Citing unsafe field conditions, the 2014 SWAC baseball tournament is expected to be held in Baton Rogue or New Orleans, officials announced over the weekend.
The tournament was scheduled to be held at LaGraves Field in Fort Worth, Texas, but following a recent inspection of the facility, league officials decided to move the event prior to the May 14 date.
“The field had a bunch of issues with it that would be a hazard for the student-athletes,” Grambling head coach James Cooper said. “So the tournament is not going to be in Fort Worth.”
The games are expected to be played either at Lee-Hines on the campus of Southern University or at the Urban Youth Academy in New Orleans, Cooper said.
Some of the issues with LaGraves Field included an uneven playing surface, nails sticking out of the outfield wall and poor drainage in the dugouts.
Southern coach Roger Cador also said poor drainage that allowed water to accumulate in the dugouts and an uneven playing surface led the league coaches to ask that the conference not return to the stadium in 2014.
Southern last hosted the baseball tournament in 2012.
