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FAMU Set for SWAC Tournament in Birmingham; Draw Texas Southern in Opening Round

5/17/2026 2:21:00 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament is set to take center stage at one of America's most hallowed baseball grounds. From May 20–24, eight conference qualifiers will converge on historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. — the oldest professional baseball park in the United States, built in 1910 — for a double-elimination tournament that will crown the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

For the Florida A&M Rattlers, this tournament represents the culmination of a regular season defined by resilience, momentum swings, and a red-hot finish. FAMU enters as the No. 3 seed with a 22-8 SWAC record (27-22 overall), riding a six-game winning streak that includes a dominant sweep of Alabama A&M and a dramatic series win over Texas Southern to close the regular season. The Rattlers, who were picked second in the preseason coaches' poll and spent time tied for first place at the midpoint of the conference schedule, are poised to make a deep postseason run at a venue steeped in Black baseball history.

Final 2026 SWAC Baseball Standings

Seed Team SWAC Record Overall
No. 1 Bethune-Cookman 23-7 37-18
No. 2 Southern 20-7 27-21
No. 3 Florida A&M 22-8 27-22
No. 4 Alabama State 20-10 30-21
No. 5 Grambling State 18-12 21-30
No. 6 Texas Southern 15-12 21-22
No. 7 Jackson State 16-14 26-25
No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 16-14 23-32
 

Understanding the Tournament Format

The SWAC Baseball Tournament uses a unique dual-bracket, double-elimination format. The eight qualifying teams are split into two parallel four-team brackets:

Bracket A: No. 2 Southern, No. 3 Florida A&M, No. 6 Texas Southern, No. 7 Jackson State
Bracket B: No. 1 Bethune-Cookman, No. 4 Alabama State, No. 5 Grambling State, No. 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Each bracket plays out as its own double-elimination mini-tournament from Wednesday through Friday, with an "if necessary" game on Saturday. The two bracket champions then meet in a single winner-take-all Championship Game on Sunday, May 24 at 2 p.m. ET. The tournament champion earns the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Bracket A: Florida A&M's Side of the Draw

FAMU draws into Bracket A alongside No. 2 Southern, No. 6 Texas Southern, and No. 7 Jackson State. The Rattlers' opening-round opponent is a familiar one: Texas Southern, the same squad FAMU just defeated 9-8 in a regular-season finale thriller in Tallahassee to clinch the No. 3 seed.

That familiarity cuts both ways. The Rattlers know the Tigers' personnel, but Texas Southern has nothing to lose after dropping seven consecutive games to close the regular season. Desperate teams can be dangerous teams in a tournament setting, and the Tigers will be eager to reverse their fortunes against the program that ended their regular season on a sour note.

The other Bracket A opener pits No. 2 Southern against No. 7 Jackson State. Southern closed the season on a six-game winning streak of its own and finished 20-7 in SWAC play. The Jaguars are the top seed in this bracket and represent the most formidable obstacle between FAMU and a bracket championship. Jackson State, meanwhile, finished 16-14 in conference play and showed the ability to produce explosive offensive performances late in the season, including an 18-1 run-rule win over Alabama A&M and a 12-6 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the regular-season finale.

Bracket A Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Game Matchup Date / Time (ET)
Game 1 #3 Florida A&M vs. #6 Texas Southern Wed, May 20 • 10 a.m. ET
Game 3 #2 Southern vs. #7 Jackson State Wed, May 20 • 4 p.m. ET
Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3 Thu, May 21 • 4 p.m. ET
Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3 Thu, May 21 • 10 a.m. ET
Game 9 Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7 Fri, May 22 • 10 a.m. ET
Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 Fri, May 22 • 4 p.m. ET
Game 11b If Necessary Sat, May 23 • 1 p.m. ET
 

FAMU's Best-Case Scenario: The Championship Blueprint

For the Rattlers to hoist the SWAC Championship trophy on Sunday, they would need to win either three or four games depending on whether they stay unbeaten in bracket play. Here is the ideal path:

Game 1 — Wednesday, May 20, 10 a.m. ET: No. 3 FAMU vs. No. 6 Texas Southern

The Rattlers' best-case scenario begins with a decisive opening win over Texas Southern. FAMU has seen the Tigers three times already in the final regular-season series and knows their tendencies. In the best case, the Rattlers jump on Texas Southern early behind the lineup's proven power — led by Jackson McKenzie, who was the offensive engine during the Alabama A&M sweep (5-for-13, two home runs, seven RBI), and William Brown, who hit .600 in that series (6-for-10, two doubles, a homer, four RBI). Jay Campbell, the steady run producer batting third, provides the lineup's heartbeat. On the mound, a strong start from the rotation — backed by Tanner Walker's late-inning reliability and Jesus Campa's dominant bullpen work (he retired all 13 batters he faced in the Alabama A&M finale) — sets the tone for the tournament.

Ideal Result: FAMU advances to the winners' bracket; Texas Southern drops to the elimination side.

Game 7 — Thursday, May 21, 4 p.m. ET: Winners' Bracket Semifinal

In the best-case scenario, FAMU faces the winner of Southern vs. Jackson State — most likely No. 2 Southern. This is the biggest test in Bracket A. Southern is the highest-seeded team in the bracket and finished the regular season as the league's second-best team. However, the Rattlers possess the kind of lineup depth and pitching balance that can match up with anyone in the conference. FAMU's team batted .318 over the Alabama A&M sweep, hit six home runs, and scored in 12 of 25 half-innings. A win here would put FAMU one victory away from the bracket title and guarantee at least two chances to get there.

Ideal Result: FAMU defeats Southern and advances to the Bracket A championship game with a 2-0 tournament record.

Game 11 — Friday, May 22, 4 p.m. ET: Bracket A Championship

With two wins in hand and no losses, FAMU would enter the Bracket A title game with a cushion: even a loss here would force an "if necessary" Game 11b on Saturday rather than elimination. In the best-case path, the Rattlers close out the bracket with a third consecutive win. The likely opponent at this stage would be Southern (returning through the elimination side) or whichever team survived Games 5 and 9 on the losers' bracket side. FAMU's bullpen depth — a staff that posted a combined 1.64 ERA over 11.1 innings of relief in the Alabama A&M series — becomes the decisive advantage in a compressed tournament schedule.

Ideal Result: FAMU wins Bracket A and advances to Sunday's Championship Game.

Championship — Sunday, May 24, 2 p.m. ET: Winner-Take-All

The championship game pits the Bracket A winner against the Bracket B winner in a single winner-take-all contest. In FAMU's best-case scenario, the opponent is likely No. 1 Bethune-Cookman, the regular-season champion at 23-7 in SWAC play. The Wildcats are the conference's most complete team, led by preseason Player of the Year Andrey Martinez and Preseason Pitcher of the Year Edwin Sanchez. FAMU and Bethune-Cookman already have a rivalry layer: the Rattlers were tied with B-CU for first place in the SWAC before their late-April series in Daytona Beach, where the Wildcats took two of three to seize control of the standings.

A championship matchup between the two Florida-based SWAC programs would carry enormous stakes and narrative weight. For FAMU, a tournament title would complete one of the most dramatic arcs in recent conference history — from preseason No. 2 pick, to co-leader at the midpoint, to a mid-season freefall that included a three-game sweep at Grambling State, to a furious six-game winning streak that carried the Rattlers into the postseason with championship-caliber momentum.

Ideal Result: FAMU defeats the Bracket B champion and claims the 2026 SWAC Baseball Championship and automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Why Florida A&M Can Win It All

Momentum

Six consecutive wins entering the tournament. The Rattlers are the hottest team in Bracket A and one of the hottest in the entire tournament field, tied with Southern for the longest active winning streak among qualifiers.

Lineup Depth

FAMU's offense is not a one-man show. McKenzie, William Brown, Jordan Brown, Campbell, Caden Kresak, Josue Figueroa, Colton Ryals, and Ethan Miller all contributed signature moments down the stretch. The Rattlers batted .318 as a team in their last series and hit six home runs. That kind of balanced production is difficult to pitch around in a short tournament.

Pitching and Bullpen

The rotation has been solid, and the bullpen has been dominant. Starters combined to allow just seven earned runs over 14 innings in the Alabama A&M sweep, and the relief corps posted a 1.64 ERA over 11.1 innings. Campa's perfect 13-batter stretch in the series finale is the kind of shutdown performance that wins elimination games.

Resilience

This team has proven it can respond to adversity. After the Grambling State sweep dropped FAMU to sixth in the SWAC standings, many counted the Rattlers out. The team responded with six straight victories, including a sweep of Alabama A&M and a dramatic series win over a Texas Southern team that was jockeying for position. That bounce-back mentality is invaluable in a double-elimination format where one bad game doesn't end the run.

The Venue

Rickwood Field is more than just a ballpark. As the oldest professional baseball park in America and a site deeply intertwined with Black baseball history, it provides a meaningful stage for HBCU athletes. The SWAC's multi-year agreement to host the tournament at Rickwood through 2029 underscores the conference's commitment to honoring that legacy. For FAMU's players, competing on this ground carries an added layer of significance.

The Road Ahead

The 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament promises to be one of the most competitive in recent conference history. Multiple teams enter on winning streaks, the top eight are separated by real postseason credentials, and the dual-bracket format ensures that no team can coast.
For Florida A&M, the mission is clear: take care of business against Texas Southern in the opener, build momentum through the bracket, and give themselves a chance to play for a championship on Sunday at Rickwood Field.
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