NEW ORLEANS — For the first time in conference history, the Sun Belt saw four representatives—Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Louisiana and Southern Miss—reach their respective NCAA Baseball Regional finals, before falling to regional hosts.
The Sun Belt was the lone conference with three-or-more bids to have each of its representatives advance to the regional finals and was 1-of-4 conferences with four-or-more regional finalists, joining the SEC (7), ACC (6) and Big 12 (5).
Coastal Carolina opened its regional with a 13-3 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday, May 31, before falling to regional host and No. 6 national seed Clemson, 4-3, on Saturday, June 1. The Chanticleers earned a third-straight trip to the regional finals with a 6-5 victory over High Point on Sunday, June 2, but could not overcome Clemson, 12-5, to force a winner-take-all game on Monday.
Coastal Carolina finished the season 36-25, following its 20th all-time NCAA Baseball Regional appearance.
James Madison dropped an 8-7 heartbreaker to South Carolina in its regional opener on Friday, May 31, but battled back through the loser’s bracket with victories over Bryant, 8-1, and the Gamecocks, 2-0, to reach the regional finals in its first postseason appearance since 2011. The Dukes failed to force a winner-take-all game, falling to regional host NC State, 5-3, on Sunday, June 2.
James Madison concluded the 2024 campaign 36-25, following its ninth all-time NCAA Baseball Regional berth.
Sun Belt regular-season champion Louisiana fell 12-5 to Texas in its regional opener on Friday, May 31, but rolled past Grambling, 12-5, and the Longhorns, 10-2, in the loser’s bracket to advance to the regional finals. The Ragin’ Cajuns could not force a winner-take-all game, falling to regional host and No. 3 national seed Texas A&M, 9-4, on Sunday, June 2.
Louisiana finished the season 42-20, following its third-straight and 19th all-time NCAA Baseball Regional appearance.
Sun Belt tournament champion Southern Miss fell 10-4 to Indiana in its regional opener on Friday, May 31, but barreled through Northern Kentucky, 6-0, and the Hoosiers, 15-3, to advance to the regional finals for the fifth-straight tournament. The Golden Eagles failed for force a winner-take-all game, falling to regional host and No. 1 national seed Tennessee, 12-3, on Sunday, June 2.
Southern Miss concluded the 2024 campaign 43-20—its NCAA Division I-leading eighth-straight 40-win season—following its eighth-straight and 20th all-time NCAA Baseball Regional berth.
For the third-straight season and sixth time since 2000, four Sun Belt baseball programs represented the conference in NCAA Baseball Regionals. The Sun Belt was 1-of-4 conferences with four-or-more teams in the NCAA field, joining the SEC, ACC and Big 12 and has been a multi-bid conference in 29-of-35 seasons since 1989.
All-Regional Teams
Sam Antonacci, Coastal Carolina
Blake Barthol, Coastal Carolina
Derek Bender, Coastal Carolina
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina
Henry Weycker, Coastal Carolina
Donovan Burke, James Madison
Mike Mancini, James Madison
Brendan O’Donnell, James Madison
Lee Amedee, Louisiana
Kyle DeBarge, Louisiana
Caleb Stelly, Louisiana
John Taylor, Louisiana
Jose Torres, Louisiana
Niko Mazza, Southern Miss
Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss
Slade Wilks, Southern Miss