Braves baseball hosts Grambling State in conference play this weekend

Published 3:07 pm Thursday, March 31, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State baseball team will be back in action this weekend, hosting conference-foe Grambling State University in a three-game weekend series. After collecting their first season victory, the Braves enter the series after an 8-7 triumph over Prairie View A&M on the road last week. ASU is 1-16 overall and 1-5 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Tigers are 8-17 overall and 3-3 in league play. They enter the contest after a 9-5 midweek loss at Jackson State.

Jamil Betancourt leads the Braves at the plate with a .333 batting average. He’s played in 16 games with 14 starts for 42 at-bats, three runs, 14 hits (one double), and three ribbies. Diego Lopez leads the team in RBIs with nine and carries a .352 slugging percentage.

Jermel Ford (0-4) carries the Alcorn State bullpen with a 10.71 ERA. He has made six plate appearances for five starts to pitch 21.0 innings. Ford has recorded 21 strikeouts, and batters see a .279 batting average against him. Austin Guzman (1-2) is the only Brave with a win with a 13.80 ERA.

Email newsletter signup

Carrying both Grambling’s offense and defense, Shemar Page holds a .382 batting average at the plate, and a 2.31 earned run average. He has tallied 55 at-bats for 14 runs, 21 hits (seven doubles, two triples, run home run), and 14 RBIs. Page also has made six mound appearances for six starts. He has pitched a team-high 39.0 innings for 56 strikeouts. Batters see a .184 batting average against him.

The weekend series will begin on Friday with a 6 p.m. game, followed by a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, and the final competition at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Before Friday’s game, Alcorn State baseball will honor the winningest coach in program history, Willie “Rat” McGowan, who the stadium is named after. His wife, Dr. Doris McGowan, will throw the game’s first pitch.