NEW ORLEANS — The 2017 Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament takes place May 17-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the MLB Urban Youth Academy’s Wesley Barrow Stadium.  This is the third year the tournament is being held at the Urban Youth Academy.

The top four finishers from the Eastern and Western Divisions qualify for the SWAC baseball tournament.  The team with the highest winning percentage during conference play is the regular season divisional champion and receives the number one seed.

Last year, Alabama State faced Texas Southern in the championship game. The Hornets edged the Tigers 7-5 to capture the first baseball championship in program history. The 2017 baseball championship game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

PAIRINGS

Wednesday, May 17

Game 1 #2 West Texas Southern vs. #3 East Alabama A&M, 9 a.m.
Game 2 #2 East Alabama State vs. #3 West Prairie View A&M,12 p.m.
Game 3 #1 East Jackson State vs. #4 West Southern, 3 p.m.
Game 4 #4 East Alcorn State vs. #1 West Grambling State, 6 p.m.

Thursday, May 18

Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 9 a.m.
Game 6 Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, 12 p.m.
Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 8 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.

Friday, May 19

Game 9 Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 9 a.m.
Game 10 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8, 12 p.m.
Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 3 p.m.
Game 12 Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 20

Game 11b Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 (If necessary)
Game 12b Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8 (If necessary)

Sunday, May 21

Championship Game Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12

NEWS & NOTES

•Defending champion and #2 seed in the east, Alabama State enters the tournament with a 9-1 record in its last 10 SWAC contests. The Hornets will play #3 seed in the west, Prairie View A&M in the first round, who are 5-5 in its last 10 SWAC games.

•#1 seed in the east, Jackson State enters the tournament with a 9-1 record in SWAC play in its last 10 games. The Tigers will look to win its first title since winning back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014.

•#3 seed in the east Alabama A&M will look to the nation’s leader in strikeouts, Brandon Marsonek to help lead it in the tournament. Marsonek leads the nation with 127 strikeouts in the regular season.

•#1 seed in the west, Grambling State enters the tournament winners of 5 of its last six SWAC contests. The Tigers will play Alcorn State in the first round. The two teams squared off in only one meeting earlier this season. Grambling State won that contest 5-1

• Southern will play the number one seed in the east, Jackson State in the first round. Those two teams did not face each other during the regular season

•Of all of the first round matchups, the only two teams to play each other in the regular season were Grambling State and Alcorn State. None of the other first round matchups occurred during the regular season.