HOUSTON – Alcorn travels to Texas Southern this weekend for a pivotal three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball series against the Tigers at MacGregor Park in Houston, Texas. The series begins on Friday, April 10, at 3 p.m.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, April 10
3 p.m. – at Texas Southern | MacGregor Park | Houston, Texas | Live Stats | Watch
 
Saturday, April 11
2 p.m. – at Texas Southern | MacGregor Park | Houston, Texas | Live Stats | Watch
 
Sunday, April 12
1 p.m. – at Texas Southern | MacGregor Park | Houston, Texas | Live Stats | Watch
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
▪ Texas Southern is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ This weekend marks the first of four consecutive games for the Braves in the "Lone Star State", traveling to Stephen F. Austin for a midweek game next week.
▪ Alcorn looks to break a seven-game losing skid this weekend when traveling to Houston to face the Tigers.
▪ Topping the Braves in hitting is Jaylyn Bennett (.365), while he also has a team-most 35 hits and a .479 slugging percentage.
▪ Kanious Davis leads the Braves in stolen bases, swiping 16 of 20 on the campaign. He is followed by Rayfield Adams III and Keaten Hawk with 11 steals apiece.
▪ Bennett arrives to Houston working on a six-game hitting streak, having reached base safely in his last 22 outings, respectfully.
▪ Hawk has reached base in his last 10 games as well.
▪ On the mound, Davis owns a team-high 3-1 record, using a 9.64 ERA with 20 strikeouts (second-most on the squad).
▪ Freshman left-hander Devin Kriley owns a team-high 26 strikeouts on the bump across 26.1 innings, providing am 8.89 ERA along the way.
▪ Three different Braves are hitting above .300 against SWAC pitchers – Bennett (.382), Hawk (.308) and Christian Dunn (.300).
 
ALCORN VS. TXSO SERIES
▪ Going back to the 2015 campaign, Texas Southern has dominated the series against Alcorn, 22-2.
▪ The Tigers have won the last five consecutive in the series, including a sweep of the Braves in Lorman last season.
▪ In fact, TXSO has won 10 of the last 11 in the series, outscoring the Braves 74-29 across the last two series – both of those taking place in Lorman.
▪ The last Purple and Gold win against the Tigers was an 8-6 decision at home in the second game of a series back on May 10, 2024.
▪ The Purple and Gold have dropped five consecutive in Houston, with those last games occurring in 2024.
▪ The Braves have not won a series against TXSO in more than a decade.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH HARDY
"This is as big a series as you're going to find on our schedule right now. Texas Southern is right there at the top of the SWAC standings with [Bethune-Cookman], and we know what's at stake. Every game this weekend has SWAC Tournament implications, and our guys understand that."
 
"We've talked all week about the opportunity in front of us. You work all off-season, you grind through the non-conference schedule, and it's all building toward weekends like this one. I love the mindset our guys have brought to practice this week."
 
"The SWAC race is tight, and that's how it should be. This is a grind-it-out conference. A series sweep this weekend does a lot for our positioning, but so does theirs. That's what makes it fun — two teams that both need it going head-to-head."
 
"I'm proud of the focus and preparation I've seen from this team. When they come to the ballpark every day ready to compete, that tells me everything I need to know about their character. This weekend is a chance to show what we're made of."
 
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN (15-12, 10-2 SWAC)
Rankings: D1Baseball.com – NR | USA Today Coaches – NR
Interim Head Coach: Ely Gallego (1st season)
2026 Batting Average: .321; Runs Per Game: 8.0; Hits Per Game: 10.6; Slugging Percentage: .489
2026 ERA: 6.66; K/BB Ratio: 1.26; Opp. Batting Avg: .301
 
NOTING THE TIGERS
▪ Texas Southern enters the weekend tied with Bethune-Cookman top the SWAC standings.
▪ The Tigers have won eight of their last 10 games, including a series sweep of Alabama A&M last weekend in Huntsville, Alabama.
▪ In fact, they have won all four of their SWAC series to date.
▪ Leading the team in batting is Miguel Morales (.423), followed closely by Jonathan Trejo (.411) and Byron Robinson (.407) – all near the top of the SWAC in average as well.
▪ As a unit, the Tigers have registered 30 home runs, sparked by eight from Robinson and five from Shaun Williams, respectively.
▪ Robinson enters the weekend working on a seven-game hitting streak.
▪ Additionally, Christopher Chavez has reached base in his last 23 consecutive games, as well as Morales with a 23-game on-base streak.
▪ A pair of Tigers have four wins on the mound – Justin Mayes and Joshua Peña, each sporting similar 4-1 overall records.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (at Ole Miss)
Alcorn's Clayvonjae Wright registered his first home run of the season Tuesday evening as the Braves fell 11-1 away to No. 25 Ole Miss in nonconference baseball action at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi.
 
Walks were as good as hits for No. 25 Ole Miss. The Rebels drew 18 bases on balls and scored 11 runs in the seven-inning run-rule victory.
 
Ole Miss sent Alcorn pitchers to a long evening on the mound, working counts and coaxing free passes all night.
 
Braves starting pitcher Yoni Castro lasted just two innings, issuing six walks and surrendering four runs with just two hits allowed in his time on the bump. Reliever José Cherena walked four more in his two innings of work, and by the time the night was over, five Alcorn pitchers had combined to hand out 18 free passes.
 
Dom Decker led the Ole Miss offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored, a double and a stolen base. Shortstop Owen Paino reached base five times, drawing three walks in addition to a hit and three RBIs, while Tristan Bissetta reached base five times as well, going 2-for-2 with three walks, a double and two stolen bases.
 
Judd Utermark added a two-run double, and Austin Fawley drove in a run to round out a balanced Rebels attack.
 
Alcorn got on the board in the fifth inning when designated hitter Clayvonjae Wright launched a solo home run to account for the Braves' only run of the evening.
 
On the mound, Ole Miss starter Grayson Gibson was sharp in his two innings, striking out four without issuing a walk. Leo Odom earned the win in relief, working 1.2 scoreless frames and punching out five batters as well.
 
Ole Miss put the game away with a three-run seventh inning, triggering the run rule.
 
Kanious Davis added a pair of hits in a 2-for-3 showing at the dish for the Braves.
 
UP NEXT
The Braves stay on the road in the "Lone Star State" to face off against Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday, April 15, at 3 p.m.
 
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.