What would I do if I were Sun Belt commish......and focused on baseball.

With the recent conference shuffle, it is beginning to affect Sun Belt baseball.  Obviously using baseball as the base of a conference is a dream, but this is what I would do if it was.  First, you have to look at the geographical footprint of the Sun Belt.  As of now, with the addition of Georgia State, Texas State, and UT-Arlington, the Sun Belt stretches from Georgia to Texas and north to Kentucky.  So, where to look for the next baseball programs to add? I’ve looked at 10 schools that all have one thing in common; they have made major investments in baseball since 2000.  I’m sure you are wondering what schools I’m looking at.  However, based on the criteria for being a “successful” program I’ve already kicked two schools out of my dream.  The football crowd won’t agree, but UT-San Antonio is the first team kicked out.  While they have made multiple renovations to Roadrunner Field (Built 1992 with a seating capacity of only 800), the Roadrunners only have a winning percentage of 47.03% in the past four years, and no regional appearances.  The second school kicked out is Jacksonville, not because I think Florida schools don’t belong in the Sun Belt (as you will see), but mainly because I believe the Sun Belt should focus on expanding north.  So here they are with some information about their facility.

• College of Charleston; Opened 2001 (Renovated 2007); Capacity 2,000
• Dallas Baptist; Opening 2013; Capacity 2,000
• Appalachian State; Opened 2008; Capacity 1,000
• Elon; Opened 2001 (Renovated 2010); Capacity 2,000
• Charlotte; Opened 2007; Capacity 1,100
• Florida Gulf Coast; Opened 2004; Capacity 1,500
• Creighton; Opened 1988 (Renovated 2000); 2,000 [Has access to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha]
• Wichita State; Opened 2000; Capacity 7,851 

Facilities are only one part of the equation, but these schools definitely have quality stadiums that fans will want to visit. Of course, the second part of the equation is whether the program has been “successful” in the past four years. This is the part where the state of Florida is left out of the conference.  While Florida Gulf Coast can be described as a program on the rise, they have failed to make a regional appearance and are a middle of the pack team in the Atlantic Sun since the departure of 2010 NCAA Pitcher of the Year, Chris Sale.  So, how do the remaining seven program hold up to the “successful” test?  The answer is that they hold up very well.

• College of Charleston; 156-85 (64.73%); 2 Reg App
• Dallas Baptist; 149-83 (64.22%); 2 Reg App
• Appalachian State; 145-84 (63.32%); 1 Reg App
• Elon; 148-89 (62.45%); 2 Reg App
• Charlotte; 136-87 (60.99%); 1 Reg App
• Creighton; 131-96 (57.17%); 2 Reg App
• Wichita State; 145-97 (59.92%); 1 Reg App 

So, now that I’ve listed the stats, I guess it’s time to rank these schools in that order that I’d want them.  All the schools have had recent success, including regional appearances, but here’s my list.

1. Wichita State : Great history with an amazing ballpark, and not too far north especially if the Sun Belt can also add #2 on the list (Really 1A)
2. Dallas Baptist : Upstart program with plenty of success in recent years and a new stadium being built (Really 1B)
3. College of Charleston : Very successful and only about 320 miles from new member Georgia State
4. Elon and/or Charlotte : Really a tie with comparable stadiums history, also brings in the state of North Carolina
5. Appalachian State : Also brings in North Carolina, but that’s about it

So if I were Karl Benson, and building a baseball conference, I would immediately be on the phone with Wichita State and Dallas Baptist.  The Sun Belt is normally a top ten conference, but the addition of these two programs will bring up the conference RPI and be enough teams for a division split if wanted.  However, if the Sun Belt were to expand east, the calls would go to the College of Charleston (RPI bump) and either Elon or Charlotte.  Appalachian State is really just there to make the football fans happy and would be a last ditch addition. So what’s the next question?  Guess it depends on who jumps next.