MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University baseball team has wrapped up regular season play and now turns its attention to defending their Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament Championship as the Hornets open action on Wednesday in the first round against Prairie View A&M at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
 
Alabama State (28-24) is coming off a 1-1 record last week as the Hornets completed a three-game season sweep of Jacksonville State, but dropped the regular-season finale in heartbreaking fashion to Troy last Wednesday.
 
Despite the setback in the final regular season game of the season, Alabama State is 7-3 in its last 10 games and has boasted a .714 winning percentage (5-2) in the month of May. In fact, the Hornets seem to be hitting their stride at just the right time. Since the beginning of April, ASU is 16-9.
 
One of the biggest keys to the success of the Alabama State team is pitching and the Hornets look no farther than starters Tyler Howe and Burke Echelmeier. The two pitchers have combined for 12 wins in 142.0 innings of work and 134 strikeouts. Also, both pitchers are coming off complete-game victories in the SWAC series finale against Alcorn State (May 5 and May 6).
 
Howe, who was named the SWAC Pitcher of the Year on Monday, is expected to start against Prairie View A&M and will be pitching on 11 day's rest. Echelmeier is expected to pitch on Thursday against either Alcorn State or Grambling State and will also be pitching on 11 day's rest.
 
The pitching just doesn't stop with Howe and Echelmeier either as the Hornets' pitching staff boasts a 4.74 team ERA.
 
Austin Bizzle and Patrick Coffin are expected to see action throughout the tournament.
 
Bizzle, who was selected the SWAC Relief Pitcher of the Year, is 6-0 with a team-best 1.92 ERA in 24 appearances (23 in relief). Also, he led the team in saves with four and fanned 63. In his only start of the season, Bizzle went 7.2 innings with six strikeouts in a 10-2 victory over Alcorn State. Coffin, who is 4-0 in 18 appearances and had one start, finished with two saves and 41 strikeouts.
 
Much like Bizzle, Coffin is coming off a career-best as he pitched a complete-game victory in his last outing, a 9-4 win over Jacksonville State. Against the Gamecocks, Coffin surrendered four runs on 10 hits, but fanned a career-high 11 in the win.
 
Offensively, the Hornets will look to All-SWAC performers Gustavo Rios and Cage Cox.
 
Rios continues to be a dominate force as he is batting .314 with 58 hits, 17 doubles, nine homers and one triple in 185 at-bats. Also, he leads the team in RBIs, driving in 45. Cox, the SWAC Freshman of the Year, leads the team in a number of categories, including batting average (.356), runs scored (45) and hits (69). He also has 17 doubles, five home runs, two triples and has driving in 41.
 
Alabama State is the No. 2 seed from the East Division and is placed in Bracket B with Prairie View A&M (West No. 3 seed), Alcorn State (East No. 4 seed) and Grambling State (West No. 1 seed). Of the four teams in the bracket, only Prairie View A&M is the team the Hornets haven't faced this year. In fact, Alabama State is 9-0 against Alcorn State and Grambling State this season. However it's the SWAC Tournament and anything can happen.
 
Prairie View A&M (18-35) enters the contest having lost its last six games, including a pair to Baylor last Tuesday and Wednesday. The Panthers defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff on April 29, but haven't won consecutive games since the SWAC series with Southern (April 21-23).
 
Cody Den Beste, an All-SWAC First Team selection, leads the way offensively with a .364 batting average. He registered 71 hits, including 13 doubles, a team-high seven triples and four home runs. Avery Williams is second on the team with a .328 average. He has 39 hits, 23 runs scored, 20 RBI, 10 doubles, four triples and two homers in 40 games played.
 
On the mound, the Hornets could face Darrien Williams, Edgar Sanchez or Andreus Faltesek as the Panthers pitching staff has a 7.64 earned run average.
 
Williams posted a team-best 4.19 ERA and went 4-4 in 10 starts. He finished with two complete games and struck out 59. Sanchez went 4-5 with a 4.43 in 11 starts and fanned 49, while Faltesek was 0-6 in 10 starts and struck out 31.
 
The winner of Wednesday's SWAC game will face either Grambling State or Alcorn State on Thursday. If the Hornets should get the win, Alabama State will play at 6 p.m. on Thursday. A loss would move the Hornets into the elimination bracket and would play at 12 p.m. on Thursday.
 
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