Alabama State Advance to Winner-Take-All Championship
Game 13 — SWAC Championship Game
No. 3 Florida A&M and No. 4 Alabama State will meet Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in a winner-take-all SWAC Championship Game, with the conference title, the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid and a likely No. 4 regional seed on the line. The winner will learn its NCAA regional destination Monday morning when the Division I Baseball Selection Show airs at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
Sunday, May 24 — 2 p.m ET/1 p.m. CT — Rickwood Field | Birmingham, AL
No. 3 Florida A&M vs. No. 4 Alabama State
Winner-take-all | Broadcast: SWAC TV
Head-to-head: Florida A&M leads the season series 3-1. Alabama State won the neutral-site meeting at the Andre Dawson Classic, 11-4, before FAMU swept the conference series in Tallahassee by scores of 5-1, 9-1 and 7-2. The teams have not faced each other in this tournament.
Florida A&M enters the championship game as one of the hottest teams in the field. The Rattlers are 3-0 in the tournament, with wins over Texas Southern and Southern twice. FAMU has scored 28 runs in three games, but Saturday showed the Rattlers can also win without a big offensive number. After scoring 23 runs in their first two games, they used pitching and situational hitting to beat Southern 5-1.
Alabama State has taken the more dramatic path but also enters the title game 3-0 in the tournament. The Hornets opened with a 10-0 run-rule win over Grambling, then twice beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in weather-affected games. Alabama State trailed UAPB 7-2 on Friday before rallying to win 8-7, then came back Saturday night after a long rain delay and used two home runs in the fourth to secure the Bracket B title.
Championship Pitching Outlook
Pitching availability may be the biggest separator in Sunday’s winner-take-all championship game.
Florida A&M should have its top two length pitching options available, with Caleb Granger expected to get the start and Garrett Workman positioned as the primary follow-up arm. That gives the Rattlers a clear path to cover most of the game with two of their best pitchers. Granger threw 101 pitches in Wednesday’s tournament opener against Texas Southern, while Workman threw 73 pitches Thursday against Southern, giving both arms multiple days of recovery before the championship.
Alabama State is expected to start Jorhan LaBoy, who threw 88 pitches in Wednesday’s 10-0 win over Grambling State. LaBoy has had a similar recovery window as Granger, but the larger question for ASU is what comes after him. The Hornets have leaned heavily on James Peterson and Camden Matthews, who have each appeared three times in the tournament, and Trey Power threw 83 pitches late Saturday night against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. That could make LaBoy’s length especially important for Alabama State.
Florida A&M Tournament Leaders
Top offensive performers:
Jackson McKenzie: 6-for-12, six runs, four RBI, two home runs, one double, one triple, three walks/HBP combined.
Jay Campbell: 5-for-11, five runs, five RBI, one double, one triple, one home run, three walks.
Matthew Perez: 4-for-12, five RBI, two runs, one double, four walks.
William Brown: 3-for-9, three runs, three RBI, three walks.
Alex Monile: 6-for-9, two runs, one double, two walks.
Pitching usage and leaders:
Caleb Granger: 1 appearance, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 101 pitches.
Garrett Workman: 1 appearance, 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 73 pitches.
Jesus Campa: 1 appearance, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 85 pitches.
Ryan Young: 2 appearances, 3.2 IP, 0 ER, one save, 40 pitches.
Clark Lincoln: 2 appearances, 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 39 pitches.
Tanner Walker: 2 appearances, 2.1 IP, eight earned runs, 62 pitches.
Cody Williams: 1 appearance, 1.0 IP, 0 ER, one save, 13 pitches.
Alabama State Tournament Leaders
Top offensive performers:
Miguel Oropeza: 6-for-11, five runs, 12 RBI, two home runs, two doubles, four walks.
Fabian Santana: 6-for-9, three runs, four RBI, one walk.
Jackson Williams: 5-for-12, one run, two RBI, one double.
Trey Callaway: 4-for-11, two runs, three RBI, one walk.
Devin Chandler: 3-for-11, four runs, two RBI, one home run, three walks.
Alex Espaillat: 3-for-6, three runs, one RBI, one double.
Pitching usage and leaders:
James Peterson: 3 appearances, 9.0 IP, four earned runs, one save, 121 pitches.
Camden Matthews: 3 appearances, 5.1 IP, three earned runs, one win, 95 pitches.
Jorhan LaBoy: 1 appearance, 5.0 IP, 0 ER, one win, 88 pitches.
Trey Power: 1 appearance, 5.2 IP, three earned runs, one win, 83 pitches.
Caio Araujo: 1 appearance, 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 29 pitches.
Top Tournament MVP Candidates
Florida A&M
- Jackson McKenzie
McKenzie has been FAMU’s most dangerous bat, with two home runs, six runs scored and the best all-around offensive line for the Rattlers. - Matthew Perez
Perez has driven in five runs and delivered key situational at-bats, including run-producing moments in both wins over Southern. - Ryan Young
Young has been a quiet but important pitching weapon. His three hitless innings to close the Bracket A final gave FAMU a clean path to Sunday.
Alabama State
- Miguel Oropeza
Oropeza is the clear front-runner from Alabama State. He has 12 RBI in three tournament games, including a grand slam against Grambling, a three-run double in the comeback against UAPB, and a three-run homer in the Bracket B final. - Fabian Santana
Santana has been steady throughout the tournament, hitting 6-for-9 and delivering key RBI swings in both games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. - James Peterson
Peterson has appeared in three games and has been used in leverage spots, including a save against Grambling and the final inning to close the Bracket B championship game.
What Florida A&M Needs to Do to Win
Florida A&M’s best path is to let its pitching advantage shape the game. With Granger expected to start and Workman available behind him, the Rattlers can try to control the tempo early, avoid bullpen scrambling and force Alabama State to win clean innings rather than feast on free bases.
Offensively, FAMU needs to continue doing what it has done throughout the tournament: control at-bats, pressure pitchers and create traffic for the middle of the order. Jackson McKenzie, Jay Campbell and Matthew Perez have been the key run producers, and the Rattlers have shown they can win both ways — with a 15-run outburst and with a more efficient, situational 5-1 win.
The Rattlers also need to make LaBoy work. If FAMU can elevate his pitch count by the middle innings, it could force Alabama State into a bullpen that has already carried a heavy tournament workload. That may be the championship’s pressure point.
What Alabama State Needs to Do to Win
Alabama State needs LaBoy to give the Hornets length. If he can get through the middle innings with the game close or with ASU ahead, the Hornets can shorten the game and be more selective with Peterson, Matthews or any remaining bullpen options.
Offensively, ASU has to make its power count. Miguel Oropeza has been the tournament’s most productive hitter, and the Hornets need runners on base ahead of him. Fabian Santana, Devin Chandler, Trey Callaway, Jackson Williams and Niguel Jenkins have all delivered key swings, and ASU’s best chance is to create one or two big innings rather than try to match FAMU pitch-for-pitch over nine innings.
The Hornets also need to play from in front. Because FAMU has more clearly defined length options available, Alabama State does not want to chase the game late. A quick start would allow LaBoy to attack the zone and give ASU more flexibility with a bullpen that may not be as fresh as FAMU’s.
NCAA Tournament Stakes
The winner of Sunday’s SWAC Championship Game will receive the league’s automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The SWAC champion will most likely be placed as a No. 4 seed in one of the 16 NCAA regionals, with the full 64-team bracket revealed Monday.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, May 25 at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. ESPN’s selection special will reveal the full bracket, regional pairings and host sites for the Road to Omaha.