PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Alcorn travels to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Western Division leader Prairie View A&M this weekend as the Braves and Panthers meet up in a three-game league series at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium in Prairie View, Texas. The series gets underway with a doubleheader on Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, April 17
1 p.m. – at Prairie View A&M | Lady Panthers Softball Stadium | Prairie View, Texas | Watch | Live Stats
 
3:30 p.m. – at Prairie View A&M | Lady Panthers Softball Stadium | Prairie View, Texas | Watch | Live Stats
 
Saturday, April 18
Noon – at Prairie View A&M | Lady Panthers Softball Stadium | Prairie View, Texas | Watch | Live Stats
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Alcorn Softball this season by following the Braves social media platforms. You can follow @BravesSports on X/Twitter and @AlcornSports on Instagram.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Alcorn comes into the weekend series looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
▪ Despite sitting bottom of the Western Division standings, Alcorn has three games in hand along with the game against the Prairie View A&M Panthers this weekend. The Braves could still qualify for a spot in the SWAC Tournament in Gulfport, Mississippi.
▪ Rajayla McBride asserted herself back atop the team in batting average with a .333 average on the week, adding a .436 slugging percentage to her cause.
▪ The Braves are sparked by Yahnya Acevedo with a team-leading 38 hits and 22 RBIs, while the junior uses a .504 slugging percentage to boot.
▪ Six different players have tallied three home runs across the campaign – Acevedo, Olivia Miller, Paris Thompson, Mariah Morgan and Alainah Felton.
▪ Chiara Olison has recorded seven wins in the pitcher's circle for the Purple and Gold, while Felton owns four victories of her own.
▪ Thompson is batting .311 against SWAC pitchers, as well as having accumulated 14 hits and seven RBIs.
▪ Morgan has collected five (5) multi-RBI games on the year.
 
HISTORY
▪ Since 2011, Prairie View A&M has held a commanding 26-7 advantage in the series against Alcorn.
▪ The Panthers have won the last 16 consecutive in the series dating back to 2022.
▪ The last time the Braves claimed a series win from the Panthers was away in Prairie Views, Texas, back in 2016.
▪ In fact, Alcorn won three-straight against PVAMU in that stretch from 2014-16, with the teams missing a year in 2015.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH BILLIE
"Prairie View has earned their spot at the top of this conference, and we respect that. But we're not coming to Texas just to compete. We're coming to win. Our girls have been preparing all week and they're ready for this challenge."
 
"I love the hunger I've seen this week – both in our game at Memphis and practice sessions. We know what's at stake in conference play, and the energy in our dugout reflects that. When we play with that kind of focus and intensity, we feel that we can compete with anyone."
 
"Playing on the road in a series like this is a great opportunity for us. It tests your character, it tests your preparation, and it tests how much you want it. I think our young ladies are more than ready for that test."
 
"Three games gives both teams a chance to make adjustments and really battle it out. We want to set the tone early and take it one game at a time. Every inning matters this time of year in the SWAC."
 
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (22-14, 14-1 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Vernon Bland (15th season)
2026 Batting Average: .339; Runs Per Game: 6.6; Hits Per Game: 8.7; Slugging Percentage: .448
2026 ERA: 4.18; K/BB Ratio: 0.90; Opp. Batting Avg: .271
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (at Memphis)
Rajayla McBride went 2-for-2 at the dish while Jamyiyah Cotten added a hit as Alcorn fell to Memphis 7-2 in a nonconference softball contest on Tuesday evening at Tigers Softball Complex in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
Alcorn held an early 2-1 lead after the first inning, but Memphis responded with three runs in the second and never trailed again en route to the victory.
 
Deana Cunningham, the Tigers shortstop, went 1-for-2 with three RBIs in the contest – a two-out, three-run shot off Alcorn starter Alainah Felton in the home-half of the second inning that extended the Memphis advantage to 4-2.
 
Memphis relief pitcher Avery Stutts (6-8) earned the win after entering in the fourth inning and retiring 13 of the 14 batters she faced over four innings of one-hit, shutout ball. She struck out three and walked one during her time in the pitcher's circle for the Tigers.
 
Jasmine Chavez started but was removed after facing five batters in the first inning and surrendering two runs without a hit allowed. Rylee Dugar bridged the gap in 2.1 innings of work before handing the ball to Stutts.
 
Taylor Caton added a double and an RBI for Memphis, while Faith Brown contributed a triple off Alcorn reliever Chiara Olison. Isabella Hune, Ariel Davis, Kylie Waldrep and Paris Brienesse each had a stolen base for the Tigers, who finished with four steals on the afternoon.
 
Felton (4-8) took the loss for the Braves, yielding five runs (four earned) on seven hits in three innings of action. Olison came on in relief and gave up two runs over three innings in closing it out in the circle for the Purple and Gold.
 
Rajayla McBride had Alcorn's best individual performance, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base. Second baseman Karmen Bernard and Cotten each scored runs for the Braves.
 
Alcorn was held scoreless after the first inning and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
 
UP NEXT
The Braves step away from SWAC play for a midweek game away to Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, April 21, at 5 p.m., in Hammond, Louisiana.