WEEK 5 CONFERENCE NOTES

NEW ORLEANS – Three Top 75 RPI matchups dot the Sun Belt weekend slate—No. 10 Coastal Carolina (10 RPI) at Arkansas State (52 RPI), No. 10 Southern Miss (14 RPI) at Louisiana (46 RPI) and Troy (66 RPI) at Texas State (32 RPI). 
 
The Chanticleers, Bobcats and Golden Eagles will attempt to maintain the top three slots in the Sun Belt standings, while their opponents will look to gain ground approaching the midway point in the conference season. 
 
All 21 Sun Belt games this weekend will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• RISING – Approaching the midway point in the conference season, seven Sun Belt programs—No. 10 Coastal Carolina (10 RPI), No. 10 Southern Miss (14 RPI), Texas State (32 RPI), Louisiana (46 RPI), Arkansas State (52 RPI), Troy (66 RPI) and South Alabama (75 RPI)—are ranked among the Top 75 in the RPI. The Chanticleers and Golden Eagles are ranked among the Top 15 in all five national polls, while Texas State is receiving votes this week.  
• SMALL BALL – Seven Sun Belt programs rank among the Top 25 in the country in either sacrifice bunts or sacrifice flies on the season, advancing runners and scoring runs by any means necessary. James Madison leads the nation with 43 sacrifice bunts and is closely followed by Coastal Carolina (2nd, 41), South Alabama (13th, 28) and Georgia State (16th, 27). App State ranks fourth in the country with 25 sacrifice flies with ULM (10th, 22) and Southern Miss (24th, 20) also cracking the Top 25.  
• IN THE CLEER – Despite dropping its first Sun Belt Conference game in nearly a year last weekend, No. 10 Coastal Carolina remains the lone Sun Belt program to have won each of its four weekend series thus far and owns a three-game lead on its nearest competitor in the conference standings. The Chanticleers, who are coming off a mid-week victory over nationally-noted Wake Forest, will attempt to continue that trend when they hit the road to Jonesboro, Ark., for a Top 75 RPI three-game weekend set against resurgent Arkansas State. Coastal Carolina owns a 12-3 mark against the Red Wolves since joining the Sun Belt ahead of the 2017 season, including a 6-0 record in road matchups.  
• HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE – The home team has taken the series in the three prior meetings of No. 10 Southern Miss and Louisiana as Sun Belt Conference foes. The Golden Eagles took 2-of-3 in Hattiesburg, Miss., in 2023 and swept the series at Pete Taylor Park in 2025, while the Ragin’ Cajuns proved victorious in 2-of-3 games in Lafayette, La., in 2024. Runs will be at a premium in the Top 50 RPI weekend series, as 2-of-5 Sun Belt pitching staffs conceding less than five earned runs per game will clash against the league’s two lowest-scoring offenses. 
• EXTRA BAGS – When Troy travels to San Marcos for a Top 75 RPI three-game weekend series against Texas State, four of the Sun Belt’s most prolific base-getters will be on display. Bobcats senior catcher Rashawn Galloway (93 total bases), Bobcats sophomore infielder Dawson Park (82 total bases), Bobcats junior infielder Manny Salas (81 total bases) and Trojans sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki (78 total bases) each rank among the top six in the Sun Belt and top 106 in the country in total bases on the year. 

 
SUN BELT BASEBALL SERIES – WEEK 5
 

Series	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
ULM at App State	5:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m.	12:00 p.m.
No. 10 Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State	6:00 p.m.	6:00 p.m.	11:00 a.m.
South Alabama at Georgia Southern	5:30 p.m.	1:00 p.m.	12:00 p.m.
James Madison at Georgia State	5:00 p.m.	3:00 p.m.	11:00 a.m.
No. 10 Southern Miss at Louisiana	6:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m.	1:00 p.m.
Old Dominion at Marshall	5:00 p.m.	4:00 p.m.	12:00 p.m.
Troy at Texas State	6:00 p.m.	2:30 p.m.	1:00 p.m.

 
All Times CT