For the third consecutive season, Rice has won the regular season Conference USA Championship, becoming the first school in league history to accomplish that feat. It marks the 13th consecutive regular season title for the Owls, dating back to the Southwest Conference.
Rice earned the regular season championship by sweeping a three-game series from cross-town rival Houston over the weekend at Reckling Park. The wins assured the Owls of winning the Silver Glove Trophy for the eighth straight year by winning four-of-five head-to-head matchups with the Cougars.
Tulane posted an impressive three-game sweep at East Carolina. The wins keep the Green Wave in second place in the league standings and certainly bolstered the team’s NCAA at-large resume’. Shooter Hunt was strong on Friday Night and the Tulane bats took over on Saturday, winning a doubleheader by identical 10-8 scores.
Southern Miss sits solidly in third place after winning three games in convincing fashion over Memphis. The Golden Eagles opened by setting C-USA season-highs in runs scored and hits (25) in a 21-3 win on Friday night. After a 12-6 win on Saturday, Barry Bowden threw five no-hit innings as Southern Miss held the Tigers to just one hit in a 13-1 victory on Sunday.
UCF has assured itself of a seventh-place finish in the league standings after taking two-of-three from UAB in Orlando. The Knights are locked in to seventh and will finish league play with an 8-16 record (the Knights play Clemson next weekend). Sunday’s win allowed the Blazers to move one-half game ahead of Memphis for the final spot in the C-USA Championship.
Marshall swept a non-conference doubleheader from Delaware State on Saturday. With 26 wins, the Thundering Herd are just one victory away from tying the school record for the most wins as a Division I member, set in 2004.
