Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The 12 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed primarily across the southern United States.
History
The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976 with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of South Florida. Over the next ten years the conference would add Western Kentucky University, Old Dominion University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Virginia Commonwealth University. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the Conference did not deem suitable for Conference competition. UNO competed as an independent before joining the newly formed American South Conference in 1987.After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, then merged with the American South Conference, made up of Arkansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the University of Texas–Pan American, New Orleans, Lamar University, and the University of Central Florida. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. In 1991, the league first began to explore the idea of sponsoring football.
Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year due to a dispute over television rights, among other reasons. Lamar, Texas–Pan American, and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year. Florida International University joined the Sun Belt in 1998, and the University of Denver was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year.
.
The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former Big West Conference members New Mexico State University and the University of North Texas and former Ohio Valley Conference member Middle Tennessee State University as full members and added FBS Independent University of Louisiana at Monroe and Big West member University of Idaho as "football-only" members. These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana–Lafayette were already full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school, Utah State University, was added as a "football-only" member in 2003, then departed in 2005 with Idaho and New Mexico State for the Western Athletic Conference.
In 2004, Troy University became a "football-only" member until the Trojans joined the conference in all sports, effectively in the 2005-06 academic year. In 2005, Florida Atlantic became a "football-only" member until the Owls joined the conference in all sports, effectively in the 2006-07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the Southland Conference.
Longtime Sun Belt member Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its Board of Regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I FBS.
On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.
Early 2010s realignment
On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013. As part of the move, the football program began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season; it played a full Sun Belt schedule as a "transitional" FBS member in 2013, and became a full FBS member, with bowl eligibility, in 2014. On May 2, 2012, Texas State University announced it would leave the WAC after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson also hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference. On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the University of Texas at Arlington had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013. UT Arlington does not field a football team.On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for Conference USA on July 1, 2013 as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools. On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would also leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA. The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was originally scheduled to take place in 2014, however, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013 that they would leave for Conference USA a year early, departing on July 1, 2013 with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky also accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, and departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014.
These moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than ever, as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football for the 2013 season. Appalachian State University accepted an invitation on March 27, 2013 to join the Sun Belt effective July 1, 2014. Georgia Southern University accepted a similar Sun Belt invitation at the same time as Appalachian State. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both joined for all sports from the Southern Conference on July 1, 2014. Both schools had been very successful within the Football Championship Subdivision, combining to win nine national championships since 1985. They upgraded to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and were eligible for Sun Belt conference championships in 2014, but were not postseason-eligible in football until 2015.
The Sun Belt also granted football-only invites to Idaho and New Mexico State on March 28, 2013. Idaho and New Mexico State were both former Sun Belt members from 2001 to 2005. The large number of defections from the WAC forced that conference to drop football after the 2012 season. Idaho and New Mexico State were the only remaining WAC members that sponsored football, and competed as FBS independents for the 2013 season before competing in the Sun Belt in 2014. Idaho is located by far the farthest away from the other Sun Belt conference members, but it was rejected by the Mountain West Conference, leaving it with no other choice.
On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.
The conference announced on March 1, 2016, that the affiliation agreement with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be extended past the 2017 season.
The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference will be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors |
| Appalachian State University | Boone, North Carolina | 1899 | 2014 | 19,280 | Mountaineers | |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, Arkansas | 1909 | 1991 | 13,891 | Red Wolves | |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway, South Carolina | 1954 | 2016 | 10,894 | Chanticleers | |
| Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, Georgia | 1906 | 2014 | 26,054 | Eagles | |
| Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | 1913 | 1976; 2013 | 53,619 | Panthers | |
| Little Rock, Arkansas | 1927 | 1991 | 9,579 | Trojans | ||
| Lafayette, Louisiana | 1898 | 1991 | 19,403 | Ragin' Cajuns | ||
| Monroe, Louisiana | 1931 | 2006 | 8,489 | Warhawks | ||
| Mobile, Alabama | 1963 | 1976 | 14,667 | Jaguars | ||
| Texas State University | San Marcos, Texas | 1899 | 2013 | 38,231 | Bobcats | |
| Arlington, Texas | 1895 | 2013 | 42,863 | Mavericks | ||
| Troy University | Troy, Alabama | 1887 | 2005 | 17,494 | Trojans |
- Louisiana–Monroe — football was an affiliate member from 2001 to 2006
- Troy — football was an affiliate member in 2004–05.
Associate members
Former members
- Florida Atlantic — football was an affiliate member in 2005–06.
- Texas–Pan American — Merged into UTRGV in 2015; the merged school inherited UTPA's athletic program, with the new nickname of Vaqueros, and membership in the Western Athletic Conference.
- New Mexico State — was a full member from 2000 to 2005.
Former affiliate members
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1976 till:2026
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5
Colors =
id:line value:black
id:Full value:rgb # all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb # football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # some sports, but not all
PlotData =
width:15 textcolor:darkblue shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1981 text:Georgia State
bar:1 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1998 text:Jacksonville
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1980 text:New Orleans
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2010 text:
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:North Carolina–Charlotte
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1976 till:2012 text:South Alabama
bar:5 color:Full from:2012 till:end
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:South Florida
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:Alabama–Birmingham
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:VCU
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1991 text:Old Dominion
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1982 till:2009 text:Western Kentucky
bar:10 color:Full from:2009 till:2014
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Arkansas State
bar:11 color:Full from:2001 till:end
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1991 till:end text:Little Rock
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1992 text:Central Florida
bar:14 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Lamar
bar:15 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana Tech
bar:16 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana
bar:16 color:Full from:2001 till:end
bar:17 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Texas–Pan American
bar:18 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2005 text:Florida International
bar:18 color:Full from:2005 till:2013
bar:19 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2012 text:Denver
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:Middle Tennessee State
bar:20 color:Full from:2001 till:2013
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:New Mexico State
bar:21 color:Full from:2001 till:2005
bar:21 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:North Texas
bar:22 color:Full from:2001 till:2013
bar:23 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2005 text:Idaho
bar:23 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:
bar:24 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2006 text:Louisiana–Monroe
bar:24 color:Full from:2006 till:end
bar:25 color:AssocF from:2003 till:2005 text:Utah State
bar:26 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2005 text:Troy
bar:26 color:Full from:2005 till:end
bar:27 color:AssocF from:2005 till:2006 text:Florida Atlantic
bar:27 color:Full from:2006 till:2013
bar:28 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:Texas State
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:UT Arlington
bar:30 shift: color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Appalachian State
bar:31 shift: color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Georgia Southern
bar:32 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:2018 text:Hartwick
bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:end text:Howard
bar:34 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:2016 text:NJIT
bar:35 shift: color:FullxF from:2016 till:2017 text:Coastal Carolina
bar:35 color:Full from:2017 till:end
bar:36 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Central Arkansas
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1977
- > Legend: <#
Commissioners
- Vic Bubas
- Jim Lessig
- Craig Thompson
- Wright Waters
- Karl Benson
- Keith Gill
On October 12, 2011, ESPN reported that Wright Waters would retire, effective July 1, 2012. On February 15, 2012, Karl Benson was hired as the new commissioner of the Sun Belt, after having been the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference for 17 years. Waters would later move his departure date to March 15, allowing Benson to take over at that time.
Keith Gill was named the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference on March 18, 2019.
Sports
The Sun Belt Conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports.| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track & Field Indoor | ||
| Track & Field Outdoor | ||
| Volleyball |
Men's sponsored sports by school
Member-by-member sponsorship of the nine men's SBC sports for the 2019–20 academic year.Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt Conference which are played by Sun Belt schools:
| School | Wrestling |
| Appalachian State | SoCon |
| Little Rock | Pac-12 |
Women's sponsored sports by school
Member-by-member sponsorship of the nine women's SBC sports for the 2019–20 academic year.| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & Field Indoor | Track & Field Outdoor | Volleyball | Total Sun Belt Sports |
| Appalachian State | 9 | |||||||||
| Arkansas State | 8 | |||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 9 | |||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 9 | |||||||||
| Georgia State | 9 | |||||||||
| Little Rock | 7 | |||||||||
| Louisiana | 8 | |||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 9 | |||||||||
| South Alabama | 9 | |||||||||
| Texas State | 9 | |||||||||
| UT Arlington | 8 | |||||||||
| Troy | 9 | |||||||||
| Totals | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 103 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt Conference which are played by Sun Belt schools:
| School | Beach Volleyball | Bowling | Field Hockey | Lacrosse | Rifle | Swimming & Diving |
| Appalachian State | MAC | |||||
| Arkansas State | SBL | |||||
| Coastal Carolina | ASUN | ASUN | ||||
| Georgia Southern | SoCon | CCSA | ||||
| Georgia State | CCSA | |||||
| Little Rock | MVC | |||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | CCSA |
Championships
"RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Championships from the previous academic year are flagged with the calendar year in which the most recent season or tournament ended.Current Sun Belt champions
;Fall 2019| Sport | School |
| Cross Country | Appalachian State Arkansas State |
| Football | Appalachian State |
| Soccer | Central Arkansas Coastal Carolina |
| Soccer | South Alabama |
| Volleyball | Coastal Carolina Texas State Texas State |
;Winter 2019–20
| Sport | School |
| Basketball | Little Rock Georgia State |
| Basketball | Little Rock, UT Arlington Little Rock |
| Track & Field Indoor | Arkansas State Arkansas State |
;Spring 2020
| Sport | School |
| Baseball | Georgia Southern Texas State Coastal Carolina |
| Golf | Arkansas State South Alabama |
| Softball | Louisiana |
| Tennis | South Alabama South Alabama |
| Track & Field Outdoor | Texas State Arkansas State |
NCAA champions
No current Sun Belt member has won an NCAA Division I team championship while a member of the conference. Four current members have won NCAA Division I team championships prior to joining the conference; Coastal Carolina won its only D-I national title on the day before it officially joined the Sun Belt.| School | NCAA titles | Sport | Years |
| Georgia Southern | 6 | Football | 1985 • 1986 • 1989 • 1990 • 1999 • 2000 |
| Appalachian State | 3 | Football | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1 | Football | 1987 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1 | Baseball | 2016 |
See also:
List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships,
List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships, and
NCAA Division I FBS Conferences
Football
For more information see Sun Belt Conference football. For the current season, see 2019 Sun Belt Conference football season.| West Division | East Division |
| Arkansas State | Appalachian State |
| Louisiana | Coastal Carolina |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Georgia Southern |
| South Alabama | Georgia State |
| Texas State | Troy |
The Sun Belt first began sponsoring football in 2001. It originally consisted of seven football playing schools, three of which are still members of the conference. Up until 2009, the conference only had a contract with one bowl, the New Orleans Bowl. Following the Sun Belt's improved football success and geographical membership changes, other bowls began to sign contracts with the Sun Belt Conference., the conference has six bowl game tie-ins.
Throughout the years, the conference has experienced flux in membership changes, similar to many other FBS conferences. The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference will be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.
| Team | First Season | All-Time Record | All-Time Win % | Bowl Appearances | Bowl Record | All-Time Conference Titles | Current Head Coach |
| Appalachian State | 1928 | 628–338–28 | 4 | 4–0 | 21 | Shawn Clark | |
| Arkansas State | 1911 | 480–492–37 | 8 | 3–5 | 14 | Blake Anderson | |
| Coastal Carolina | 2003 | 127–77 | 0 | 0–0 | 8 | Jamey Chadwell | |
| Georgia Southern | 1924 | 333–147–1 | 2 | 2–0 | 11 | Chad Lunsford | |
| Georgia State | 2010 | 36–81 | 2 | 1–1 | 0 | Shawn Elliott | |
| Louisiana | 1901 | 527–561–34 | 8 | 5–3 | 13 | Billy Napier | |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1951 | 315–426–8 | 1 | 0–1 | 5 | Matt Viator | |
| South Alabama | 2009 | 57–69 | 2 | 0–2 | 0 | Steve Campbell | |
| Texas State | 1904 | 511–458–26 | 0 | 0–0 | 12 | Jake Spavital | |
| Troy | 1909 | 544–411–28 | 8 | 5–3 | 21 | Chip Lindsey |
Sun Belt champions
Starting in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS Season, the Sun Belt Conference will host a football championship game.| Season | Champion | Conference Record |
| 2001 | Middle Tennessee State North Texas | 5–1 |
| 2002 | North Texas | 6–0 |
| 2003 | North Texas | 7–0 |
| 2004 | North Texas | 7–0 |
| 2005 | Arkansas State Louisiana–Lafayette Louisiana–Monroe | 5–2 |
| 2006 | Middle Tennessee State Troy | 6–1 |
| 2007 | Florida Atlantic Troy | 6–1 |
| 2008 | Troy | 6–1 |
| 2009 | Troy | 8–0 |
| 2010 | Florida International Troy | 6–2 |
| 2011 | Arkansas State | 8–0 |
| 2012 | Arkansas State | 7–1 |
| 2013* | Arkansas State | 5–2 |
| 2014 | Georgia Southern | 8–0 |
| 2015 | Arkansas State | 8–0 |
| 2016 | Appalachian State Arkansas State | 7–1 |
| 2017 | Appalachian State Troy | 7–1 |
| 2018 | Appalachian State | 7–1 |
- Note: Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2013 shared Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations.
Bowl games
| Name | Location | Opposing conference |
| Arizona Bowl | Tucson, Arizona | MWC |
| Camellia Bowl | Montgomery, Alabama | MAC |
| Cure Bowl | Orlando, Florida | The American |
| Frisco Bowl | Frisco, Texas | The American |
| LendingTree Bowl | Mobile, Alabama | MAC |
| New Orleans Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | C–USA |
Football rivalries
;Conference play;Non-conference play
Basketball
Since the 2018–19 season, the Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, held in early March, have involved only 10 of the conference's 12 teams, and have been bracketed in a semi-stepladder format. The bottom four seeds play in the first round; the 5 and 6 seeds receive byes to the second round, the 3 and 4 seeds to the quarterfinals, and the top two seeds to the semifinals. The semifinals and finals are held in New Orleans; the 2019 men's and women's events were at Lakefront Arena, and from 2020 will be at Smoothie King Center. Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.| Season | Men's Regular Season Champion | Men's Tournament Champion | Women's Regular Season Champion | Women's Tournament Champion |
| 1977 | North Carolina–Charlotte | North Carolina–Charlotte | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1978 | North Carolina–Charlotte | New Orleans | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1979 | South Alabama | Jacksonville | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1980 | South Alabama | Virginia Commonwealth | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1981 | Virginia Commonwealth | Virginia Commonwealth | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1982 | Alabama–Birmingham | Alabama–Birmingham | No Regular Season | No Tournament |
| 1983 | Virginia Commonwealth | Alabama–Birmingham | Old Dominion | Old Dominion |
| 1984 | Virginia Commonwealth | Alabama–Birmingham | Old Dominion | Old Dominion |
| 1985 | Virginia Commonwealth | Virginia Commonwealth | Old Dominion | Old Dominion |
| 1986 | Old Dominion | Jacksonville | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| 1987 | Western Kentucky | Alabama–Birmingham | Old Dominion | Old Dominion |
| 1988 | North Carolina–Charlotte | North Carolina–Charlotte | Old Dominion | Western Kentucky |
| 1989 | South Alabama | South Alabama | Old Dominion | Western Kentucky |
| 1990 | Alabama–Birmingham | South Florida | Alabama–Birmingham | Old Dominion |
| 1991 | South Alabama | South Alabama | Alabama–Birmingham | Western Kentucky |
| 1992 | Southwestern Louisiana | Southwestern Louisiana | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| 1993 | New Orleans | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| 1994 | Western Kentucky | Southwestern Louisiana | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 1995 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Louisiana Tech | Western Kentucky |
| 1996 | Arkansas–Little Rock | New Orleans | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 1997 | South Alabama | South Alabama | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 1998 | South Alabama | South Alabama | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 1999 | Louisiana Tech | Arkansas State | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 2000 | Louisiana–Lafayette | Louisiana–Lafayette | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 2001 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech |
| 2002 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Florida International | Florida International |
| 2003 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| 2004 | Vacated | Vacated | South Alabama | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2005 | Denver | Vacated | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2006 | Western Kentucky | South Alabama | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2007 | South Alabama | North Texas | Middle Tennessee State | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2008 | South Alabama | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| 2009 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee State | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2010 | Troy | North Texas | Arkansas–Little Rock | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2011 | Florida Atlantic | Arkansas–Little Rock | Middle Tennessee State Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock |
| 2012 | Middle Tennessee State | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee State | Arkansas–Little Rock |
| 2013 | Middle Tennessee State | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee State | Arkansas–Little Rock |
| 2014 | Georgia State | Louisiana–Lafayette | Arkansas State | Western Kentucky |
| 2015 | Georgia State | Georgia State | Arkansas–Little Rock | Arkansas–Little Rock |
| 2016 | Little Rock | Little Rock | Arkansas State | Troy |
| 2017 | UT Arlington | Troy | Little Rock | Troy |
| 2018 | Louisiana | Georgia State | Little Rock | Little Rock |
| 2019 | Georgia State | Georgia State | Little Rock UT Arlington | Little Rock |
| 2020 | Little Rock | Tournament Cancelled | Troy | Tournament Cancelled |
Baseball
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 12.- Teams in bold represent current conference members.
| School | Tourney Titles | Title Years |
| South Alabama | 12 | 1980 • 1981 • 1983 • 1984 • 1987 • 1992 • 1996 • 1997 • 2000 • 2001 • 2005 • 2017 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 1998 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 |
| New Orleans | 3 | 1978 • 1979 • 2007 |
| South Florida | 3 | 1982 • 1986 • 1990 |
| Coastal Carolina | 2 | 2018 • 2019 |
| Florida International | 2 | 1999 • 2010 |
| Middle Tennessee State | 2 | 2003 • 2009 |
| Western Kentucky | 2 | 2004 • 2008 |
| Lamar | 2 | 1993 • 1995 |
| Florida Atlantic | 1 | 2013 |
| ULM | 1 | 2012 |
| Little Rock | 1 | 2011 |
| Troy | 1 | 2006 |
| New Mexico State | 1 | 2002 |
| Arkansas State | 1 | 1994 |
| UAB | 1 | 1991 |
| Jacksonville | 1 | 1989 |
| VCU | 1 | 1988 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 1985 |
| Season | Tournament Champion |
| 1978 | New Orleans |
| 1979 | New Orleans |
| 1980 | South Alabama |
| 1981 | South Alabama |
| 1982 | South Florida |
| 1983 | South Alabama |
| 1984 | South Alabama |
| 1985 | Old Dominion |
| 1986 | South Florida |
| 1987 | South Alabama |
| 1988 | Virginia Commonwealth |
| 1989 | Jacksonville |
| 1990 | South Florida |
| 1991 | Alabama–Birmingham |
| 1992 | South Alabama |
| 1993 | Lamar |
| 1994 | Arkansas State |
| 1995 | Lamar |
| 1996 | South Alabama |
| 1997 | South Alabama |
| Season | Tournament Champion |
| 1998 | Southwestern Louisiana |
| 1999 | Florida International |
| 2000 | South Alabama |
| 2001 | South Alabama |
| 2002 | New Mexico State |
| 2003 | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2004 | Western Kentucky |
| 2005 | South Alabama |
| 2006 | Troy |
| 2007 | New Orleans |
| 2008 | Western Kentucky |
| 2009 | Middle Tennessee State |
| 2010 | Florida International |
| 2011 | Arkansas–Little Rock |
| 2012 | Louisiana–Monroe |
| 2013 | Florida Atlantic |
| 2014 | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| 2015 | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| 2016 | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| 2017 | South Alabama |
| 2018 | Coastal Carolina |
| 2019 | Coastal Carolina |
Facilities
;NotesAcademics
Two of the Sun Belt's member schools, Georgia State and UT Arlington are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.Appalachian State is also currently ranked as one of the Top 10 regional schools in the South by the U.S. News & World Report.
| University | Affiliation | Carnegie | Endowment | US News | Forbes |
| Public | Master's | $99,593,000 | 9 | 315 | |
| Public | R2 Doctoral/Research | $66,217,000 | 68 | N/A | |
| Public | Master's | $39,432,000 | 52 | N/A | |
| Public | R2 Doctoral/Research | $50,999,000 | RNP | 560 | |
| Public | R1 Doctoral/Research | $155,303,000 | 187 | 530 | |
| Public | R3 Doctoral/Research | $70,080,000 | RNP | 608 | |
| Public | R2 Doctoral/Research | $178,300,000 | RNP | 529 | |
| Public | R3 Doctoral/Research | $23,158,000 | RNP | N/A | |
| Public | R2 Doctoral/Research | $555,735,000 | RNP | 616 | |
| Public | R2 Doctoral/Research | $186,676,000 | RNP | 506 | |
| Public | R1 Doctoral/Research | $155,277,000 | 221 | 558 | |
| Public | Master's | $104,409,000 | 69 | 640 |