Alabama A&M (2018 Record: 12-37, 9-15)
The Bulldogs finished tied for third in the East but weren’t able to be in the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
Dalton Mitchell hit .309 last season with 11 doubles and 20 RBI. Jonathan Smith II hit .288 a season ago with 43 runs scored.
Jaret Britt had a solid freshman season with a 4.88 ERA in 75.2 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts. Jose Figueroa was also a freshman last year with a 6.16 ERA in 68.2 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
While they have a lot of experience coming back in the pitching staff, they lose a lot of key contributors from the lineup.
Alabama State (2018 Record: 30-22, 18-6)
Alabama State had another solid year, but couldn’t quite work their way out of the loser’s bracket in the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
Center fielder Noel Cheneau returns after hitting .313 last year with 32 runs scored, 10 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 26 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Another outfielder, Yamil Pagan, is also back in the lineup. He hit .241 last season with 33 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
Darrius Wright returns to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 2.36 ERA in 2018 over 72.1 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts. Darren Kelly was solid last year in just four starts with a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings iwth 41 strikeouts, but he should be healthy for 2019.
Newcomers
Cameron Hearn will get a chance to play in right field, while Hunter May could see time behind the plate and at DH.
Jeremy Rivera, Richie Rivera, and AJ Stinson are all newcomers who will add depth to the pitching staff.
Outlook for 2019
Associate Head Coach Drew Clark said that they are really hoping to have more pitching depth in 2019.
Alcorn State (2018 Record: 13-39, 7-17)
They finished last in the East but made the SWAC Tournament where they went 1-2.
Returning Players
Outfielder Jordan McGowan hit .299 last season in just 117 at-bats. Catcher Kyle Jenkins hit .258 in 2018 with 29 runs scored, 13 doubles, 4 home runs, and 22 RBI. Hunter Wilson led the team with 31 RBI last year.
Carlos Lopez should return to the weekend rotation after posting a 4.90 ERA last year in 79 innings with 91 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
If they have any hopes of moving up in the SWAC standings they’ll need to improve upon their team ERA of 8.31 in 2018.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2018 Record: 20-25, 12-10)
A solid 2018 season saw Arkansas-Pine Bluff finish third in the West, but they went 0-2 in the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
Shortstop Jarficur Parker is back after a fantastic freshman season in which he hit .331 with 23 runs scored. Nick Kreutzer should be back at thirst base for his senior season after hitting .319 last season with 33 runs scored, 16 doubles, 5 home runs, and 29 RBI in 2018. Outfielder Sergio Esparza hit .303 a season ago wtih 29 runs scored, 10 doubles, 4 home runs, and 38 RBI.
Peyton Burks had a 5.15 ERA last year in 80.1 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts. Tim Reynolds had a 4.47 ERA in 58.1 innings pitched last season with 38 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
They return a lot of key players both to the pitching staff and to the lineup, so we could see them jump up in the SWAC this year.
Grambling State (2018 Record: 26-26, 14-10)
Grambling State finished second in the West last year and made their way to the conference tournament finals where they lost to the number one team in the West.
Returning Players
Rafael Ramirez is back after hitting .353 last season with 36 runs scored, 17 doubles, 16 home runs, and 66 RBI. Outfielder Isaiah Torres hit .325 a year ago with 3 home runs and 36 RBI. Richard Ortiz hit .289 last year with 41 runs scored, 10 home runs, and 47 RBI.
Outlook for 2019
They have a lot of key contributors coming back to the lineup, but they will have to form an entirely new pitching staff. How quickly those arms develop will determine how far this team can go in the SWAC.
Jackson State (2018 Record: 34-18, 17-7)
It was a very strong year for Jackson State in 2018 with 34 wins and 17 conference wins. They were eliminated in the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
First baseman Raul Hernandez hit .382 last year with 32 runs scored, 17 doubles, 7 home runs, and 50 RBI. Outfielder Dezmond Chumley hit .320 a season ago with 44 runs scored, 11 doubles, 5 home runs, and 34 RBI. Second baseman Wesley Reyes hit .304 in 2018 with 36 runs scored, 22 doubles, 3 home runs, and 42 RBI.
Kevin Perez should be back to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 4.36 ERA last year in 93 innings pitched with 74 strikeouts. Nikelle Galatas had a solid freshman season in 2018 with a 4.59 ERA in 88.1 innings pitched with 53 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
It should be another great year for Jackson State with two of their top starters returning from 2018.
Mississippi Valley State (2018 Record: 11-35, 9-15)
Not a great 2018 season for Miss. Valley State with just two wins out of conference. They went 0-2 in the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
Catcher Aaron Barkley led the team with a .264 average last season to go along with 33 runs scored. Jeremiah Barr returns to the lineup after playing in just 31 games last season with 2 home runs. Wendell Rieves hit .244 last season with 3 home runs and 38 RBI.
Barkley should return as the team’s closer after posting a 2.57 ERA last season in 21 innings with 20 strikeouts and 3 saves. Nicholas Johnson returns as the team’s top starting pitcher from last year.
Outlook for 2019
The offense should be much improved in 2019, but they have a lot of work to do on the pitching side that had a staff ERA of 9.83 last year.
Prairie View A&M (2018 Record: 14-40, 8-16)
Prairie View finished fourth in the West last year and went 1-2 in the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
First baseman Daniel Lingua hit .350 last season with 50 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. Xavier Jefferson is also back after hitting .287 a year ago with 25 runs scored and a pair of home runs.
Tyler Laux returns as the team’s top pitcher from last season when he posted a 5.79 ERA in 56 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts. Lorenzo Hardit is also back after throwing 51.2 innings as a freshman in 2018
Outlook for 2019
The lineup loses a lot of power from their lineup. They will also try to improve in the pitching staff after posting an ERA of 9.03 as a team last year.
Southern (2018 Record: 9-33, 6-15)
Texas Southern (2018 Record: 27-26, 17-6)
Texas Southern started the year 3-12 and where just 11-20 into early April. They turned things on late and ended up winning the SWAC Tournament.
Returning Players
Christian Sanchez returns as the team’s first baseman/DH after hitting .335 a season ago with 48 runs scored, 13 doubles, 17 home runs, 60 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Olajide (OJ) Oloruntimilehin will be back in the outfielder after hitting .288 last year with 33 runs scored, 5 home runs, 31 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
Aron Solis is back to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 3.67 ERA in 2018 over 90.2 innings pitched with 69 strikeouts. Chris Suarez had a 2.93 ERA last year in 43 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts and 5 saves. Robert Loza had a 3.75 ERA out of the bullpen last season with 18 strikeouts in 24 innings. Alexander Carrillo figures to play a big role in the pitching staff this year as well.
Newcomers
Levi Dixon and Nic Garza are both newcomers who could see time on the infield. Noe Guerrero and Grant McCall hope to give the pitching staff a boost.
Outlook for 2019
Pitching coach Aaron Gilbreath said the team’s focus this season will be on hitting for more power and striking out less, while limiting free bases on the mound and striking out more batters.
2019 All-SWAC Preseason Team
C: Richard Ortiz (Grambling State)
1B: Christian Sanchez (Texas Southern)
2B: Wesley Reyes (Jackson State)
SS: Jarficur Parker (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
3B: Raul Hernandez (Jackson State)
OF: Dezmond Chumley (Jackson State)
OF: Sergio Esparza (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
OF: OJ Oloruntimilehin (Texas Southern)
DH: Rafael Ramirez (Grambling State)
SP: Kevin Perez (Jackson State)
SP: Darren Kelly (Alabama State)
SP: Aron Solis (Texas Southern)
SP: Darrius Wright (Alabama State)
SP: Carlos Lopez (Alcorn State)
RP: Chris Suarez (Texas Southern)
RP: Aaron Barkley (Miss Valley State)
Honorable Mention:
1B – Nick Kreutzer (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
1B – Daniel Lingua (Prairie View)
SP – Jaret Britt (Alabama A&M)
SP – Nikelle Galatas (Jackson State)
Predicted Order to Finish:
1. Texas Southern
2. Alabama State
3. Jackson State
4. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
5. Grambling State
6. Alabama A&M
7. Alcorn State
8. Prairie View A&M
9. Miss. Valley State
10. Southern University
