DBU (31-24, 19-11 CUSA) AT THE CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 20-24 | Kennesaw, GA | Mickey Dunn Stadium 
 
GAME NOTES
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Instagram: @dbu_baseball
Twitter/X: @DBU_Baseball
Facebook: DBU Baseball
 
DBU BASEBALL ON THE AIR
In his 15th season on the air, Reagan Ratcliff delivers all the action from Mickey Dunn Stadium alongside DBU Deputy Director of Athletics and former Patriot Baseball assistant coach Nate Frieling. All DBU road games are streamed live on the Patriot Broadcasting Network.
 
LEADING OFF
SERIES WIN OVER THE CHAMPS: DBU closed the regular season with a series win over the Conference USA regular season champion, Jacksonville State. The Patriots scored 23 runs combined across the first two games before falling to the Gamecocks in the regular season finale.
FOURTH SEED: With a 19-11 record in Conference USA play in the regular season, DBU tied for fourth in the league standings with Louisiana Tech. Holding the tiebreaker against the Bulldogs, the Patriots enter the CUSA Tournament as the No. 4 seed.
HEAD-TO-HEAD EDGE IN POOL PLAY: DBU enters pool play with the best head-to-head record among the three teams in its group, which also includes Missouri State (32-18, 20-10 CUSA) and Kennesaw State (25-26, 13-17 CUSA). The Patriots went 4-2 combined against the Bears and Owls this season after winning both series. Missouri State finished 3-3 against the other two teams in the pool, while Kennesaw State went 2-4.
 
TOP STORYLINES
FIVE ALL-CUSA: Five Patriots were named All-Conference USA on Tuesday, with Jake Bennett, Chayton Krauss, and Luke Pettitte earning spots on the First Team and Dylan Schlaegel and Liam Watt claiming slots on the Second Team.
SLUGGING OFFENSE: Averaging 8.2 runs per game (27th in the nation), the Patriots boast one of the most powerful offenses in the country, belting 111 home runs (6th) and slugging .529 (13th).
HOME RUN BARRAGE: DBU's 111 home runs are the third-most by a team in program history. The 2026 squad is the 4th straight team to reach the century mark and the 6th all-time.
RECORD-PACE HOME RUN RATE: DBU's average of 2.02 home runs per game ranks as the best pace in school history. The program record of 1.92 home runs per contest was set in 2024.
HOME RUN THREATS: Five Patriots are in the top 10 among all CUSA hitters in home runs: Chayton Krauss (18, 1st), Jake Bennett (18, 1st), Luke Pettitte (15, 3rd), Ryan Martin (12, 9th), and Dylan Schlaegel (12, 9th).
EXTRA-BASE MACHINES: Dylan Schlaegel and Chayton Krauss are two of the best power bats in CUSA. Schlaegel is second in the league with a .618 slugging percentage, and Krauss is eighth at .594.
CHAYTON CHASING HISTORY: Already just the 4th Patriot ever with 200 career hits and 40 home runs, Chayton Krauss continues to climb the charts in DBU's record book. His 49 home runs are third all-time, and his 200 RBI are second. Recording his 200th career RBI on Friday, he joined Jason Krizan as the only players in DBU history with 200 hits, 200 RBI, and 40 home runs. If he hits the 50th homer of his career, he would become the only Patriot ever to record 200 hits, 200 RBI, and 50 home runs.
POWER FROM PETTITTE: Luke Pettitte has been a sparkplug for the Patriots since settling in as the everyday designated hitter. Since his first start at DH on March 14, he leads the team in batting average (.353), slugging percentage (.727), OPS (1.147), home runs (15), and RBI (45). He is also first in CUSA with 13 home runs in conference games.
GETTING ON BASE: Hitting a career-high .308 with 21 extra-base hits, Ben Tryon's 17-game on-base streak was snapped on Saturday.
FRESH RELIEF: Freshman Max Luzarraga has developed into one of the most reliable arms out of the DBU bullpen. Luzarraga leads all Patriot relievers with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Over his last 10 appearances (15.2 innings), he has posted a 1.15 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP.
FRIDAY-NIGHT STUFF FROM THE BULLPEN: Russ Smith, DBU's Friday-night starter to begin the season, has hit a stride since transitioning to a long-relief role. Over his last eight appearances (25.0 innings), he has earned a 1.80 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
PHENOMENAL FIELDING: The Patriots' defense is 23rd in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage. At its current rate, DBU has the second-best fielding percentage in school history behind the record of .982 set in 2024.
 
HISTORY AT THE CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT
DBU has reached the Conference USA Tournament championship game twice in its three previous seasons in CUSA. The Patriots captured their lone CUSA Tournament title in 2024 with a 17-10 win against Louisiana Tech. DBU enters the 2026 tournament with a 9-3 record in CUSA postseason play.
 
ON DECK
The winner of the Conference USA Tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. All other teams will wait to hear their names called during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Monday, May 25, at 11:00 a.m. CST on ESPN2.