Southwestern Athletic Conference

NCAA Bracket

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama State, 2016 SWAC Tournament Champions, will head to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Regional host Florida State in the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. First pitch is set for Friday, June 3 at 5 PM at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

Alabama State, 38-15 on the year, heads into the postseason tournament on a seven-game winning streak. The Hornets added four wins in the SWAC Tournament to their record after posting a perfect 24-0 record against league opponents in the regular season.

The Hornets, led by three-time SWAC Starting Pitcher of the Year Joseph Camacho and All-SWAC and All-Tournament Team pitcher Tyler Howe, both have collected 10-wins this season. Howe (10-2) has collected 82 strikeouts in 79 innings pitched while making 12 starts in 14 appearances for a 1.48 ERA. Camacho (10-0) owns a 2.04 ERA, while striking out 82 over 83. 2 innings pitched. He also collected the save in the 2016 SWAC Championship win over Texas Southern.

The Hornet offense paces the country with 8.7 runs scored per game this season. All-Tournament and Tournament MVP selection Dillon Cooper is hitting .359 (66-for-184) on the year, collecting 20 doubles, 10 home runs and 57 RBI. SWAC Hitter and Player of the Year Carlos Ocasio has put together a .340 average (68-for-200), pacing the squad with 60 RBI, 13 home runs and 12 doubles, slugging .615 and with an on-base percentage of .430 while stealing 19 bases in 20 attempts. Ray Hernandez paces Alabama State with 15 home runs and 61 RBI while picking up 13 doubles.  

2016 SWAC Coach of the Year Mervyl Melendez is not a stranger to coaching in the NCAA Tournament, making 11 appearances at the helm of the Bethune-Cookman program.

Florida State (37-20), ACC Tournament runner-up, fell to Clemson 18-13 on May 29 in a rain delayed title game. The Seminoles are led by All-Tournament selection Dylan Busby, who is hitting .317 (70-for-221) with 13 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 47 RBI with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts. All-ACC First Team honoree John Sansone has put together a .365 average (85-for-233), pacing the squad with 22 doubles and 62 RBI with nine home runs for the Seminoles.

On the hill, Drew Carlton tallied a 6-3 record in 15 appearances, with a 4.15 ERA, fanning 66 batters in 78.0 innings pitched. Reliever Chase Haney has a 5-0 record on the season with a 1.80 ERA over 30 innings in 27 appearances out of the bullpen for Florida State.

Also in the Tallahassee Regional, South Alabama will take on Southern Miss at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 3.