Southern hopes FBS pair sets up SWAC title run

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University will lead into its Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule by facing two FBS opponents.

The Jaguars' 11-game schedule, announced Tuesday, will begin with a Sept. 3 visit to ULM and a Sept. 10 trip to Tulane.

They will then play their SWAC and home opener against Alabama State on Sept. 17. In addition, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Oct. 22, homecoming), Texas Southern (Nov. 5) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 19) will pay visits to A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Coach Dawson Odums' squad will have road conference games at Alabama A&M (Sept. 24), Jackson State (Oct. 15), Alcorn State (Oct. 29) and Prairie View A&M (Nov. 12).

The regular season wraps up Nov. 26 against Grambling State in the 43rd Bayou Classic at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Southern, the 2013 SWAC champion and 2014 finalist, finished 6-5 last season, including 6-3 in the SWAC.

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ASU Hornets Take Game One At Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi – The Alabama State baseball team took game one of its three-game weekend series at Jackson State with a 7-4 over the Tigers at Braddy Field.

Alabama State improved to 21-12 overall, 13-0 in league play as the Hornets won game one of a conference series for the 10^th straight time. Jackson State falls to 17-13, 6-4.

Trailing 2-1 after one inning, the score remained the same until the fifth. Oscar Priouleau and Yamil Pagan walked to lead off the inning. Following a sacrifice bunt by Diandre Amion advanced the runners, Carlos Ocasio walked to load the bases. Dillon Cooper's walk scored Prioleau to tie the game at 2-2.

Perhaps the play of the game came in the next at-bat, as Chris Biocic's head first slide into first base negated a would be inning-ending double play as Pagan scored from third for a 3-2 lead. Ray Hernandez' single to left scored Ocasio for a 4-2 ASU lead.

"More than anything else, you want effort. You want your guys to give effort," Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez said of Biocic's play that turned what could have been a tied game at 2-2 at the end of the inning into a three-run lead. "Chris didn't have a good at-bat in grounding to the shortstop, but what he did after that was the key to the game. That's what we want our guys to do. In spite of what you do, give effort, and play hard. Chris has always played hard, and because of his effort, it made what could have been a one-run inning a three-run inning."

The Hornets added three huge eighth-inning insurance runs, all with two outs. Pagan's triple down the right field line scored Prioleau to extend the lead to 5-2. Amion then doubled to left center, scoring Pagan for a 6-2 lead. Ocasio then doubled to right center, scoring Amion for a 7-2 lead.

Joseph Camacho (6-0) won his 27^th straight game as the Hornets won for the 31^st time in his last 32 starts. After allowing two first-inning runs, he kept Jackson State off the scoreboard over the final seven innings. He allowed five hits, walked three and struckout seven.

Ocasio went 3-for-4, and Amion 2-for-4 as the Hornets extended their winning streak to five games. Game two of the series is Saturday at 3 p.m., with the live radio broadcast beginning at 2:45 p.m. on bamastatesports.com.

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COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC's draft candidates stronger than SWAC's

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- There's great tradition with MEAC and SWAC football, but neither FCS conference remains the pipeline they once were for NFL teams.

The two conferences of historically black colleges and universities used to combine annually on 20 to 30 selections in the NFL Draft during the 1960s and '70s and remained in double figures in the '80s and '90s.

Such Pro Football Hall of Famers as Elvin Bethea (North Carolina A&T), Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), Willie Lanier (Morgan State), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State) and Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore) were drafted from MEAC schools, and the SWAC produced greats such as Mel Blount (Southern), Buck Buchanan and Willie Davis (Grambling State), Walter Payton (Jackson State) and Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State).

Two years ago, no MEAC or SWAC player was chosen - the only time that has happened in the NFL's common draft era, which began in 1967.

Last year, there was one fourth-round selection from each FCS-level conference, the Arizona Cardinals taking Delaware State nose tackle Rodney Gunter from the MEAC and the Baltimore Ravens picking Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker from the SWAC. Walker died March 18 from injuries suffered in a dirt bike accident.

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Wins for XU Goreau, Flowers, but Southern prevails 5-2

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana got women's singles victories from Charlene Goreau and Brion Flowers, but Southern University swept the doubles and won the dual match 5-2 Wednesday at XU Tennis Center.
    
The Lady Jaguars (6-7) defeated the Gold Nuggets (8-10) for the first time in three tries. Xavier was seeking its first 3-dual win streak against Southern since 2007-09.
    
Southern swept the doubles, then clinched when Darnesha Moore defeated Jana van der Walt 6-4, 6-1 on the second singles court. Goreau, a freshman winning for the 12th time in her last 13 decisions, defeated Laura Syori 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1, and Flowers beat Rufaro Chirewa 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4.
    
Southern's other singles victory came from Nicki Neal in a 6-0, 6-3 decision against Tess Guarino at No. 6. The Lady Jaguars won 8-6 at both of the top two doubles flights and got an 8-1 victory at No. 3 from Syori and XU transfer Amanda Materre against Sha'Nel Bruins and Dasia Harris.
    
Next for Xavier's women and men will be Jackson State at 1 p.m. Sunday at XU. Both XU teams are playing their final six regular-season duals against NCAA Division I opponents.
    
NOTES:  It was the second time in the last three duals and the third time this season that the Gold Nuggets dropped all three doubles matches . . . The Gold Nuggets are 2-3 this season against NCAA DIs . . . XU coach Alan Green announced a date and time change for women's and men's duals at the University of New Orleans. New dates will be April 18 for the women and April 19 for the men. Start time of both will be 2 p.m. The original playing date was April 15.

Results

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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ASU adds JUCO transfer Young-Battle to QB mix

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Brian Jenkins has added Jujuan Young-Battle to the quarterback competition at Alabama State.

A junior college transfer from Ellsworth Community College in Iowa, Young-Battle threw for 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns in 11 games last season.

Jenkins saw the Orlando native play at Jones High and said he’s been following him ever since. When asked who No. 4 was after Friday’s spring practice, Jenkins played coy at first, but ultimately let the cat out the bag as he foresees a bright future for Young-Battle at ASU.

“He has a chance to be a really good player,” Jenkins said about Young-Battle, who also played receiver in high school.



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3 from XU are repeat winners of GCAC weekly awards

 NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Sha'Nel Bruins, Thomas Setodjiand Christopher Kennie, no strangers to Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player and/or Performer of the Week awards, were honored again Tuesday for their efforts March 28-April 3.
     
Bruins won in GCAC women's tennis for the third consecutive week, the fifth time this season and the sixth time in her career. Setodji, a freshman, won in men's tennis for the third time. Kennie is the men's field performer for the second consecutive week and the fourth time in his career.
     
Bruins, a junior from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, won in doubles and singles against NCAA Division I Prairie View A&M and helped Xavier win that dual 6-3. She also won in singles against NAIA No. 11 Northwestern Ohio. Bruins' five GCAC weekly awards are the second-most ever in a season by an XU women's tennis player.
     
Setodji, from Domont, France, was 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles. Setodji and Kevin Chaouat defeated the ITA's second-ranked NAIA doubles team, Daniel Rueda and Thommy Johansson of Northwestern Ohio, 8-6 en route to a 6-3 Xavier dual victory — Xavier's first-ever dual team victory against an NAIA top-5 opponent. Setodji also recorded singles victories against Prairie View A&M and Louisiana-Lafayette.
   
Kennie, a senior from New Orleans and a graduate of Holy Cross High School, produced a career best of 6.65 meters (21 feet, 10 inches) in the long jump at the Mississippi College Twilight Invitational. Kennie's mark in this event is the best by an XU student-athlete this season.
   
 Next competition for these XU teams:
     •  Women's tennis:  2 p.m. Wednesday vs. Southern at XU Tennis Center — note that the start time has been moved up one hour.
     •  Men's tennis:  1 p.m. Sunday vs. Jackson State at XU Tennis Center. The XU women also will play Jackson State at this site and time.
     •  Men's and women's track and field:  9 a.m. Saturday in the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational at Natchitoches, La.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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XU Gold Rush, Nuggets defeat Prairie View A&M at home

NEW ORLEANS — For the 18th time in Alan Green's 13 seasons as Xavier University of Louisiana coach, his teams defeated an NCAA Division I opponent on the same day.
     
The Gold Rush, ranked third in the NAIA, beat Prairie View A&M 7-2 Saturday at XU Tennis Center. The Gold Nuggets, ranked 15th, defeated the Lady Panthers 6-3.
    
Thomas Setodji, Kevin Chaouat and Kyle Montrel won in doubles and singles for the Rush (11-3). Setodji clinched with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Christian Waldron, giving the XU men their sixth consecutive victory and 11th in their last 12 dual matches.
     
Brion Flowers, Brandi Nelson and Sha'Nel Bruins won in doubles and singles for the Nuggets (8-9). Flowers clinched with her 6-2, 6-1 victory against Stacy Lackey.
     
Green's Rush and Nuggets pulled off the DI double for the first time on Feb. 28, 2003, against Prairie View. XU has beaten the Panthers and Lady Panthers on the same day four times. Xavier's other four-time same-day DI victims during the Green era are Alcorn State and Jackson State.
     
Against DI opponents this season, the Gold Rush are 3-3, and the Gold Nuggets are 2-2.
     
Xavier's men will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette for duals at noon and 4 p.m. Sunday. The XU women will play Southern at 3 p.m. Wednesday at XU Tennis Center.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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