Oral Roberts and Southern Utah are leaving after this season – ORU to the Southland and SUU to the Big Sky. Nebraska-Omaha is joining the Summit next year.
The solution is seemingly simple: Bring in Northern Colorado and the University of North Dakota as associate members for baseball only. The Big Sky does not sponsor the sport and both are looking for a league.
Douple said there has been no discussion about UND and UNC at the league level. The Summit has six teams in men’s tennis so there is precedent to carrying that number.
If Oakland leaves, that would leave Summit baseball with five teams and below the AQ status for the NCAA tournament.
UND and Douple are not exactly the best of friends but I think both would put aside differences and if the SL invited UND to join for baseball UND would accept.
Well, as the whole world knows, playing in a league is better than going the indy route, where it would be a major struggle to find games.
The Big Sky is reportedly adding softball. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch for them to add baseball, too. Were that to happen, housing another team with the rest would probably be easier for UND in terms of scheduling flights. But even if it doesn't, having UND baseball in the Summit is going to pay major dividends for the (former and perhaps future?) Sioux.
SuperHornet's Athletics Hall of Fame includes Jacksonville State kicker Ashley Martin, the first girl to score in a Division I football game. She kicked 3 PATs in a 2001 game for J-State.
Will be interesting to see what happens to Western Baseball Conferences
The WAC currently have 7 teams - three of which are moving to other conferences (Fresno, Nevada - MWC) and Hawaii - Big West. Seattle is joining the WAC, as are Texas State, UTA, and UTSA
There are three remaining WAC teams (La Tech, NMSU and SJSU) plus Sac State from the Big Sky
SUU was in the Summit, now Big Sky
UNC is Independent
MWC will be down to 5 with the new addition, less departures
CSU-Bakersfield is an Independent
Great West has 6, but losing Houston Baptist
Still has UND (moving to Big Sky), UVU, Chicago State, NJIT and UTPA
So we have WAC that has seven full time members (if all join) that sponsor baseball
Big Sky has four teams
Great West has one western team (UVU)
MWC has five
Plus CSUB
Big Sky should sponsor baseball, add CSUB and UVU as affiliates
dbackjon wrote:Big Sky should sponsor baseball, add CSUB and UVU as affiliates
I can already hear the screaming in M&M land.
You might well be right, Jon. But the M&M twins aren't going to like it. Bako is a way-too-recent D-II callup and UVU is a glorified JC. But in order to get enough teams to sponsor it short of forcing the M&M twins to play a weather-dictated barnstorming schedule (all road games early, all home games late) and therefore screwing with EVERYONE's schedules, your idea is probably the only semi-viable one out there.
SuperHornet's Athletics Hall of Fame includes Jacksonville State kicker Ashley Martin, the first girl to score in a Division I football game. She kicked 3 PATs in a 2001 game for J-State.
dbackjon wrote:Big Sky should sponsor baseball, add CSUB and UVU as affiliates
I can already hear the screaming in M&M land.
You might well be right, Jon. But the M&M twins aren't going to like it. Bako is a way-too-recent D-II callup and UVU is a glorified JC. But in order to get enough teams to sponsor it short of forcing the M&M twins to play a weather-dictated barnstorming schedule (all road games early, all home games late) and therefore screwing with EVERYONE's schedules, your idea is probably the only semi-viable one out there.
SuperHornet's Athletics Hall of Fame includes Jacksonville State kicker Ashley Martin, the first girl to score in a Division I football game. She kicked 3 PATs in a 2001 game for J-State.
