Southern faces Alabama State in SWAC opener

The Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament returns today to Southern’s Lee-Hines Field for the first time since 2003, but the Jaguars are far from the dominant favorite they were with Rickie Weeks tearing up the basepaths.

This one, with a new format concluding with a single, TV-friendly championship game, features teams with plenty to prove.

Photo: SU Jaguars Romey Bracey.

The tournament will be divided into two four-team brackets of double-elimination play. The survivors of those brackets meet at 1 p.m. Sunday for a single, winner-take-all game on ESPNU.

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What is causing decline in black baseball players?

Kaylum Graham was like a lot of future E.E. Smith High School athletes.

As a youth, he played many sports — baseball among them. But faced with tough choices entering high school, his passion for baseball waned.

“I felt there was a better chance for me to go to college playing basketball and football, so I stuck with the other two,” he said.

Those are among the common reasons given to explain a national decline in black athletes in baseball.

It’s been documented at the major league level, but it’s also evident in the high school ranks in Cumberland County. A Fayetteville Observer study reveals that only 40 of 152 (26 percent) varsity baseball players in Cumberland County are black. As a whole, 51.4 percent of Cumberland County students are black.

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Southern University sweeps to SWAC West title

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Southern University baseball coach Roger Cador could tell his team was ready when the Jaguars took infield practice Saturday.

SU took that intensity into the games, with two big first-inning outbursts that carried the Jaguars to a doubleheader sweep and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title 7-5 and 9-3 at Prairie View.

Photo: Southern University baseball coach Roger Cador team has a 25-15, 17-6 Western Division record.

Ignited by James Armstrong’s solo home run, Southern took a 5-0 lead to start the first game. And the Jaguars took a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the second game.

“The kids wanted it today,” Cador said. “For the first time all year, I saw something. They took the field to take infield like I’d never seen them do. It was their body language, their approach. I knew we had a chance.”

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Texas Southern signs Armondo Barbour

Armondo Barbour is a true student-athlete, combining the parts equally to produce a bright future within both the chalk lines of a baseball diamond and the chalk-etched walls of a classroom.

A senior at Salesian High in Richmond, Barbour recently signed a baseball scholarship to play at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. However, unlike most college-bound athletes who first gain recognition for their prowess on the field of play, academics helped the American Canyon native get his foot in the door.

After deciding he wanted to attend college, Barbour's journey began with a little research, investigating possible schools he would like to attend. He was considering a couple of California schools, but was also examining options a little further from home.

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Gavion, Brooks power Southern over Grambling

Sunday was all about how Southern started.

Michael Gavion’s hustle negated the loss of Romey Bracey, and pitcher Sherrard Brooks had yet another strong outing as Southern walloped Grambling, 21-9, in a Western Division showdown game at Lee-Hines Field.

Hitting at the top of the order for Bracey, who missed his fourth straight game with a wrist injury, Gavion went 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs. Most important: Gavion beat out the throw on two infield hits in the first and third innings to ignite two-run and nine-run outbursts.

Meanwhile, Brooks (5-1) won his third straight divisional game since entering the weekend rotation. The Jaguars have scored 12, 17 and 21 runs in those three wins.

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Pine Bluff’s Torii Hunter at home in L.A., continues to be a force on, off the field

Photo: Los Angeles Angels superstar Torii Hunter has provided UAPB with $500,000 in seed money to build an on campus baseball only stadium. The facility will be named in honor of Hunter, who never attended college.

Torii Hunter has won seven Gold Glove awards. He’s been named an American League All-Star twice. And the new contract he recently signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim makes him one of the wealthiest professional athletes in the world today.

The day the Pine Bluff native was taken 20th overall in the 1993 amateur baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins, he could’ve left his hometown and never looked back, like many athletes tend to do. But that’s not Hunter.

“I just like to help people,” Hunter said modestly. “And I’m in the position to do it.”

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Jones, Schalch push FAMU by Alabama St.

Photo: FAMU Outfielder Jared Grace, 6-5/210 junior, Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola Junior College.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Tim Jones homered in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie and Tim Schalch added a couple insurance runs in the ninth to lead Florida A&M (14-18) past Alabama State 6-3 in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday.

Schalch also picked up the win after pitching a complete game on the mound. He held the Hornets (13-16) scoreless and with only three hits until the seventh when ASU scored three runs to tie the game. After Jones' homer in the eighth put the Rattlers up 4-3, Schalch doubled home Jared Grace and Jared Jeffries for the final tally.

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Grambling splits pair of games against reigning SWAC champ Prairie View

Grambling State began its final conference homestand of the season on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader split against visiting Prairie View A&M University. Holding a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, Grambling’s Brent Smith smacked a three-run homer to propel the Tigers to a 9-5 win in game one.

Prairie View jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the third and led 1-0 but GSU tied the game in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Manny Kumar. The Tigers moved ahead 3-1 in the fourth after Prairie View starter Charlie Aceto issued a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk.

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Grambling’s Rey reminds: West isn’t quite won

GRAMBLING. LA — Holding a three-game divisional lead means little when the two-time defending league champions are in the other dugout. That’s been second-year Grambling baseball coach Barret Rey’s pulpit-pounding sermon all week.

“The confidence is coming,” Rey said, “but I don’t want them to get overconfident. We haven’t accomplished anything yet.” That may be overstating things a bit.

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Southern takes victory at Nicholls

THIBODAUX, LA — Four Southern University pitchers held Nicholls State to one run on three hits, defeating the Colonels, 6-1, on Wednesday night at Ray E. Didier Field. The Colonels fell to 6-26 on the season, while Southern improved to 15-11.

Belfred Pryer (1-0) threw five innings of one-hit baseball, walking one batter and striking out two. Pryer faced just 17 batters in picking up his first win. Nicholls State starter Nathan Quebedeaux (0-1) allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits while giving up two walks in two innings.

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Alcorn State Braves to play Arkansas Razorbacks, April 16

Photo: #25 Alcorn State head baseball coach Willie “Rat” McGowan, Sr.

Press Release: University of Arkansas Athletic Media Relations

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas has added a game to its 2008 baseball schedule and will host Alcorn State University Braves at Baum Stadium on Wednesday, April 16, at 6:35 p.m.

Alcorn State is 19-6 on the year which included a 14-game winning streak in March. Since that time, the Braves have lost five of their last eight games including two of three from Jackson State two weeks ago.

The Razorbacks added games to the 2008 schedule after missing three dates due to inclement weather. Arkansas’ first weather outage came on Feb. 26 against Southeast Missouri State followed by rainouts on March 28 against Vanderbilt and April 2 against Mississippi Valley State. Unused tickets to any 2008 regular season game will be honored for admission to the April 16 contest. Tickets may also be purchased on game day at Baum Stadium.

For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit http://www.hogwired.com/ and for Alcorn State athletics, visit http://alcornsports.com/.

Southern Jaguars hurting with Nicholls up next

Southern’s baseball team is on a roll, but limping badly as the Jaguars head into a midweek road game at Nicholls State. SU and the Colonels take the diamond at Ray Didier Field in Thibodaux at 6:30 p.m. today.

“We’re limping pretty darn bad right now,” Jaguars coach Roger Cador said. “But we’ve played relatively well despite our physical condition.” That condition hit the SU pitching corps hard over the weekend when starters Chase Richard and Jarrett Maloy went down with injuries. Richard suffered an arm injury that a team doctor said could cause him to miss a couple of weeks.

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Southern routs Jackson State, 20-5

James Armstrong hit for the cycle, driving in seven runs and scoring five as Southern completed a sweep of Jackson State with a 20-5 rout Sunday in Jackson, Miss. The game was called after eight innings because of darkness.

Southern’s Victor Franklin was 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and three RBIs as the Jaguars improved to 14-11 on the season. “We swung the bat well and pitched well until (starter) Jarrett Maloy got hurt,” Southern coach Roger Cador said. “It just doesn’t make any sense that we have all these kids hurt. It’s unfortunate.”

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UAPB Golden Lions split double header with Prairie View

The opening pitch was perhaps a symbolic gesture of the type of day it was going to be for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Golden Lions booted a routine grounder by Rashad White to open the day, and Prairie View A&M went on to take advantage of five UAPB miscues in an 8-2 victory in the opening game a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series on Saturday at Regional Park.

UAPB came back in the second game of the doubleheader to defeat Prairie View 9-5.

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Southern Jaguars claim pair of wins

Make it three in a row for the Southern University baseball team. The Jaguars beat Jackson State, 3-1, and Chicago State, 8-3, on Saturday afternoon at Lee-Hines Field. Southern (13-11) had beaten Chicago State 9-2 on Friday night.

On Saturday, freshmen pitchers Chase Richard and Kyle Wahl turned in strong performances for the Jaguars. “Both of our freshmen did good jobs,” Southern coach Roger Cador said. “It’s promising when you have freshmen come through for you.”

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Southern knocks off Chicago State

Talbot throttles Jaguars in 9-2 victory

Southern University had six strong innings out of freshman pitcher Jordan Talbot and broke away with four runs in the third inning to beat Chicago State 9-2 Friday night at Lee-Hines Field.

Talbot (1-0) made his second appearance his longest of the season. He picked up his first career victory allowing two runs and five hits, while striking out five.

“Jordan and (Joesph) Hughes threw the ball well,” SU coach Roger Cador said. “We really needed it because we still have 27 innings to play this weekend with three more nine-inning games.

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Injuries force Southern's Cador to look at reserves

Photo: Southern University catcher Michael Thomas tags out LSU runner at home plate.

Though the Southern baseball schedule is awfully busy, as the Jaguars get ready to play an unusual, four-game, out-of-division weekend set, this is also the last time SU can rest some players.

That’s important, because SU’s roster continues to nurse a host of injuries as the Jaguars keep an eye on being strong for the second round of divisional play and then the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in May.

Southern (10-11) hosts Chicago State (3-22) at 6 p.m. today and stages a doubleheader of two nine-inning games Saturday, first playing Eastern Division leader Jackson State (18-12) at noon and then Chicago State at 4 p.m., at Lee-Hines Field.

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Relief pitcher Ross stymies Southern in LSU Tigers’ 8-3 win

Photo: (L) LSU Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri; and (R) SU Jaguars Coach Roger Candor.

What was shaping up as a thriller between crosstown rivals — with Southern’s Human Jukebox grooving a cozy full house and seven runs already on the scoreboard — got quelled quickly when LSU coach Paul Mainieri made the unusual move of going to the bullpen in the second inning.

Freshman Austin Ross answered the extremely early call.

Ross struck out eight and walked one, scattering four hits, in getting his first collegiate win and making his longest appearance as LSU won 8-3 Tuesday night, in front of 660 fans, the band and onlookers from the Harding Blvd. overpass, at Lee-Hines Field.

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Southern University baseball is 2-43 all-time against LSU.

LSU opens key week at Southern Jaguars

Paul Mainieri gathered the LSU baseball team near first base Sunday at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., fresh off its only victory of a three-game series at Florida.

LSU (16-10) will play Southern (10-10) at 6 p.m. today at Lee-Hines Field. "Playing Southern at Southern will be tough,” Mainieri said. “Centenary’s been playing good ball. They beat Arkansas the other day. That’s not going to be an easy game."

“All the pressure is on LSU to win,” Cador said. “There’s no pressure on us. LSU better come in, and they’d better be able to beat us by a whole bunch of runs, or people are going to think there’s something wrong.”

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Golden Lions bounce back with pair of victories over Texas Southern

After Arkansas-Pine Bluff lost 15-2 to Texas Southern on Friday, the Golden Lions’ morale was at an all-time low.

My, how quickly things can change.

Daniel Gathright pitched a complete game and UAPB pounded out 18 hits in a 15-9 win over the Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader, and the Golden Lions scored 10 runs in the final three innings — including five in the bottom of the ninth — of the nightcap to pull off a thrilling 12-11 victory to take their first Southwestern Athletic Conference series of the season on Saturday at Regional Park.

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