"The Big East and Sun Belt conferences aren’t exactly considered two of the nation’s best, but that could be changing thanks to a few teams.

Much like their South Florida counterparts in FIU, there’s no reason why the Owls shouldn’t be consistent postseason contenders and accomplish even more than that. FAU has been led by coach John McCormack for two seasons. He guided the program to a 30-26 record two seasons ago, but took a big step forward last season with a 37-24 record and a trip to the Gainesville Regional title game. Now, the Owls welcome back several key hitters and pitchers in the spring and have a chance to do something even more special. Baseball in South Florida is about to get much better with FAU and FIU showing promise."

Rising programs helping conferences succeed