Now into week three of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) baseball season, once again, let’s take another look at which teams are making some noise during the early stages of the 2016 season and which teams that have gottren off to a slow start.
Morehouse College (7-3) won four straight games this past week and are now riding a five game winning streak scoring 63 runs during the that timeframe. The Maroon Tigers are doing some timely hitting pushing runners across the plate, but mainly it has been starting pitching leading to two doubleheaders victories. They will need the pitching to again step up with a two upcoming mid-week games against Black College Nines’ preseason No. 2 Edward Waters College and a weekend series against Miles College.
Starting the season at 1-3, Miles College is on a four game hot streak and finds itself sitting pretty at 5-3 by winning three of the last four games with a lopsided Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) conference win against Clark Atlanta University and a non-conference victory over Tougaloo College. The Golden Bears are led by Aaron Williams (.438) with one home run and five runs batted in and Damion Williams (.313), also with one home run and four rbi. Miles has scheduled one mid-week, non-conference game against the University of Montevallo, then a SIAC conference doubleheader clash with Morehouse.
Selma University (4-2) opened its 2016 season on the road splitting a doubleheader against Tuskegee University losing game one 11-9, then defeating Tuskegee in game two, 4-3. The Bulldogs home opener netted two doubleheader victories against Rust College, putting on a hitting display scoring 25 runs, winning game one, 11-1 and game two, 14-2. Selma split its next two games in an Atlanta, Georgia tournament losing to NCAA Division I Eastern New Mexico University, 19-4, then defeating tournament host Clark Atlanta 14-6. Selma is a team loaded with freshman and sophomores who throw in the low 90s. They play two back to back doubleheaders this week verses NCAA Division II SIAC opponents. The Bulldogs play a mid-week game on the road in Orangeburg, SC against Claflin University and then return home the next day to face Lane College.
On the flip side of the coin, Black College Nines’ HBCU preseason No. 6 Jarvis Christian University started the season 2-1 taking two of three games from Texas Wesleyan University then lost four straight at home to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ 21st ranked Missouri Baptist University. The ball club, now 2-5, has scheduled one mid-week game against East Texas Baptist University and four weekend games versus Clarke University and Point University.
Stillman College (1-7) has lost seven straight games after defeating top ranked Mercyhurst University on opening day, giving Julius McDougal his first career win as a head coach. The road does not get any easier as they face two mid-week games against Talladega College and the University of West Alabama, then visit South Florida for a weekend series against NCAA Division II powerhouse Lynn University.
Other teams hoping to improve in the win column include Florida Memorial University (1-8), Albany State University (0-9) and Lane College (0-7). Florida Memorial has games with St. Thomas University and Warner, while Albany State faces Shorter University and St. Leo University over the weekend. Lane will take on Selma and Concordia (Selma).
Nice work!!!