PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Alcorn Baseball travels to Arkansas-Pine Bluff this weekend for a key Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) three-game series taking place at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The series begins Friday, March 27, at 3 p.m.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 27
3 p.m. – at UAPB | Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark. |
Live Stats |
Watch |
Listen
Saturday, March 28
2 p.m. – at UAPB | Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark. |
Live Stats |
Watch |
Listen
Sunday, March 29
1 p.m. – at UAPB | Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark. |
Live Stats |
Watch |
Listen
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
STATS & NOTES
▪ Alcorn arrives to Pine Bluff sporting a 7-19 overall record, and a 1-5 mark within the SWAC.
▪ With seven wins already on the season, the Braves have already bettered their wins total from a season ago. Alcorn is looking to match or better eight wins, which was accomplished in 2023, and has been the most for the program in a season since pre-COVID.
▪
Jaylyn Bennett has hit safely in back-to-back games, and in eight of his last 10 outings overall. He carries a team-high .329 average coming into the weekend.
▪
Rayfield Adams III has swiped a team-high tying nine bases in 10 attempts on the base path.
▪ From his right field position on the field,
Keaten Hawk has also stolen nine bases, and is hitting at a .253 average with a team-high tying six (6) doubles.
▪
Myles Dews is 2-0 on the bump for the Braves with an 8.31 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
▪ Four different players have a three-game hitting streak coming into the UAPB series – Adams,
Julian Jarrett,
Asher Friedman and
Chance Jackson.
▪
Cooper Harris, a first baseman for the Purple and Gold, tops the squad with 19 RBIs, as well as a team-high two home runs across the campaign.
ALCORN VS. UAPB SERIES
▪ Dating back to 2009, Arkansas-Pine Bluff leads the series against Alcorn, 25-12.
▪ The Golden Lions swept last year's series in Lorman, including a thrilling 12-9 contest in game two of the three-game set.
▪ This will be the first games played in Arkansas since 2024, when the Golden Lions took two-of-three from the Braves.
▪ UAPB has won seven of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2023.
▪ The last win for the Braves was a 6-1 victory in Lorman on April 28, 2024, as Alcorn claimed the series from the Golden Lions, respectfully.
QUOTES FROM COACH HARDY
"Sweeping Tougaloo in a midweek doubleheader was big for us. Anytime you can go out there and take care of business like that, it does something for your confidence. The guys came out focused and competed for a full day of baseball, and that's exactly the kind of mentality we need to carry into the weekend."
"UAPB is a program that's been building something special over there under Coach [Stout], and we have a lot of respect for what they're doing. This is going to be a tough road series, and we know that. But our guys are excited for the challenge. You want to go compete against good teams in big environments."
"That sweep of Tougaloo showed us what we're capable of when everybody is locked in and doing their job. We got contributions up and down the lineup, and our pitching did what it needed to do. That's the standard we want to set every time we take the field."
"We're going to have to be sharp in all three phases – pitching, defense, and offensively putting together quality at-bats. UAPB doesn't give you anything for free. We'll need to be ready to play from the first pitch."
SCOUTING UAPB (10-17, 4-2 SWAC)
Rankings: D1Baseball.com – NR | USA Today Coaches – NR
Head Coach: Logan Stout (2nd season)
2026 Batting Average: .243; Runs Per Game: 4.2; Hits Per Game: 7.3; Slugging Percentage: .324
2026 ERA: 5.19; K/BB Ratio: 1.45; Opp. Batting Avg: .246
NOTING THE GOLDEN LIONS
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff dropped a SWAC series at home last weekend to Florida A&M after winning the series-opener Friday night.
▪ The Golden Lions defeated Arkansas Baptist 32-6 in midweek inside Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff is led in batting by Blake Coleman (.300) with 24 hits and two home runs, adding a .450 slugging percentage as well.
▪ Aaron Grant has a .908 OPS for the Golden Lions, as well as a team-leading three home runs and five doubles.
▪ The Golden Lions use Jalen Porter with a 2-2 record on the mound in six starts, while teammate Brendan Hamlin has a similar 2-2 record.
▪ Kenney Fabian leads the squad with a 4.41 ERA in 32.2 innings worked, also logging 22 strikeouts in seven appearances (six starts).
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (at Tougaloo)
Alcorn made it a clean sweep Tuesday at Earl Sanders Field, pounding Tougaloo 17-7 in the second game of a doubleheader to complete a dominant afternoon in Tougaloo, Mississippi.
The Braves scored in five of seven innings, racked up 17 runs on just eight hits, and ran wild on the basepaths – stealing 13 bases as a team – to close out the sweep in emphatic fashion.
Jaylyn Bennett was the offensive star of the nightcap. The Alcorn designated hitter went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, capped by a two-run home run to left-center in the fifth inning that blew the game open and pushed the lead to 12-3. Bennett also stole a base and walked once.
Chase Moore had himself a day as well, going 1-for-2 with three RBIs and two stolen bases.
Gavin Caston drove in three from the nine-hole, and
Kanious Davis – doing double duty as both a pitcher in game one and a hitter in game two – drew three walks, scored twice, and stole two bases.
Julian Jarrett added two RBIs and a stolen base.
Alcorn's second inning was a seven-run eruption that turned the game from a 2-1 lead into a sizeable advantage for the Purple and Gold.
The Braves sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame against starter Caleb Carter, who was charged with eight runs (four earned) and didn't record an out after being replaced by John Haggard. Tougaloo's defense committed four errors in the inning alone, and Alcorn took full advantage with a barrage of stolen bases.
Chance Jackson stole two in the inning, Moore stole two, and Davis swiped third base twice in the same inning to keep the pressure on.
Bennett's single to right field in the inning sparked the biggest sequence, as a throwing error by the Tougaloo shortstop allowed two runs to score. Jarrett then grounded out, but drove in two more. By the time the dust settled, Alcorn led 9-1.
The Braves had opened the scoring in the first inning without recording a single hit.
Bennett walked and stole second. Keatan Hawk was hit by pitch. After Jarrett flied out, Davis was plunked to load the bases, and Moore walked to force in the first run. As Moore's walk was being issued, Hawk broke from third and stole home to make it 2-0.
Myles Dews earned the win on the mound, improving to 2-0 on the campaign. The Alcorn starter allowed three earned runs in two innings but benefited from a big run-support cushion.
Nicholas Johnson tossed two clean innings in relief, striking out two and allowing just one hit, before Jose Cherena,
Henry Allred, and
Chase Ragas combined to finish the game.
Caleb Carter took the loss for Tougaloo, dropping to 3-4. He faced 14 batters in his 1.1 innings of work, walking four and hitting three. Haggard gave up six earned runs in three innings, and Chandler Wade, the Bulldogs' shortstop in the first game, handled the final 2.2 innings on the mound.
Tougaloo mounted a modest rally in the seventh, pushing across two runs on a Gage Lewis walk and a Camden Armon sacrifice fly, but the deficit was far too steep. The Bulldogs finished the game with five errors, which proved costly throughout. Robert Powe went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Tougaloo, while Grant Carmichael drove in two with a single to right-center in the second inning.
UP NEXT
Alcorn will host in-state opponent Mississippi Valley State to Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium for a three-game SWAC series beginning Thursday, April 2, due to it being Easter weekend.
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (
@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (
@AlcornSports) and YouTube (
Braves Sports Network)
for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.
