1996 Southland Conference baseball tournament

1996 Southland Conference
baseball tournament

Teams	6
Format	Double-elimination
Finals site	Fair Grounds Field Shreveport, Louisiana
Champions	Sam Houston State (1st title)
Winning coach	John Skeeters (1st title)
MVP	Brent Bubela (Sam Houston State)

1996 Southland Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Louisiana
Northeast Louisiana  ^x‍‍‍	21	–	9		.700			41	–	19		.683
Northwestern State  ‍‍‍	14	–	16		.467			34	–	27		.557
Nicholls State  ‍‍‍	11	–	19		.367			17	–	36		.321
McNeese State  ‍‍‍	10	–	20		.333			23	–	31		.426
Texas
Southwest Texas State  ^x‍‍‍	19	–	11		.633			27	–	32		.458
Texas–San Antonio  ‍‍‍	17	–	13		.567			26	–	26		.500
Sam Houston State  ‍‍‡‍^y	15	–	15		.500			31	–	29		.517
Texas–Arlington  ‍‍‍	13	–	17		.433			23	–	35		.397
x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1996[1] Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

The 1996 Southland Conference baseball tournament was held from May 16 to 19, 1996[2] to determine the champion of the Southland Conference in the sport of college baseball for the 1996 season. The event pitted the top six finishers from the conference's regular season in a double-elimination tournament held at Fair Grounds Field in Shreveport, Louisiana. Fourth-seeded Sam Houston State won their first championship and claimed the automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.[3]

Seeding and format

The top six finishers from the regular season were seeded one through six. They played a double-elimination tournament.

Team W L T Pct Seed Louisiana Division Northeast Louisiana 21 9 .700 — 1 Northwestern State 14 16 .467 7 5 Nicholls State 11 19 .367 10 — McNeese State 10 20 .333 11 —

Team W L T Pct Seed Texas Division Southwest Texas State 19 11 .633 — 2 UTSA 17 13 .567 2 3 Sam Houston State 15 15 .500 4 4 Texas–Arlington 13 17 .433 6 6

Bracket and results

	First round					Second round					Third round					Semifinals					Final
	1	Northeast Louisiana	4
	6	Texas–Arlington	3			1	Northeast Louisiana	5
						3	UTSA	3
	3	UTSA	7								1	Northeast Louisiana	1
	4	Sam Houston State	8								4	Sam Houston State	11
						4	Sam Houston State	2													4	Sam Houston State	8	—
						2	Southwest Texas State	1													5	Northwestern State	7	—
	2	Southwest Texas State	11													1	Northeast Louisiana	4
	5	Northwestern State	10								2	Southwest Texas State	1			5	Northwestern State	7
						6	Texas–Arlington	6			5	Northwestern State	2
						5	Northwestern State	7

All-Tournament Team

The following players were named to the All-Tournament Team.[3]

Pos.	Name	School
P	Kevin Hermes	Sam Houston State
	David Balcer	Northwestern State
C	Juan Navarro	Northwestern State
1B	George Kellert	Northwestern State
2B	Brian Gaffney	Sam Houston State
3B	Fred Ortega	Northwestern State
SS	Ray Arrrendondo	Southwest Texas State
OF	Matt Schnabel	Southwest Texas State
	Will Pearce	Northwestern State
	Shannon Cooley	Northeast Louisiana
DH	Brent Bubela	Sam Houston State

Most Valuable Player

Brent Bubela was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Buebla was a designated hitter for Sam Houston State.[3]

References

1. "2018 Southland Conference Baseball" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 15. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
2. 2018 Baseball Media Guide (PDF). Northwestern State Demons. p. 44. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
3. 2018 Baseball Record Book (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 28. Retrieved January 6, 2019.