With the final weekend of the 2024 season concluding, I will continue my weekly CUSA Round-Up series, where I will be giving a quick recap of how each team in the conference did the previous week.
Louisiana Tech (41-15) (18-6)
Last Week’s Record: 3-0; Series Sweep @ Liberty
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: The turnaround is complete, but this team is far from finished. Following a 2023 squad that had a losing record, did not have a batter that hit .300, and struggled mightily against in-state opponents, the 2024 team has flipped the script. Due to veteran coaching and stellar senior leadership, the Bulldogs took home the Conference USA regular season title and are looking to add another trophy to the collection this upcoming week.
Dallas Baptist (40-13) (17-7)
Last Week’s Record: 2-1; 2-1 Series Win @ MTSU
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: DBU was right in the race to finish the regular season in 1st, but a surprising loss to MTSU will make the Patriots settle for back-to-back 40-win seasons for now. The Patriots were much better in May than they were in April, with the offense finally catching up to the pitching. Despite the consistent regional appearances that DBU makes, the Patriots have never been able to break through and make it to Omaha. Will this finally be the year?
Western Kentucky (34-20) (15-9)
Last Week’s Record: 2-1; 2-1 Series Win vs New Mexico State
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: Western Kentucky was able to end the season on a high note after spiraling out of control over the past few weekends. After dropping game one at home to the Aggies, WKU rallied to take the final two games of the series against a powerful offense. Under Coach Rardin, the Hilltoppers have exceeded expectations in both of his first two seasons, and a run to the conference title would only bolster his resume.
Sam Houston (33-22) (13-11)
Last Week’s Record: 3-1; Loss vs Houston; Series Sweep vs Jax State
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: A few weeks ago, if I had to choose a sleeper team to make a run in the CUSA Tournament, it would have been Sam Houston. Now, the Bearkats are hardly a sleeper, sneaking up into the top four of the conference standings with dominant weekend performances since the Ruston debacle. With one of the best players in the tournament and a solid group around him, Sam Houston will be a very difficult team to beat twice.
Liberty (22-32) (11-13)
Last Week’s Result Record: 0-3; Swept vs LA Tech
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: I think it’s fair to say now that all of the preseason articles missed on most of their Liberty predictions. Predicted to finish second in the conference, the Flames were swept the last two weekends, barely holding on to the 5th seed due to a tiebreaker. Initially, Liberty’s offense was its strong suit, but that hasn’t been the case of late. A humbling stretch to wrap up the season might be what the Flames needed to be motivated come tournament time.
FIU (26-28) (11-13)
Last Week’s Record: 1-3; Loss vs Miami (FL), 1-2 Series Loss @ Iowa
Up Next: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: The Panthers are another CUSA squad that has been trending in the wrong direction over the last couple of weeks. FIU did take the series opener on the road at Iowa, but were blown out in the final two games to lose the series. The Panthers' best shot at having a great tournament performance relies on their offense clicking like it did earlier in the year and the pitching staff holding teams under 10 runs.
New Mexico State (25-27) (10-14)
Last Week’s Record: 1-2; 1-2 Series Loss @ WKU
Next Up: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: New Mexico State will easily be one of the more fun teams to watch at the Love Shack through the conference tournament. They are the ultimate roller coaster team, capable of being blown out and blowing other teams out in the same series. The Aggies’ offense led by Keith Jones has been of the most dangerous in the conference at home, and will be looking to produce a similar product in Ruston.
MTSU (20-32) (8-16)
Last Week’s Record: 1-2; 1-2 Series Loss vs DBU
Next Up: CUSA Tournament
Conclusion: Getting in as final team Conference USA Tournament was the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. MTSU took a big series over Jax State last weekend to all but clinch their spot and impressively took the series final against DBU to close the regular season. This small ball lineup will look to frustrate opponents at the Love Shack.
Jax State (18-34) (5-19)
Last Week’s Record: 0-3; Win vs UAB, Swept @ Sam Houston
Next Up: 2025 Season
Conclusion: Jax State’s inaugural season in Conference USA comes to an end, with the Gamecocks being the only team missing the cut for the conference tournament. The Gamecocks are one of the younger teams in the conference and have the potential to drastically improve over the offseason. Rival Kennesaw State will be joining the conference for the upcoming season, creating more pressure for the Gamecocks to succeed.
Conference USA RPI Leaderboard
1) #21 Dallas Baptist
2) #26 Louisiana Tech
3) #70 Sam Houston
4) #97 Western Kentucky
5) #128 Liberty
6) #129 FIU
7) #132 NMSU
8) #192 Jax State
9) #219 MTSU
Conference USA Tournament
1st Round
· 1) Louisiana Tech vs 8) Middle Tennessee
The Bulldogs took 2 of 3 versus Middle Tennessee when the teams squared off in Ruston. I expect to see a high-scoring game between two offenses that are stylistically very different.
· 2) Dallas Baptist vs 7) New Mexico State
DBU swept New Mexico State in dominant fashion back when the Patriots were red-hot. This contest is the ultimate pitching versus slugging duel and could be one of the more entertaining games on Wednesday.
· 3) Western Kentucky vs 6) Florida International
FIU traveled to Bowling Green and won the series over WKU on the road. With both teams stumbling in the latter part of the season, it will be intriguing to see if the Hilltoppers’ pitching will get back on track versus a good offense
· 4) Sam Houston vs 5) Liberty
Liberty swept Sam Houston early in conference play, a shocking result at the time. However, the Flames and Bearkats are on completely different trajectories, with Liberty losing 6-straight and Sam Houston entering Ruston with momentum.
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