CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL 2006 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Conference USA was the No. 4 ranked baseball conference in 2006, trailing only the ACC, SEC and Big 12.

  • Rice advanced to its fifth College World Series since 1997. The Owls won a pair of games in Omaha before being eliminated by eventual National Champion Oregon State. It was the second straight year that C-USA placed a team in the CWS (Tulane in 2005).

  • Conference USA placed four teams in the 2006 NCAA Tournament (Houston, Rice, Southern Miss and Tulane). It was the fifth straight year that C-USA produced at least four NCAA teams.

  • For the sixth time in the last seven years, a Conference USA team hosted an NCAA Regional when Rice welcomed Arizona State, Baylor and Prairie View A&M to the Houston Regional. The Owls also hosted a Super Regional against Oklahoma, marking the seventh straight season a C-USA team has advanced to Super Regional play.

  • Rice (57-13) had the highest win total in college baseball. The 49 regular season wins by the Owls marked the third year in a row that Conference USA has produced the team with the best regular season record in Division I (Tulane in 2005 and East Carolina in 2004).

  • The Owls were the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for 10 weeks of the season, the second year in a row that C-USA produced the top-ranked team the majority of the regular season (Tulane in 2005).

  • Rice, Houston and Tulane each finished the season nationally-ranked, the third straight season that C-USA has produced three ranked teams in the final polls. Southern Miss was also nationally-ranked during the regular season.

  • Seven of the nine Conference USA teams won at least one game against a nationally-ranked, non-conference opponent.

  • C-USA teams posted a total of 20 wins over nationally-ranked, non-conference opponents during the regular season, including nine over nine against Top 10 foes.

  • Among the NCAA teams that C-USA defeated in 2006 were: Cal State Fullerton (Rice), Georgia (Rice), Miami of Florida (Rice), Texas (Tulane), Nebraska (Rice), Oklahoma (Memphis, Rice), Notre Dame (Memphis), Alabama (Memphis), North Carolina State (East Carolina), Mississippi (Southern Miss), Mississippi State (Southern Miss), Pepperdine (Tulane), College of Charleston (East Carolina), Baylor (Houston, Rice) and Wichita State (Southern Miss).

  • A record ten different Conference USA players were honored as All-Americans.

  • Six C-USA players earned Freshman All-American honors.

  • Houston pitcher Brad Lincoln won the Dick Howser Trophy as college baseball’s top player, was named the ABCA National Player of the Year, CSTV.com National Player of the Year and won the Brooks Wallace Award.

  • East Carolina senior Jake Smith earned the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate catcher.

  • Conference USA had six players that earned National Player of the Week honors.

  • Nine C-USA players earned recognition as 2006 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selections, while Rice pitcher Eddie Degerman and Southern Miss infielder Marc Maddox were named first team Academic All-Americans.

  • Five C-USA schools (East Carolina, Houston, Rice, Southern Miss and Tulane) ranked among the top Division I schools in average home attendance during the 2006 season, with all averaging at least 2,835 fans per game.

  • Memphis posted the second-largest improvement (19 more wins than in 2005) in the nation.

  • Conference USA had 24 players chosen in the June Major League Baseball Draft, including 13 first day selections. Houston’s Brad Lincoln was taken No. 4 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, marking the highest that a C-USA player has ever been selected.

  • Thirteen players from C-USA schools appeared on the opening day rosters of Major League Baseball teams, including Florida Marlins rookie second baseman Dan Uggla (Memphis), who became the first C-USA alum to play in the MLB All-Star Game.

    CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL SCHOOLS
    The nine schools that currently comprise Conference USA Baseball have enjoyed a great deal of success. Here are some of their accomplishments:

    Nine College World Series Appearances

    2003 National Champions - Rice

    At least one College World Series team in six of the last eight seasons.

    90 NCAA Appearances in Baseball (47 since 1995)

    Five National Players of the Year since 1995

    Five National Freshman of the Year since 1995

    94 players have been All-Americans since 1995

    Schools have combined to win 40 or more games 45 times in the last 11 years

    Has had a team ranked No. 1 in the nation in each of the last three regular seasons