November 1, 2021


Realignment has struck again,

Tonight's news from Brett Mcmurphy is that Liberty is likely to join a new version of the remaining CUSA holdovers including UTEP FIU & LA Tech and then add FCS members Sam Houston State & Jacksonville State along with New Mexico State as all sports members.  This is obviously big news on a number of fronts but makes for a strange baseball conference.  The other piece to this puzzle is what happens with MTSU and WKU who are rumored to be on the verge of joining the MAC.  If this revised CUSA conference would somehow hold onto them then this scenario makes more sense.  The immediate thought is that Liberty Baseball's travel is about to get real if this scenario comes to fruition.  In the rumored scenario with WKU and MTSU departing we're likely looking at FIU, LA Tech & LU on one side.  Kennesaw State is another program rumored to be interested in making the move and would make sense and could provide the 8th team in that scenario.  They are plenty of other outlets that can analyze the move for the other programs like Football which is obviously driving this move.  Another question, does UTEP bring back baseball?

Let's look beyond travel at the quality of the newly formed conference

LA Tech - this is great program that finished 42-20 and hosted a regional this past year.  The best program LU has been in a conference with since Coastal.  They were 34 and 24 in 2019 and on pace for another good season in 20 prior to Covid.  

UTEP -  Doesn't even sponsor baseball and hasn't in some time from my research.  Honestly, they were not on my radar.  

FIU - 20-31 overall in 2021 and 23-32 in 2019 despite being in talent rich Florida.  

WKU & MTSU - MTSU would mean matchups with Jim "Storm" Toman who is now the head coach at MTSU.  WKU was 26-29 in 2019 and MTSU was 18-37.  WKU was 27-29 and MTSU was 24-29 in 2021.  

NMSU - Played in the WAC and finished an unimpressive 20-34 in 2021.  

Sam Houston - Sam Houston has been solid and finished 30-25 in 2021 while playing in the Southland Conference which was won by Abilene Christian.  

Jacksonville State - was an outlier in the Ohio Valley Conference and finished 26-27 which was good for 4th in that conference.  

Other names that could enter the mix are Kennesaw State and Eastern Kentucky.  EKU was 21-32 in the Ohio Valley and we all saw KSU last year in the ASUN.  Uconn has a great program but I doubt this version of CUSA can lure them that would add to the travel woes.  

We will need to see more of what develops from this but if it does come to fruition from a baseball perspective the Flames need to get more teams in the mix that can help.  Travel will be brutal and really Louisiana Tech is the only other team that moves the needle and has national respect.  It would be huge if CUSA could hold onto MTSU & WKU and allow for North/South Conferences that could provide a little travel relief.  I had every intention of writing a piece on the 2022 schedule but that became old news quickly with this development this evening.  Stay tuned.


#Risewithus.  


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