IRVING, Texas – Conference USA Commissioner
Judy MacLeod announced today that The First, a National Banking Association, which is headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has entered into an agreement to be the title sponsor for the 2017 C-USA Baseball Championship.
Complete Release
The First, A National Banking Association, Conference USA Championship will be held May 24-28 at MGM Park – a three-year-old facility located right on the waterfront of Biloxi, Mississippi. It marks the tournament’s return to a neutral site for the first time since 2012 and just the sixth time in the league’s history. The 22nd Annual Championship will feature the top eight teams in regular-season league play and the format consists of two double-elimination brackets, with a single-elimination championship game that will be nationally-televised by CBS Sports Network. All other games of the championship will be available on ESPN 3.
With branches across four states in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, The First is committed to giving back to the communities where they serve to ensure a brighter future for everyone. The company strives to improve the quality of life within the communities it serves by providing a wide variety of financial products and services along with exceptional customer service.
"We are excited to welcome The First as a conference championship title sponsor," said MacLeod. “As a major supporter of one of our member schools, we are fortunate that they have embraced the entirety of the conference and the stellar level of competition among our baseball programs.”
“We are excited about the C-USA Championship returning to Mississippi and are proud to be the title sponsor,” The First CEO
M. Ray “Hoppy” Cole added. “This tournament will have a significant economic impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we look forward to our partnership with C-USA.”
ABOUT CONFERENCE USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I athletic conference based in Irving, Texas, that services 14 institutions of higher education – Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA and WKU. Now in its third decade, Conference USA has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics with an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity and leadership in competition, academics and community.
ABOUT THE FIRST
The First, A National Banking Association is headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Founded in 1996, the First has operations in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. The First began as a dream on a back porch in South Mississippi. A group of local businessmen talked about creating a bank that would take care of business by taking care of people one customer at a time... and The First was born. The First is more than a bank... because it is still a group of friends building relationships and taking care of business one customer at a time! The First has achieved 68 consecutive quarters of profitability and earned a 5-Star Rating (the highest given) by BauerFinancial, “the nation’s bank rating service.” The First currently has 48 locations and assets exceeding $1.7 billion. The Company’s stock is traded on NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol FBMS. For more information, log onto www.TheFirstBank.com.