Who is DBU in college baseball? Taking a look at the D1 program 

Dallas Baptist University (DBU) has been quietly making a name for itself in college baseball in recent years. Known as the Patriots, the program's inception happened in 1970 and they made their Division I debut 34 years later, competing as an Independent. In fact, they are the only Division II member that competes in Division I baseball.

In 2013, the Patriots moved to the Western Athletic Conference and then moved to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) the next year. After competing in the conference for eight years, they moved to Conference USA in the 2023 season.

The Patriots are currently led by Dan Heefner, who took over as head coach from Eric Newman back in 2008. In his first season, Heefner took the Patriots to the postseason for the first time in Division I. Under him, the Patriots have made the postseason 15 times and have an active streak of making 10 consecutive postseasons, the fifth-longest today.

The Dallas Baptist Patriots have been thriving under coach Dan Heefner

They also won the MVC regular season title thrice and the MVC Tournament four times. In their debut season following the move to Conference USA, they won the regular season title with a staggering 25-5 conference record. They also won the 2011 Regional as an Independent, taking part in the Santa Clara Super Regional and the 2021 Fort Worth Regional.

Since the program's inception, 18 players have made the major leagues from it. One of their most notable alumni is three-time MLB All-Star Freddy Sanchez, who won the 2010 World Series with the San Francisco Giants.

DBU won their first Conference USA Tournament this year

After losing the Conference USA regular season title to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, the Patriots got one back at them after beating them 17-10 in the Conference USA Tournament championship game to win the title and the fifth conference tournament in their history.

The Patriots enjoyed a successful regular season this year.

They are currently taking part in the Tucson Regional as the No. 2 seed. They will take on the hosts, the Arizona Wildcats, along with the West Virginia Mountaineers and Grand Canyon Antelopes. With stars like Chayton Krauss, Grant Jay and Ryan Johnson on their roster, the Patriots will hope to defy the odds and make a deep postseason run to make 2024 an even more memorable year for them.