The Alabama State baseball team returns to Southwestern Athletic Conference action at home Friday night and Saturday against Mississippi Valley State.
The Hornets (15-12 overall, 6-3 SWAC) will host the Delta Devils (3-23, 1-5) Friday at 6 p.m. and in a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
The Hornets are coming off a pair of mid-week losses on the road at Kennesaw State and Georgia State, as offensively Alabama State combined to score just three runs and amass eight hits in the two games. After beginning the season hitting .314 as a team in beginning the season in starting 12-5, ASU has hit just .231 in the past 10 games, winning only three times in that span.
“There's a point in the season that almost every team in America goes through, where you hit a little slump and not play as well,” head coach
Mervyl Melendez said following Thursday afternoon's practice which featured a heavy emphasis on hitting. “We've hit that point over the last few weeks. We need to go back to basics. We've got to concentrate on the things we did well in the beginning, and start playing baseball again. Mentally and physically, this game is going to test you. This is a testing point for us, and we have to overcome it.”
The Hornets face a SWAC Eastern Division for the first time in two weeks after playing six consecutive non-conference games. This weekend's series ends the first half of conference play and Melendez looks for his team to apply positive early season experiences moving forward.
“You have to play well on weekends,” Melendez said. “We've experienced a lot of scenarios this season which have helped us become a better team, especially earlier in the season. What we need to do is take the learning we did early and apply it. We've forgotten about the things that made us successful, which is normal. Unfortunately, that's a part of just about everyone's season at one point or another. We have to learn from it, overcome it and change the things we're not doing well and get it done, and it starts this weekend.”
-GO HORNETS-
