Well, the conference shuffle is in full swing with the mid-major conferences. Today's news brings Louisville heading to the ACC, along with Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic heading to CUSA. So once again, what about baseball? Well, Louisville heads to a top notch baseball conference to compete with the likes of Clemson, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, and Virginia. There is no doubt that if Louisville is contending for a conference title in the future, then they won't be on the bubble to host a regional.
So what about CUSA? While they are losing some quality programs, they still have East Carolina (for now), Rice, and Southern Miss. The addition of Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic is a good thing for CUSA baseball. Sun Belt baseball had a down year in 2012, and the departure of these two definitely will hurt. Using the same criteria for successful programs as I have before, these are the numbers.
Middle Tennessee; 128-106 (54.70%)
Florida Atlantic; 131-97 (57.46%); 1 Reg App
While Middle Tennessee falls just below the threshold for "successful", their facilities make up the difference. Reese Smith Jr. Field, while built in the early 1980's, was built the right way. The seating capacity is 2,600 and it's on my list of stadium to visit. Florida Atlantic's numbers qualify as successful, but their facilty leave much to be desired. FAU Baseball Stadium was built in 1991, and the largest crowd ever for a game was 2,300 in 2008 when they hosted Miami.
Today, Louisville baseball finds itself in a much better position for the growth of their program. However, Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic are making a lateral move basically replacing Central Florida and Tulane. So next question, how does this affect Sun Belt baseball? Guess that's a topic for tomorrow.........unless more schools switch conferences.
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