Cal Baptist joins Big West with $1.2 million fee as conference realignment shakes up G5 schools

Conference realignment never sleeps. Cal Baptist joined Big West still young into its stay at the Division I level, moving to a different conference with a fee of $1.2 million. The Action Network's Brett McMurphy was on top of the news, breaking it on social media.

"Cal Baptist informs Big West officials it will accept an invitation to join the league & leave the WAC in 2026, sources said," McMurphy posted Wednesday on X. "Utah Valley also has a Big West invitation, but has not informed league of its decision yet, source said. Cal Baptist will pay a $1.2 million entry fee to join Big West, source said."

Cal Baptist's men's basketball team is 14-14 this season on the hardwood.

Cal Baptist joins Big West: Revisiting the Lancers' history

Cal Baptist joins Big West, still seeking its first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lancers reached the big dance at the Division II level each year from 2014 to 18, reaching the Elite Eight during the final season of that stretch.

Cal Baptist announced its plans to climb to Division I in 2017 and joined the Western Athletic Conference a year and a half later. The Lancers were eligible to reach the Division I tournament from the 2022-23 season.

"This represents a great step forward for California Baptist University and Lancer Athletics," Cal Baptist president Dr. Ronald L. Elllis said. "We are honored to ... advance CBU to NCAA Division I, the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics. I am confident that moving to D-I ... will further elevate CBU's reputation for excellence in athletics as well as academics."

Cal Baptist joins Big West in a move that isn't all that shocking. Lance Hartzler wrote last month about the reporting that Matt Brown did on the potential decision.

"Brown confirmed reports from early February that the Big West was looking toward the WAC schools after losing UC Davis and Hawaii to the new-look Mountain West," Hartzler wrote.