Page 75 - 2017 Softball Media Guide

THEMVC

The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division In baseball, regular-season and MVC Tournament Champion Dallas Baptist

I conference, continues to be a leader in college athletics and is one of the represented the league in the NCAA Tournament and was one win away from
nation’s most progressive conferences, celebrating its 110th season in 2016- reaching the Super Regional, falling to No. 5 overall seed Texas Tech in the
17. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and regional nals. Four league teams won 30+ games led by the Patriots’ league-

objectives, placing a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest best 44 victories. A total of 17 players were taken in the 2016 Major League
in athletic programs to compete at the highest level.
Baseball draft.

The Valley brand remains very strong, both regionally and nationally, and the For the third time in league history, four Valley volleyball teams were selected
great athletic tradition of The Valley remains a compelling force in recruiting as part of the eld of 64 to play for the 2015 NCAA national title. MVC regular-

student-athletes and in marketing all the MVC programs.
season and tournament champion Wichita State was joined by at-large
selections Missouri State, UNI and Southern Illinois in the 2015 NCAA Division
Men’s basketball continues to be the engine that drives Valley athletic programs. I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Four conference teams were also a part

In 2016, UNI and Wichita State represented the Conference in the NCAA of the 2010 and 2007 NCAA Volleyball Championship elds.
Tournament, and the teams combined for three victories. Recent success in

resurrecting the challenge series with the Mountain West Conference, and the In track & eld, league student-athletes continue to be dominant nationally in
increased opportunities for MVC teams to participate in ESPN’s early-season the sport, as the MVC has now produced 18 national champions in the sport in
multi-team events and in other elite tournaments, have added strong opponents the past 10 years. Notably, 20 student-athletes from MVC schools quali ed for

and more national television exposure to the non-conference scheduling mix.
the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Ore., and all 20 earned All-
America recognition. The Valley placed ve athletes on the First Team, four on

The State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship – affectionately known the Second Team and eleven as Honorable Mention. The list was highlighted
as Arch Madness - continues to be a spectacular showcase for the league, and by DeAnna Price of Southern Illinois who claimed rst-place in the Women’s
the MVC has extended the tournament agreement with the Scottrade Center Hammer Throw for the second-consecutive year.

that will keep Arch Madness in St. Louis through at least 2018. During the 2011
MVC Championship, the league surpassed 1 million in total attendance for The summer of 2015 yielded two major announces on the TV front, as ESPN

the event, now in its 27th year in the Gateway City. The tournament, in 2016, and the Missouri Valley Conference announced a 10-year extension to their
celebrated its 40th anniversary overall.
current media rights agreement that will provide increased coverage of
Conference events across ESPN platforms through 2023-24. As part of the

While the success of men’s deal – which continues a business relationship that began in 1986 – ESPN, SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT HISTORY
basketball has received the the Missouri Valley Conference and its 10 member institutions will work jointly
greatest attention, the overall to develop in-house production capabilities at each campus that will provide Year Champion
Runner-up Host
1983 MSU
WIU WIU
performance of league signi cantnationalcoverageformultiplesportsonESPN3andhands-on 1984 WIU
MSU MSU
teams in virtually every educational opportunities for students. As a result, ESPN3 will showcase a
1985 ILS
BU WIU
sport continues to raise minimumof820eventsayear(aminimumof70men’sbasketball)inthe nal 1986 INS
BU BU
the national pro le of the six years of the agreement on the league’s co-branded network (The Valley 1987 WIU
MSU ILS
Conference.
on ESPN3).
1988 ILS
WIU MSU
1989 WSU
INS UNI
In women’s basketball in Additionally, CBS Sports and the MVC are in the midst of a multi-year
1990 UNI
WIU SIU
2016, four Valley teams agreement to televise Valley basketball games on the CBS Television Network 1991 SIU
ILS WSU
reached post-season play. and CBS Sports Network. The deal, which begins this season and continues 1992 WIU
SIU DU
MVC Tournament champ through 2019-20, is through a sublicense agreement with ESPN. CBS Sports
1993 DU
ILS CU
Missouri State represented has televised the men’s basketball tournament nal since 2006.
1994 DU
MSU MSU
the league in the NCAA 1995 ILS
WSU INS

Tournament, and the Lady Notably, the 2016 men’s basketball tournament marked the return as State 1996 MSU
BU ILS
Bears were joined by Drake Farm Insurance as the event’s title sponsor. The Valley remains the only 1997 MSU
DU UNI
(WNIT), UNI (WNIT) and college athletics conference that State Farm sponsors, and State Farm 1998 MSU
UNI UE

Southern Illinois (WBI) hasbeenasponsoroftheconferencesince1984, rstasanadvertiseron 1999 CU
UNI WSU
in post-season play. The league TV games. State Farm last had naming rights of the men’s basketball 2000 ILS
CU BU
Panthers reached the championship in 2012.
2001 ILS
CU CU
third round of the WNIT. 2002 UE
ILS ILS
Meanwhile, the Conference The seeds for the creation of the Conference were planted by eight 2003 CU
UE UE

remains committed to administrators representing ve institutions, who met at the Midland Hotel in 2004 CU
SIU SIU
keeping the tournament at Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 12, 1907. The ve schools which formed the Missouri 2005 CU
WSU WSU
a neutral site. The women’s Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association were Washington University of St. 2006 MSU
WSU CU

tournament, tagged “Hoops Louis, and the state universities of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Two 2007 CU
SIU ISU
in the Heartland,” will months after the initial meeting, two more schools -- Drake University and Iowa 2008 DU
MSU SIU
2009 BU
CU BU
compete in the iWireless State College -- were admitted.
Center in Moline, Ill., for the 2010CU SIU DU
second time in 2017 as part League members include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana 2011 MSU DU MSU

of a multi-year agreement State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and 2012 ILS SIU SIU
to conduct the league’s WichitaState.CentralArkansasandSouthernIllinoisEdwardsvilleareaf liate 2013 UNI UE CU
2014 BU LOY ILS
post-season tournament at members in men’s soccer; Dallas Baptist is an af liate member for baseball;
a neutral site in the Quad Arkansas-Little Rock is an af liate member in women’s swimming and diving; 2015 INS MSU WSU
Cities.
and Stony Brook competes as an af liate member in men’s and women’s 2016 WSU
Drake SIU

tennis.

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