NCAAbbs

As I see how strongly the ACC was represented this year in the CWS, I keep wondering how much stronger CUSA Baseball would be if SMU, UTEP, and TULSA, had baseball programs.
I understand that it's not as simple as just starting a team. However, for a power baseball conference like CUSA (5 post season bids), we are missing out on a golden opportunity to strengthen our brand with a dominant sport.
I feel that Dallas Baptist is showing the potential that SMU would have as a baseball participant in this league. They've really been building themselves up into a top level program since they last asked to be admitted into CUSA baseball. In fact, their AD said they'd be talking to our commish again after the great season they had this year (in which they beat Rice 2X).
Considering we have admitted schools from other conferences in sports like soccer, I think we should really give DBU STRONG consideration this time. It's a shame that we have such a big presence in Texas, and the only 2 Texas schools playing baseball, reside in the same city (Houston). I think DBU could have the potential of a Cal State Fullerton with the right push.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/...6be1e.html

Dallas Baptist baseball team not thrown by the shift

11:30 AM CDT on Thursday, May 29, 2008
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
bgeorge@dallasnews.com

This time of May, Dallas Baptist University's baseball field usually sits silent and lonely.

But not in the last few days.

The pop of baseballs hitting gloves and the ping of aluminum bats have been the backdrop for Dallas Baptist's preparation for its first NCAA tournament appearance in only its third year of full-fledged NCAA Division I play.

The team, built around homegrown talent, begins regional competition Friday as the No. 2 seed in College Station, Texas, joining Texas A&M, Houston and Illinois-Chicago.

"Last year, I'd be home golfing or something," said DBU junior No. 1 pitcher Jordan Meaker of Flower Mound.

DBU (37-17) became the first independent team to make the NCAAs since 1992.

DBU is the new kid on the block in the NCAA tournament but certainly not an unknown in the baseball community. This is DBU's 30th consecutive winning season, and the program has produced more than 10 major leaguers, including Lew Ford and Jason LaRue. The former NAIA powerhouse went 44-16 in its first year of provisional NCAA Division I play in 2004.

"It's not like we started something new here," DBU first-year coach Dan Heefner said. "It's building on everything that's happened."

DBU has 14 athletic programs, and the other 13 are at the NCAA Division II level. DBU athletic director Ryan Erwin was one of the driving forces behind the Patriots' baseball program making the jump to Division I. He said that DBU at first just wanted to be competitive, but the long-term goal has always been to reach the College World Series.

"We knew going into it that we had the type of players and coaches and the right location to be competitive," Erwin said. "We're in such a baseball hotbed here, and what DBU had to offer and our history was a good combination."

Erwin said he hopes one day to have DBU's baseball program join a conference. He's explored options with three: Conference USA, the Sun Belt and the Summit League. He said he plans to use this year's momentum to talk to each league's commissioner.

"It would make scheduling easier and give the athletes something to work for," Erwin said. "It's going to be tough though, because we'd only bring one sport in. I wouldn't say it's a long shot. Getting a regional berth will get us more attention and show that we're for real."

The players say they've never been on a team with such great chemistry.

Coaches and players point to a team mission trip in early October that helped unite the Patriots. The DBU baseball team traveled to Guatemala and spent a week volunteering in orphanages and teaching at baseball clinics. DBU also won two of three games against the Guatemalan national team.

"That trip was probably one of the turning points in how we ended up," said DBU center fielder Evan Bigley of Dallas Christian. "It changed our way of thinking and how we approached things."

The missionary trip highlighted the emphasis on Christian values that greets players when they arrive on the 293-acre picturesque campus overlooking Mountain Creek Lake in southwestern Dallas.

"We meet once a week, and it's kind of like a baseball chapel," Heefner said. "We talk about what the Bible says about competing, being a Christian man."

DBU certainly never backed down from competition this season. As an independent, the only way DBU could land an NCAA tournament berth was to play the best of the best. DBU had five victories against Top 25 teams, including two wins against Rice and one at Texas A&M. DBU also played TCU and Big 12 teams Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech.

"What they've done to continue to take step after step hasn't surprised me in the least," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "To go on the road and win the way they have, you've got to be really talented and really tough. They don't quit. They just keep coming."

DBU players say they really began to believe in themselves after their first win over Rice on March 5 in Frisco. DBU rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win, 7-6. A walk-off home run by senior Andrew Pirtle ended it in the 12th inning.

"Every game after that, we didn't go in scared," Flower Mound's Meaker said. "Beating the best, then you know you belong."

Staff writer Brian Davis contributed to this report.


Dallas Baptist University
Established: 1898 in Decatur, Texas. The private school moved to Dallas in 1965.

Fall 2007 enrollment: 5,244

Tuition cost for 12 hours: $6,576

Three campuses: Main campus at 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas, north campus in Frisco and Tarrant County campus in Colleyville/Hurst

Degrees: Two doctoral programs, 21 graduate and 59 undergraduate

Prominent alumni: Sonny Williams, minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks and former president of Minyard Food Stores; State Rep. Phil King; Dallas fire chief Eddie Burns; Mike Arnold, president of Arnold Stone Inc. (also a former Patriots baseball player); Wayne Hamilton, former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas; and Fort Worth fire chief Rudy Jackson.


DALLAS BAPTIST'S 2008 ROSTER
Player Hometown Previous school Pos. Cl.
Kevin Aduddell Parker, Texas Plano East HS LHP Jr.
Tyson Bagley Bakersfield, Calif. Cisco JC RHP Sr.
Brandon Bantz Mansfield Mansfield HS C Jr.
Marcellous Biggins Fort Worth Southwest HS INF Fr.
Evan Bigley Lancaster Dallas Christian HS CF Jr.
Victor Black Amarillo Amarillo HS RHP So.
JT Bloodworth Dallas (Lake Highlands HS) University of Arizona INF Jr.
Wayne Dowling Loveland, Colo. Mesa State College LHP Sr.
Bryan Dykes Allen (Plano East HS) Lon Morris JC LHP Sr.
Ryan Enos Highland Village, Texas Flower Mound Marcus HS OF Sr.
Ryan Goins Round Rock Stoney Point HS INF/RHP So.
Chris Haney Garland Naaman Forest HS C/RHP Fr.
Trevor Head Colleyville Grapevine HS INF Jr.
Costi Hinn White Rock, British Columbia Saddleback College OF Jr.
Clay Kelly Austin Cisco JC OF Jr.
Austin Knight Denton Ryan HS INF So.
Jason Krizan Pflugerville Pflugerville HS OF/INF Fr.
Brett Lester Colorado Springs, Colo. Otero JC RHP Sr.
Chris McMullen Mansfield (Mansfield HS) Cisco JC LHP Jr.
Jordan Meaker Flower Mound Flower Mound HS RHP Jr.
Ryan Millard Flower Mound Flower Mound HS LHP So.
Jeremy Parrish Texas City Texas City HS LHP So.
Bradshaw Perry Aurora, Colo. Cherokee Trail HS IF/RHP Fr.
Andrew Pirtle Tyler Northeast Texas CC C Sr.
Derek Roach Lakewood, Colo. Wichita State LHP Sr.
Nick Santos Grand Prairie (GPHS) Cisco JC OF Sr.
Jared Stafford Keller Keller HS RHP Fr.
Ryan Thompson Littleton, Colo. Mullen HS INF Fr.
Brett Wade Dallas (Richardson Pearce HS) South Alabama RHP Jr.
Brice Wells Littleton, Colo. Columbine HS LHP Sr.
Josh Wilson Canton Canton HS OF Fr.



BEATING THE BIG BOYS
Dallas Baptist played one of the nation's toughest schedules this season and often played the best teams on the road or at a neutral site. But DBU held its own, recording five victories against Top 25 teams and finishing the regular season 37-17. Some of DBU's biggest wins of the year:
Date Opp. Site Result
March 5 Rice Frisco W, 7-6 (12)
March 7 Oral Roberts Arlington W, 5-1
March 21 at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla. W, 19-6
April 2 at Rice Houston W, 3-2
April 16 Baylor DBU W, 13-5
May 1 at Texas A&M College Station W, 12-6
May 7 Texas Tech DBU W, 16-7
May 13 at Texas Tech Lubbock W, 8-4



THE BIG FOUR
Dallas Baptist baseball coach Dan Heefner said he projects four of his players this season to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft in June based on his communication with pro scouts. Here are the four Heefner feels have the best chance to be drafted:
Player Pos. Cl. 2008 statistics
Tyson Bagley RHP Sr. 4-2, 11 saves, 2.19 ERA, 54 Ks, 37 IP
Brandon Bantz C Jr. .326 avg., 16 2Bs, 30 RBIs
Evan Bigley CF Jr. .340 avg., 20 2Bs, 13 HRs, 58 RBIs, 13 SBs
Jordan Meaker RHP Jr. 7-1, 4.28 ERA, 58 Ks, 82 IP



NCAA COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL
FRIDAY

Game 1: 3. Houston vs. 2. Dallas Baptist, 12:30 p.m.

Game 2: 4. Illinois-Chicago vs. 1. Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:30 p.m.

Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 12:30 p.m.

Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5*, 6:30 p.m.

*if necessary


Ticket information
Reserved all-session tickets ($55) or individual session tickets ($4 to $10) can be purchased online at aggieathletics.com. Phone orders may be placed by calling 979-845-2311 or 888-99-AGGIE.

NCAA tournament: Dallas Baptist (37-17) vs. Houston (39-22) in College Station regional, 12:30 p.m. Friday

Unless one of the 3 (Tulsa, UTEP, SMU) commits to adding baseball in the next 4 years, go ahead if it won't cost us anything.

And I must admit, it'd be nice to have a CUSA presence in north Texas to give TCU a run for their money for the areas top recruits. Not that DBU has needed our help in that department so far. I'm impressed by what they've been able to accomplish.

Another article:

5/26/2008



The Patriots Baseball Team has been selected to play in the NCAA Division I National Tournament for the first time in school history. DBU, who has exceeded all expectations during the 2008 season under the guidance of first year Head Coach Dan Heefner, finished their regular season 37-17 and 29 in the National RPI rankings.

Head Coach Dan Heefner said, "To earn an at-large bid to an NCAA Regional is an incredible achievement for the DBU baseball program."

DBU, who has a long tradition of successful baseball, with 30 straight winning seasons, is only in their third year of NCAA Division I competition. The Patriots had to play one of the toughest schedules in the nation during 2008 in order to have a chance at receiving an at large bid, since they are an NCAA Division I Independent Team. DBU is also the first Independent team other than Miami to make a NCAA Regional since 1992.

The Patriots, who played several nationally ranked teams throughout the season, had five wins over top 25 teams, including Rice (2), Oral Roberts (2), and Texas A&M (1). All five wins were at a neutral site or on the road. DBU also had notable victories against Baylor, a three game sweep of Memphis, two wins over Louisiana Monroe, and were 3-0 against UTA, who defeated Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma State.

The selection committee awarded DBU for their successful season by selecting them as a #2 seed at the NCAA College Station Regional. The Patriots, will play the University of Houston, who is the #3 seed on Friday, May 30, at 12:30 to kick off their Regional Tournament. Texas A&M University, who is the #1 seed, will play the late game on Friday against Illinois-Chicago, the #4 seed, to wrap up the first round games.

Heefner continued, "Our players earned it- they practiced at a high level from day one and played well all season against many of the top teams in the country. I couldn't be more proud of our players- they deserve all the credit."

http://www.dbu.edu/athletics

We are not going to add within the next 10 years. I cannot see SMU adding either since they dropped men's track in the last three years. I do not know about Tulsa. DBU is good with a good facility and they put EVERYTHING into the program. If we added DBU, I bet they would dethrone Rice before anyone else.

Not a problem in my book. But I would guess that Marshall, ECU and probably UCF would just as soon stay at nine and play a regional team during each school's week off (since we have an odd number of nine).

Do it, it would only make us stronger.

Houston already dethroned Rice this year.

I wouldn't exactly say that. UAB and ECU dethroned Rice, making it possible for UH to win the conference tournament.

I think that C-USA should add DBU (or atleast some conference should). They are a very solid program, I have probably seen them play in person a dozen times or so over the last few years. Mostly against TCU, but I have seen some of their other games. They seem to attract good talent, and have stayed competitive through several coaching changes as it is hard to keep a coach at a independent program. DBU has recruiting inroads in other places besides the metroplex as well, 6 of the DBU players are from Colorado (a state without any serious D-1 baseball programs, but one that produces a decent amount of talent).

Nobody has dethroned Rice. Conference tourneys are nice and all but Rice was in Omaha while the rest of us watched.

I voted no to add DBU. Adding them is a sweet deal for DBU. The only reason for us to add them would be to provide us with another conference series during the regular season. Is that enough? I don't think so.

Some would also say that they would add to the prestige of the conference by virtue of their recent success. Our conference prestige is fine and will improve plenty with schools who are stepping it up like UCF and Marshall. Don't count Memphis out either.

Instead of a full blown conference invite for baseball, how about a trial period whereby we all schedule them? They would be willing to do that as an entree to a possible conference invite. It would be an RPI boost for those of us who play them if they continue to play well as opposed to us filling that one weekend with whomever we can scrape up. And perhaps the added exposure and benefit to DBU that would quickly be evident would provide a kick in the pants to one of our REAL conference brethren to find a way to establish a baseball program of their own.

There seems to be some serious delusional thinking going on here.

Dallas Baptist: They beat Rice by one run twice in mid-week games, when the OG was fiddling with his lineup and pitching staff. They also beat A&M in the regular season, but got embarrassed in the A&M Regional. They'd be competitive, but "dethrone" Rice? I'd love to take that bet.

Houston: They lost to Rice four out of five games this year, just like they do pretty much EVERY year. Rice won the regular season championship by what, six games, hardly breaking a sweat in so doing. USM got in a couple of nice one-run wins against the Owls, and ECU picked up a well-earned two-run win. That was it. For the season. I'd never accused the OG of intentionally taking a flop, but the two-game swoon at the league tournament came awfully close to that. We won't begrudge the Coogs their claim to C-USA champion moniker by virtue of their winning the tourney, but, guess what: for Rice, "2008 C-USA Champions," "regional champions," "super-regional champions" and "College World Series" participant all are going up on the wall of the hack shack so our opponents in the third- base dugout can get a good view of it all next season.

Ahem...Forgetting someone?

I get what you're saying, but isn't that pretty much like putting them in our conference anyways? If we're gonna do that, make it a 4 year full-baseball-membership so the rest of the C*USA schools can reap the benefits of recruiting baseball in the Dallas area and their NCAA bids, and after that if we don't like it we can part ways without problem.

Unless and until SMU adds baseball, I think a baseball-only membership for DBU is a very good idea.

If we do this, they need to pay a fair up front fee. They get a lot out of this that they don't have now - like TV games, exposure, etc.
They should also probably have to rebate ECU and Marshall and maybe UCF on travel costs. And no revenue sharing.
It should be easy enough for Rice, houston, Tulane and Memphis to schedule them in the open week if they want.

Is that the deal we give the soccer only members (FIU, Kentucky, South Carolina, & Colorado College - Women)?

IMO, since DBU resides in a Conference USA city, I don't know where the beef would be to send one sports team there every now and then.

I have no idea but in this case they are getting to play in the number 5 league in the country in the number 3 or 4 sport in the country. They should pay for that privilege and we shouldn't be inconvenienced. And in the case of ECU or Marshall, they'd probably just as soon play some local team up there than spend a lot of money to travel to play Dallas Baptist.

No No No No....We need to quit diluting this conference with these one sport schools.

Nothing against DBU, but as an ECU fan I want to keep a home series on the "off week" instead of having to travel to Texas every other year.

Exactly. Right now you get an even number of home and away series in conference play. Adding anyone would cause a problem with unbalance, not to mention likely more long travel for the opposite division in Conference All Over the Place.

I will repeat my earlier point that-- so long as SMU does not play baseball-- adding DBU on a baseball-only basis is a good idea for the league. Even so, I would not force that down the throats of ECU and Marshall and UCF if they were against it.

I know we have all hashed out ECU's complaints about league geography before, and I don't feel like going down that path again right now. But I just have to say that if ECU doesn't like the league it's in, there is nothing to prevent them from leaving. Either way, the constant whining and bitching over an issue that nobody can control or do anything about is really not the way to win friends or influence people.

I agree with this guy.

Not saying DBU is not worthy, but for years we had a bastardized conference, and we finally have a manageable 8 team home/away rotation.

What I'm saying is exactly NOT to put them in the conference "anyways". My whole point was to allow them to play in our league but to stop short of giving them "full baseball membership". Why should we give them that? Our ability to recruit the Dallas area is not contingent upon a DBU membership. We're doing that already. Inviting DBU unconditionally amounts to welfare.

Cry me a river! You're already not traveling to Texas and Oklahoma THREE TIMES every other year due to TULSA, UTEP, and SMU, not having programs.

The fact that Houston, Rice, and Tulane, are traveling out East all the time doesn't seem to bother you.

IMO, DBU makes geographic sense. Competitively they would be a coup for the league. CUSA shouldn't be content with being the 5th best league. Adding Dallas Baptist (a potential standout program) would more than make up for any "travel concerns" with the extra credibility they would give the league. Not to mention the added exposure our programs would get in the metroplex (that SMU isn't delivering), particularly to the Western side of CUSA.

I don't understand how there are 14 "no" votes...unless I misunderstand what we are voting on.

This wouldn't impact any other sports/scheduling and would add a high quality (RPI) series for everyone on the schedule.

Me either.

A series against DBU would have certainly been better than a series against first year DI Presbyterian College like ECU had on the off weekend this year.
I could understand it if ECU was playing a weekend series against one of the ACC programs on their off-weekend, but replacing someone like PC with DBU is a no-brainer.

Let's add both Dallas Baptist and Notre Dame for baseball only and get a good "Baptist vs. Catholic" rivalry going.

Seriously, how does DBU do attendance-wise? How big is their baseball stadium? I'm trying to find a downside to adding them to C-USA, but I'm not seeing one so far other than that we would each lose three OOC games (is that REALLY that big a deal?). Also, we would each be making a trip to Dallas every other year, but would that significantly affect anyone's athletic budget?

Give me a very good reason not to add DBU for baseball only. Anyone, anyone?

[quote=CoogKnightOwl518]

C-USA adds:

* Dallas Baptist (Baseball Only)

* Florida International (All Sports)

* La La (All Sports)


This would permanently define the roll that C-USA

is destine to play in the arena of college sports.

If that is a slam at DBU, and their lack of being a marquee name, perhaps you should save that talk for the teams they beat this year, TCU fan.


BEATING THE BIG BOYS
Dallas Baptist played one of the nation's toughest schedules this season and often played the best teams on the road or at a neutral site. But DBU held its own, recording five victories against Top 25 teams and finishing the regular season 37-17. Some of DBU's biggest wins of the year:
Date Opp. Site Result
March 5 Rice Frisco W, 7-6 (12)
March 7 Oral Roberts Arlington W, 5-1
March 21 at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla. W, 19-6
April 2 at Rice Houston W, 3-2
April 16 Baylor DBU W, 13-5
May 1 at Texas A&M College Station W, 12-6
May 7 Texas Tech DBU W, 16-7
May 13 at Texas Tech Lubbock W, 8-4

2/28/08: TCU 6 vs. DBU 1
3/24/08: TCU 20 vs. DBU 3
4/21/08: TCU 6 vs. DBU 4

I don't agree with his stance against DBU, but if he is a TCU fan then he has plenty of room to talk smack against DBU based on this year's results on the field between the Frogs and the Patriots.

They had a nice year; how have they done over a series of years?

No one has said a damned thing about adding FIU or ULL for all sports. It isn't going to happen.

As to adding DBU baseball-only, affiliates do not hurt league branding. South Carolina, Kentucky, and lowly FIU all play men's soccer in CUSA. While baseball is higher profile than soccer, it's not nearly the same profile level as the two big sports - FB and MBB. DBU would help us break into the Top 4 or even Top 3 baseball conferences and probably result in us not only snagging an additional bid for them, but probably one additional bid on top of that.

I can tell you what, if DBU basketball made the NCAA tourney as an at-large, no one here would be saying anything against adding them!

DBU made 10 NAIA world series between 1984 and 2002. They won 40+ games in their first D1 season as a provisional member, and were above .500 in 05,06, and 07. This year they were obviously pretty good, 37-19 with a pretty tough schedule. They did not play many true home games against the best opponents, playing them in Frisco at the AA park instead.

Baptists??? You want to bring Baptists into the Conference??? What are you thinking. Beer would have to be banned at all games and there could be no celebrations after a win because they might include some type of dancing. No thank you....

Nobody was crying, but I am glad you decided to get so defensive. I just added my thoughts to the discussion.

A couple of things....exposure in the "metroplex" doesn't mean jack to ECU or many teams in the East. Also, do we really need to expand our baseball conference? I don't see the need.

Milos likey the blonde beauty on the right..

We might need a replacement when ECU accepts that football-only spot in the big east.

Ahh yes... The north Texas metroplex is only one of the most talent-rich areas of the entire country, and also houses the HEADQUARTERS of our league.

Considering the strength of our brand in Texas, its absurd to suggest that having only 3 Western teams represented (the only Texas teams residing in the same city - Houston) is acceptable.

This isn't a matter of need as much as it is a matter of opportunity. The last indy team to show as much potential as Dallas Baptist play in Miami and call themselves the Hurricanes!

I don't know why so many would vote "no".

Dallas Baptist adds RPI strength to this league, which is already a great baseball league. We'd become the best baseball conference not named the Big 12, Pac 10, ACC or SEC.

Unless someone donates about $100 Million to SMU to subsidize baseball, softball and another women's sports its not being added. We dropped Men's track because of cost and Title IX. I don't see us adding any more sports any time soon. Now if the football team goes to a BCS bowl every year, then we might start adding some more sports. But that isn't happening any time soon.

Then we can just kick them back out.

You can go ahead and take TU off that list. We won't get baseball anytime soon. Too many other priorities and why mess with a formula that's working?

I don't necessarily disagree with adding them... but aren't we ALREADY the best baseball conference not named the Big 12, Pac 10, ACC or SEC??

NO. Why is their always a thread to add some Sun Belt team or school like DBA? We trying to bring the conference down a step or three?

Because the sunbelt teams want to join c-usa.

Not quite on the same level of discussion either. DBU was one of the best baseball teams in the country this year and would be joining only for baseball. The Sun Belt schools only want in if a spot opens up for an all-sports member. Much different levels of real discussion going on.

The above 4, along with C-USA and Big West would be the "power conferences" for baseball IMO.

Considering that no Big 12 teams got past the Regionals (in spite of the fact that three of them were Regional hosts) while Rice made it to the College World Series, I think C-USA had an edge over the Big 12 in the end.

We don't want Tulsa or SMU to add baseball. Both of those schools are up against Title 9 limits for adding men's sports, and don't have the real estate on campus to devote to a proper baseball facility. Besides, they are doing pretty well with men's soccer as their 3rd men's sports and we don't want to kill that momentum just to add some dead weight at the bottom of the conference in baseball. UTEP is just too far away to do anybody any good.

Rice was not dethroned by any means

Sounds like some of your fans want to add baseball. Here's a quote from one of the "geniuses" on your board:

Yup. Just add a team and presto! Instant national championship. Never mind that teams in fertile recruiting areas with long histories of success like Tulane, USM, and ECU don't have one. Don't worry about the fact that big time programs in your state haven't even made it to Omaha this decade. And even though Tulsa doesn't have a men's national championship in any sport, they'd be able to break through on one of the big 3 in no time, right?

Just out of curiosity - how does a top hundred school end up with so many colossal idiots in your fan base? The Oklahoma public educational system and sidewalk fans can't account for all of it, can it?