HOUSTON – No. 3 Charlotte was crowned Conference USA champions after a 5-2 win over top-seeded DBU in the 2023 Conference USA Baseball Championship Game on Sunday afternoon from Reckling Park in Houston on the campus of Rice University. Charlotte is now headed to their seventh regional appearance in program history and this marks Charlotte’s first C-USA tournament title and fifth overall tournament win (also won the Metro in 1993, and the A-10 in 2007, 2008 and 2011).
Charlotte became just the third team in C-USA tournament history to win the title after losing its opening game, joining TCU (2004) and Tulane (2001).
Charlotte’s
Cam Fisher was named the Russell D. Anderson Most Valuable Player for the tournament after going 13-for-21 (.619) with six home runs (C-USA Championship record), 13 RBI (tied a C-USA Championship record), nine walks and scored 11 runs in six games. His 33 total bases were also a C-USA Championship record).
DBU jumped in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first when
Jace Grady blasted a solo shot to right field to lead off the Patriots’ half of the inning. It marked the 11
th first inning home run of the tournament.
The Patriots doubled their advantage in the bottom of the third inning when they loaded the bases and
Ethan Mann drove in his 10
th run of the tournament with a fielder’s choice to make it 2-0.
Charlotte put up a three-spot in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead.
Brandon Stahlman started things out when he crushed his second home run of tournament, and 50
th overall across the 14-game event. Stahlman hit it 376 feet over the national championship sign in right field and then the 49ers scored on a fielder’s choice on a slow roller in front of the mound. Spencer Nolan then put an RBI single into right to give Charlotte its first lead of the day, which also marked the first time DBU trailed in the tournament.
It appeared Charlotte was poised to bust the game open with the bases loaded and one out with Fisher at the plate, but DBU’s
Zane Russell was able to induce a 3-6-3 inning-ending double play to limit the damage.
Fisher was not to be denied in the top of the sixth, however, as he drove in his 13
th run of the tournament on a sharply hit ball into left-center. The 13 RBI ties the C-USA Championship record, which is also held by Rice’s Aaron Luna (2007) and Jarrett Hoffpauir of Southern Miss (2004). Charlotte added another run in the inning thanks to a wild pitch to put the 49ers up 5-2, a lead it would not relinquish.
Charlotte captures C-USA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship and will await its seeding on Monday during the NCAA selection show, which will take place at 11 a.m. CT on
ESPN2. DBU is expected to receive an at-large bid, and awaits its fate Monday as well.
Russell D. Anderson MVP
Cam Fisher, So., Charlotte
All-Tournament Team
C: Grant Jay, DBU
INF: Jack Dragum, Charlotte
INF: Brandon Stahlman, Charlotte
INF: Miguel Santos, DBU
INF: Dalton Davis, Louisiana Tech
OF: Cam Fisher, Charlotte
OF: Nathan Humphreys, DBU
OF: Spencer Rich, Florida Atlantic
P: Paxton Thompson, Charlotte
P: Zach Heaton, DBU
P: Hunter Cooley, Florida Atlantic
P: Eriq Swan, Middle Tennessee
* The All-Tournament Team and Russell D. Anderson Most Valuable Player were voted on by C-USA baseball media members and communications contacts for each C-USA baseball program.