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SWAC Notebook - April 22

Devilettes seek 6th straight softball title; track teams have final tuneup; baseball heads for home, weekend sports schedules

April 22, 2009

SOFTBALL – Championship Tournament begins Thursday; Devilettes seek six consecutive title The 2009 SWAC Softball Championship will be played Thursday – Sunday at Timberton Park in Hattiesburg, MS.

And while the city and venue will host the event for the first time, the question remains the same – can Mississippi Valley State do it again?

The Devilettes, winners of five consecutive Conference titles, added a first in 2009 – they went unbeaten in SWAC play, winning all 17 games in posting a 33-12 overall record.

The road to a sixth straight SWAC title arguably will be the toughest for Mississippi Valley State. This year’s tournament will feature eight teams for the first time (four from each division).

“I feel this is a really special tournament, going with the new format,” Mississippi Valley State head coach Lee Smith said. “All the teams have work very hard get to this point and as we all know, the season starts over. From our stand point, we must take each contest game by game. It’s going be a very long week for us. We can’t look past anyone - every team is good now and much better since the round-up in March.”

Mississippi Valley State begins tournament play Thursday against #4 West seed Prairie View A&M. Southern, winners of the Western Division for the sixth consecutive season, face #4 East seed Alabama State. Other first-round games will see #2 West seed Grambling State take on #3 East seed Alcorn State and #2 East seed Jackson State face #3 West seed Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Correction – Prairie View A&M is the fourth seed in the West for the conference tournament and not Texas Southern, as announced earlier this week. Texas Southern is not eligible for postseason play this year due to

an NCAA Violation occurring earlier this decade.

TRACK – Teams have final meets prior to SWAC Championship This weekend, several Conference teams will have their final tune-ups prior to next weekend’s SWAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Houston.

Both Jackson State and Southern are slated to participate in the legendary Penn Relays, which will feature athletes from around the world descending on Philadelphia. Prairie View A&M’s teams will compete in the 100th

edition of the legendary Drake Relays in Des Moines, IA.

The 2009 SWAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled for May 1-3 at Texas Southern’s Durley Stadium with field events at Rice University’s Track/Soccer Stadium.

BASEBALL - Season heads for home stretch The baseball season begins to make its turn for home as teams battle for position and a berth in the 2009 Conference Tournament.

Southern (14-4 in SWAC) and Mississippi Valley State (13-3) continue to lead the West and East divisions, respectively. Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-10) made a move in the West last weekend, winning its home series over Southern to tighten the race for the top division seed.

Grambling (7-10), Prairie View A&M (8-12) and defending champion Texas Southern (7-11) are in a virtual tie in a heated battle for the 3rd and 4th spots in the West, which ensure a berth in the SWAC Baseball Tournament, May 20-24 at Southern’s Lee-Hines Field in Baton Rouge, LA.

Jackson State(11-7), the second-place team in the East, will look to move closer to the top of the standings this weekend when it hosts Mississippi Valley State in a crucial series beginning Friday.

This weekend’s SWAC Schedule

SWAC Softball Tournament – Hattiesburg, MS

Thursday April 23

Game 1 - Prairie View A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State, 2 p.m.

Game 2 - Alabama State vs. Southern, 2 p.m.

Game 3 - Alcorn State vs. Grambling State, 4:30 p.m.

Game 4 -Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Jackson State, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 24

Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, Noon

Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, Noon

Game 7 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 2:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)

Game 8 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 2:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)