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Postseason madness is upon us.
Florida A&M baseball will spend the week in Birmingham competing for its second Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament trophy.
The Rattlers enter the eight-team, double-elimination tournament as a No. 3 seed after ending the season with a 27-22 overall record and 22-8 mark in the SWAC. FAMU has won six straight games, last beating Texas Southern 9-8 on Saturday, May 16, in 16 innings on Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee.
“To go 22-8 in conference play, that’s quite an accomplishment,” said head coach Jamey Shouppe. “It’s been a good season. This is three seasons in a row that FAMU baseball has won 20 games in the SWAC. I’ll take that.”
FAMU opens the SWAC Tournament slate with a regular-season finale rematch against the six-seed Texas Southern (21-22). The first pitch is on Wednesday, May 20, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Rickwood Field.
The first-round opponents share Bracket A with No. 2 Southern and No. 7 Jackson State. FAMU claimed series wins over all its bracketmates in the regular season.
“It really doesn’t matter,” said Figueroa, a junior first baseman. “We’ve got to play our game, and we’ll compete with anybody, no matter what seed we are. Just got to grind.”
Bracket B features SWAC regular season champions and tournament favorites No. 1 Bethune-Cookman, No. 4 Grambling State, No. 5 Grambling State, and No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
That means FAMU won’t cross paths with Bethune-Cookman unless both teams reach the SWAC title game on Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m. The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats have been a thorn in the Rattlers side lately, beating them for the championship in 2025 and also claiming a 2-1 series win in April of this year.
Entering the SWAC Tournament, FAMU has the second-lowest earned run average, at 5.71, and has allowed the fewest hits (414) and runs (305). The bullpen is led by pitching ace Caleb Granger, Garrett Workman, and Jesus Campa.
Offensively, the Rattlers are middle of the pack in hitting statistics, seventh out of 12 teams. The team’s top five hitters are Jay Campbell (60), William Brown (58), Matthew Perez (57), Ethan Miller (45), and Jackson McKenzie (44).
“Hopefully, we can continue to pitch well, get some things going offensively, and play better defense,” Shouppe explained. “I still think there’s some plays to be made out there defensively.”
In simple terms, FAMU cannot lose two games en route to the SWAC Tournament championship game.
The title game is a do-or-die. So if a team enters Sunday’s championship undefeated and falls short, there will be no winner-take-all matchup afterward.
“It’s a new season now. It’s the postseason. That’s the only thing that matters right now,” Shouppe said. “We’re as ready as we’re going to get. Let’s go. Let’s see what happens. I’m very excited for my club and anxious to get to the postseason.”
FAMU looks to add its 2023 SWAC Championship and three conference titles in the Shouppe era, winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2015 and 2019. Those championships have clinched FAMU's three NCAA Tournament regional appearances in program history.
“On to Birmingham to the SWAC Tournament,” said Shouppe, as FAMU departed from Tallahassee on Monday, May 18.
“See if we can get to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history.”
All tournament games will be on the free SWAC TV application.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU baseball SWAC Tournament path: Can Rattlers return to title game?
Continue reading...
Florida A&M baseball will spend the week in Birmingham competing for its second Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament trophy.
The Rattlers enter the eight-team, double-elimination tournament as a No. 3 seed after ending the season with a 27-22 overall record and 22-8 mark in the SWAC. FAMU has won six straight games, last beating Texas Southern 9-8 on Saturday, May 16, in 16 innings on Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee.
“To go 22-8 in conference play, that’s quite an accomplishment,” said head coach Jamey Shouppe. “It’s been a good season. This is three seasons in a row that FAMU baseball has won 20 games in the SWAC. I’ll take that.”
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FAMU opens the SWAC Tournament slate with a regular-season finale rematch against the six-seed Texas Southern (21-22). The first pitch is on Wednesday, May 20, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Rickwood Field.
The first-round opponents share Bracket A with No. 2 Southern and No. 7 Jackson State. FAMU claimed series wins over all its bracketmates in the regular season.
“It really doesn’t matter,” said Figueroa, a junior first baseman. “We’ve got to play our game, and we’ll compete with anybody, no matter what seed we are. Just got to grind.”
Bracket B features SWAC regular season champions and tournament favorites No. 1 Bethune-Cookman, No. 4 Grambling State, No. 5 Grambling State, and No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
You must be registered for see images
That means FAMU won’t cross paths with Bethune-Cookman unless both teams reach the SWAC title game on Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m. The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats have been a thorn in the Rattlers side lately, beating them for the championship in 2025 and also claiming a 2-1 series win in April of this year.
Entering the SWAC Tournament, FAMU has the second-lowest earned run average, at 5.71, and has allowed the fewest hits (414) and runs (305). The bullpen is led by pitching ace Caleb Granger, Garrett Workman, and Jesus Campa.
Offensively, the Rattlers are middle of the pack in hitting statistics, seventh out of 12 teams. The team’s top five hitters are Jay Campbell (60), William Brown (58), Matthew Perez (57), Ethan Miller (45), and Jackson McKenzie (44).
“Hopefully, we can continue to pitch well, get some things going offensively, and play better defense,” Shouppe explained. “I still think there’s some plays to be made out there defensively.”
What must happen for FAMU baseball to win the SWAC Tournament?
In simple terms, FAMU cannot lose two games en route to the SWAC Tournament championship game.
The title game is a do-or-die. So if a team enters Sunday’s championship undefeated and falls short, there will be no winner-take-all matchup afterward.
“It’s a new season now. It’s the postseason. That’s the only thing that matters right now,” Shouppe said. “We’re as ready as we’re going to get. Let’s go. Let’s see what happens. I’m very excited for my club and anxious to get to the postseason.”
FAMU looks to add its 2023 SWAC Championship and three conference titles in the Shouppe era, winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2015 and 2019. Those championships have clinched FAMU's three NCAA Tournament regional appearances in program history.
“On to Birmingham to the SWAC Tournament,” said Shouppe, as FAMU departed from Tallahassee on Monday, May 18.
“See if we can get to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history.”
All tournament games will be on the free SWAC TV application.
Florida A&M vs Texas Southern ― SWAC Baseball Tournament
- When: Tuesday, May 24, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time
- Where: Rickwood Field in Birmingham
- How to watch: SWAC TV
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU baseball SWAC Tournament path: Can Rattlers return to title game?
Continue reading...
