Hornets win second SWAC title of expansion era behind Trey Callaway’s three-run blast, Miguel Oropeza’s tournament MVP performance and James Peterson’s long relief effort.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The weather made one final appearance at Rickwood Field, but it could not stop Alabama State from finishing the job.
After the 2026 SWAC Baseball Championship Game was delayed by more than three hours due to rain and later halted briefly in the sixth inning by another rain storm, Alabama State held off Florida A&M, 8-6, on Sunday afternoon to win the SWAC Tournament championship and claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For the Hornets, the win marked their second SWAC Tournament championship in the expansion era, which began in 2021. Alabama State completed a perfect tournament run, going 4-0 with wins over Grambling State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff twice, and Florida A&M in the winner-take-all final.
Florida A&M, which entered Sunday also unbeaten in tournament play and had beaten Southern twice to win Bracket A, made a late push with three runs in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth. But Alabama State reliever James Peterson, who entered in the fifth inning and worked the final 4.2 innings, closed the door to secure the championship.
Alabama State 8, Florida A&M 6
Alabama State struck first in the top of the first inning. Breydon Divine singled, stole second and came home on a Niguel Jenkins RBI single to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead. Florida A&M answered in the bottom half when Jay Campbell tripled to left center and Jackson McKenzie doubled him home, tying the game at 1-1.
The Hornets moved back ahead in the third when Devin Chandler singled, Divine moved him over with a sacrifice bunt, and Miguel Oropeza singled to left to score Chandler for a 2-1 Alabama State lead. The fourth inning became the first major turning point. Jackson Williams and Cale Clark opened the inning with hits, Alex Espaillat moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt, and Fabian Santana singled in Williams. Chandler followed with an RBI single, then Oropeza was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jenkins was also hit by a pitch, forcing in Santana and extending the Alabama State lead to 5-1.
Florida A&M got one back in the bottom of the fourth on Josue Figueroa’s RBI double, cutting the deficit to 5-2. The Rattlers then threatened again in the fifth after William Brown singled and Campbell reached with one out, but Peterson entered for Jorhan LaBoy and induced a double play from McKenzie to end the inning.
Alabama State delivered what proved to be the championship swing in the sixth. Oropeza walked, Jenkins was hit by a pitch for the second time, and Trey Callaway launched a three-run home run to right center, pushing the Hornets’ lead to 8-2. That blast gave Alabama State the cushion it needed once Florida A&M made its late charge.
The Rattlers scored in the seventh on Campbell’s RBI single, then made things tight in the eighth. Alex Monile singled, Figueroa singled, and Jordan Brown reached on an infield single with a throwing error that allowed both Monile and Figueroa to score. William Brown followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Jordan Brown, trimming Alabama State’s lead to 8-6.
Florida A&M had one final chance in the ninth. McKenzie singled and Ethan Miller followed with a single down the left-field line to bring the tying run aboard. Peterson responded by getting Matthew Perez to foul out and Monile to fly out to right, setting off Alabama State’s championship celebration.
Key Performers
Alabama State finished with 13 hits. Cale Clark went 3-for-4, while Chandler, Oropeza and Santana each had two hits. Callaway’s lone hit was the biggest swing of the game, a three-run homer that gave the Hornets an 8-2 lead. Oropeza went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a run scored, completing an MVP-caliber tournament.
Florida A&M had 14 hits in the loss. Brown went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Campbell went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored, and McKenzie went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Figueroa also added two hits and an RBI for the Rattlers.
Pitch Counts
Alabama State:
Jorhan LaBoy — 74 pitches
James Peterson — 76 pitches
Florida A&M:
Caleb Granger — 83 pitches
Tanner Walker — 37 pitches
Cody Williams — 23 pitches
LaBoy gave Alabama State 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. Peterson earned the win, allowing four runs, two earned, over 4.2 innings while working through Florida A&M’s late rally. For FAMU, Granger took the loss after allowing five runs on 11 hits over five innings.
All-Tournament Team
Ryan Hunter, Southern
Andrey Martinez, Bethune-Cookman
Vinny Saumell, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Aaron Grant, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Alex Monile, Florida A&M
Jesus Campa, Florida A&M
Jackson McKenzie, Florida A&M
Jay Campbell, Florida A&M
Fabian Santana, Alabama State
James Peterson, Alabama State
Jorhan LaBoy, Alabama State
Miguel Oropeza, Alabama State — MVP
Miguel Oropeza, Black College Nines’ 2025 Small School Player of the Year as an undergraduate at Talladega College, was the clear centerpiece of Alabama State’s championship run. He delivered key swings throughout the tournament, including a grand slam against Grambling State, a three-run double in the Hornets’ comeback win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a three-run homer in the Bracket B final, and another RBI hit in Sunday’s championship game.
What It Means
With the win, Alabama State earns the SWAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will await its regional destination during Monday’s NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show.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, The Hornets are likely to be placed as a No. 4 seed in regional play.
For Florida A&M, the loss ends a strong tournament run that included three wins and a Bracket A title. The Rattlers reached the championship game behind one of the tournament’s best offensive groups, but Alabama State’s timely power, bullpen toughness and run production from the heart of the order proved to be the difference on Sunday.