East Division Leaders Clash on ESPNU Friday
SWAC.org
SWAC East Division leaders Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State will duel for top spot live on ESPNU, Friday in Itta Bena, Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 2:02 CST.
Adam Amin will handle the play-by-play, while Garland Cooper will be the analyst. Cooper played first base at Northwestern and holds the Big Ten record of 55 career home runs.
Both Devilettes and Lady Tigers are 7-0 in SWAC play, tied for first place in the East Division.
Overall, JSU is 24-18, looking to rebound from three straight losses. After sweeping through the SWAC round-up and taking three against Alcorn State, The Lady Tigers close decisions to Ole Miss (5-2) and Oklahoma State (2-1) before being run-ruled by Central Arkansas 8-0.
MVSU has won eight of the last 10 games, which includes an unblemished weekend at the round-up and a dominant performance at Alabama A&M. The non-conference win came against Central Arkansas (1-0) During the streak, MVSU fell to Mississippi State 4-3 in nine innings and Central Arkansas 9-0 in five.
MVSU has one non-conference game on the schedule before Friday. They host Delta State this afternoon.
The two teams rank third and fourth in the SWAC on offense. JSU is third with a team batting average of .311, while MVSU is close behind at .277. MVSU and JSU are also the top two teams in the league in pitching. The Devilettes have a league low ERA of 3.16, while JSU is at 3.26.