Conference USA has added Dallas Baptist University as an affiliate member in baseball ahead of the 2023 season. The league’s Board of Directors unanimously affirmed the recommendation to extend an invitation for affiliate membership on a multi-year basis.

“Adding a baseball program of DBU’s caliber to our extremely competitive line-up further positions Conference USA for continued success at the national level,” Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a news release. “We are excited about the partnership and look forward to working with DBU’s leadership as we strategically advance forward and transition into this new era for the conference.”

The addition of DBU will increase league membership to 10 schools for the 2023 season, as the Patriots join Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Rice, UAB, UTSA and Western Kentucky as members of Conference USA. There are no plans to adjust the baseball championship format, as eight teams will qualify for the league’s postseason tournament.

Looking ahead to 2024, Conference USA baseball will be comprised of nine members: DBU, FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Western Kentucky.

“Today marks an incredible moment for not only Patriot Baseball and DBU Athletics but for the entire DBU Family,” DBU President Dr. Adam C. Wright said in a news release. “Joining Conference USA represents a tremendous opportunity for our program in our continued pursuit of excellence through Christ-centered Championship Baseball. We are humbled to accept the invitation to join Conference USA and do so with great anticipation.”

DBU, currently No. 2 in the RPI and a mainstay within the major top-25 polls, is one of only six teams to have made seven consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Patriots also have 10 Regional appearances in the past 13 years. DBU is the only team in the country to post seven straight 40-win seasons, and have done so nine times in the past 10 years. The Patriots boast 20 All-Americans since 2006 and have seen 63 Major League Baseball draft picks during head coach Dan Heefner’s 14-plus years at the helm. Entering the 2022 season, DBU’s 270 wins since 2015 ranked as the fifth-highest total among the nation’s 302 NCAA Division I baseball programs.

“Today is a great day and we are thrilled for this new era and chapter for Patriot Baseball. I would like to thank Commissioner Judy MacLeod and the leadership in Conference USA for this exciting opportunity,” said Connor Smith, DBU Director of Athletics. “Today is another step forward for our program and department as we remain committed to advancing our mission and providing quality, championship experiences for our student-athletes. The best is yet to come.”

DBU also boasts a sparkling venue for baseball in Joan & Andy Horner Ballpark, which has a capacity of 3,492 and opened in 2013. Horner Ballpark contains four suites, a pavilion down the left field line for large groups and party plazas along both sides of the concourse available for medium sized gatherings. A state-of-the-art LED video display was added in 2018 to complement one of college baseball’s finest ballparks. It measures 30 feet tall by 43.2 feet wide and spans a total of 1,320 square feet. In addition to Horner Ballpark, DBU also opened a new 3,300 square foot baseball-only weight room and facility underneath the stadium in the fall of 2021. The state-of-the-art facility includes the latest technology and innovation in sport performance and development.

The Patriots are currently in their ninth season in the Missouri Valley Conference. Since DBU joined in 2014, the Patriots have won three regular-season titles (2016, 2019 and 2021) and hoisted the MVC Tournament trophy on four occasions (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021).