament for the first time...so much for the rules!

Sorry to see Mac get hosed... He and his staff deserved better.

Arkansas State not happy about FAU's Sun Belt championship. Check out some of these Tweets after the Owls won the title.

Top-seeded Owls take on tournament host WKU in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Talk Owls-Hilltoppers here.

(8) Western Kentucky (24-31)
vs. (1) FAU (32-20)

• When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
• Where:  Bowling Green Ballpark, Bowling Green, Ky.
• Listen: FAUSports.com
• Tournament Central: SunBeltSports.org
• Scouting the Hilltoppers: WKU is 4-0 all-time at Bowling Green Ballpark. ...Scott Wilcox, who hit .288 this season, was named to the All-Sun Belt second team. ...WKU made the tournament as the No. 8 seed by winning 2-of-3 from MTSU last weekend.
• Scouting the Owls: FAU has faced WKU in the opening game of the SBC Tournament for two-consecutive seasons and is 1-1 vs. the Hilltoppers in those games. ...C Mike Albaladejo will play in his 200th game on Wednesday. ...FAU won the series 2-1 vs. WKU in the regular-season.

• Pitching probables

WKU LHP Austin Clay (4-4, 4.67)
vs. FAU Ryan Garton (9-3, 3.13)

Owls win their first game of the tournament 4-3 over Western Kentucky. Nathan Pittman scores the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth, racing home from second on a botched attempt by WKU to pick Albaladejo off of first base.

Weird way to win a game, but I;m sure they will take it.

IF FAU wins and South Alabama loses today, FAU will clinch  a berth in the title game, unless I am missing something.

That would be huge and really take the pressure off.