Defending SWAC baseball championship team picked to repeat in 2025

The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2025 SWAC Baseball Preseason selections and Predicted Order of Finish.

Grambling State is tabbed as the league favorite heading into the upcoming season. The preseason polls and team selections were voted upon by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

Grambling State was picked to finish in 1^st place overall. The Tigers tallied 7 first-place points and 156 total points. Bethune-Cookman (2^nd), Jackson State (3^rd), Alabama State (4^th), and Florida A&M (5^th) round out the list of top five SWAC Preseason Poll selections.

Jackson State’s Jordan McCladdie was tabbed Preseason Player of the Year, while Florida A&M’s Caleb Granger was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

McCladdie finished second on the team in hitting and eighth in the SWAC at .364. He led the conference in hits with 82 and hits per game at 1.49. McCladdie scored 71 runs on the season to finish third in the conference. He averaged 1.29 runs per game to finish fourth in the conference (19^th in the nation) while also collecting 14 doubles and four triples, along with plating 42 runs.

Granger dominated the SWAC this past season with a 7-1 conference record in regular season play, a 2.72 ERA, and 51 strikeouts. For the whole season, he had a 9-2 record with the 36th-best ERA in the nation (2.87). Granger also had 68 strikeouts and a .262 opponent batting average. He also led the SWAC with a 1.27 WHIP.

The 2025 SWAC Baseball regular season will begin this week, with league teams returning to action. The SWAC Baseball Tournament will be held May 21-25 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

A complete listing of preseason poll rankings and preseason team selections is listed below.

2025 SWAC Baseball Preseason Poll

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Grambling State- 156 (7)
2. Bethune-Cookman- 150 (3)
3. Jackson State- 146
4. Alabama State- 142 (1)
5. Florida A&M- 140 (2)
6. Southern- 119 (1)
7. Texas Southern- 103
8. Prairie View A&M- 97
9. Arkansas-Pine Bluff- 58 (1)
10. Alabama A&M- 47
11. Alcorn State- 42 (1)
12. Mississippi Valley State- 40

*First place votes listed in parenthesis

2025 Preseason All-SWAC Baseball Team and Individual Awards

Preseason Player of the Year
Jordan McCladdie, Jackson State

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Caleb Granger, Florida A&M

Preseason All-SWAC Baseball First Team
C – Broedy Poppell, Florida A&M
1B – Juan Cruz, Alabama State
2B – Lee Allen, Prairie View A&M
3B – Jaden Jones, Texas Southern
SS – Kyler McIntosh, Alabama State
DH – Carlos Rodriguez, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OF – Jordan McCladdie, Jackson State
OF – Michael Burroughs, Prairie View A&M
OF – Joseph Eichelberger, Jackson State
SP – Tanner Boccabello, Bethune-Cookman
SP – Caleb Granger, Florida A&M
RP – Pablo Torres, Bethune-Cookman

Preseason All-SWAC Baseball Second Team
1B – Manny Souffrain, Bethune-Cookman
2B – Ben Martin, Alcorn State
3B – Marshal Jonas, Prairie View A&M
SS – Robert Tate Jr., Jackson State
DH – Jason Lazo, Texas Southern
OF – Brycen Hammonds, Alabama A&M
OF – Michael Smith, Prairie View A&M
OF – Sergio Rivera, Bethune-Cookman
SP – Mason Martinez, Grambling State
SP – Ranard Grace, Southern
RP – Javier Martinez, Grambling State