Baseball

Three Top 100 RPI Clashes Headline Sun Belt Baseball Weekend Schedule

WEEK 7 CONFERENCE NOTES

NEW ORLEANS – One weekend series can truly make all the difference in this year’s Sun Belt race, with teams No. 2-11 in the conference standings separated by just three games with four weekends to play. 

Three pivotal Top 100 RPI matchups dot the Sun Belt weekend slate with Arkansas State hosting Louisiana, Texas State hitting the road to No. 9 Coastal Carolina and No. 16 Southern Miss visiting rival South Alabama. 
 
All 21 Sun Belt games this weekend will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
  • RISING – With a just over a month remaining until the 64-team NCAA Baseball Regional field in unveiled, six Sun Belt programs—No. 16 Southern Miss (10 RPI), No. 9 Coastal Carolina (14 RPI), Texas State (38 RPI), Arkansas State (39 RPI), Louisiana (56 RPI) and Troy (60 RPI) remain ranked among the Top 60 in the RPI. The Chanticleers and Golden Eagles are each ranked in all five national polls, while Texas State is receiving votes this week. The Sun Belt has sent 14 teams to NCAA Baseball Regionals over the past four seasons, including being a four-bid league in three of the past four years.  
  • LEADING LEFTYS – When Louisiana travels to Arkansas State for a Top 100 RPI weekend clash with postseason implications, baserunners will be at a premium. The Red Wolves and Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staffs are the two stingiest in the Sun Belt, conceding just 8.13 and 8.35 hits per nine innings, respectively. Both of those marks also rank among the Top 50 teams in the country. Graduate student left-handed pitchers lead the way for both ballclubs, with Andrew Hermann (6.46) pacing the Ragin’ Cajuns and Jack Nelson (6.89) helming the Red Wolves in the category. Each ranks among the Top 5 in the Sun Belt and Top 85 in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings. A year ago, Arkansas State earned its first series win over Louisiana since 2018. 
  • FRIENDLY CONFINES – No. 9 Coastal Carolina will play host to Texas State for a Top 40 RPI weekend series at Spring Brooks Stadium. The Chanticleers—who remain unbeaten in Sun Belt series this season—will see Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year junior righty Cameron Flukey return to action for the first time since Feb. 13. Coastal Carolina owns a 16-5 mark at home in 2026 and is 9-1 all-time against the Bobcats inside Springs Brooks Stadium. Texas State, which is coming off back-to-back weekend series losses to fellow postseason contenders No. 16 Southern Miss and Troy, will look for a resume-building bounce-back series. The Bobcats lone victory in Conway, S.C, did come in their last appearance in 2023. 
  • ON THE BUBBLE – The two teams tied for the all-important No. 10 spot in the Sun Belt standings—the final qualifying position for the Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University—will meet for a three-game weekend set as Old Dominion travels to Georgia State. Both teams are coming off productive weekends, with the Monarchs having earned a weekend sweep of Georgia Southern and the Panthers having become the third Sun Belt team to take a game from league-leading No. 9 Coastal Carolina. Since Old Dominion joined the Sun Belt ahead of the 2023 season, it owns a 5-4 edge in the head-to-head series, including series victories over Georgia State in the past two meetings. 
  • IN THE HUNT – The second and third place teams in the Sun Belt standings—No. 16 Southern Miss and South Alabama—will meet for a Top 100 RPI clash in Mobile, Ala., this weekend. Both teams are looking to gain ground on conference-leading No. 9 Coastal Carolina, which boasts a four-game advantage over the Golden Eagles and a five-game lead on South Alabama, App State and Troy—who are tied for third place in the conference ledger. Since joining the Sun Belt ahead of the 2023 season, the Golden Eagles have never lost a series to their rival Jaguars.  
 
SUN BELT BASEBALL SERIES – WEEK 7
 
 Series  Friday  Saturday  Sunday 
 Georgia Southern at App State  5:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.
 Louisiana at Arkansas State  6:00 p.m.  6:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 Texas State at No. 9 Coastal Carolina  5:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.  11:30 a.m.
 Old Dominion at Georgia State  5:00 p.m.  3:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 James Madison at ULM  6:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  11:00 a.m.
 Troy at Marshall  5:00 p.m.  3:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 No. 16 Southern Miss at South Alabama   6:30 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 
All Times CT