The first SWAC baseball series of the season went well for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, but the second will present a bigger challenge.
UAPB will host Florida A&M for a three-game series at 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex. UAPB (8-14, 3-0 SWAC) is off to its best start to conference play since 2006 after sweeping Mississippi Valley State last weekend. The Golden Lions are one of two teams in the SWAC still without a conference loss.
Florida A&M (7-12, 2-1) should prove a tougher opponent. The Rattlers took two of three games against Southern in their opening series. It was their third consecutive series win after taking two of three against Villanova and Central Connecticut State in the weekends prior.
The Rattlers held a 5-4 lead on the road against Florida in a midweek game but ultimately lost 7-5 to the SEC squad. FAMU comes to Pine Bluff with an 0-5 record away from home, and this will be the Rattlers’ first weekend series outside their home state.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
This series could prove to be low scoring. UAPB and FAMU both rank in the SWAC’s top three in team earned-run average but rank bottom four in team batting average.
FAMU boasts two pitchers in the SWAC’s top three by ERA.
Right-hander Caleb Granger (3-1, 3.81 ERA) has been the Rattlers’ game one starter the past three series. His 34 strikeouts are the second-most by any SWAC pitcher, and he leads the league in strikeouts looking with 11.
Only two SWAC pitchers have a better ERA, and one is FAMU reliever Tanner Walker (1-0, 2.20). The senior right-hander has 17 strikeouts with 2 walks and 14 hits over 19 1/3 relief innings.
UAPB Coach Logan Stout said the combination of Granger and reigning SWAC Freshman of the Year Garrett Workman, FAMU’s Saturday starter, will be a big challenge.
“Their pitchers are going to throw strikes,” Stout said. “They got Granger back as their Friday night guy. I think he’s a two-time SWAC Pitcher of the Year, and so he’ll be a tough one on Friday night. And then their lefty, who, I think he was an all-conference player last year, their Saturday guy is there. They return a lot of good players, so it’s going to be fun.”
UAPB junior left-hander Ryland Morin (1-1, 4.29) doesn’t rank far behind the FAMU duo, coming in fifth among qualified SWAC pitchers.
Morin, who has started the finales of the past two UAPB series, is holding opposing hitters to a .213 batting average, the league’s third lowest. Last time out, he held Valley to 1 run on 2 hits over 6 innings.
FAMU swept UAPB last season in each team’s opening SWAC series in Tallahassee, Fla.