TENNIS TEAMS TO OPEN SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY FRIDAY The 2017 spring schedule of Southwestern Athletic Conference championships begin tomorrow in New Orleans with the Tennis Championships.
 
Both Prairie View A&M University teams will be in action in opening round action Friday. The fifth-seed Lady Panthers will take on #3 Southern at 9 a.m. In men's play, the fourth-seeded Panthers will face #6 Alabama A&M, with all tournament matches being played at the City Park Tennis Center.
 
Both opening round contests are a rematch of games at the SWAC Roundup I held in Jackson, Miss. In February. The Lady Panthers lost to Southern 4-2, while the men defeated Alabama A&M 4-3.
 
"I'm looking forward to it," said PVAMU head tennis coach Duane Williams. "I'm excited about what's going to happen. We know who we're going to play. We've played both teams before. We're ready."
 
GOLF TEAMS TO OPEN SWAC TOURNAMENT PLAY MONDAY The PVAMU women's and men's golf teams will compete in SWAC Championship play starting Monday in Alexandria, La.
 
The Lady Panthers will compete Monday and Tuesday in the 36-hole championship at Links On The Bayou Golf Course. The men will compete in the 54-hole championship Monday-Wednesday at Oak Wing Golf Club.
 
Kiana Sheppard's 164 led the Lady Panthers in the PVAMU Spring Invitational at Cypress Lakes in late March. David Baker led the men's team in the PVAMU Spring Invitational, 11 over par 227 to finish tied for third.
 
PANTHER BACKERS GOLF TOURNAMENT SET FOR MAY 15 The 22^nd annual Panther Backers Celebrity Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 15 with an 8 a.m. shotgun start at Cypress Lakes Golf Course.
 
This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Richard "Rick" Johnson, a past member of the Panther Backers.
 
The event annually provides scholarship funds for PVAMU student athletes. Click here for this year's tournament brochure.
 
E-mail your registration to lyndalrob@gmail.com or mail to Panther Backers,  3611 Heritage Colony Dr. Missouri City, Tx, 77459. For additional information, please contact Albert "Deno" Robertson  at (713) 417-2090, deno@pantherbackers.org or Wanda Bookman at (281) 748-5690

STUDENT-ATHLETE BANQUET SET NEXT THURSDAY The annual PVAMU student-athlete banquet is scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 6 p.m. in the Willie S. Tempton Sr. Memorial Student Center Ballroom.
 
The event will salute the accomplishments of Panther student-athletes during the 2016-17 season.

Fans can purchase individual tickets for $26 or reserve a table for $250.
 
LISTEN ON DEMAND TO PANTHER SPORTS REPORT  Click to listen to this week's Panther Sports Report, which airs live Wednesday's at Noon on pvpanthers.com and on demand Wednesday evenings at www.pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork.
 
Head track coaches Angela Williams and Chris Clay discuss their teams' performances in the Baylor Invitational, and Head tennis coach Duane Williams previewed this weekend's SWAC Championship Tournament.
 
On the diamond, Vernon Bland, head coach of the first place PVAMU softball team discussed last week's sweep at Grambling and previewed this weekend's home series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Head baseball coach Auntwan Riggins previewed this weekend's big series at Texas Southern, and football head coach Willie Simmons reviewed last Saturday's Purple and Gold Game and gave his thoughts on spring practice.
 
PVAMU SPORTS NETWORK TO BROADCAST REMAINING SOFTBALL, BASEBALL GAMES ONLINE Follow the PVAMU softball and baseball teams down the stretch, with live online broadcasts of every game for the remainder of the 2017 season on the PVAMU Sports Network.
 
Log on to pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork to hear or watch live game action. This weekend for the first time ever on the network, softball and baseball games will be broadcast live on the same day at the same time on Friday and Saturday. Softball will host UAPB Friday at 3 p.m., with baseball at Texas Southern at 5 p.m.
 
Saturday, softball will host UAPB in a Noon DH, with baseball at TSU at 2 p.m. Sunday, the baseball series will conclude with a 1 p.m. game at Texas Southern.
 
SOFTBALL LOOKS TO TAKE FINAL HOME WEEKEND SERIES OVER UAPB The PVAMU softball team, which leads the SWAC's Western Division, will look to continue its' winning ways in the final home conference series weekend of the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
 
Prairie View A&M (18-19 overall, 10-2 SWAC) has won nine games in a row to serge into first place. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-22, 5-7) is currently in third as both teams only have two series remaining before the SWAC Tournament begins May 17 in Montgomery, Ala.
 
There are ebbs and flows to nearly every sport season. The final inning comeback against Southern in game one of the April 1 doubleheader. The Lady Panthers couldn't hold the lead in the seventh, and fell behind by three runs in the eighth. However, PVAMU responded with four in the eighth to take the win and ultimately the sweep of the series.
 
"The biggest game was the Southern game when we were losing by three runs in the last inning and came back to win in extra innings," said PVAMU softball coach Vernon Bland. "I have a feeling if you're close off the field, then you'll be close on the field, and they just came through in that game. Nobody gave up. I think they have decided they were going to come together as a team, and not let any outside influences get in the way and keep striving for our goal."
 
BASEBALL OPENS SECOND HALF OF SWAC PLAY IN 'PENNANT RACE' The Prairie View A&M Baseball team opens the second half of SWAC play in a tightly-contest five-team logjam in the Western Division.
 
The Panthers (13-23, 6-6) had open dates in league play last weekend and watched the standings shift in a big way. Southern (7-7) moved into a tie with PVAMU percentage wise after the Jaguars' three-game sweep of Texas Southern (8-6). Arkansas-Pine Bluff won two of three games over Grambling, and both UAPB and GSU are tied for fourth (7-8), one game behind the PVAMU/SU logjam and only two games behind TSU.
 
Welcome to the SWAC Western Division Pennant Race.
 
The Panthers have 12 games remaining in league play. Every contest will affect every team not only in the battle for first place, but also in determining the top four teams in the division that will qualify for the SWAC Tournament which begins May 17 in New Orleans, La.
 
"They understand how important these games are," said PVAMU head baseball coach Auntwan Riggins. "They really understand that if we go out and take care of our business, we'll have a chance to be in first place at the end of the weekend."
 

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