The Alabama State baseball team will open Southwestern Athletic Conference play this weekend against Mississippi Valley State in a three-game series now scheduled for Montgomery.
 
Field conditions at Mississippi Valley State prompted the change in location for the series, which will now start Sunday with a 3 p.m. doubleheader and a Monday single game at noon or 1 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex, with free admission to fans all weekend. The Hornets will now travel to Itta Bena for the second series against the Delta Devils April 11-12.
 
Alabama State (5-5 overall, 0-0 SWAC) is coming off a 12-8 home win Tuesday against Troy. The Hornets have scored 10+ runs in back-to-back games, with 10+ hits in seven of the last nine games. C Chris Biocic, the reigning SWAC Player of the Week, has been a catalyst during that time. The sophomore is on a nine-game hitting streak, hitting .417 (15-for-36) with 11 RBI and four stolen bases. He had a bases-clearing double with two outs in a key third-inning rally in Tuesday's win, as Biocic is hitting .500 (7-for-14) with runners in scoring position this season.
 
"Chris is doing a good job staying focused throughout his at-bats," Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez said. "He's doing a great job with two strikes by putting the ball in play. The key to hitting is making consistent contact and he's been able to do that."
 
The Delta Devils (1-7-1, 0-4) lost its opening conference series at Alabama A&M last weekend. The Hornets, the 2014 SWAC Eastern Division champions, won all six games against Mississippi Valley State last season. While the focus of conference play speaks for itself, Melendez says the plan for his team remains the same.
 
"These games actually mean more than the previous games we have played, but the mindset remains the same," Melendez said. "We play against the game, and the approach from our players must stay consistent with what they've done so far."