Alabama State and Jackson State tied for first in the East, while Southern is favored in the West to win SWAC divisional titles this season. Both Hornets and Tigers picked up 77 points in the voting by Southwestern Athletic Conference head coaches and sports information directors. Each team also received eight first place votes. Alcorn State was picked third with 61 points and two first place votes, while Mississippi Valley State placed fourth with one first place vote and 48 points and Alabama A&M was fifth with 22 points.
Southern took 10 of the 20 first place votes and tallied 85 points as the favored team to win the West. Prairie View was second with 74 points and six first place votes. Grambling and Texas Southern were a close third and fourth with 59 and 56 points respectively, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff was fifth with 26 points. GSU and TSU also received two first place votes each.
Eastern
1t. Alabama State – 77 (8)
1t. Jackson State – 77 (8)
3. Alcorn State – 61 (2)
4. Mississippi Valley State – 45 (1)
5. Alabama A&M – 22
Western
1. Southern – 85 (10)
2. Prairie View – 74 (6)
3. Grambling – 59 (2)
4. Texas Southern – 56 (2)
5. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 26
Todman, Rosa and Russell Headline Preseason All-SWAC Teams
Elias Todman of Grambling State, Angel Rosa of Alcorn State and Desmond Russell of Jackson State headlined the preseason All-SWAC honors.
Todman was voted preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Rosa repeated as preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Russell garner preseason Pitcher of the Year accolades.
In 2012, Todman was second in the conference in batting with a .344 average. The 6-3, senior from Bronx, NY had two home runs, three triples, nine doubles and 43 RBI. His RBI total ranked his tied for third in the SWAC. Todman was also tied for fourth in the league in hits with 62 and ranked seventh in total bases with 83.
Rosa, a 6-1, junior shortstop from Guaynabo, P.R, was a second team All-SWAC performer in 2012. He started in 47 of the 48 games he played. He finished the season with a fielding percentage of .906. In 203 chances, Rosa committed only 19 errors, with 74 putouts and a team-leading 110 assists. At the plate, Rosa batted .292, in 171 at bats. He had two triples, 10 doubles, 30 RBI and scored 23 runs. Rosa also swiped five bases.
Russell was also a member of the All-SWAC second team in 2012. On the mound, the 5-8 junior from Freeport, Bahamas led the SWAC with an ERA of 2.34. His record of 10-2 was second best in the conference. Russell was also ranked second in complete games (8) and innings pitched (107.2). and tied for third in strikeouts with 86. Russell is a 2013 Preseason Lousville Slugger All-American.
# – 2012 First Team All-SWAC
% – 2012 Second Team All-SWAC
Preseason All-SWAC First Team
Starting Pitcher –
%Desmond Russell, Jackson State, Jr., Freeport, Bahamas
#Jose Deleon, Southern, Jr., Isabela, Puerto Rico
Relief Pitcher –
Stephen Lunsford, Prairie View, Sr., Houston, Texas
Catcher –
%Richard Gonzalez, Alabama State, So., Caguas, Puerto Rico
First Base –
# (at DH) Derrick Hopkins, Southern, Sr., Woolwine, Virginia
Second Base –
#Elias Todman, Grambling State, Sr., Bronx, New York
Shortstop –
%Angel Rosa, Alcorn State, Jr., Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Third Base –
Brad Benes, Prairie View, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska
Outfield –
%Darren Farmer, Grambling State, Sr., Bailey, Mississsippi
#D.J. Wallace, Southern, Jr., Copperas Cove, Texas
Richard Amion, Alabama State, So., Cutler Bay, Florida
Designated Hitter –
Jordan Boston, Alcorn State, Jr., Brampton, Ontario
Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
Starting Pitcher –
%Matt Mitchell, Grambling State, Sr., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Stef Hernandez, Prairie View, Sr., Galveston, Texas
Relief Pitcher –
Ryan Fuentes, Alcorn State, Jr., Euless, Texas
Catcher –
Jose Longoria, Grambling State, Sr. Odessa, Texas
First Base –
Tyler Flanagan, Texas Southern, Sr., Marshalltown, Iowa
Second Base –
Edmund Cheatham, Mississippi Valley State, Sr., Jackson, Mississippi
Shortstop –
Luke Brumfield, Mississippi Valley State, Natchez, Mississippi
Third Base –
Hector Mejias, Grambling State, Sr., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republican
Outfield –
Kris Minter, Grambling State, Jr., Birmingham, Alabama
Aneko Knowles, Jackson State, Jr., Freeport, Bahamas
#Brian Rowry, Southern, Jr., Birmingham, Alabama
Designated Hitter –
Malcolm Tate, Jackson State, Sr., Madison, Mississippi
– Courtesy: SWAC.org
