Box Score
ATLANTA, Ga. – A new twist was added to the bitter rivalry between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman as both schools took the diamond in the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Game. The banter volume for these Sunshine State schools is screaming loud from "The Highest of Seven Hills" as the No. 3 seed (East) Rattlers defeated the No. 2 seed (East) Wildcats 9-6 on Sunday, May 28 at Russ Chandler Stadium.
This is the first SWAC baseball crown for FAMU. Both teams officially joined the conference during the 2021-22 school year. With this victory, FAMU clinches its third automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals in the program’s history.
"The SWAC competition is really good. I am so happy for our guys. To do it the way we did – coming out of the loser's bracket – it shows the heart these young men have. "We're excited about representing the SWAC in the NCAA Regional," FAMU baseball head coach Jamey Shouppe said.
FAMU and B-CU advanced to the championship game from the loser's bracket. The teams clinched emotional wins in the semifinals (FAMU 8, Alabama State 4; B-CU14, Grambling State 4).
In the title match, the Rattlers rode the wave of momentum by jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Ty Jackson began the game with a triple. He later scored with Ty Hanchey hit a double to right field. Next, Jared Weber singled, moving Hanchey to third. Hanchey came on an RBI single by Sebastian Greico. Janmikell Bastardo drove in Weber with an RBI base hit.
FAMU went ahead 4-1 in the top of the third. B-CU cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the inning. The Wildcats had RBI singles by Garrett Chun and Robert Moya.
In the seventh inning, the Rattlers added a pair on the scoreboard Greico hit a 2-run blast over the wall. This was his third home run of the tournament. During the postseason week, Greico set FAMU's single-season record for home runs.
Greico went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI in the title match.
Hunter Viets won the bookend games of the tournament. He opened with a victory over No. 3 seed Texas Southern. Viets pitched seven-and-two-thirds innings and had five strikeouts.
FAMU reliever Zach Morea was named MVP of the SWAC Baseball Tournament. He pitched six-and-two-thirds innings with a save in all the Rattlers' wins.
Nolan Santos was the losing pitcher for the Wildcats. His rough outing on the mound included four earned runs and five hits in six innings.
B-CU is one of the winningest programs in Black college baseball. The Wildcats won 19 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships. They appeared in over 25 title games.
A complete listing of all-tournament selections is listed below.
Most Valuable Player
Zach Morea, Florida A&M
All-Tournament Team
Jack Hay, Alabama State
Keylon Mack, Grambling State
Kyle Walker, Grambling State
Irvin Escobar, Bethune-Cookman
Hylan Hall, Bethune-Cookman
Boris Pena, Bethune-Cookman
Colton Olasin, Bethune-Cookman
Sebastian Greico, Florida A&M
Janmikell Bastardo, Florida A&M
Jared Weber, Florida A&M
Hunter Viets, Florida A&M
Zach Morea, Florida A&M
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.