A.D. Drew | Black College Nines Contributor
Rickwood Field, Birmingham, AL – May 24, 2025
Florida A&M punched its ticket to Sunday’s SWAC Championship game in commanding fashion, defeating Grambling State 9–1 in the “if necessary” semifinal matchup at Rickwood Field. The win avenged FAMU’s Friday night loss to the Tigers and closed out Bracket B, setting the Rattlers up for a title clash with Bethune-Cookman.
Scoring Summary by Inning
Top 2nd — Grambling 1, Florida A&M 0
Chris Marcellus led off with a double and scored on a single to left by Aries Gardner, giving Grambling it’s only run of the day.
Bottom 3rd — Florida A&M 3, Grambling 1
- Josue Figueroa reached on an error, followed by a walk to Justin Lopez.
- After a groundout moved the runners, Grambling intentionally walked Broedy Poppell to load the bases.
- Jay Campbell drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Figueroa.
- Justen Crews followed with a two-RBI single, scoring Lopez and Poppell (all runs unearned due to earlier error).
Bottom 5th — Florida A&M 4, Grambling 1
- Poppell led off with a single and came around to score on Campbell’s RBI double. Campbell was thrown out trying to stretch it to third.
Bottom 8th — Florida A&M 9, Grambling 1
- Colton Ryals doubled and scored on Figueroa’s RBI single, which included a throwing error to move Figueroa to third.
- Matthew Perez drove him in with a fielder’s choice.
- With the bases loaded after a double and two walks, Campbell earned another RBI walk.
- Crews capped the rally with a two-run single.
Outstanding Performers
Florida A&M Rattlers (33–24):
- Justen Crews: 2-for-5, 4 RBI
- Jay Campbell: 1-for-2, 2 walks, 1 double, 3 RBI
- Broedy Poppell: 1-for-3, 3 runs, 2 walks, 1 SB
- Josue Figueroa: 2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI
- Colton Ryals: 2-for-5, double, run
- William Brown: 2-for-5, double, run
Grambling State Tigers (26–28):
- Trey Bridges: 3-for-4, double
- Chris Marcellus: 2-for-4, double, run
- Aries Gardner: 1-for-3, RBI
Pitching Breakdown (FAMU)
- Cody Williams (W, 5–3):
8.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HBP
Pitch count: 118 pitches - Ryan Young:
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Pitch count: 8 pitches
Final Thoughts
Florida A&M was opportunistic on offense and dominant on the mound. Behind a lights-out outing from Cody Williams and timely hitting from the middle of the order, the Rattlers responded emphatically to Grambling’s Friday night upset. FAMU now turns its attention to Bethune-Cookman with a SWAC title on the line.
In addition to writing for Black College Nines, A.D. Drew currently serves as the Director of Athletic Marketing at Morehouse College. Drew is also the current media coordinator for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Celebration Bowl. Previously Drew has served as an independent consultant in athletic communications, having worked events such as The Celebration Bowl, MEAC-SWAC Challenge, Black College World Series, SWAC Championship Game, multiple SIAC championship events, and Gulf South Conference events, in addition to regular season sports and events at every NCAA and NAIA level. Drew has also completed athletic communications consulting work for institutions on NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA levels. Drew was previously the SIAC contributor to D2Football.com.
Drew does work for the Black College Sports Network, where he has worked as a producer, director, and on-air talent. Drew has provided either play-by-play or color analysis for the Orange-Blossom Classic, the Black College World Series, the GCAC (now HBCUAC) basketball tournament, SIAC Baseball, Softball, and Men’s Volleyball Championships, and regular season games for football, flag football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball. Drew regularly hosts a podcast, the BCSN SportsWrap with Bryan and A.D., most Sundays at 6PM ET on the BCSN.
Drew also coordinates pressbox operations for Minority Prospects. Drew currently is a board member of the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association. Drew is a member of the College Sports Communicators. In the past, Drew has served as the Director of Administration for the Black College World Series (2022) and as the Director of Athletic Communications at Thomas University.