PANTHERS SEEK POSTSEASON MAGIC IN SWAC TOURNAMENT  The Prairie View A&M University baseball team will look to make postseason magic in the 2018 SWAC Tournament at Wesley Barrow Stadium. The Panthers are the #4 seed in the West and will face #1East seed and Eastern Division champion Alabama State Wednesday evening. #2 West Seed Grambling State and #3 East seed Miss. Valley State round out the PVAMU side of the bracket (page 2).

OPENING GAME REMATCH The Panthers will face the Hornets for the second time this season in a rematch of the 2018 season opener in the Andre Dawson/MLB Urban Invitational at Wesley Barrow Stadium. PVAMU led 5-2 after six innings but lost in an 8-7 thriller back on Feb. 16. Darrien Williams pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, no earned runs with one walk and 10 strikeouts. Ezekiel Bear went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Calvin Rucker and Andrew Garcia each had two hits.

TOURNAMENT MATCHUPS PVAMU will face Alabama St. (27-20, 18-6) in the opening round for the second straight season and fifth year in the last seven tournaments. The Panthers have played the Hornets seven times in tournament play over that period, winning three times. In seasons that Prairie View A&M defeated Alabama State, the Panthers went on to the championship game (SWAC Champs 2012, SWAC runners-up 2013).

                  2012                   Panthers 14-4 (7) (1st  Round)

                  2013                   Alabama St. 16-0 (7) (1st Round), Panthers 2-1 (Semifinal # 1), Panthers 8-3 (Semifinal #2)

                  2015                   Alabama St. 5-4 (1st round)

                  2017                  Alabama St. 13-5 (1st round), Alabama St. 25-3 (7) (Semifinals)

The Panthers went 3-3 against #2 West Seed Grambling (23-24, 14-10) this season, as PVAMU lost two out of three at Grambling, and won 2 out of 3 at home.  In last year's tournament, Prairie View A&M defeated Grambling 8-6 in a Thursday elimination game en route to the semifinals.

Prairie View last faced Miss. Valley State in the 2012 SWAC Tournament Championship game, won by the Panthers 7-4.

GRADUATE PANTHERS RHP Darrien Williams (political science) and 2B Jalyn Baker (kinesiology) were among 36 PVAMU student-athletes who received degrees during commencement exercises this past Saturday at Panther Stadium.

STREAKIN'

• 1B/ DH Daniel Lingua (26 game on-base streak): .329 avg. (27-of-82); 27 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 13 RBI; 27 BB, 5 HBP;  10-10 SB; .518 OBP; .427 SLG
• OF Corbin Jamison (8-game hitting streak): .429 avg. (12-of-28); 7 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI; 6 BB, 1 HBP;  9-9 SB; .467 OBP; .571 SLG

MOVIN' ON UP

• OF Xavier Jefferson has been a tear in his last 27 starts. Since March 26, he has hit . 330 (31-of-94) with two home runs and 14 RBI. He has posted nine multi-hit games (5 2-hit, 4 3-hit) and  four 2-RBI games.

BEST IN SWAC

• 1B/DH Daniel Lingua: 7th in avg. (.355), 2nd in OBP% (.495), 4th in R (46);  2nd in BB (38)
• OF Corbin Jamison:  t-3rd  in 3B (3); 5th in stolen bases (19)
• C Tyler Gordon:  3rd in HBP (16); t-3rd in BB (32); t-1st in runners caught stealing (22)
• RHP Darrien Williams:  9th in IP (69.2), 5th in Ks (64), t-2nd in KL (23)
• RHP Tyler Laux:  t-8th in runners picked off (2)
• RHP Lorenzo Hardit:  t-8th in runners picked off (2)