Game NotesCLEARWATER, Fla. – The Alabama State baseball team will open the 2015 season against a pair of nationally ranked opponents in the three-day Clearwater Tournament, hosted by the University of South Florida.
The Hornets face #7 Louisville Friday at 2 p.m., #17 Cal-State Fullerton Saturday at 1 p.m., and host South Florida Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Opening Weekend Challenge at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. All three games will be broadcast live on
bamastatesports.com, with Friday's game broadcast nationally on the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) in more than
25 cities with the pregame show beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Alabama State (37-20) is coming off a school-record setting win total for the second straight year in 2014, winning the SWAC Eastern Division title for the first time since 1994, and advanced to the SWAC Championship game for the first time in school history.
Predicted to repeat earlier this week as division champs in the SWAC Preseason Poll, the Hornets face a pair of nationally ranked opponents to open the season for the first time ever.
"What better way to follow up a successful season by starting 2015 with two ranked teams," fourth-year Alabama State head coach
Mervyl Melendez said. "We're getting tested early, understanding we are going to have to play good baseball and finding out where we stand as a team. We get to find out this year how we're going to step up. I know mentally we are very strong. Physically, they've done a good job in the fall and to this point in the spring of getting ready for the season."
Louisville (50-17) is coming off back-to-back College World Series appearances and has won three straight conference titles. Cal-State Fullerton (34-24) has made 23 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. South Florida (27-31) has a new head coach and returns 25 lettermen.
"I love it," Melendez said of the challenging openers to the season. "We've opened the season at home (Chicago State 2013, Eastern Kentucky 2014), and we've started on the road against a ranked team (#23 UC Irvine at Major League Baseball Urban Invitational). Every game and every team is going to bring a different challenge. Louisville will start a Team USA pitcher in Kyle Funkhouser, a probable first-round pick in next year's draft, so we'll be tested. We're going to see what our team is made out of right off the bat."
Alabama State returns 20 players from last year's team, including SWAC preseason Player of the Year DH
Waldyvan Estrada and preseason Pitcher of the Year P
Joseph Camacho, along with preseason 1
st Team All-SWAC selections 2B
Einar Muniz and P
T.J. Renda. The Hornets look to replace drafted juniors players SS
Emmanuel Marrero (Philadelphia), OF
Richard Amion (San Francisco), and C
Richard Gonzalez (Houston).
"Our approach this year has been on our guys being college baseball players," Melendez said. "Meaning, guys that go above and beyond that get dirty. When they leave the field, the uniform is soaked. That's what we've been concentrating on. How do we become the best college baseball team there is? Let's take care of the team goals first, and then develop the prospect. That has been our mindset throughout, and I really believe this team gets it."
