Kansas State nips Grambling State, 9-8‎

"Everybody loves an underdog," said James Cooper, an interim coach who's been told privately he will be retained as Grambling's skipper next season. "We noticed how they were rooting us on and how they changed the Pig Sooie chant into a Grambling chant."

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The baseball puzzle for Kansas State was seemingly completed Saturday when its leading hitter broke out of an NCAA Regional funk. Nick Martini, extra dry after an 0-for-6 start to begin the regional, got going in a big way. The co-Big 12 player of the year ripped a three-run double to the left-center-field gap to give the Wildcats an eight-run lead in the fifth inning. "I was struggling a little bit at the beginning of this," said the sophomore outfielder, "and that double helped us get ahead. From there on, we just had to stay focused."

Easier said than done.

Grambling, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 25 years as one of two teams in the field with a losing record, rallied within a run before Kansas State held on 9-8 in Baum Stadium. K-State will play at 2:05 p.m. Sunday in an elimination game against the loser of Saturday night's game between Arkansas and Washington State.

But momentum shifted in the top of the sixth when the Cats' Kent Urban was thrown out at the plate by Tigers left fielder Mychal Roby. After scoring in each of the first five innings, K-State did not score again. And Grambling caught fire. "The first five innings was the way we were hoping to draw it up," K-State coach Brad Hill said. "It didn't end up the way we wanted it to end up, but I give them a lot of credit. Sufficiently pumped, the Tigers displayed the same offensive clout as in a 19-7 loss against Arkansas the day before.

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It's Over! Grambling State University Tigers had a successful baseball season-- 2010 SWAC Champions, and found a permanent head coach in James Cooper.

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Cats Hold Off Late Rally; Advance in Regional

Kansas State holds off Grambling State 9-8

Box Score

Grambling State to face Arkansas in NCAA Opener

Arkansas will host Grambling in the first round of the NCAA's Fayetteville Regional Friday at Baum Stadium. Arkansas announced that the Hogs would playing Grambling at 2:05 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 seed Washington State and No. 3 seed Kansas State will meet in the nightcap at 7:05. The winners will advance to play Saturday night at 7:05. The losing teams will play at 2:05 in an elimination game.

The Razorbacks (40-18) will host their first regional since 2007 and fourth in seven years while the Tigers will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985. Grambling (22-29) won the SWAC Tournament championship last week to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Playing an afternoon game gives Razorbacks and Tigers a chance to get on the field first instead of waiting all day for the NCAA Tournament opener. If the Tigers win, they’ll have more than 24 hours to prepare for their next game. If they lose, they’ll still be the team with more rest heading into the elimination game. And when you’re dealing with the potential of playing four or five games in three or four days, any extra rest could prove very, very valuable.

Washington State (34-20) will travel to Fayetteville as the No. 2 seed in the regional and will face No. 3 seed Kansas State (36-20) on the first day. Arkansas and Washington State are no strangers to one another. The Razorbacks went 4-0 against the Cougars in 2009, winning 10-3 in the first game of the Norman Regional and sweeping Washington State in the season opener for both teams last year. The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will be paired with the winner of the Tempe Regional. Arizona State, the No. 1 overall seed, will headline that field.

Fayetteville Regional schedule:
Friday, June 4
Game 1 – Arkansas vs. Grambling – 2:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Washington State vs. Kansas State – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, June 5
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, June 6
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 – 7:05 p.m.
Monday, June 7 (if necessary)
Game 7 – Same teams as in Game 6 – 7:05 p.m.

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Grambling State University claims SWAC baseball tournament title

Grambling State University Tigers first year coach James Cooper wins first SWAC championship.

SHREVEPORT, LA — As the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament crawled along, the regular-season powerhouses quietly tiptoed out of Fairgrounds Field. Eventually, Grambling and Alcorn State found themselves in the championship game. Sunday afternoon, with an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament on the line, Grambling was quiet no more. The long-suffering Tigers — playing against Alcorn State University and their former coach, Barret Rey — unloaded on the Braves pitching staff and got a sterling effort from left-hander Adrian Turner in a convincing 15-2 victory.

It is the ninth SWAC championship for Grambling, but its first in 25 seasons. The Tigers hadn’t won a baseball title since 1985, when then-coach Wilbur Ellis led them to their third consecutive crown. This time, their coach is James Cooper, who, at 29 years old, took over the Grambling program last summer when Rey left after three years for the same job at Alcorn.

The Braves (28-27), who finished third in the SWAC Eastern Division, were 3-0 in the tournament heading into Sunday’s championship game, with two wins over Southern and one more against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Grambling (22-30), which finished third in the SWAC West, went undefeated in four games at Fairgrounds Field. Jackson State lost its first two games. Southern and Texas Southern flamed out Friday.

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