Bracket Set For Southland Tournament
5/22/2016 11:54:00 AM | Baseball
With Sam Houston's incredible finish to the regular season, the Bearkats have earned the top seed for the 2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament that gets underway Wednesday, May 25 at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
Sam Houston claimed the regular season championship after posting a 24-6 league record and a 37-19 overall mark. The Kats swept five three-game series in Southland play and are making their 15th tournament appearance and their fifth consecutive postseason showing.
Bearkat baseball leads all current Southland teams with four tournament titles. The Sam men won their first tourney title in 1996 and took three in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Sam Houston stands 31-17 overall in the post-season event with six appearances in the championship game. That includes a championship final appearance last year in Matt Deggs' first season as Bearkat head baseball coach.
The other six seeds are No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana (36-18, Southland 22-8); No. 3 Northwestern State (33-22, Southland 20-10); No. 4 Lamar (35-17, Southland 20-10); No. 5 Central Arkansas (28-25, Southland 16-14); No. 6 McNeese (29-24, Southland 15-15) and No. 7 New Orleans (28-25, Southland 14-16).
The Bearkats take on No. 8 seed Stephen F. Austin Wednesday at 4 p.m. In other action, No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana meets No. 7 New Orleans at 12 noon; No. 3 Northwestern State battles No. 6 McNeese Wednesday at 9 a.m. and No. 4 Lamar duels No. 5 Central Arkansas in Wednesday's nightcap at 7 p.m.
For the second consecutive season, every game of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament will be carried live by ESPN3. The winner of the 2016 tournament receives an automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament. The selection show airs Monday, May 30 at 11 a.m., CT, on ESPNU.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Constellation Field box office, by phone at 281-240-4487 and online at sugarlandskeeters.com. Online orders are subject to a $2 service charge per ticket.
Tournament Ticket Options:
All-Session Ticket: $60
Single Day Ticket: $18
Children 5 and Under: Free
Students at Southland Conference Institutions: Free (with valid ID)
2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, May 25
Game One: No. 6 McNeese vs. No. 3 Northwestern State, 9 a.m.
Game Two: No. 7 New Orleans vs. No. 2 Southeastern La., Noon
Game Three: No. 8 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 1 Sam Houston State, 4 p.m.
Game Four: No. 5 Central Arkansas vs. No. 4 Lamar, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 26
Game Five: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 9 a.m.
Game Six: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, Noon
Game Seven: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game Eight: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 27
Game Nine: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 5, 9 a.m.
Game 10: Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 6, Noon
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 28
*#Game 13: Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 11, 9 a.m.
^#Game 14: Loser Game 12 vs. Winner Game 12, 1 p.m.
+Championship: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 6 p.m.
* Game 13 will be necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11.
^ Game 14 will be necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12.
# If only one of the two early games is necessary on Saturday, it will be played at 1 p.m., with the Championship Game starting at 6 p.m.
+ If both bracket winners are undefeated, the championship game will be played on Saturday at 6 p.m.
NOTE: There will be a minimum of 45 minutes between games on Wednesday and 30 minutes the remainder of the week with no game starting prior to its scheduled start time.
