UAPB set to confront Grambling

For the first time in six years, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will play a SWAC Baseball Tournament game on Wednesday.

UAPB will face Grambling State in the opening round of the SWAC tournament at 6 p.m. at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.

The SWAC tournament will feature two four-team double elimination brackets, with the last team standing from each bracket meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday in the championship game. All games prior to the championship game will be streamed on the SWAC Digital Network, with ESPN-Plus streaming the championship.

No. 4-seed UAPB and No. 5-seed Grambling will be joined by No. 2-seed Florida A&M and No. 7-seed Southern in Bracket B. The last team standing from among those four will meet the final team from among No. 1-seed Bethune-Cookman, No. 3-seed Alabama State, No. 6-seed Jackson State and No. 8-seed Texas Southern.

UAPB (19-33, 17-9 SWAC) finished fourth in the SWAC after winning five of its final six regular season series, including three three-game sweeps and one two-game sweep. This streak also included winning two of three games against regular season champions Bethune-Cookman, a feat no other SWAC team accomplished this season.

This was the SWAC’s first baseball season since abandoning the former two-division layout still used in softball. UAPB finished first among teams previously occupying the West Division.

Grambling (23-26, 18-11) was the one team to win a series against UAPB during that final stretch. The Tigers won two of three games in Ruston, La., after the series was moved from GSU’s home field due to rain.

The Golden Lions won the opening game of that series thanks partially to seven scoreless innings from first team All-SWAC pitcher Kenney Fabian (6-6). It was the first time since the beginning of SWAC play Grambling had lost a series opener, and the Tigers went on to lose the opener of each of their final two series afterward.

If UAPB elects to start Fabian in the opening round, he will bring a six-game winning streak into the matchup. The Golden Lions haven’t lost a Fabian start since March 28, and both of his SWAC losses were by one run. He finished the regular season with a 2.64 ERA, the best in the conference.

Fabian enters the tournament having pitched 25 straight scoreless innings with complete games in his past two starts.

Grambling went 7-3 in SWAC play and 9-5 overall in games started by the Tigers’ typical game one starter, Mason Martinez (3-4). GSU was undefeated in SWAC games he pitched prior to the UAPB loss. He pitched seven innings against the Golden Lions on May 2, but allowed seven runs in three innings in his most recent outing against Mississippi Valley State.

All-SWAC second team relief pitcher Ethan Bates (6-0, 5.12 ERA) leads the SWAC with four saves.

The loser between UAPB and Grambling will meet the loser between Florida A&M and Southern in an elimination game at noon on Thursday, while the winners will play at 6 p.m.

Florida A&M (30-23, 24-6) finished half a game behind Bethune in the regular season standings. The Wildcats swept the Rattlers in mid-April, but FAMU enters the tournament with an 11-game winning streak, the league’s longest active streak.

The Rattlers’ last defeat came in the opener of a series against Grambling. FAMU went on to win the other two games of that series. The Rattlers swept UAPB in the opening series of SWAC play, though two of those games were decided by one run.

FAMU starting pitcher Garrett Workman (8-4, 3.92) was named SWAC freshman of the year and is one of three Rattler pitchers to finish in the top ten in ERA.

Southern (23-25, 15-13) enters the tournament having lost both games of a two-game series at Jackson State, which broke an eight-game winning streak. That streak began the weekend after UAPB swept the Jaguars in Pine Bluff.

The Jaguars are led by SWAC player and newcomer of the year Cardell Thibodeaux, who finished the regular season with the SWAC’s best batting average, .438.

Fabian’s pitching by itself won’t be enough for UAPB to make a run in its first SWAC tournament appearance since 2019. Others will be needed, as will bullpen arms.

Freshman left-hander Major Spence (0-2) has started six games this season, including starting a game in each of the past five weekend series. He brings in a 5.34 ERA and held Jackson State to 1 run in 5 1/3 innings in his final home appearance.

Senior Brant Voth (2-4, 9.60 ERA) has been another starting option at times but has also played a significant number of innings as a catcher.

Ashton Davis (0-1, 6.06 ERA) has mostly been a reliever but started games in two of the final three weekends of the regular season, including the regular season finale at Alabama A&M. Brendan Hamlin (4-5, 6.96) made eight starts this season, but most were early in the year.

Top bullpen options include Cole Kenyon (3-2, 6.00), Emerson Lott (1-0, 6.27) and Nate Monceaux (0-0, 8.89).

UAPB will need enough arms to get through between four and six games, depending on results.