NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the fourth consecutive game, Alcorn Baseball plays in the "Lone Star State" as the Braves take on Stephen F. Austin at Pilgrim's Park on Wednesday, April 15, at 3 p.m., in Nacogdoches, Texas.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 15
3 p.m. – at Stephen F. Austin | Pilgrim's Park | Nacogdoches, Texas | Live Stats
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
▪ Stephen F. Austin is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Last weekend, the Braves claimed their first series opening win of the year away to Texas Southern.
▪ Jaylyn Bennett leads Alcorn in batting average (.363) and hits (37). He also owns a .471 slugging percentage across the campaign.
▪ Of Alcorn's nine home runs this year, Cooper Harris has registered three of them.
▪ The Purple and Gold have stolen 67 bases on the season.
▪ Rayfield Adams III owns a team-high seven (7) doubles to go along with 11 stolen bases.
▪ Owning a 1-1 record on the bump, Hayden Konkler also has a team second-lowest 6.64 ERA for the Braves.
▪ Kanious Davis has picked up three wins for the Braves on the mound, adding 25 strikeouts in the process.
▪ Alcorn is just 4-18 in true road games this year.
 
ALCORN VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN SERIES
▪ This is the first-ever meeting in baseball between Alcorn and Stephen F. Austin.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH HARDY
"At this point, we've settled into a good rhythm being out here in Texas. The guys have embraced the road mentality, and I think that speaks to the character of this team. We're not making any excuses. We're just focused on going out and competing."
 
"Any time you're playing your fourth consecutive game in the same state, you have to make sure your guys are locked in mentally and physically. We've been managing our energy well, and I like where we are heading into Wednesday evening."
 
"We're looking forward to the challenge of going into Nacogdoches and competing against a good Stephen F. Austin ball club. Our guys have been preparing well – mixed with travel to and from Texas back to Mississippi and vice versa, and we're excited about the opportunity."
 
"This stretch has really tested us, but I believe it's making us a tougher, more resilient team. Road games build character, and our guys have responded the right way."
 
SCOUTING STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (20-17, 11-7 SLC)
Rankings: D1Baseball.com – NR | USA Today Coaches – NR
Head Coach: Matt Vanderburg (1st season)
2026 Batting Average: .276; Runs Per Game: 6.6; Hits Per Game: 9.0; Slugging Percentage: .400
2026 ERA: 5.45; K/BB Ratio: 1.26; Opp. Batting Avg: .283
 
NOTING THE TIGERS
▪ Stephen F. Austin hosts Prairie View A&M on Tuesday evening before Alcorn ventures to Nacogdoches.
▪ The Lumberjacks won their weekend series against UTRGV despite dropping the series finale at home.
▪ Jhett Creel leads the Jacks in batting average with a .336 clip, followed by Julian Swift (.327) and Juan Cantua (.314) both hitting above .300 on the campaign.
▪ SFA has hit 21 home runs as a team, led by the trio of Ethan Peña, Mark Henning and Josh Ibe with four home runs apiece.
▪ As a team, the Jacks have swiped 58-of-70 bases, led at the top by Cermodrick Bland with 15 in 16 attempts, respectively.
▪ Cody Templeton is the team leader in wins on the mound with an unblemished 4-0 record and an ERA of 3.97.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (at Texas Southern)
Tanner Marek drove in five runs, including a walk-off run-rule grand slam in the seventh inning, and Jonathan Trejo added a home run and four RBIs as Texas Southern defeated Alcorn 18-5 Sunday afternoon at MacGregor Park in the rubber game of a SWAC series in Houston, Texas.
 
Marek, the Tigers' third baseman, went 3-for-5 with three runs scored to pace a Texas Southern offense that collected 12 hits and drew 11 walks. He capped the game's decisive seventh inning with a grand slam that closed the scoring 18-5, punctuating a six-run frame that put the run-rule into effect in the process.
 
Trejo contributed a two-run homer of his own in the fifth inning, a towering shot that plated three additional runners and pushed Texas Southern's advantage to 12-3. The shortstop finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
 
Anthony Ruiz added a pair of hits and three RBIs for the Tigers at the top of the lineup, in addition to swiping two bases. Marco Mueses added a two-run double in the second inning and finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs of his own.
 
Texas Southern starter Justin Mays earned the win, improving to 5-1 on the season. Mays worked 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven.
 
It would Alcorn to strike first when starting pitcher Kanious Davis led off the game with a triple and scored on a Rayfield Adams III sacrifice fly, giving the Purple and Gold an early 1-0 lead.
 
After playing in nearby Cypress a day prior, the host Tigers back at MacGregor Park answered in the bottom of the second, pushing three runs across on a two-run double by Mueses and an RBI single from Ruiz to take a 3-1 edge.
 
The Braves briefly pulled even in the fourth when Cooper Harris launched a two-run homer to right – his team-high third homer of the campaign, scoring Keatan Hawk ahead of him and knotting the game at 3-3. Harris finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks, respectfully.
 
The hosts restored their lead in the home-half of the fourth on an RBI double by Ruiz and a run-scoring error, then broke the game open in the fifth with seven runs. The frame featured an RBI single by Marek, a bases-loaded walk by Zachari Pace, and Trejo's grand slam.
 
Alcorn made a brief push in the top of the seventh frame, scoring twice on an RBI fielder's choice by shortstop Asher Friedman and a run-scoring single from third baseman Chase Moore to make it 12-5, but Texas Southern answered immediately with six runs in the bottom half to close the weekend series victory.
 
Davis took the loss for Alcorn on the bump, dropping to 3-2 on the season. He surrendered six runs (five earned) on six hits over four innings, walking four and striking out five.
 
UP NEXT
Alcorn plays host to SWAC foe Southern (La.) in a three-game league series at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium beginning Friday, April 17, at 6 p.m., in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
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