Jackson State Holds Off Powerful Alabama State to Claim Second Straight SWAC Baseball Title

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Photo from Jackson State Athletics Media 

What looked to be the best HBCU team in college baseball claiming their first ever conference title turned out to be a veteran squad becoming a back-to-back championship winning team.

The Jackson State Tigers defeated heavily-touted Alabama State 9-8 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball championship game Sunday in New Orleans to claim their second straight SWAC title.

The Tigers (31-23) rallied from a 5-2 lead in the fourth inning, getting three runs to tie the game up.  Alabama State's Dexter Price gave the Hornets their final lead with an RBI single an inning later.  But in the sixth, Alabama State pitcher Hunter McIntosh walked two Tigers, with JSU's Melvin Rodriguez driving in one run and another scoring on a throwing error.  Bryce Taylor's sacrifice fly ended the three-run inning and gave Jackson State an 8-6 lead.  The Tigers held off Alabama State from there to claim the 9-8 win.

Jackson State pitcher Desmond Russell, the SWAC's strike out leader, fanned three over five innings and had two hits and an RBI in being named the tournament  Most Valuable Player.  Reliever Alexander Juday added three strikeouts over two innings and was also named to the All-Tournament team.

"Our kids battled their butts off," Jackson State coach Omar Johnson told the New Orleans Advocate newspaper Sunday.  "We're fortunate the guys came out and did the job that they did.  I give all the credit to our players.  Alabama State's an awesome team. They're well-coached.  They had an outstanding year."

The Tigers repeat as SWAC champions, a feat the program has achieved four times, the last time in 1994 and 1995.  It's the 16th SWAC baseball title for Jackson State.  The Tigers receive the SWAC's automatic NCAA tournament bid and finds out on May 26 who they will play when pairings are announced at noon eastern time on ESPNU.

Alabama State (37-20) could also make the NCAA tournament after a strong season in which they beat one of the nation's perennial leaders, the University of Miami.  They finished 21-3 in the SWAC losing only to Alcorn State, Alabama A&M and Jackson State.  But the Hornets were 5-1 against Jackson State before their loss Sunday.

"Our expectations were to be in this situation," said Alabama State head coach Mervyl Hernandez, according to AlabamaStateSports.com. "We were not fortunate enough to win.  I still believe we have one of the better teams in this conference, if not the best. Today we were one run worse than the opponent."

Rose Burke Named Women's Volleyball Coach at Virginia State

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Rose Burke, a former assistant at Florida International and Morgan State, has been named the new head volleyball coach at Virginia State.

Burke replaces Ivana Rich who was hired as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina after a 17-11 season (14-2 in CIAA play) 2013 season.

Burke was a successful recruiter in two years at Morgan State (2010-2012).  Her first recruits took the Bears program from fifth to second in one year.  Burke spent the past year as an assistant at Florida International, where FIU won the 2009 Sun Belt Conference title and was ranked among the nation's top 25 women's volleyball teams.

As a player, she was a four year starter at California State-Sacremento and twice earned All-Conference honors in 2007 and 2008.

"I am excited to come into program that has already proven they can compete in the CIAA," Burke said.  "I am looking forward to taking an already strong team and growing it to compete at the next level."

  

Grant Replaces Fang As Coppin State Basketball Coach

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

New Coppin State mens basketball coach Michael Grant (center) is introduced. (Photo by Coppin State Sports Information)

Michael Grant is no stranger to replacing legends.

In 2003, he took over the Southern basketball program after Ben Jobe retired.  And now he will be the head basketball coach at Coppin State where Ronald "Fang" Mitchell wasn't brought back for a 29th season.

“This was another opportunity for me to build a program,” Grant said, according to the school's athletic department web site. “I am excited to be here and looking forward to playing an exciting brand of basketball."

Grant takes over from Mitchell who in 28 years won 429 games and made Coppin State a feared team to play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The 1990s were their heyday when they won nine of ten MEAC tournaments and made three NCAA tournament fields.  But the last ten years have been anything but successful as the Eagles have finished below .500 in nine of the past ten season. Their last NCAA tourney appearance was in 2008 and they finished 12-20 this season. 

Mitchell's contract wasn't renewed for another year.

Grant comes from Stillman in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference where he has had a 100-73 record in six seasons.  He was 25-31 from 2003 to 2005 with Southern.

“We believe he’s the best fit for our program,” said Coppin State athletic director Derrick Ramsey. “He has experience replacing a legendary coach, which is important. We’re excited to have coach Grant join the Coppin State family.”

 Grant said Eagles fans should get used to a team that will run and score.

"There will be nobody in this conference that will be able to play the way I play," he said. "

We’re going to get up and down the floor. We’re going to run and press. Every team that I’ve coached over the last 15 years, we’ve led the conference in scoring. Our goals are to make sure we’re scoring over 80 points per game and leading the conference in rebounding and steals.”

Bowie State Athletic Director Leaves for Same Position at Hartford

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Bowie State is looking for a new athletic director after Anton Goff resigned to take the same position with the University of Hartford.

Goff had led the Bowie State athletic department since 2010.

“I thank the Bulldog Nation and the entire Bowie State University community for the support that not only I received, but the athletics department received in general from day one,” said Goff, according a story on the school's athletic web site. “The experience I had at Bowie State was incredible, we’ve done a lot of things together and I truly believe the program is heading in the right direction. I believe the next AD has a great base to start with.”

Bowie State president Mickey L. Bumim didn't immediately indicate the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's school's plans to find another athletic director.

“Anton Goff has done a tremendous job as our university’s athletic director and his departure will be a great loss,” Bowie State President Mickey L. Bumim said in the news release. ““We share in his excitement about the new opportunity and wish him well.”

Alabama State Baseball Rides Strong Season, And a Win Over Powerful Miami, Into SWAC Tourney

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

(Photo from SWAC.org)

Next week when the Southwestern Athletic Conference sees its first pitch in the conference baseball tournament, there will no question about who the top-seeded team will be.

How Alabama State got there is the story though.

The Hornets have blazed through the 2014 season 21-3 in the SWAC and 34-19 overall, giving the most wins in a season in program history. One of those non-conference victories was a huge stunner on May 4 over perennial national power, then fourth-ranked Miami.

"Every win is a building block to where we want to be," said Head Coach Mervyl Melendez after the Miami win.  "We have to continue to work hard and continue to get better."

The Hornets do it with solid hitting and pitching.  They lead the SWAC in hitting, ,RBIs, hits, runs, homers, fielding, are second ERA (4.15). 

Waldyvan Estrada, a junior outfielder, leads the team with a .346 batting average and is one of the SWAC leaders in hits and RBIs.  Junior infielders Einar Muniz and Emmanuel Marrero are also two of the of the conference's best hitters.  Pitcher Joseph Camacho nine wins and 2.36 ERA leads a solid pitching staff.

It's a Hornets squad that doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but they sting opponents with steady hitting and strong pitching.

That means a tough match-up for SWAC foes in the baseball tourney, set for May 14-18 in New Orleans. 

"We accomplished what we wanted to, which was the number one seed (in the SWAC's Eastern Division)," said Melendez. "We didn't set a mark in victories, conference or overall. We set out to get the number one seed. We were able to accomplish that. We have to go into that (SWAC Tournament beginning May 14) and play hard, and we have to play our game."

Chowan's Natalya Kamenshchikova and Natalia Andrade Lead CIAA All Conference Women's Tennis Team

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

(photo from Chowan University website)

With 23 wins this year, Chowan's Natalya Kamenshchikova has been named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Women's Tennis Player of the Year. for 2014.

Kamenshchikova, a junior from Novosibirsk, Russia, was 12-1 in CIAA play and won 21 overall in the number one singles position for Chowan.

She leads the CIAA Women's All-Conference tennis squad which has four of her teammates on the team.

Her teammate, freshman Natalia Andrade, was named CIAA Rookie of the Year.  Andrade, from Boctucatu, Brazil, was 10-0 in conference singles play this year and was 12-0 in doubles play in 2014 with teammate and fellow All-CIAA performer Breanne Johnson.  Other Chowan players on the All Conference team are Jessica DeBackre and Holly Stambaugh.

Three Shaw Bears - juniors Claudia Silva and Gislaine Farias, along with senior Jessica Medina - are also on the team.  Rounding out the All Conference team are Victoria Ogundipe and Khadija Battle from Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone's Shondra Redfern and Brittany Uzell from Virginia State.

Winston-Salem State Outfielder Ray Crawford Leads All-CIAA Baseball Picks

(picture from Winston-Salem State)

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.


The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named their 2014 All-Conference baseball team, which is led by Player of the Year Ray Crawford, a big-hitting outfielder from Winston-Salem State. 

Crawford, a junior, led the conference with 60 runs batted in, dinged five home runs and had the CIAA's second-best batting average at .389.  He  also led the conference in hits in 2014.

Joining Crawford on the CIAA first team is Virginia State pitcher Colton Gunn.  Gunn was nearly unbeatable this season, going 10-1 with a 3.56 ERA.  He was second in the CIAA in strikeouts with   73 over 73 innings, and had six complete games.

St. Augustine pitcher Bryan Rivera, who also had ten wins and led the CIAA in strikeouts with 76, also made the first team.  Joining them were Virginia State freshman catcher David Markins; Chowan DH Ryan Moore; Chowan's utility player, Tyler Burden; St. Augustine's first baseman William Thomas; Winston-Salem State second baseman Rafael Gonzalez; Virginia State third baseman Joshua Markins; Virginia State shortstop Nicholas Christopher; and outfielders Crawford, Leland Clemmons, and Gavin Culler, all from Winston-Salem State. 

Chowan's Tanner Woods, a third baseman who hit .310 with 14 doubles among his 40 hits this season, was named the CIAA's Rookie of the Year.

To see the rest of the All-Conference CIAA baseball team, go to http://www.theciaa.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/140415_allconf-all-rookie-poy-roy