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OGDEN, UTAH (June 4, 2012) - In less than a month, the Big Sky Conference will officially welcome Southern Utah University and the University of North Dakota as full members, and also admit UC Davis and Cal Poly as football affiliate members.

The additions will bring the Big Sky to 11 full members and 13 football-playing schools. Four of the original six charter members of the league – Idaho State University, The University of Montana, Montana State University and Weber State University - still call the Big Sky Conference home. Northern Arizona, which joined the league in 1970, gives the Big Sky five members with at least 40 years of continuous membership.

For the first time, the Big Sky will sponsor a championship in women’s softball. Idaho State, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, and Weber State currently field teams. The University of Montana has plans to add the sport.

In football, teams will continue to play an eight-game conference schedule. Each team will play a two “rivals” each season, and rotate through the remaining teams. A tiebreaker format has been formulated to determine who will earn the league’s automatic bid to the Division I Football Championship.

dbackjon wrote:Hopefully NAU will offer softball soon.

And I wish NAU would bring back baseball!

WeberAlum02 wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Hopefully NAU will offer softball soon.

And I wish NAU would bring back baseball!

Imagine how the ball would fly off aluminum bats in the thin air of Flagstaff! Would be cool to see the conference bring back baseball. Weber already has a nice ballpark they could play in thanks to Ogden's minor league ball club.

Darell1976 wrote:Has there ever been a reason why the BSC doesn't offer baseball? Not enough teams, no interest, weather. For UND weather is always a problem with the possibility of snow or freezing temps in March or April.

dbackjon wrote:

Darell1976 wrote:Has there ever been a reason why the BSC doesn't offer baseball? Not enough teams, no interest, weather. For UND weather is always a problem with the possibility of snow or freezing temps in March or April.

Not enough schools sponsor the sport.

Weather was an issue with NAU

SACCAT wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
Not enough schools sponsor the sport.

Weather was an issue with NAU

Weather and facilities are an issue in Bozeman. U of Montana could use their Minor League complex, but Bozeman does mot have a Minor league team.

SACCAT wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
Not enough schools sponsor the sport.

Weather was an issue with NAU

Weather and facilities are an issue in Bozeman. U of Montana could use their Minor League complex, but Bozeman does mot have a Minor league team.

Catattack wrote:

SACCAT wrote:
Weather and facilities are an issue in Bozeman. U of Montana could use their Minor League complex, but Bozeman does mot have a Minor league team.

Yep. Weather, weather, and weather. If I remember correctly the Bucks field was built(renovated ?) in hopes of getting a minor league team quite a few years back and it is a pretty nice complex.

WeberAlum02 wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Hopefully NAU will offer softball soon.

And I wish NAU would bring back baseball!

Imagine how the ball would fly off aluminum bats in the thin air of Flagstaff! Would be cool to see the conference bring back baseball. Weber already has a nice ballpark they could play in thanks to Ogden's minor league ball club.

SuperHornet wrote:Screw aluminium bats.

The only REAL bat is a wood bat.

Darell1976 wrote:http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/6/4 ... 21717.aspx

OGDEN, UTAH (June 4, 2012) - In less than a month, the Big Sky Conference will officially welcome Southern Utah University and the University of North Dakota as full members, and also admit UC Davis and Cal Poly as football affiliate members.

The additions will bring the Big Sky to 11 full members and 13 football-playing schools. Four of the original six charter members of the league – Idaho State University, The University of Montana, Montana State University and Weber State University - still call the Big Sky Conference home. Northern Arizona, which joined the league in 1970, gives the Big Sky five members with at least 40 years of continuous membership.

For the first time, the Big Sky will sponsor a championship in women’s softball. Idaho State, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, and Weber State currently field teams. The University of Montana has plans to add the sport.

In football, teams will continue to play an eight-game conference schedule. Each team will play a two “rivals” each season, and rotate through the remaining teams. A tiebreaker format has been formulated to determine who will earn the league’s automatic bid to the Division I Football Championship.

I wish the BSC would add baseball along with softball, but maybe in the future. Its nice to belong to a strong and sturdy conference.

dbackjon wrote:Hopefully NAU will offer softball soon.

And I wish NAU would bring back baseball!

mtjack wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Hopefully NAU will offer softball soon.

And I wish NAU would bring back baseball!

dbackjon,

I caught an ASU softball game in April and was talking to a couple next to me about college programs in the state. They were both NAU alums and said their daughter was playing for one of the Tempe high schools and had looked into small colleges for softball. They mentioned that NAU was considering starting up softball but I am yet to see it in writing.

Playing at altitude could lead to 12-11 scores. But it would be fun. Weather in the Big Sky Conference is one thing with football. It's another with softball/baseball. Hard to play a game in a field of mud and slop.

Wildcat Ryan wrote:I would watch Weber State baseball and what better place to watch it than in the stadium of my favorite baseball team, the Ogden Raptors

Herky wrote:

Darell1976 wrote:http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/6/4 ... 21717.aspx



I wish the BSC would add baseball along with softball, but maybe in the future. Its nice to belong to a strong and sturdy conference.

UND is a terrible outlier in the conference, UND doesnt belong in the Sky!

WeberAlum02 wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:Screw aluminium bats.

The only REAL bat is a wood bat.

Don't like the PING!?

Darell1976 wrote:

Herky wrote:
UND is a terrible outlier in the conference, UND doesnt belong in the Sky!

And when UND beats Sac State you will hate us even more.

SuperHornet wrote:

WeberAlum02 wrote: Don't like the PING!?

Not only to I think that cr@ppy PING is unholy, I can't stand the idea of someone hitting one JUST RIGHT and decapitating the pitcher.

I even use wood bats for slow pitch softball. Sometimes, people freak out about how it's somehow "illegal" (generally because they've never seen it before), or they think I'll "never get a hit." Well, as far as I'm concerned, getting one of those "top of the line" carbon composite bats would just be a waste of $500 because I'm never going to put one out anyway. I'd rather drop one in front of the outfielder and be happy with a single or (rare) double. I generally play for the walk, too, so I'm happy either way.