Championship Preview
The Louisiana Tech Diamond 'Dogs will meet the Sam Houston State Bearkats in the Conference USA Baseball Championship on May 20 at Mickey Dunn Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. The matchup pits the fifth‑seed Bulldogs against the eighth‑seed Bearkats in a contest that could decide the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The two programs have a long‑standing rivalry, with Louisiana Tech holding a 13‑8 edge over Sam Houston since 1990 and winning 11 of the last 13 meetings. That historical advantage adds a layer of intrigue to what promises to be a tightly contested final.
A Pitcher's Duel
At the center of the Bulldogs’ rotation is senior right‑hander Declan Dahl, a First Team All‑CUSA selection who is three strikeouts away from tying for ninth place in school history for a single season. He will oppose Sam Houston’s ace Ryan Peterson, who boasts the league’s best ERA at 2.86 and leads the circuit with 102 strikeouts.
Complementing the pitching duel is senior outfielder Trey Hawsey, who tops the Bulldogs with a .332 batting average and is one of only four CUSA hitters to have recorded at least 70 hits this season. Hawsey is also four homers shy of breaking into the program’s all‑time top ten.
With the championship on the horizon, both teams are aware that a single performance could reshape their postseason trajectories. Louisiana Tech hopes to extend its recent dominance, while Sam Houston aims to overturn the historical narrative and claim its first title in over a decade.