Alcorn State conjures visions of upset by TSU

Graham sees cause for Rice to be on alert

Houston, TX - When the regional pairings were announced for the NCAA baseball tournament, the Rice Owls already had a head-start on scouting reports. "They're not going to surprise us, that's for sure," Rice coach Wayne Graham said of No. 2 seed Baylor and No. 3 seed California being placed in the Houston Regional. "They've already beaten us."

Familiarity and a touch of don't-remind-us history will offer plenty of incentives why the top-seeded Owls can't overlook or underestimate the field in the four-team, double-elimination regional that begins Friday at Reckling Park.

The Owls, the No. 8 national seed, open the regional against fourth-seeded Alcorn State. The appearance of the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion offers another reminder of how quickly things can go awry in the postseason. In 2004, the Owls were the defending national champions and No. 6 national seed heading into the regional opener against Texas Southern.

HOUSTON REGIONAL
Reckling Park, Houston (Host: Rice)

No. 1 Rice (41-19, 16-8 in C-USA)
17th appearance (17 straight), automatic, Conference USA regular-season co-champion and tournament champion, No. 8 national seed

No. 2 Baylor (29-26, 13-14 in Big 12)
17th appearance (third straight), at-large, sixth place in Big 12 Conference

No. 3 California (31-20, 13-13 in Pac-10)
12th appearance (second straight), at-large, sixth place in Pacific-10 Conference

No. 4 Alcorn State (27-28, 19-4 in SWAC)
First appearance, automatic, Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion

Rice's young pitching staff was thrown into the fire immediately during the Owls' challenging nonconference schedule, as ballyhooed freshmen righthanders Austin Kubitza (6-4, 2.33) and John Simms (3-2, 3.32) each took turns in the weekend rotation when the Owls opened against Stanford. Those young power arms matured in conference play, helping lead the Owls to a share of their fifth CUSA title in the six seasons since they joined the league, as well as their fourth CUSA tournament title.

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NCAA: Alcorn State to Face Rice in Houston Regional

Lorman, MS - The Alcorn State Braves will face Rice University Friday at 6PM at Reckling Park on the campus of Rice, in Houston, Texas in one of many NCAA Regionals.

The Braves, making their first NCAA baseball appearance, will enter with a 27-28 overall record. Conference USA winner Rice enters with a 41-19 record and are ranked 8th nationally.

ASU, winners of the SWAC tournament, were primed to play in the state of Mississippi. Southern Mississippi didn't get a Regional host birth, however, and are meeting rival Mississippi State in the Atlanta Regional Friday.

Junior pitcher Steve Easter of Chicago, the SWAC leader in wins with eight, says that it doesn't really matter where the Braves are sent:" I had no preference but there were several projected sites. I and we are just happy to be going anywhere."

Easter doesn't know if he will start Friday, but would be ready: "I hadn't really thought about it, but it would really be big to start. As long as I would keep my pitches down and the defense works for me we'd be okay." Easter knows nothing about the Owl lineup, but may by Friday: "I don't know anything about them, but I have faced a couple of their players before. They are always good and them winning their conference says it all. That's all I need to know about them."

The other teams in the Houston Regional are Baylor at 29-26 and California at
31-20. They meet at 3PM Friday.

Should ASU win Friday, they would play at 6PM Saturday. Should they lose they would play at 2PM Saturday.

Games will be broadcast back to Mississippi on WPRL 91.7 FM.

By Alcorn State Athletics
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Moody's Perales sign baseball scholarship with Alcorn State

Justin Perales

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Moody's Justin Perales reached big goals Tuesday, but he has big plans for the rest of the week. Perales signed a letter of intent to play at Alcorn State, but has his focus squarely on Boerne Champion, this week's playoff opponent. The Trojans face Champion in a three-game region semifinal series beginning Thursday at Whataburger Field.

"It feels great to sign, but really it's good just to get this out of the way so we can get ready for this week," Perales said. "We've got a lot of goals left to reach, so that's where our focus is now."

Perales, Moody's first baseman, leads the team with a .438 average, and is second on the squad with 7 homers and 42 RBI.

"(Alcorn State) has been on me since the beginning," said Perales, who is expected to be used as a corner infielder and eventually hit in the middle of the lineup. "I went on a visit, and there's not a lot you can do over there. Really, all you'll be able to do is play baseball and work out, so I think that will be good for me to continue to get better."


Videographer: NCSAbaseball; Justin Perales (Baseball Recruiting Video)

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Alcorn State home of the brave

Braves tough schedule has them ready for first regional

The old saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” That quote had to pop into Alcorn State head coach Barrett Rey’s mind when he was putting together the Braves’ schedule this season.

If you take a look at the non-conference schedule Alcorn State endured this season, it reads like a who’s who of college baseball: Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi State, LSU, Wichita State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Southern Miss. Even Division I independent Dallas Baptist boasts a 39-17 record and currently ranks No. 45 in the RPI.

On paper, the Braves may have not had much success against those clubs this season, but the experience of facing them definitely prepared Alcorn State for the challenge of Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.

“There was a method behind the madness of that scheduling,” Rey said. “The guys really bought into it and understood that it wasn’t just us doing a wild schedule. It was to prepare us for this if the time arose. It prepared us for the conference tournament and going into a hostile environment.”

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Alcorn wins SWAC title

Shreveport, LA - Before Sunday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship game, Alcorn State left-hander Brent Blaum and Braves coach Barret Rey shared ties to Baton Rouge. Afterward, they shared the title of SWAC champions.

Blaum, a former LSU golfer, tossed 5 1-3 effective innings and the relentless Alcorn offense scored in double figures for the third straight tournament game as the Braves defeated Southern University, 12-6, at Fair Grounds Field to claim the tournament championship and an NCAA Regional berth.

“I never got a ring at LSU, so I finally have ...

CONTINUE

Braves Roll to First SWAC Title

Shreveport, La. - For the first time in school history, Alcorn State is celebrating a SWAC baseball championship. The Braves continued their offensive assault on the rest of the teams in the tournament with a 12-6 victory over Southern in Sunday’s championship final at Fair Grounds Field.

Tournament most valuable player, Alcorn designated hitter, Kilby Perdomo, hit his third home run in four games to give Alcorn a 1-0 lead before the Jaguars had even a chance at bat. Cameron McGriff tied the game in the bottom of the second with a solo shot of his own.

Alcorn State, however carded four run innings in the fourth and sixth, and then added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to keep the Jaguars at arm’s length all day.

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